At Western State College of Law, the oldest law school in Orange County, students benefit from a strong support system designed to help them excel in law school and beyond. One of the key figures behind this effort is Professor Jennifer Dean, an Assistant Professor of Lawyering Skills who plays an essential role in the Academic Success Program (ASP). Through her dedication to legal education, bar exam preparation, and community service, Professor Dean plays a crucial role in preparing law students for both academic achievement and real-world legal practice.
A Passion for Student Success
As a faculty member in Western State’s ASP, Professor Jennifer Dean is committed to equipping students with essential legal skills. She teaches Introduction to Legal Methods, a foundational course for first-year students that helps them develop critical thinking, writing, and analytical skills necessary for law school success. “My main goal is to help students develop the skills that they need to succeed in their law school classes, on the bar exam, and then as a future attorney,” she explains.
She also teaches in Western State’s bar exam preparation courses, including the Basic Bar Studies Essay course and the newly introduced Performance Test (PT) Strategies course. Both courses are designed to provide students with the practice and structure they need to master these critical assessments. “We focus on developing a step-by-step approach with a lot of practice so students feel ready to tackle the bar exam,” Professor Dean says. “It’s a great opportunity to allow students to have early exposure to bar exam material to help make bar prep a little easier, as well as to continue to develop skills they can directly and immediately apply to their other classes.”
One of the standout features of Western State is its small class sizes, which allow for personalized instruction and interactive learning. Professor Dean likes this approach because it allows her to provide individualized feedback and engage with her students in real time. “Because our class sizes are small, we can offer small group work and individual work, and give individual feedback to the students,” she says. “I can walk around, talk to students in small groups or individually, and provide live feedback in the moment, which can be really impactful.”
This hands-on approach guarantees that students actively engage with legal concepts, improving their writing and honing their analytical skills as well.
A Deep Commitment to Pro Bono and Community Service
Beyond the classroom, Professor Dean is deeply involved in community service and pro bono work. She currently volunteers at a domestic violence restraining order clinic, where she helps self-represented litigants file for protective orders and navigate the legal system. “I volunteer because there’s a great need in our community for legal assistance, and I want to be a part of ensuring that people who need this help have access to it,” she shares. “Filing for a restraining order can be a stressful and confusing process, and I’m happy to make it a little bit easier for those who come to the clinic.”
Her dedication to supporting underserved communities is very impactful and also enriches her teaching. “It helps to explain a concept by connecting it to a real-life scenario,” she says. She often draws on her practical legal experience to provide students with useful insights and relevant examples during class. “Sometimes I’ll ask students to imagine themselves as an attorney working through a case. How would they tackle it? I try to incorporate that into discussions when I can.”
Western State’s Support for Faculty and Student Growth
Professor Jennifer Dean pointed out Western State’s dedication to student success, particularly through the ASP and ASP Center. “We have an amazing ASP Center where students can work, access supplemental materials, and ask faculty questions at any time. We’re always available to them in the ASP Center,” she explains. This dedicated space offers students resources like study materials, faculty support with an open-door policy, and quiet study areas so that students can concentrate on their work.
Western State is an institution that encourages faculty involvement in community service and pro bono work, helping both students and professors stay connected to real-world legal challenges. She praises programs like the law school’s clinics, including the Immigration Clinic, Entrepreneurship Clinic, Criminal Defense Clinic, and Probate Clinic, which offer students the chance to gain practical legal experience while giving back to their community. “Students can work on real-world legal problems with real clients and develop important skills such as client counseling, fact gathering, and legal analysis. I participated in a clinic when I was in law school, and I’d encourage any student to participate,” she says.
Looking Ahead: Expanding Support for Bar Exam Success
Professor Dean has looked forward to the expansion of bar prep programming at Western State, particularly with the new PT course. This course, which she is teaching this semester, is designed to give students a structured, step-by-step approach to learning the PT section of the bar exam. “It’s my favorite part of the bar exam, so it’s going to be really fun to teach,” she says.
She also organizes additional workshops for the law school, covering topics like the Multistate Professional Responsibility Exam to ensure that students are prepared for every stage of their legal careers. “We make sure our students know what the steps are to become licensed attorneys early in their law school career,” she explains.
Through her academic support, bar prep guidance, and pro bono work, Professor Dean is helping shape the next generation of successful attorneys.
A True Advocate for Law Students
With her dedication to student success, community service, and legal education, Professor Jennifer Dean is an essential part of Western State College of Law. Through her role in the ASP, her engaging classes, and her commitment to pro bono service, she is a perfect example of the law school’s mission to teach its students to become skilled, ethical, and successful attorneys. When asked what she loves most about Western State, Professor Dean immediately replied, “The students. I get to know them very well, which makes this so rewarding.” Having taught at Western State for three years, Professor Dean now has 2L and 3L students in her upper-division class who were previously in her Introduction to Legal Methods course as 1Ls. “It’s great to see their progress over time, and I look forward to working with them during bar prep after they graduate,” she says.
A school of opportunity with small class sizes, personalized support, and a faculty dedicated to student success, Western State offers a unique educational experience. With professors like Jennifer Dean leading the way, law students at Western State have the guidance and resources they need to excel in law school and beyond.