Written by: WSCL Marketing Team
Guiding Students with Resilience and Support
At Western State College of Law, an ABA-accreddited law school that is the oldest in Orange County and one of the most affordable in California, students quickly learn that success in law school isn’t just about mastering case law or writing airtight legal briefs. It’s also about resilience, honesty, and support, and Professor Stacey Kim-Jackson embodies each of these values. As Assistant Professor of Lawyering Skills and Associate Director of Academic Success, Professor Kim-Jackson plays a central role in helping students navigate the challenges of law school. Whether she’s guiding a 1L through their first semester, helping at-risk students get through their courses, or supporting bar takers as they prepare for the biggest exam of their careers, her philosophy is grounded in candor and compassion.
“My first step is to acknowledge that being at risk, being on academic probation, is not where anyone wants to be,” she explains. “But then I talk about how we have to move on, and how we need to figure out what needs to happen so that you can get off of probation.” Her approach is rooted in starting with truth, which is central to her method. In one-on-one sessions, she opens with honesty and gives students space to process. “If you don’t address the elephant in the room, students don’t believe what you have to say,” she states. From there, she crafts individual strategies that help students move forward. Her goal is to help them reclaim their confidence and academic standing.
Empowering Students to Overcome Academic Challenges
Professor Kim-Jackson’s role in Western State’s Academic Success Program (ASP) is where she’s able to make a tangible difference in the lives of students. She designs curriculum and programming to support at-risk students and help them get back on track in law school. “I talk to them, listen to what they have to say,” she says. “We can generalize things to help students improve in law school. But it’s best to tailor advice to what that student needs in order to maximize their ability to succeed.”
The personalized nature of her work is one of ASP’s strengths, and it’s something she hopes to grow. One of her future goals is to expand ASP’s reach so that it becomes a resource for all students, not just those in academic trouble. “I would love it if students came to us no matter where they are academically,” she explains. “I want ASP to become a frequent stop for students throughout the semester.” She dreams of a culture where students view the ASP as a hub for problem-solving, mentorship, and community.
Guiding 1L Students Through Uncharted Territory
For 1Ls, the transition into law school can be disorienting. Many students come in with strong academic records and high expectations. When the coursework proves to be more challenging than expected, self-doubt can quickly creep in. “One of the hardest things for new students is that they’re entering a program that challenges everyone, no matter who you are,” Professor Kim-Jackson explains. “They’ve never faced a challenge like this before. So they start to question who they are.”
That’s when imposter syndrome, the inability to believe one’s success is deserved, tends to take root. To counter it, she focuses on helping students find ways to deal with struggling. “Law school is hard, and students often forget this when it starts,” she says. “I remind them it’s okay if this doesn’t come easy. It’s okay if you’re not getting it right away.” Her classroom becomes a space where it’s safe to admit you’re confused. Being vulnerable is met with empathy and constructive feedback, not judgment. “Let’s figure out why,” she tells students. “Let’s work through it together.”
Building Resilience for the Bar and Beyond
That same empathy extends into Professor Kim-Jackson’s bar preparation work. The California Bar Exam is notoriously difficult. Many students enter their final months of study feeling burnt out from three grueling years of coursework. She helps students see their struggles as tools for improvement.
When bar prep begins, Professor Kim-Jackson understands that mistakes are part of the process. “I don’t care if you get everything wrong. What I care about is what did you do to review? What are you going to do to avoid making the same mistake next time?” Her goal isn’t perfection; her goal is improvement, progress, and grit. “If you can walk into the bar exam saying, ‘I’ve worked hard, I’ve focused on how to improve,’ that’s where you want to be.”
As evidenced by the results of the recent February 2025 bar exam, Professor Kim-Jackson’s efforts in preparing her students have paid off. An impressive 88.2% of Western State’s first-time takers passed California’s bar exam.
Personal Strength that Inspires Professional Passion
Professor Stacey Kim-Jackson’s passion for supporting students was shaped by her personal experiences, including a battle with breast cancer that changed her outlook on work, life, and balance. “You have to stop your life at some point to recover. Coming out of that, I realized that you have to balance things,” she says. “I work hard to help students balance school with life, because the reality is that your social life, your family life, it doesn’t stop.”
That experience has shaped her as an educator and how she interacts with her students, many of whom are juggling law school with work, family obligations, and personal challenges. “I try to help students recognize that it’s all about balance and recognizing where you need to put your time and effort.”
A Heart for Justice
When she’s not teaching, Professor Kim-Jackson is active as president of Basta Universal, a nonprofit that advocates for tenants in housing disputes. The organization, which emerged from the COVID-era eviction moratoriums, provides legal assistance to lower-income tenants at risk of being evicted.
As evidenced by her work, Professor Stacey Kim-Jackson is committed to social justice and making change. “I remind my students that if they want to create change, the best thing they can do is get through law school, pass the bar, and become a lawyer,” she says. “Then they’ll be in a stronger position to enact any change they want.”
Passion with a Dash of Sugar
She may be driven by purpose, but she’s also grounded by joy, and that joy often takes the form of cupcakes. Or cookies. Or any number of baked goods she enjoys sharing with colleagues and students. “I bake,” she says with a laugh. “That’s what I do in my spare time. I have my own tradition where I always bring baked goods for my classes at the end of the semester.” For her, baking is more than a hobby; it’s a tradition, a creative outlet, and one more way she builds community.
The Western State Difference
Professor Stacey Kim-Jackson joined Western State because of the people and atmosphere, and that remains her greatest source of pride. “There’s an intimacy to the community,” she says. “The professors here really want to be a part of their students’ lives and help them become the best lawyers they can be.”
That culture of care goes beyond faculty. “I’ve just been really amazed at the level of appreciation that students have for Western State providing them with the opportunity to become lawyers,” she says. “The amount of support they have for each other, and how much they care about their school, is incredible.”
She believes the students who benefit most from an institution like Western State are those seeking a true community. “They’re the students who want to leave knowing they have a network, knowing they have faculty who will be there even after they graduate.”
Professor Kim-Jackson is proud to be part of an institution that prioritizes relationships, not just outcomes. “We want students to succeed so they can go out and do amazing things, so they can make change, support clients, and show the world that Western State is an institution that produces great lawyers.”
Offering Advice and Looking Ahead
To those considering law school, Professor Kim-Jackson offers valuable advice. “Think about why you want a law degree. It doesn’t have to be specific. It could be something as simple as ‘I want to change lives,’” she says. “But having that ‘why’ will help you push through when law school gets hard, and it will get hard.”
As she looks ahead, Professor Stacey Kim-Jackson is hopeful about both her department and her school. She continues to shape futures with honesty, empathy, and unwavering dedication. As she puts it: “Western State is a community unlike anything I’ve experienced. I’ve worked at other schools, and this place just continues to thrive and grow. I’m excited to see where the school goes in the future.”
