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  4. Bar Review Program

CWSL's Bar Review Program contains three components:

  • Advanced Legal Analysis (for 2Ls)
  • Pre-Bar Review (for 3Ls)
  • The post-graduate CWSL California BARBRI Bar Review Course

In order to qualify for the post-graduate bar review course, students must complete Advanced Legal Analysis and the Pre-Bar Review course. For questions about any of the programs listed below, please contact Carly Sassi, Associate Director of Academic Achievement.

Advanced Legal Analysis (2Ls)

Advanced Legal Analysis is an 8-week course designed to improve students' test-taking skills to help students improve their grades in law school and to improve their ability to pass a bar examination. The course is designed to improve students' fluency in essay and multiple choice questions, the two formats most frequently used to assess a law student's ability to apply rules of law to hypothetical fact patterns.  The course is offered in both the Fall and Spring trimesters.

Pre-Bar Review (3Ls)

Pre-Bar Review is designed to introduce students to the California Bar Examination. The course focuses on   refining students' essay and multiple-choice exam-taking skills, and also provides students with the opportunity to become familiar with the performance test component of the exam. Pre-Bar is generally taken in the final trimester of law school.  In order to enroll in the course, students must first attend a Pre-Bar Orientation session, which is offered several times each semester. This course is offered in both Fall and Spring trimesters.

California Bar Review Course

All qualifying J.D. graduates are eligible for CWSL's California BARBRI Bar Review Course. The CWSL Bar Review Course is offered on-campus, and is a hybrid live and virtual course available to CWSL’s J.D. graduates who are first-time bar exam takers. The course will offer a complete review of all subjects tested on the California Bar Examination as well as essay workshops, multiple choice question workshops, performance exam workshops, several simulated exams, and group and individual tutoring.  The course is offered at a heavily discounted rate to J.D. graduates who meet the eligibility requirements.

Bar Examination Information and State Bar Links

Student Disclosure Obligations and the Bar

Most states, including California, require bar applicants to complete a moral character certification process. Certification is required as a condition for licensing. In California, bar applicants must be of good moral character, which includes but is not limited to "qualities of honesty, fairness, candor, trustworthiness, observance of fiduciary responsibility, respect for and obedience to the law, and respect for the rights of others and the judicial process."

Applicants must be sure to address potential issues involving moral character prior to commencing the certification process. A common issue that arises during certification is non-disclosure.  For more information on exactly what needs to be disclosed to the State Bar for California Western students have an ongoing obligation to disclose certain matters to the Law School administration. The policy, which appears in the Student Handbook, is noted below. If you have any questions, please contact Laurie Farid, Academic Affairs Coordinator, at laf@cwsl.edu.

Students have an obligation to notify the law school immediately if any of the following events occur:

  1. You are apprehended, cited, arrested, taken into custody for, charged with, indicted, or tried for, or plead guilty or no contest (nolo contendere) to, the commission of any felony or misdemeanor or the violation of any law, except for minor traffic violations unrelated to the use of intoxicants;
  2. You are found guilty of an honor code violation at any institution of higher learning;
  3. You become a plaintiff or defendant in a civil lawsuit;
  4. You receive an order of expungement or similar order for a criminal conviction;
  5. You are subject to disciplinary action by any educational institution, governmental, or administrative agency (including any branch of the Armed Forces), or employer.

Failure to provide notification to the law school may constitute an Honor Code violation.

In addition, please consider whether there are any matters that you should have disclosed on your original Application for Admission to California Western but failed to disclose. If you failed to disclose relevant matters on your Application for Admission, you will need to amend your Application. If you have any questions, please contact Laurie Farid, Academic Affairs Coordinator, at laf@cwsl.edu.

Please note that failure to disclose relevant matters to the law school may constitute an Honor Code violation.