CALIFORNIA LAW SCHOOLS:
AN OVERVIEW
There are three types of law schools in California: law schools approved by the American Bar Association (ABA-approved), those accredited by the State Bar of California’s Committee of Bar Examiners (California-accredited law schools, or CALS), and unaccredited law schools that are not accredited by any regulatory agency but are registered with the State Bar of California as required by state law. People may also study law through the Law Office Study (LOS) Program. This pathway requires study under the supervision of an attorney or judge for four years and passage of the First-Year Law Students’ Examination, which is described in detail in the section on Law School Attrition.
Due to rounding, data points presented throughout this report may not add up precisely to subtotals and totals.
The Committee of Bar Examiners
The State Bar of California’s Committee of Bar Examiners (CBE) accredits law schools and oversees unaccredited law schools that register with the State Bar. Their work is guided by state statute and State Bar rules pertaining to law school regulation. In addition to overseeing the CALS and unaccredited law schools, the CBE has oversight over the California bar examination, the moral character determination process, and the First-Year Law Students’ Examination. It recommends rules and guidelines for admissions functions and conducts studies and reports on proposed changes in the law and other matters related to admission requirements for practicing law in California. Finally, the CBE certifies to the California Supreme Court those applicants who fulfill admission requirements. The California Supreme Court appoints 10 members, including one judge and nine attorneys, one of whom must have been admitted to practice law in California within the past three years. The Governor, the Senate Rules Committee, and the Speaker of the Assembly appoint three members each.
The majority of Calfornia law students are enrolled at an ABA-approved school.
In 2022, 48 law schools across California enrolled 17,102 students working toward a JD degree. Law schools approved by the ABA comprise slightly over one-third of all California law schools yet enroll over two-thirds of all law students (see figure 1).
Figure 1. 2022 California Law Schools and JD Enrollment
ABA-approved schools are larger and more expensive than CALS and unaccredited schools.
ABA-approved law schools serve significantly more students than CALS and unaccredited schools (see table 1). The unaccredited law schools are considerably smaller, serving an average of 52 students per school. The average tuition and fees for obtaining a JD degree are also highest at ABA-approved law schools. Students attending these schools face total costs that are more than twice as high as those at CALS and nearly five times as high as those at unaccredited law schools.
Table 1. California Law Schools in 2022
Historical Enrollment Patterns
The economic downturn of 2008, paired with a challenging job market in 2009, played a pivotal role in discouraging potential law school applicants from applying to law schools, according to the Law School Admission Council (LSAC).[6] Many prospective law students were deterred by concerns about accumulating substantial law school debt and decreasing job prospects in the field of law. After 2008, ABA-approved law schools across the country experienced a significant decline in enrollment compared to the previous years, and this downward trend continued for several years.[7]
The data displayed in figure 2 shows that JD enrollment at California's ABA-approved schools experienced the same trend as was observed nationally. Starting in 2011, there was a consistent decline in JD enrollment at these schools. Overall, enrollment declined by 26 percent between 2009 and 2022 even though the number of ABA-approved law schools in California declined by just three schools.
In contrast, enrollment at CALS remained relatively stable from 2009 to 2014, with the addition of just one new school in 2010. In 2015, enrollment began to decline, reaching its lowest point in 2018. In 2019, accredited law schools were allowed to petition to offer distance learning programs, which led to three unaccredited distance learning schools obtaining accreditation in 2020. Two schools previously approved by the ABA also transitioned to being accredited by the State Bar. As a result, there was a notable increase in CALS enrollment in 2020.
Among the 25 unaccredited schools that were open in 2009, 19 closed their operations and three converted to a CALS by 2022. Although several new unaccredited schools began serving students between 2009 and 2022, overall enrollment at unaccredited schools plummeted by over 80 percent.
Figure 2. California Law School JD Enrollment and Number of Schools: 2009-2022
Insights from Law School Focus Groups
CALS administrators shared that there was an increase in enrollment during the COVID-19 pandemic. Some incoming students experienced major life changes during the pandemic, such as going through a divorce or job loss, which motivated them to pursue a career in law. The CBE also permitted more flexibility in modes of learning, such as hybrid and remote learning during this period. Some schools attribute this flexibility to increased student enrollment.