California Western School of Law
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Why CWSL?
Meet our Dean Make a Difference Our Diverse Community Successful Outcomes, Outstanding Leaders California Western Connections
Pursuit of Justice
Fostering Social Justice Freeing the Innocent Supporting Vulnerable Populations A Culture of Service
Innovation
On the Forefront of Technology and Research Defending Internet User Rights STEPPS Toward Practice Learn by Doing
Academic Excellence
Academic Achievement and Leadership Human Rights At Home and Abroad Women in Leadership Cybersecurity and the Future of Law
Our San Diego Campus
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California Western School of Law
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Why CWSL?

Meet our Dean Make a Difference Our Diverse Community Successful Outcomes, Outstanding Leaders California Western Connections

Pursuit of Justice

Fostering Social Justice Freeing the Innocent Supporting Vulnerable Populations A Culture of Service

Innovation

On the Forefront of Technology and Research Defending Internet User Rights STEPPS Toward Practice Learn by Doing

Academic Excellence

Academic Achievement and Leadership Human Rights At Home and Abroad Women in Leadership Cybersecurity and the Future of Law

Our San Diego Campus

Virtual Campus Tour Interactive Campus Map Living in San Diego
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Supporting Vulnerable Populations
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Freeing the Innocent

The California Innocence Project (CIP) is known all over the world, and it started right here at California Western. Led by Director Justin Brooks, CIP and its California Western interns have helped free 35 innocent people from prison. CIP exonerees serve prison time for decades - upwards of forty years in some cases - for crimes they didn't commit. Take a look at just a handful of these stories to better understand why programs like CIP are crucial in the pursuit of social justice: 

  • Michael Hanline
  • Brian Banks
  • Kimberly Long
  • Marilyn Mulero
  • Timothy Atkins

Read on about the incredible work that CIP does, and the ways you can foster justice in your career once you're a student at California Western: https://californiainnocenceproject.org/

I think in the first year of law school, it's really easy to lose sight of why I'm here, what am I doing here? You know, why am I in law school?

I think coming to this retreat really reminded me of the reason I came to law school, and the change that we all have the ability to to affect.

I really just hope we feel like I'm doing meaningful work, and learning from attorneys who have been successful in this field. And at the end of the day, knowing that I worked hard for this cause.

For 18 years, I've started the school year, every year with this retreat. There's a lot of reasons to bring the students out into an environment cut off from their usual environment. This isn't the same as a class, it's not the same as any class they've taken in their life.

The whole weekend is kind of geared around trying to get to know the students and make sure that we understand one another before we go back and do really serious work. And at the same time, obviously, teaching them about criminal justice system and what to expect when they're investigating their cases.

This time here, and helping them open up, is really important for us to all be more successful at what we do, and that's giving people back their freedom.

Everyone deserves to be heard, everyone deserves to have a voice. And so to be able to gain the knowledge, to be able to represent someone is one of the best things you can choose to do with your life.

It'd be really nice to have a day where innocence projects weren't needed. Now, the best that we can do is train law students who are going to go out and be lawyers to recognize causes of wrongful conviction and to be able to prevent them before they happen.

This experience will not be like any educational experience you've had in your life. I will guarantee that. It's about getting you guys ready to practice law, to work on real cases, real clients, and then with real consequences.

Our mission has three components to it. Number one, get innocent people out of prison. Number two, turn you guys into better lawyers. And number three, do policy work to improve the system.

You guys are all lawyers starting today.

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Fostering Social Justice

Freeing the Innocent

Supporting Vulnerable Populations

A Culture of Service

© 2022 California Western School of Law
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