Southern California Institute of Law

Private unaccredited law school in California, U.S.

Southern California Institute of Law

Established| 1986[1]
School type| Private unaccredited
Dean| Stanislaus Pulle
Location| Ventura, CA[2], US
34°16′01″N 119°12′47″W﻿ / ﻿34.26694°N 119.21306°W﻿ / 34.26694; -119.21306
Faculty| 34[3]
USNWR ranking| Unranked
Bar pass rate| 14.3% (2024)[4]
Website| www.lawdegree.com

Southern California Institute of Law (SCIL) is a private California registered but unaccredited law school located in Ventura, California.[5]

## History

[edit]

Southern California Institute of Law was founded in 1986 as a fixed facility law school[6] accredited by the State Bar of California for twenty-five years, with campuses in both Ventura and Santa Barbara, California, until June 1, 2020.[7] Originally a part-time evening only law school, it catered to working adults.[8]

### Registered but unaccredited school

[edit]

Since 2020, it operates as an unaccredited distance learning law school with a Juris Doctor degree program.[9] SCIL is not approved by the American Bar Association. SCIL is however registered with State Bar of California Committee of Bar Examiners. Its graduates are not automatically qualified to take the bar exam in California without meeting unaccredited school requirements and are not qualified to take a bar exam or practice law outside of California.[10][11]

Students are required to engage in the "study of law diligently and in good faith for at least four years" with each of the four years consisting of at "least 864 hours of preparation and study over no fewer than forty-eight and no more than fifty-two consecutive weeks...evidenced by a transcript that indicates the date each course began and ended."[12][13][10] In addition, they must pass the First-Year Law Students' Examination (FYLSE, popularly known as the "baby bar") before receiving credit for their law study.

### Lawsuits

[edit]

In 2013, SCIL sued the State Bar of California over a requirement that California accredited law schools must maintain a 40% percent bar passage rate over a rolling five-year period, arguing that the State Bar had violated the SCIL's First Amendment rights, that the 40% benchmark was arbitrary and capricious, and that it violated the state's separation of powers. The lawsuit was dismissed by the court with prejudice. The court ruled that the State Bar had exercised its rulemaking authority under the inherent authority of the Supreme Court of California over law school accreditation. The court ruled that the State Bar does not function as an executive agency of the legislature, whereby it would be subject to the substantial evidence rule of the California Administrative Procedure Act. Rather, the court held that the rational basis test applied.[14]

SCIL also filed suit in federal court and filed an appeal in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, which, in 2015, affirmed the original U.S. District Court's decision to toss the lawsuit.[15][16] In 2016, after SCIL filed an action in state court, the case was dismissed on grounds of issue preclusion and was later affirmed by a state appeals court.[17]

## Tuition

[edit]

As of 2025, tuition for the 4-year JD degree was $13,300.[18]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "The Southern California Institute of Law @ Santa Barbara and Ventura". Archived from the original on July 31, 2021. Retrieved September 29, 2020.
2. ^ "Southern California Institute of Law · 1280 S Victoria Ave Suite 120, Ventura, CA 93003, United States".
3. ^ "Faculty | the Southern California Institute of Law".
4. ^ "2018 Cumulative Minimum Bar Examination Pass Rates (MPR) For California-Unaccredited Law Schools" (PDF). March 2, 2025 (PDF). `{{cite web}}`: Check `|archive-url=` value (help)
5. ^ "Google Maps". Southern California Institute of Law. Retrieved September 29, 2020.
6. ^ "The Southern California Institute of Law @ Santa Barbara and Ventura Legacy Website". legacy.lawdegree.com. Archived from the original on July 31, 2021. Retrieved September 29, 2020.
7. ^ "Southern California Institute of Law Website". www.calbar.ca.gov. Retrieved May 11, 2020.
8. ^ "Southern California Institute of Law | NowLegal.com". February 8, 2017. Archived from the original on February 8, 2017. Retrieved April 8, 2019.
9. ^ "Southern California Institute of Law Home Page". lawdegree.com. Retrieved September 29, 2020.
10. ^ a b "TITLE 4. ADMISSIONS AND EDUCATIONAL STANDARDS DIVISION 1. ADMISSION TO PRACTICE LAW IN CALIFORNIA" (PDF). calbar.ca.gov. State Bar of California. Retrieved March 17, 2023.
11. ^ "Bar Admission Guide". NCBE. Retrieved September 29, 2020.
12. ^ "Law Schools - Registered unaccredited distance learning law schools in California". calbar.ca.gov. State Bar of California. Retrieved March 17, 2023.
13. ^ "TITLE 4. ADMISSION AND EDUCATIONAL STANDARDS DIVISION 3. UNACCREDITED LAW SCHOOL RULES" (PDF). calbar.ca.gov. State Bar of California. Retrieved March 17, 2023.
14. ^ "Southern California Institute of Law v. Archie "Joe" Biggers, et al" (PDF). June 12, 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 13, 2020.
15. ^ "SO CAL INSTITUTE OF LAW V. THE STATE BAR OF CALIFORNIA, No. 14-55690 (9th Cir. 2015)". Justia Law. Retrieved September 29, 2020.
16. ^ Indy Staff (September 19, 2015). "Southern California Institute of Law Suing State Bar". The Santa Barbara Independent. Retrieved March 2, 2025.
17. ^ "S. Cal. Inst. of Law, Inc. v. State Bar of Cal. | B263251 | Cal. Ct. App. | Judgment | Law | CaseMine". www.casemine.com. Retrieved September 29, 2020.
18. ^ "New Enrollees – Tuition and Fees | The Southern California Institute of Law". Retrieved March 2, 2025.

## External links

[edit]

* Official website
* Southern California Institute of Law Alumni Association. "Southern California Institute of Law Alumni Association". Retrieved September 29, 2020.

* v
* t
* e

Ventura, California

Schools|

* Ventura Unified School District
* Buena HS
* El Camino HS
* Foothill Tech HS
* Pacific HS
* Ventura HS
* St. Augustine Academy
* St. Bonaventure HS
* Ventura County Christian School

Colleges|

* Ventura College
* Santa Barbara Business College
* Southern California Institute of Law
* The Colleges of Law

Libraries|

* Ventura County Library

Landmarks|

* Dudley House
* Elizabeth Bard Memorial Hospital
* Emma Wood State Beach
* Emmanuel Franz House
* Feraud General Merchandise Store
* First Baptist Church of Ventura
* Mission San Buenaventura
* Olivas Adobe
* Pierpont Inn
* Rincon Sea Level Road
* San Buenaventura Mission Aqueduct
* San Buenaventura State Beach
* San Miguel Chapel Site
* Seaside Park (Fairgrounds)
* Thomas Gould Jr. House
* Ventura County Courthouse (City Hall)
* Ventura Theatre

Transport|

* East Ventura station
* Gold Coast Transit
* VCTC Intercity
* Ventura Harbor
* Ventura station
* El Camino Real

Healthcare|

* Community Memorial Hospital
* Ventura County Medical Center

This list is incomplete.

* v
* t
* e

Universities and colleges of Santa Barbara County

Two-year|

* Allan Hancock
* Business
* City

Four-year|

* Antioch
* Brooks
* Brandman
* University of California
* La Verne
* Westmont

Graduate-only|

* Fielding
* Pacifica
* Law
* Southern California Law

* v
* t
* e

Colleges and universities of Ventura County

Two-year|

* Moorpark College
* Oxnard College
* Santa Barbara Business College
* Ventura College

Four-year|

* Biola University, Thousand Oaks Campus
* Brandeis-Bardin Institute
* Brooks Institute
* California Lutheran University
* CSU Channel Islands
* Thomas Aquinas College
* National University, Camarillo Campus
* University of La Verne, Ventura County Campus

Graduate-only|

* St. John's Seminary
* Southern California Institute of Law
* The Colleges of Law

* v
* t
* e

Unaccredited law schools registered with the State Bar of California

Correspondence|

* American Institute of Law
* Oak Brook College of Law and Government Policy
* Taft Law School

Distance learning|

* Abraham Lincoln University School of Law
* California School of Law
* Pacific Coast University School of Law
* Southern California Institute of Law

In-person|

* California Desert Trial Academy College of Law

Not accepting new students|

* San Francisco Law School

Closed|

* California Southern Law School
* New College of California School of Law
* Northrop University
* People's College of Law
* University of Northern California, Lorenzo Patiño School of Law
* University of Silicon Valley Law School
* Western Sierra Law School

Authority control databases |

* ISNI

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