Wednesday, April 19, 2017

A Message from the Whittier College Board of Trustees:

The Board of Trustees has been greatly concerned by the challenges affecting our law program in recent years and, in 2015, the Board appointed a subcommittee to explore options for the future of the Law School. These have included working with the administration and faculty to redirect resources and efforts to improve student outcomes and right-size the operation in a manner to achieve enhanced academic viability. The Board invited a faculty task force to assess the educational program and considered faculty plans for improvement. The Board also entered into conversations with entities capable of investing in, merging with, or acquiring the Law School.

We believe we have looked at every realistic option to continue a successful law program. Unfortunately, these efforts did not lead to a desired outcome.

Accordingly, on April 15, 2017 the Board voted not to enroll new 1L classes at the Law School beginning this fall. We are committed to ensuring that students currently enrolled will have an opportunity to complete their degree in a timely fashion. At the appropriate time, the program of legal education will be discontinued.

As chairman, I appreciate the gravity of this decision and its impact on the lives of all those who belong to the Law School community. We will keep you informed as additional details develop over the next several weeks. In the interim, faculty, staff, and students with concerns should feel free to send questions to wlsinfo@whittier.edu. This email address has been established to ensure that we are able to respond effectively to your questions moving forward.

Statement from Whittier Law School Regarding Whittier College Board of Trustees’ Decision:

The following response about the decision can be attributed to Whittier Law School:

“We are obviously devastated by the Whittier College Board of Trustees’ decision to discontinue the program of legal education at Whittier Law School. For more than 50 years, we have provided a high quality education to students of diverse backgrounds and abilities—students who might not otherwise have been able to receive a legal education and who are now serving justice and enterprise around the world.

“As is well known, the last few years have been extremely difficult for law schools across the country. Whittier Law School felt those challenges keenly and we took significant steps to address them. Sadly, our sponsoring institution opted to abandon the Law School rather than provide the time and resources needed to finish paving the path to ongoing viability and success. We believe this action was unwise, unwarranted, and unfounded.

“While we are terribly disappointed with the Board’s decision, we are firmly committed to honoring our obligation to our current students and ensuring they successfully complete their education. Also, with a worldwide family of alumni numbering more than 5,000, we will work to preserve Whittier Law School’s legacy of preparing professional, dedicated attorneys whose careers have made numerous positive impacts on society.”

Law School Transparency:

Additional TaxProf Blog coverage:

https://taxprof.typepad.com/taxprof_blog/2017/04/whittier-law-school-to-close-will-not-admit-a-1l-class-this-fall.html