Southern California Institute of Law


Southern California Institute of Law is a private law school with campuses in Santa Barbara and Ventura, California. The two campuses are operated by dean and president, Stanislaus Pulle. SCIL's accreditation and authority to grant the Juris Doctor degree has been terminated effective June 1, 2020.

History

Southern California Institute of Law’s Ventura and Santa Barbara campuses were founded by Stanislaus Pulle in 1986. The Institute was established as part-time evening only law school catered to working adults.

Accreditation and authority

The Southern California Institute of Law had been accredited by the Committee of Bar Examiners of the State Bar of California to grant Juris Doctor degrees. This accreditation and degree granting authority has been terminated effective June 1, 2020, following the school's failure to meet the standard requiring at least 40% of the school's graduates to pass the bar within five years of graduation. Southern California Institute of Law has California state approval by the California Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education to grant Bachelors of Science in Law and Certificates of Professional Paralegal Studies. SCIL is not approved by the American Bar Association, so its graduates generally do not qualify to take the bar exam or practice law outside of California.

Lawsuits

The Southern California Institute of Law sued the State Bar over a requirement that schools to maintain a 40% percent bar passage rate over five years, arguing that the State Bar had violated the school's First Amendment rights. Stanislaus Pulle, the school's dean was quoted in an LA Times article as saying that "'he thought the bar passage rate was generally a fair way to judge law schools.' But he added that he believes the state bar's requirement was too rigid and would force schools to accept students who had a higher chance of passing the bar and ignore other types of students." The lawsuit was later dismissed with prejudice, with the court ruling that the First Amendment claim would be futile. SCIL filed an appeal in the 9th Circuit Court, which affirmed the original US District court's decision.

Tuition

Southern California Institute of Law has an annual tuition of approximately $7,850. Students may enroll in a deferred payment plan.