In This Section

• Overview
• History
• Life in Orange County
• Virtual Campus Tour
• Student Experience
• Whittier Law Courtroom
• Consumer Information
• Accreditation
• News/Media
• Institutional Goals
• Video Gallery

Life in Orange County

Orange County, California is an upscale, cosmopolitan area with 30 beaches, diverse residents, and a center of tourism and business. Whittier Law School is in this county, in the city of Costa Mesa. Within 10 minutes are Newport Beach and Irvine, both cities ranked as one of the Top 20 “Best Cities for Young Attorneys” by National Jurist magazine.

Recreation, beauty, opportunity and intellectual sophistication typify Southern California. The area offers everyone year-round warmth and sunshine and no end of recreational delights. Whittier Law School sits just six miles from renown beach communities. Huntington Beach [Surf City, USA] offers awe-inspiring surf competitions, surf lessons for neophytes, worldclass people-watching, miles of pristine beaches and funky bars, surf-shops and restaurants – and, yes, the famous mile-long dog beach.

Balboa Island and Balboa Peninsula provide a mixture of offbeat and sophistication, along with more beautiful beaches and coastline. Crystal Cove State Park, a pristine preserve perched above cliff and ocean in Newport Beach, offers panoramic views, miles of trails, beach access and the famous Beach Cafe at Crystal Cove that sits right on the beach where diners can watch the sunset just feet from the roaring Pacific. Cities supply beach volleyball courts for pros and families alike. Parks and nearby mountains invite recreational and professional mountain bikers. In the winter, Orange County residents load their skis and snowboards and head to the nearby slopes of Mountain High, Snow Valley and Snow Summit.

The arts abound in Southern California. Laguna Beach boasts a world-renown artist colony where visitors can find anything from a hand-painted baseball cap to a six foot Chinese artifact to many splendid works by American and international contemporary artists. Costa Mesa, “The City of the Arts,” supports an impressive cluster of venues for the performing arts. The Orange County Performing Arts Center and the South Coast Repertory Theatre feature world-class performances. The nearby L.A. Philharmonic has earned an international reputation for innovation and excellence. And, of course, Southern California plays home to the movie industry with all its glitz and glamour.

Costa Mesa, Newport Beach and nearby Los Angeles provide first-rate shopping at South Coast Plaza, Fashion Island and numerous designer and specialty boutiques. Southern California offers both “foodies” and “just folks” a virtual lifetime of sophisticated, ethnic and down-home culinary delights. Trust Zagat and “locals” for advice on where to dine.

Intellectual sophistication and opportunity also abound. All California schools exist in a culture that expects and breeds excellence. Even in the midst of an economic downturn, California schools continue to produce sophisticated graduates ready and able to pursue careers or advanced educational opportunities. Whittier Law School proudly embraces that tradition of excellence and intellectual sophistication. We graduate students second to none in their capacity to “think like lawyers” and to “do what lawyers do.” Whittier Law School also sits midway between Los Angeles and San Diego. Our graduates have access to an incredibly large population of sophisticated and prosperous law firms and businesses.

With so much at their fingertips, no wonder Whittier Law School attracts excellent and diverse students like you.

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3333 Harbor Boulevard • Costa Mesa, CA 92626
714.444.4141 • 800.808.8188