California Western School of Law Welcomes Professor Kathleen Bolus as New Director of Academic Achievement
California Western School of Law (CWSL) is excited to announce the appointment of Professor Kathleen Bolus as the new Director of Academic Achievement. This key addition to the law school’s leadership underscores its ongoing commitment to supporting student success and maintaining its upward trend in bar performance.
“Hiring Professor Bolus as Director of Academic Achievement is a pivotal step in our continued efforts to support our students from the time they are admitted to law school until they begin their careers in the legal profession,” said President and Dean Sean M. Scott. “Professor Bolus’s expertise and vision will further strengthen our academic support programs and ensure our graduates are well-prepared for success on the bar exam and in law practice.”
Widely regarded as one of the nation’s leading experts on academic support and bar preparation, Professor Bolus brings to CWSL a wealth of experience in curricular design and bar programming. Professor Bolus has spent more than a decade in legal education, with a primary focus on academic success and bar preparation. She has worked at law schools throughout Southern California, developing curriculum for and teaching classes aimed at fostering students’ success in law school, on the bar examination, and in practice.
Prior to transitioning to legal education, Professor Bolus practiced labor and employment law at Jones Day and managed a portfolio of local, state, and federal government grants and contracts at the Community Resource Center, a non-profit social services agency. Before law school, Professor Bolus devoted a year to full time service through the AMERICORPS VISTA program.
Professor Bolus is a graduate of UCLA School of Law, where she served as Managing Editor of the Woman’s Law Journal. She is a member of the Association of Academic Support Educators (AASE) and the West Coast Consortium of Academic Support Professionals (WCCASP) and has a particular interest in developing curriculum that incorporates spaced learning and effective peer and self-assessment practices.
“I am honored to join California Western and contribute to its mission of empowering students to achieve academic and professional success,” said Professor Bolus. “I look forward to working with faculty, staff, and students to build on the law school’s strong foundation of academic achievement and bar support.”
Professor Bolus’s hiring comes amidst a number of positive trends in bar performance among recent graduating classes. Students who graduated in 2023 are on track to exceed ABA bar passage requirements two bar cycles ahead of schedule. Graduates of the class of 2024 saw the highest first-time bar pass rate on the July 2024 California bar exam that a graduating class at California Western has achieved in the last decade. Disappointingly, the class of 2022 fell short of the American Bar Association (ABA) pass rate. With applications up 45% since 2022, the law school has seen an upward trend in the academic qualifications of its incoming classes over the last several years; the median LSAT score has gone up a point in the last four years, the average LSAT score for the bottom quarter of students has improved by two points, and the average undergraduate GPA has gone up for all incoming students.
Professor Bolus has arrived at CWSL at a time of expanded academic and bar support for all students. At the beginning of this academic year, the law school implemented a major data-driven curriculum reform package which allows high-achieving first-year students to enroll first-year electives, and which provides a mandatory first-year academic support course for all students. The law school has expanded personalized bar tutoring, workshops, and bar exam preparation resources for first-time bar takers and repeat candidates, including through the Bar Study Fund, which has supported more than 80 bar candidates with one-on-one tutoring services. Professor Bolus will also oversee the implementation of numerous other data-driven strategies for improving academic support services and bar outcomes.