California Western School of Law Names New President and Dean

SAN DIEGO, April 22, 2025 – California Western School of Law’s (CWSL) Board of Trustees is
proud to announce that Miriam Baer has been appointed as the new president and dean,
assuming her new position on July 1, 2025.

Baer is currently the Vice Dean and Centennial Professor of Law at Brooklyn Law School, where
she teaches and writes at the intersection of business law and criminal misconduct. She is the
author of the 2023 book, Myths and Misunderstandings in White-Collar Crime (Cambridge
University Press), as well as numerous articles and book chapters on whistleblowing, corporate
surveillance, and federal enforcement. Her work has been cited and excerpted throughout
numerous casebooks, treatises, and federal appellate judicial opinions.

Prior to entering academia, Baer was an assistant general counsel for compliance with Verizon
and a federal prosecutor in Manhattan, where she developed expertise in investigating and
prosecuting white-collar crime. She is a co-editor of a leading white-collar crime casebook and
study aid and has been quoted frequently by national media outlets. At home, she enjoys
spending time with her family and her labradoodle, Lucy.

Michael J. Whitton, Chair of CWSL’s Board of Trustees, underscored the significance of Baer’s
appointment: “Miriam Baer is the President and Dean to lead California Western into the next one
hundred years. Her arrival comes at a momentous time for both our law school and legal
education. I am confident in her vision, commitment, and dedication to our students, faculty and
staff, and community.”

Baer brings to CWSL her 17 years of experience at Brooklyn Law School in a variety of positions.
She expressed enthusiasm in her new role and shared her forward-looking vision for CWSL’s
future. “I am honored to join California Western School of Law and humbled to extend its hundredyears’
legacy of preparing practice-ready lawyers, skilled problem-solvers, and thoughtful
advocates for justice.”

Baer continued: “As San Diego’s oldest law school enters its next century, I look forward to joining
California Western’s close-knit and talented community in imparting the fundamental knowledge,
skills, and experience that will motivate our students to thrive and excel in a rapidly evolving legal
landscape.”

Baer’s appointment follows a comprehensive national search supported by Isaacson Miller. She
succeeds Sean M. Scott. The Board of Trustees thanks Sean M. Scott for her exceptional service
in strengthening the school’s infrastructure and processes and creating the financial stability that
will allow CWSL to take the next steps forward in fulfilling its mission.

ABOUT CALIFORNIA WESTERN SCHOOL OF LAW
For 100 years California Western School of Law (CWSL) has trained practice-ready lawyers and
thoughtful advocates for justice. The oldest law in San Diego is entering its second century
continuing to provide students with the fundamental knowledge, skills, and real-world experience
to thrive in a rapidly evolving legal landscape. Enrolling an average of 660 students annually,
CWSL fields a student body that is representative of our diverse society, creating access for those
seeking social and economic mobility for themselves and their communities. At CWSL, tailored
programming allows students to focus on their specific areas of interest, and the school’s
distinguished faculty are renowned for their dedication both to student growth and to scholarship
on critical social issues. CWSL emphasizes practical, hands-on training through clinics,
internships, and pro bono service. In its esteemed clinics—New Media Rights, California Western
Innocence and Justice Clinic, Community Law Project, and Trademark Clinic—students have
experiential learning offering our students the opportunity to work with real clients and cases
through our clinics serving a broad clientele, ranging from those wrongfully incarcerated to
emerging online content creators. CWSL's Law, Justice, and Technology Initiative attunes
students to the transformative impact of new technologies on society and legal practice. California
Western School of Law is committed to excellence in education, nurturing compassionate,
practice-ready legal professionals who use the law effectively and creatively to solve human and
societal problems.