Private Law School
Western State University College of Law is a small private law school located in the suburban college town of Fullerton, in Orange County, Southern California. Founded in 1966, the law school has a large base of 11,000+ alumni and a strong presence in the private and public legal sectors in California and the West.
Western State is noted for its highly accessible faculty, small class sizes, collaborative environment , and diverse student body. Academic support begins prior to the start of law school, with the special Introduction to Legal Methods preparatory program for all entering students. First year students receive mid-term exam feedback and one on one attention from professors and peer feedback in their first year study groups. Students in their last year receive bar preparation and mentoring from faculty and alumni.
The law school offers a wealth of programs to help students build practical skills, including the Business Law Center, the Criminal Law Practice Center, and the Legal Clinic as well as private and public practice Externships.
The Career Development office provides individual guidance to students throughout their law school career to build their skills and work experience, make contacts, and position themselves for the job market after graduation and the bar exam.
Western State welcomes prospective students and their families to visit the campus and meet faculty and current students. Please contact the Admission Office to arrange for a personal tour, class visit, or a meeting with an Admission Advisor to discuss requirements and the application process.
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Featured Faculty
Antonette Barilla, Assistant Director of STELLAR
Antonette Barilla has been selected to participate in this year's Summer Academy at the Hague as one of only four participants from the United States. Currently the Assistant Director of Academic Support at Western State University, she comes from a practice focused on private international law. She is one the Italian Consul General of Los Angeles’ select group of referred attorneys and teaches a variety of courses involving international law and international business transactions.
The Hague Academy of International Law has occupied premises at the Peace Palace, alongside the highest judicial institutions such as the International Court of Justice and the Bureau of the Permanent Court of Arbitration. It is a center for research and teaching in public and private international law, with the aim of further scientific and advanced studies of the legal aspects of international relations.
Participants, who have come from all over the world, representing between sixty and eighty nationalities each year, and many of whom have subsequently become well-known in the academic world, in research, or in diplomacy, have thus had the opportunity to meet "great names" of international law and to attend courses of a very high level. The "summer courses" also provide an opportunity, in the city which has become the "Capital of international law", to have contacts with the International Court of Justice, the international criminal courts, the Iran-U.S. Claims Tribunal, the Bureau of the Permanent Court of Arbitration, the Conference on Private International Law, and other institutions.
This is a great honor and achievement.