Message From the Dean
If you’re looking for a great law school environment where you will receive extraordinary support and an opportunity to gain the knowledge, practical skills and contacts to prepare you for your legal career, I invite you to learn more about the people and programs of Western State University College of Law.
Western State University has been a part of the legal community of Southern California for over 45 years. The oldest law school in Orange County, a desirable suburban location just south of metropolitan Los Angeles, WSU is a private law school which benefits from the diverse culture, legal and business opportunities, and rich resources of this dynamic area.
WSU has produced more than 11,000 accomplished graduates who serve across California and around the country as respected judges, teachers, politicians, government administrators, and practicing legal professionals.
Your legal career starts in law school, and every member of the WSU faculty and staff is devoted to helping you prepare for your future. A strong academic foundation, combined with practical legal experience and invaluable contacts with alumni and other practitioners during law school, will assist you in the transition to the job market and throughout your professional career.
Our highly accessible faculty is dedicated to teaching excellence, and our small classes mean personalized attention which creates a solid foundation for your success in law school and beyond.
Our curriculum emphasizes strong academics as well as the skills required for the ethical, skillful, and professional practice of law. Practical programs such as the Legal Clinic, Business Law Center, Criminal Law Practice Center, Moot Court and Externships give you hands-on experience to build your confidence and your resume.
Your partnership with Western State University extends well beyond graduation day. Faculty and alumni bar mentors help graduates strategize and prepare for the rigors of taking and passing a state bar exam. Our Career Services Office provides individualized guidance in gaining work experience during law school and planning for your job search after graduation.
The network of Western State University alumni and our roots in the legal community will help position you for a successful start in your legal career. We invite you to get acquainted with our faculty, staff, students and alumni. Make an appointment to visit, sit in on a class or schedule a discussion about requirements with our admissions advisors. We’d like to see YOU at WSU this year.
Very Truly Yours,
William E. Adams, Dean
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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.