Law College
School Description
Western State University College of Law was founded in 1966 and is the oldest law school in Orange County, with more than 11,000 alumni. Located in the heart of Southern California, A private law school with about 500 students, Western State University offers small classes taught by a dedicated and highly accessible faculty. Students receive personalized attention, and the school provides a collaborative, supportive learning environment with a strong sense of community.
Dean
William E. Adams, Jr.
Programs Offered at Western State University College of Law
Western State University College of Law offers both a full-time and a part-time program of instruction leading to the degree of Juris Doctor (J.D.) The full-time program, which accepts entering students each August, is normally completed in three years. The part-time program, which accepts entering students in August (day or evening), is normally completed in four years. The part-time program makes it possible for a student to continue at his or her job while going to law school.
While no specialization is required for the J.D. degree, students may opt to earn a Certificate in Business Law or in Criminal Law with a notation on their transcript by meeting additional requirements.
Faculty Profile
Western State University College of Law’s accomplished faculty consists of about 28 full-time professors and 34 adjunct professors. The full-time faculty are well qualified , experienced and focused on teaching excellence. All have their J.D. degree, and many have advanced degrees in law or other disciplines. Most also have extensive experience in the practice of law. A number of the adjunct faculty are sitting judges or lawyers in practice and with extensive experience.
Student Profile
Western State University College of Law’s student body is diverse and reflects the law school's mission to serve the community. Approximately 35 % of the student body are minorities, and the students’ backgrounds reflect a wide range of ethnic and cultural backgrounds, life and work experience and advanced degrees.
Academic Emphasis
Western State University College of Law's combines teaching of traditional legal doctrine with practical skills training, and hands-on experience to prepare students for the practice of law. The Criminal Law Practice Center, Business Law Center, Legal Clinic, and Trial Practice Program are just a few of the opportunities available to students.
Accreditation
ABA: Western State University College of Law is fully accredited by the American Bar Association.
WASC: Western State University College of Law is accredited by the Senior Commission of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges
(WASC) (985 Atlantic Avenue, Ste. 100, Alameda, CA, 94501 or 1-510-748-9001).
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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.