Criminal Law Practice Center

Western State University alumni/ae are found, in ever increasing numbers, in Orange, Los Angeles, Riverside, and San Bernardino County prosecutor and public defender offices. In Orange County alone, Western State University alumni/ae make up practically one-third of the 250+ deputy district attorneys and almost one-fourth of the deputy public defenders. A very significant number of alumni/ae are engaged in the private practice of criminal law throughout Southern California. Recognizing the influence the law school has on the practice of criminal law in Southern California, the Criminal Law Practice Center was established to provide additional educational and practical opportunities for its students and alumni/ae.

The Criminal Law Practice Center is a program that expands the teaching of criminal law far beyond the traditional law school curriculum. The Center brings together in the law school legal scholars, judges, practicing criminal defense attorneys, prosecutors, legislators, law enforcement officers, and community leaders who contribute a tremendous amount of experience and diversity of perspectives to the educational experience of students. By weaving contemporary societal issues into the criminal law curriculum and providing a forum to examine those issues, the Center exposes students to the many facets of the criminal justice system. This fusion of the practical and the theoretical is reinforced with coursework ranging from advanced courses in criminal trial practice, criminal procedure, criminal evidence, and criminal appellate advocacy to seminars on domestic violence, the death penalty, and criminal justice ethics.

The Criminal Law Practice Center offers legal externships to provide students with real-world experience while attending law school. Students enrolled in the Prosecutor/Public Defender Externship or the California Innocence Project Externship work in either the Office of the Orange County District Attorney, the Office of the Orange County Public Defender, or the Office of the Orange County Associate Public Defender an average of 12-15 hours per week.