Western State University, College of Law (WSU) is a private, for-profit American law school in Fullerton, California. It is the oldest law school in Orange County and has over 10,000 alumni.^[1]

Western State University, College of Law
Established	1966[2]
School type	Private, For-profit
Dean	William E. Adams, Jr.[3]
Location	Fullerton, California, USA
Enrollment	388[4]
Faculty	24[5] or 23[6] full-time; 29[7] or 42[8] adjunct
USNWR ranking	Unranked[9]
Bar pass rate	75%
Annual tuition	$32,600 full-time; $21,80 part-time [10]
Website	www.WSULaw.edu

Contents 1 History 2 Campus Access 3 Teaching 3.1 Criminal Law Center 3.2 Business Law Center 4 Accreditation and Ranking 5 Ownership 6 Notable alumni 6.1 Honorary Degree Recipients 7 See also 8 References 9 External links

[edit] History

Western State University College of Law is recognized for its diverse student body with more than 30% minority enrollment.^[4] For two consecutive years, U.S. News & World Report rated Western State University #1 in its law school diversity index. Its nearly 10,000 graduates include hundreds of prosecutors and public defenders throughout the state, more alumni on the judicial bench in the region than any other law school, and countless professionals in private practice, in administrative and government positions within state and local bar, and in a number of diverse ethnic and gender-related organizations. According to the school, the school’s graduates are well represented in other counties of Southern California and can be found across the country and beyond.

Western State offers both full-time and part-time programs. Currently, the full-time program is only offered as daytime study, and the part-time program is only offered through evening study. However, part-time students can apply for Spring admission, while full-time students can only do so for Fall. Official Viewbook.

[edit] Campus Access

The campus is located across the street from Cal State Fullerton, at 1111 N. State College Blvd. It is home to two buildings: the primary building and the library. The primary building is four stories, and the library is two stories tall with a third level below ground. Among other things, the primary building houses all of the classrooms and faculty offices, the mock trial courtroom, the admissions office, a student lounge, a student organizations room, the financial aid office, and the career services department. The library contains computer labs in addition to legal materials. Tours can be arranged and take about an hour.

Access to the parking lot is restricted by permanent tire shredders and wooden lowering arms. A magnetic card is needed to exit the main lot, and a hangtag is needed to avoid getting towed. Visitors should use the small lot on the northeast corner of the campus, which is accessible by southbound traffic on State College Blvd. or eastbound traffic on Dorothy Lane.

[edit] Teaching

These methods include much small group instruction, individualized support, and the application of new techniques now made possible through technology. The school offers a legal education aimed at both teaching law and practice skills as well as helping the student become a better professional. Traditional classroom studies are combined with computerized technology and Internet-based educational forums to help students learn more efficiently and effectively.

[edit] Criminal Law Center

Western State University alumni 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 comprise almost one-third of over 250 deputy district attorneys and almost one-fourth of the deputy public defenders. A significant number of alumni are engaged in the private practice of criminal law throughout Southern California. Because of 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.

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. The Criminal Law Practice Center offers legal externships to provide students with real-world experience while attending law school.

[edit] Business Law Center

The Business Law Center at Western State University offers students strong academic and practical preparation for legal careers advising corporate entities, small businesses and entrepreneurs in all aspects of business law. Students have the opportunity to develop not only the legal knowledge but also the skills, practical experience and networking contacts they will need to pursue a successful career representing business clients.

The Certificated Course of Study Program comprises a wide range of courses relevant to business law, including required core courses and a broad range of electives such as training in advising business clients, opportunities for practical experience, including externships and internships, and seminars conducted by leading practitioners on current topics in business law.

[edit] Accreditation and Ranking

The American Bar Association (ABA) granted the Western State College of Law full approval in August 2009.^[11] As such, graduates may sit for the Bar Examination in all fifty states.

Western State University had been previously approved from February 1998 through early August 2004, at which time the school did not receive full approval but was allowed to reapply for provisional approval on an expedited basis, resulting in the granting of provisional approval in February 2005. The ABA visited the school again during the last week of February 2009 in order to complete a reassessment. The team sat in on classes, conducted an open forum with students, and interviewed individual deans and professors. WSU had dramatically increased its California bar passage rate for first-time takers in July 2008, exceeding 75% for the first time in its history.

The College of Law was ranked in Tier 4 among law schools in the U.S. according to the 2006 rankings, the last year it was ranked.^{[citation needed]} It is not currently ranked by U.S. News & World Report.^[12]

[edit] Ownership

Western State is owned by Education Management Corporation, one of the largest providers of private post-secondary education in North America, based on student enrollment and revenue.

In the summer of 2008, the school announced that it had entered into an agreement with an investment fund associated with Knowledge Investment Partners (KIP) for the sale of the law school, subject to the approval of accrediting bodies. Western State had anticipated that the transfer of ownership would occur sometime in the spring of 2009.

Between the two aforementioned times, Western State had secured the approvals of the American Bar Association, the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, the Department of Education, as well as other agencies.

However, subsequent to a February hearing before the Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar of the American Bar Association, KIP notified the school that it was having difficulty fulfilling certain conditions of the purchase agreement. At KIP's request, Western State agreed to extend the closing date to April 15, 2009, with KIP being required to provide adequate assurances on or before March 31, 2009 that it had sufficient resources to close the transaction in accordance with the terms of the agreement. Because KIP did not provide such assurances to the satisfaction of the school on or before March 31, 2009, Western State agreed with KIP to terminate the purchase agreement.

Accordingly, the school has notified its accrediting agencies that the acquisition will not occur and that Education Management Corporation will continue to own the law school.

[edit] Notable alumni

• Anthony Adams: Member of the California State Assembly
• Bob Chandler: Former American football player; deceased
• Frank Darras: Managing partner of Shernoff, Bidart and Darras, LLP.
• Mike Garrett: Former American football player; currently the athletic director at the University of Southern California
• Duncan Hunter: United States Member of Congress and Presidential candidate.
• Fred Hunter: Former mayor of Anaheim
• Ross Johnson: Former long-time California state legislator
• Nguyen Cao Ky Duyen: Vietnamese-American personality and co-host of Thuy Nga's Paris by Night shows
• Laurence F. Haines: Principal of HainesLaw located in Escondido, California.
• Nho Trong Nguyen: Vietnamese-American Superior Court of California Judge
• Lillian Lim: former San Diego Superior Court judge, graduate of San Diego Campus
• Ruth Parasol: millionaire PartyGaming Founder
• Mangala Moonesinghe: Sri Lankan Member of Parliament and Ambassador
• Rose Pothier: Member of Hall of Fame; Real Estate, Escrow, Mortgage Law and business lawyer; Speaker; Writer.
• George O. Wood: General Superintendent, Assemblies of God, USA

Alumni Hall of Fame

[edit] Honorary Degree Recipients

• Bob Hope^[13][14]

[edit] See also

• Education Management Corporation - parent company, aka EDMC
• American Bar Association
• Fullerton, California
• Law school
• Cal State Fullerton - located across the street

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Official website
• Article about WSU Law including statistics from lawschool.com

v • d • e California law schools accredited by the American Bar Association Approved Law Schools California Western • Chapman University • Golden Gate University • Loyola Marymount University • Pepperdine University • Santa Clara University • Southwestern • Stanford • Thomas Jefferson School of Law • UC Berkeley (Boalt) • UC Davis (King) • UC Hastings • UCLA • University of the Pacific (McGeorge) • University of San Diego • University of San Francisco • USC (Gould) • Western State University • Whittier Provisionally Approved Law Schools University of La Verne