Barbara Klein
(J.D. Western State University College of Law)
Professor Klein, has had a wide variety of litigation experience. She teaches Wills and Community Property.

James A. Coulter, III
(J.D. Pepperdine University School of Law, Malibu)
Professor Coulter is an Orange County District Attorney and has been the supervising District Attorney for various Courts as well as the head of the “Hate Crimes Unit” for Orange County. Professor Coulter classes include Evidence, Criminal Law, Constitutional Law, Trial Practice and Lex Excellence Criminal Law.

Ann Feather
(J.D. Western State University College of Law)
Professor Feather has been a licensed attorney since 1982 with a private practice specializing in family law. She teaches Community Property.

Nathaniel Glover
(J. D. Western State University College of Law)
Professor has been a licensed attorney since 1979. Prof. Glover began his career in law enforcement as a Counselor at Juvenile Hall and later became Orange County’s first black make deputy sheriff. He worked first as a Juvenile Court Deputy, later as Trial Deputy in the Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Unit and has been assigned to CAST since 1993. He teaches Criminal Procedure, Constitutional Law, Trial Practice and Lex Excellence Criminal Law.

Dale F. Hardeman
Prof. Hardeman earned his B.A. Degree in Public Administration-Finance from California State University, Los Angeles in 1973, and his Juris Doctorate Degree from Western State University College of Law in 1996.
He currently focuses his law practice in Business & Real Estate Law, Education Law, and has qualified as an Expert Witness in bankruptcy litigation. Prof. Hardeman has taught Torts, Civil Procedure, Property, Community Property, Business Organizations, and Legal Writing & Research. In addition to teaching and a very active law practice, Prof. Hardeman enjoys a keen interest in jazz piano and arranging for jazz bands.

Robert Hardin
(J.D. Southwestern University College of Law)
Professor Hardin has been a licensed attorney since 1960. He has served as a Judge Pro tem in the Municipal and Superior Courts for over 12 years. He teaches Contracts, Community Property, Business Organizations, Family Law, Wills, Trusts, Torts, Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure, Trial Practice, Civil Lex Excellence and Trial Practice.

Daniel L. Jacobson
(J.D. Western State University College of Law)
Although Daniel Lee Jacobson has been a full-time attorney since 1988, for most his legal career Professor Jacobson has also taught law school. He is one of California’s most respected and prolific authors of legal scholarly articles. With 23 of Professor Jacobson’s articles published in California’s leading legal journals, Professor Jacobson has and continues to not only educate Pacific West’s students, but to also has and continues to educate the California legal profession as a whole.

Professor Jacobson is a governor on the Board of Governors of the California Insurance Guarantee Association, having been appointed to that position by John Garamendi when Lieutenant Governor Garamendi was California’s Insurance Commissioner. Professor Jacobson is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Donna O’Neill Land Conservancy, having received that appointment from the County of Orange.

Professor Jacobson has served as a temporary judge on the Orange County Superior Court, as an arbitrator for both the San Bernardino Superior Court and the Better Business Bureau, and as a mediator. He is a lifetime member of Friends of the Tustin Library, and is retired from the Board of Directors of the Nanette Brody Dance Theater, the Long Beach Commission on Youth, and the California Democratic Party’s Central Committee. Professor Jacobson teaches U.C.C., Business Organizations and Trial Practice.

John D. Lord
Professor Lord is a Judge of the Los Angeles Superior Court. In that capacity he has handled cases ranging from misdemeanors up to and including death penalty cases. He served, by special appointment of the Chief Justice of the California Supreme Court, as an Associate Justice on the District Court of Appeal in 1992, during which time he authored several opinions which are binding on all trial courts throughout the State of California. In 1995, he was named to the Blue Ribbon Commission on Jury System Improvement which was a statewide project that brought together leaders in the business, legal, and political communities to address system-wide solutions to improve the delivery of equal and adequate justice to all Californians. The recommendations of this committee have led to significant changes in the jury system from the adoption of the one-day one-trial system to new rules on jury voir dire.

Judge Lord has a unique background which includes combat service in Viet Nam with the United States Marine Corps, ten years of service as a deputy sheriff, and several years as a public defender, district attorney, and city attorney before his eventual appointment as a judge. He serves on the committee that creates the jury instructions for criminal cases which are used in all California courtrooms. His detailed guides in the CALJIC book of jury instructions discussing lesser included and lesser related offenses have served as a primary reference source for courts throughout the state. Judge Lord teaches Criminal Law and Trial Practice.

Peter A. Macdonald
(J.D. Western State University College of Law)
Professor Macdonald currently is a General Counsel and Vice President of Platinum Capital Group. This company has three offices in Southern California and operates in 41 states through out the nation. He is responsible for any and all legal matters at Platinum Capital, which employs in excess of 300 people. He teaching Property.

Kevin O'Connell
(J.D. Western State University College of Law)
Dean O’Connell has been a practicing attorney and a law school professor since 1982. From his law practice as a litigator, Dean O’Connell brings knowledge and expertise in the practice of law. He has taught law courses at various other law schools. He Teaches Business Organizations, Civil Procedure I, II, & III, Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure, Constitutional Law, Legal analysis, Evidence, Native Americans and the law, Professional Responsibility, Remedies, Entertainment Law, Environmental Law, Sports Law, Wills, U.C.C., and Trial Practice.

Anthony Rackauckas, Jr.
J.D. Loyola University of Los Angeles, School of Law)
Professor Rackauckas currently is the District Attorney for Orange County, and was formerly a Superior Court Judge in Orange County where he presided over complex criminal court and jury trials. Along with his judicial experience, Professor Rackauckas has been a trial attorney with the Orange County District Attorney’s Office. He served as a Deputy District Attorney for over sixteen years, with a distinguished career as a homicide prosecutor. During his tenure, he tried over 40 homicide cases, many of which were high profile cases. He has been active in authoring legislation such as Proposition 115. He teaches Criminal Trial Practice, and Evidence.

Paul Raymond
(J.D.Western State University College of Law)
Professor Raymond's practice is primarily limited to the field of taxation, with emphasis and specialty in the area of "tax controversy," which includes tax audits, tax appeals, tax litigation, civil tax and criminal tax defense.

Richard Rydstrom
(J.D. Western State University College of Law Cambridge University, England, 1984, International Law, C.W. Post)
Dean Rydstrom is an accountant and has been a licensed attorney since 1990 with a private practice specializing in Litigation, Entertainment Law, Trusts and Estate; Corporate Law; Limited Liability Company Law, Limited Partnerships and Tax Law. Dean Rysdstrom has appeared on various Radio shows and been published by the United States Congress and numerous times in various magazines and newspapers including USA TODAY. He is the Dean of the Master of Law in Taxation program and has taught courses for the Juris Doctor Program also such as Wills, Trust and Trial Practice.

Paul T. Smith
B.A., California State University, San Bernardino with Honors. MBA Claremont Graduate University, with Distinction. J.D., Western State University, Cum Laude. Further post-graduate education at University of California School of Law, University of Southern California School of Law, and Loyola Law School.

Professor was admitted to the bar in 1990 and has extensive experience in civil litigation, criminal defense, family law, and appeals. He was primary counsel on two published appellate decisions, one of which, Andrews v. Mobile Aire Estates, (2005) 125 Cal.App.4th 578, greatly expanded the protection the law requires landlords to provide their tenants. He teaches Professional Responsibility, Civil Procedure, and Evidence.

Christopher M. Strobel
(J.D. American College of Law)
Professor Strobel has been a license attorney since 1989. He is currently in private practice. He has been employed by the Orange County Deputy Public Defenders Office for over eight years. He was responsible for the representation of indigent defendants in criminal matters. His scope of re-presentation included the handling of misdemeanors and felonies from arraignment to sentencing including writs and appeals. He also specializes in Juvenile Law.

In Memoriam of Dean KEITH SNYDER
(J.D. Southwestern University)
Dean Snyder has returned to teaching after serving as Dean/Director of Academic Affairs at Western State University College of Law in Fullerton and San Diego campuses for over 12 years. Dean Snyder also served as head of the technical publications department for the San Bernardino and El Segundo office of the Aerospace Corporation for over 4 years. He taught Contracts, Criminal Law and Legal Writing.

David Y. Tang
(J.D. Western State University College of Law)
Professor Tang has been a licensed attorney since 1996 with a private practice specializing in Bankruptcy, Criminal Law, Immigration, and in Business litigation. He teaches Business Organization, and Immigration Law.

Sasan Vahdat
(J.D. Pacific West College of Law)
Professor Vahdat has been a licensed attorney since 2005. He graduated with Summa Cum Laude, and Am Jured 22 classes. Professor Vahdat is currently, sole practitioner and focusing in Business litigation, and Personal Injury. He teaches Contracts, Criminal Law, Torts, and Remedies.

Douglas Lee Weeks
(B.A., Southern Illinois in 1971. J.D., Western State University College of Law in 1976.)
Professor Weeks has been practice in Orange County since 1977, with a private practice specializing in Real Property, Personal Injury, Probate, and Bankruptcy. He teaches Wills and Trust.