As the oldest law school in Orange County, Calif., Western State College of Law (WSCL) has more than 11,000 alumni. It has earned a reputation for producing successful trial lawyers and over 150 of its graduates have gone on to serve as judges and judicial officers throughout California. Beyond successful careers, alumni continue to give back to the communities they serve. Heading into 2021, we are excited to see our alumni well represented on the board of directors of both the Orange County Hispanic Bar Association (OCHBA) and Orange County Trial Lawyers Association (OCTLA).
OCHBA promotes education, unity and excellence in the Hispanic legal community. Earlier in December, OCHBA announced its newly elected board members, including six WSCL alumni and one of the law school’s adjunct professors:
- Sasha Tymkowicz, newly appointed as president, a 2003 Western State College of Law graduate has been practicing since 2004, with a primary focus on family law and personal injury. She is the founder of the professional law corporation, Law Offices of Sasha Tymkowicz with offices serving Orange County and San Bernardino.
- Jeannette Garcia, appointed vice president, received her juris doctor in 2015. She is passionate about family law and now serves as a senior associate attorney at Hughes & Hughes, LLP, located in Tustin.
- Shelly Aronson, tapped to serve as the organization’s secretary, graduated at the top of her class in 1982. She brings 35 years of legal experience to the board with a focus on misdemeanor and felony cases in the criminal justice system.
- Immediate Past President Bettina Yanez, a 1996 alumna, has gone on to become a certified family law specialist and is the founder and president of Yanez & Associates, Divorce & Family Law Attorneys Orange County.
A 1994 graduate, Deborah Vasquez sits on the board of the OCHBA. She is also a litigation attorney and founder of The Vasquez Law Group, a boutique firm in Santa Ana. Her practice includes tenants’ rights, general litigation and personal injury.- Another OHBA board member, Victor Franco, is an alumnus of the 2013 class. Franco is the principal attorney at the Law Offices of Victor Franco, A Professional Law Corporation, where he focuses on “crimmigration” – the intersection of criminal law and immigration.
- Stephanie Franco, also appointed as a board member, serves as an adjunct professor at Western State teaching sports law.
A 1994 graduate, In addition, at the OCHBA 43rd Annual Scholarship Fundraiser & Installation dinner on March 6th WSCL alumnus George Gascon, LA district attorney, will receive the Hon. Francisco Briseño Lifetime Achievement Award and Jennifer Koh, a member of our faculty and immigration clinical director until 2019, will be honored as the Attorney of the Year.
Similarly, WSCL alumni are well-represented on the recently announced OCTLA board of directors for 2021. The OCTLA protects the rights of people who have been harmed by the wrongful acts of others, through superior education and training for attorneys; access to the collective resources, knowledge, and experience of its members; and promotion and support of laws which correct injustice and protect access to the civil justice system.
Recently added board members include:
- Tom Antunovich, a 2015 graduate, who serves as an attorney for Bisnar Chase Personal Injury Attorneys.
- Garrett Chambers a trial attorney at Chambers & Noronha in Santa Ana and part of the WSCL 2014 graduating class.
- Edwin Hong, first in his class in 2018, has since gone on to work at the Simon Law Group as an associate attorney, and is also a current adjunct faculty member.
- Allegra Rineer, an associate attorney at TorkLaw, is a 2011 graduate of WSCL and now represents victims of sexual abuse, elder abuse, abuse of people with special needs, and those injured or killed in accidents.
- Eileen Solis, earned her juris doctor at WSCL in 1991 and is now an attorney at law at Amezcua-Moll & Assoc. P.C.
- Janice Vinci, a WSCL alumna, has gone on to become principal at Law Offices of Janice M. Vinci, where she focuses her practice on real estate litigation and transactional matters, business litigation, title issues and corporate formation.
We are excited to see the amazing accomplishments and representation of our alumni in the community. Current and future students are in good company as they walk through the doors at WSCL. If you are an alumni and have news to share, please contact us at alumni@wsulaw.edu.