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Ethical Lessons Learned the Hard Way: A Former Attorney’s Story of Crime, Punishment and Redemption

On February 10, 2011, the Law School hosted an ethics lecture that included a former attorney’s story of commingling personal funds with unearned client funds. The two speakers were Henry (Hank) J. Shea and Stephen Rondestvedt.

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  • Henry (Hank) J. Shea is a Senior Distinguished Fellow at the University of St. Thomas School of Law and a Fellow at the Holloran Center for Ethical Leadership in the Professions. He administers a unique ethics program that he founded which involves joint presentations with more than a dozen felons, most of whom he prosecuted, at law schools, business schools, colleges, high schools, and other locations.
  • Stephen Rondestvedt obtained his Juris Doctor from Hamline University School of Law in 1988. Thereafter, he went into private practice. His story of crime, punishment, and redemption began in late 1999. He began by “borrowing” from his client trust account, eventually moving on to creating fictitious “investments” for his clients. Over the course of approximately three years, he victimized approximately 28 of his clients. In the end, the total was in excess of $750,000.00. In the fall of 2003, Mr. Rondestvedt turned himself into the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s office in Minneapolis. Shortly thereafter, he plead guilty, and was sentenced to full restitution and a 46-month prison term. Since his release in 2007, he continues to volunteer his time speaking across the country about his experiences with the hope that each person will gain a greater understanding of how seemingly small decisions can lead to very significant consequences.

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SBA Welcome Back BBQ



On January 19, 2011, the SBA held a Welcome Back Barbeque for students returning from winter break. There were hamburgers and hotdogs, beer, cotton candy, popcorn and a photo booth complete with props and costumes. Various student organizations also set up tables to recruit any new members. Many students, faculty and staff showed up in good spirits to enjoy the BBQ.








Spirit Day

On January 25, 2011, students showed their Whittier pride at this monthly event by enjoying food and beer with the Dean. Students, faculty and staff attended.

WLS OC Law School Olympics

On February 4, 2011, WLS hosted the Orange County Law Olympics. Various teams from WLS and Western state enjoyed an afternoon of great weather and refreshments while competing in different games. There were six events including Human Foosball and an obstacle course known as The Gauntlet. The event lasted all afternoon and finished with a closing ceremony. Spectators and participants alike showed great showmanship and actively participated in making the event a success.

Entertainment and Sports Law: The International Dimension Symposium

On February 11, 2011, WLS’s Center for International and Comparative Law held an all day Entertainment Law Symposium: The International Dimension. The event showcased perspectives about the global world of television, managing risk related to investor’s and producers, recent developments in international entertainment law, legal and business issues related to the international sports arena, intellectual property protection and the international music scene. Speakers and moderators attended from prestigious firms all over Los Angeles and Orange County. Sponsors of the event included The State Bar of California International Law Section, the Beverly Hills Bar Association, PBS SoCal and the Hollywood Reporter.



Juvenile Law Moot Court Competition

On February 4th, 2011, WLS hosted the only annual national moot court competition that focuses on juvenile law issues. Since the inception of the competition, participants have tackled controversial questions such as child abuse, paternity, sibling rights, in-vitro fertilization, institutionalization of minors, and free speech rights of students.

This year’s problem involved “sexting,” the growing trend among teenagers to send sexually explicit digital images of themselves to each other. In this case, a high school student took pictures of his girlfriend that resulted in their transmission beyond the original intention. Ultimately, he was convicted on charges involving child pornography and was required to register as a sex offender under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act. The issues concern the appropriateness of those decisions. The competition awarded $2,000 in academic scholarships to the winning team and the winning brief will be published in the Whittier Journal of Child and Family Advocacy. WLS was honored to have Presiding Justice of the California Court of Appeal, Fourth Appellate District, Division Three, Justice David G. Sills, sit as a final round judge on Saturday, February 5th.

Inn of Court

On Wednesday, February 9, 2011, WLS was privileged to host the monthly meeting of the William P. Gray Legion Lex Inn of Court. The Inn, one of four in Orange County, is an organization committed to mentoring new attorneys by matching them with prominent attorneys and judges. Membership in most Inns is typically made up of equal numbers of judges, senior attorneys, and new attorneys.

The leadership of the Inn offered to allow a limited number of our students to attend their meeting. Several local judges presented a mock trial argument as the educational program. This event was a great way to network with members of the local bench and attorneys with successful practices in both business and government. WLS covered the charges for attending students which was maxed out at 60 on a first come, first serve basis. The attendees were very receptive to the students, including a number of WLS students being offered externships for the semester and summer.