Law School to Offer Program in Business

In a nod to the growing importance of small business to the California economy, Western State University College of Law in Fullerton plans to launch a new program teaching students to think more like entrepreneurs so they can assist business owners more effectively.

The so-called Entrepreneurial Law Center, due to be unveiled in the fall, will offer students two years of special-emphasis classes on such topics as crafting business plans and understanding the business tax code to supplement the three-year college’s standard required courses, said Dennis Honabach, dean of the university.

As part of the curriculum, students will be required to meet regularly with small-business owners to learn about legal issues facing entrepreneurs.

Back in class, students will focus on acquiring such skills as strategic negotiating and comprehensive contract drafting to avoid possible deal-breaking disputes before they arise.

“By providing our students with a better understanding of business decision-making, Western State will graduate attorneys prepared to help small-business owners and entrepreneurs navigate more effectively,” Honabach said.

Part of the impetus for the new program, Honabach said, was the explosive growth of small business in California. According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, 99.2% of the state’s 837,802 businesses with employees in 1997 fell into the standard federal definition of a small business. The Commerce Department lists as “small” any business with 500 or fewer employees.

Honabach anticipates that as many as one-third of all Western State law students will elect to take the new program.