Ihab T. Omar '04

Ihab T. Omar, age 34, recently passed away after a courageous battle with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. He established his own law office in Las Vegas to help represent people dealing with foreclosures, bankruptcy, and personal injury matters. Earlier, Omar worked for Christensen Law Offices and Murchison & Cummings, LLP. While at California Western, Omar was a member of the Advocacy Honors Board, the Student Bar Association, the Entertainment and Sports Law Society, and honored for his academic achievement in Civil Pro I. Omar was loved and respected by his family, friends, and classmates. The thoughts of the CWSL community are with his wife, Dounia, and his two children, Seena and Mohammed.

Christopher B. Carneal '06

Christopher B. Carneal, age 33, passed away on May 6, 2011. A resident of Spanaway, Washington, Chris owned and operated his own law firm. Prior to that, he was an associate at Naumann, Levine & Silldorf, LLP, and an Associate Attorney at the law firm of Guerrero, Jacobs & Schlesinger, LLP. While at California Western, served on the staff of the California Western Law Review and the International Law Journal, earned an American Jurisprudence Award in Legal Research & Writing, and spent a semester abroad interning for the Office of the Public Defender in Santiago, Chile.

Michael P. Golden '77

Michael P. Golden, age 64, passed away on March 24, 2011. Golden began his law practice in 1979. He was well-respected in the Las Vegas legal community, taking a case before the Nevada Supreme Court that established the right to jury trials in Justice Court cases. Golden served as Deputy District Attorney with the Clark County District Attorney’s Office and as Referee for the Nevada Workers Compensation System. Following his public career, Golden worked for private firms, including David L. Riddle and Associates where he practiced for the past 15 years.

Henry W. Tom '84

Henry W. Tom, age 58, passed away on March 1, 2011. Tom was a partner at Chaplin and Tom, Ltd. where he specialized in tax law. He worked for the IRS prior to attending California Western School of Law. After graduation, Tom returned to the IRS before entering private practice in 1988. As a Certified Tax Law Specialist, he served as Chairman of the Tax Law Section of the State Bar of Arizona from 2002 to 2003. Tom served as President of the Arizona Forum for Improvement of Taxation.

Douglas J. Goldstein '82

Douglas J. Goldstein, age 54, passed away on February 16, 2011 from Lou Gehrig’s disease. Goldstein was a public defender in Los Angeles County. He attended Queens College and earned his law degree from California Western School of Law. Throughout his career, Goldstein defended high-profile cases, advocating for those otherwise unable to access legal representation.

E. Donald Shapiro

E. Donald Shapiro, age 79, passed away December 27, 2010, after a long and courageous battle with cancer. Shapiro served as Dean of New York Law School from 1973-1983, expanding classes, launching new joint programs, and establishing the law school’s campus. A pioneer in health law, Shapiro served on many corporate and nonprofit boards, joining the California Western Council of Visitors in 2002. The E. Donald Shapiro Distinguished Professorship at California Western is named in his honor. California Western presented him with an honorary Doctor of Laws degree in 2010.

Judge Franklin B. Orfield '48

Judge Franklin B. Orfield, age 89, passed away December 23, 2010. A dedicated member of San Diego’s legal community for more than 50 years, Orfield attended law school following his service in the U.S. Marine Corps. He was elected president of the San Diego County Bar Association in 1961. In 1968, Orfield was appointed to the San Diego County Superior Court by then-Gov. Ronald Reagan and elected as presiding judge in 1977. Four years later, Orfield presided over the long-running San Diego school desegregation lawsuit. His son, Michael B. Orfield ’77 is a graduate of California Western.

William A. Yale '49

Retired Superior Court Judge William A. Yale, age 83, passed away on May 19, 2010. In 1969, Yale was elected president of the San Diego County Bar Association. A year later, he was appointed by then-Gov. Ronald Reagan to the San Diego County Superior Court. Yale was one of San Diego's most popular and highly respected judges during his 11 years on the bench, which included serving as presiding judge from 1979 to 1980. In 1977, he was named Judge of the Year by the San Diego Trial Lawyers Association.

Thomas C. Adler '71

Thomas C. Adler, age 71, passed away August 23, 2010, after a 14-year battle with Parkinson’s Disease. He was a founding member of the Criminal Defense Bar Association of San Diego and its first president. Adler was an active member of the Criminal Defense Lawyer’s Club of San Diego, California Attorneys for Criminal Justice, and the ACLU of San Diego. His career as a principled advocate was honored with the Trial Lawyer of the Year Award from the San Diego Trial Lawyers Association and is celebrated each year with three scholarships that are given in his name.

Marjorie "Marge" F. Ahern '67

Marjorie "Marge" F. Ahern, age 86, passed away August 15, 2010, after a brief battle with cancer. She began her law career at California Western in 1964, as she sent the last of her six children to first grade. Ahern was a pioneering female attorney in San Diego, initially practicing in La Jolla before moving her office to Downtown San Diego. Her passion for the law kept her going to her office until the age of 84.

Richard G. Fehrenbacher '77

Richard G. Fehrenbacher, age 58, passed away August 9, 2010. While attending California Western, Fehrenbacher served on the editorial board of Law Review. After graduating from California Western, he earned his LL.M. from Georgetown in Estate Planning. He began his career in trusts and estates, practicing law in Washington, D.C. In 1995, Fehrenbacher returned to his home state of Illinois and opened a private practice with his brother.

Roger "Alex" Franklin '84

Roger "Alex" Franklin, age 53, passed away April 5, 2010. He ran a private practice in Philadelphia with the help of his wife, Michelle. While attending California Western, Franklin was a member of Phi Alpha Delta, the largest international legal fraternity, and the Student Bar Association. He also participated in the California Western Law Review. Following graduation, Franklin gave back to the law school by volunteering as a Class Reunion Co-Chair. A regular attendee of California Western's Alumni Weekend, his presence will be missed at this fall's event.

Michael D. Stevenson '93

Michael D. Stevenson, age 43, passed away April 9, 2010. He was employed with Gordon & Rees, L.L.P. in Las Vegas. Prior to that, Stevenson was with the Law Offices of Anthony T. Case in Henderson, Nevada. The Southern Nevada native graduated from California Western in 1993. Friends and classmates remember his witty sense of humor and diehard sports fanaticism. Stevenson attended multiple sporting events for California Western alumni the Las Vegas area. He is survived by his sons, brother, and parents.

Dwight E. Stanford

Dwight E. Stanford, age 94, passed away from complications of heart failure on March 8, 2010. He served as president of Balboa Law School from 1939 to 1951, moving the school from the Hillcrest area to its Point Loma location and paving the way for what would become California Western School of Law. After his tenure as president, Stanford served on the Balboa Law School board of trustees and received from the school an honorary degree in 1975. In 1994, the Stanford Reading Room at California Western School of Law was named in his honor.

Julie J. Bethune '91

Julie J. Bethune, age 44, passed away in early February. Following graduation from California Western, Bethune worked in legal sales for LexisNexis, a subsidiary of Reed Elsevier, Inc. Her interests in labor and employment law led Bethune to transition careers to Chase Legal Professionals, Inc., a national legal placement company. As vice president of Chase, she specialized in permanent placements of attorneys in lateral and vertical positions. Bethune also worked as a freelance film critic with bi-monthly reviews in several local San Diego, North County, and Rancho Santa Fe publications.

Michael V. Sage '06

Michael Sage, age 29, passed away suddenly on February 5, 2010. He was working on his LL.M. at University of Connecticut and was employed with Suisman Shapiro Wool Brennan Gray & Greenberg in New London, Conn. Sage graduated from California Western in 2006, where he was a member of the Law Review and the International Law Journal, the Dean's List, and Pro Bono Honors Society. He also volunteered as a "face of California Western" and is featured in the law school’s promotional material.

Josiane "Josi" M. Dixon '06

Josianne "Josi" M. Dixon, age 33, passed away on December 24, 2009, following a courageous battle with leukemia. While attending California Western, Dixon was a Trial Team member, the president of the Public Interest Law Foundation, and involved in Moot Court competitions. Perhaps Dixon’s most noteworthy impact on California Western was her pivotal role in establishing the Adrianne Baker Fellowship, California Western's loan repayment assistance program. In her honor, the PILF has named its scholarship after Dixon.