Academic Success & Bar Preparation

Jessica Barclay-Strobel 
Visiting Associate Professor of Academic Success and Bar Preparation 
jbarclaystrobel@swlaw.edu

Professor Barclay-Strobel brings to the classroom more than a decade of litigation experience in government and in private practice at the trial and appellate levels. Before joining Southwestern, she represented state agencies in civil environmental law matters, including in a case ultimately decided in her client’s favor by the California Supreme Court. Prior to serving in government, Professor Barclay-Strobel practiced complex business litigation at a leading law firm in Los Angeles and clerked in both the United States District Court and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. She is also an award-winning author whose publications include articles on arbitration and employment law remedies.

Professor Barclay-Strobel received her J.D. from UCLA School of Law, where she earned several honors, served on multiple law journals, and was a Writing Advisor.  Her pro bono practice has included filing an amicus brief before the United States Supreme Court. She has also served as Chair of the Litigation Section of the California Lawyers Association.

Collin Hu
Associate Professor of Law
cohu@swlaw.edu

Prior to joining Southwestern, Professor Hu graded the California Bar Examination for nine years. He has read thousands of bar exam essays and engaged in numerous hours of discussion regarding grading methodology. Professor Hu uses insight from this experience to demystify the bar exam for students and help put them in a position to put forth their best possible effort. 

Professor Hu began his legal practice representing public entities and their insurance agencies in workers’ compensation matters. He later worked with large firms in the bay area, consulting on e-Discovery matters for complex litigation. Most recently, Professor Hu managed discovery databases and consulted on e-Discovery matters for the civil division of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California.

Nydia Johnson '10
Associate Dean, Academic Success and DEI Initiatives and Associate Professor of Law
NLJohnson@swlaw.edu

Dean Johnson brings a wealth of experience fostering student success. She provides overall leadership and management for all aspects of the Academic Success and Bar Preparation Department and oversees the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives for students. She also co-chairs the Dean’s Task Force for Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging. Her previous experience includes serving as the Dean of Students and Diversity Affairs.

Before joining Southwestern, Dean Johnson graduated from the University of Southern California with a double major in Political Science and Communication. She is a proud alumna of Southwestern Law School. While a student at Southwestern, she was a member of the Negotiation Honors Program and externed at Sony Pictures and Universal Music Group. Immediately after graduation, she continued as a Legal Consultant at Universal Music Group in the Business and Legal Affairs department.  Dean Johnson also worked at a boutique criminal defense firm where her passion for criminal justice was born. She brought that passion to Southwestern’s Youth Offender Parole Clinic, which she co-supervised for several years.

She has taught Advanced Topics in American Law and Fresh Perspective (a bar support course for alums). She currently serves as chair of the State Bar of California’s Law School Council.

Janet Philibosian '04
Associate Professor of Law
jphilibosian@swlaw.edu

Professor Janet Philibosian comes to Southwestern full-time after more than 16 years in private practice, where she represented a wide variety of clients, including large corporations, medical groups, property management companies, restaurant groups, and small business owners.  Appearing in both state and federal court, as well as before the Labor Commissioner and the State Board of Equalization, Professor Philibosian managed all aspects of her clients’ needs, whether in general legal consulting, employment counseling and litigation, business litigation, or regulatory matters.  In addition to her work in civil practice law firms, the majority of it as a partner (of Counsel) at Byrne & Associates, PLC, Professor Philibosian also served as a Staff Attorney at Children’s Law Center of Los Angeles, a nonprofit public interest firm representing the thousands of children in Los Angeles County’s Dependency Court.

Professor Philibosian joined Southwestern’s adjunct faculty in 2010, and taught a variety of courses, including 1L workshops in exam writing, Defenses in the Law, Bar Advantage, Selected Topics in American Law, and Practical Lawyering Skills.  In 2014, she was awarded the Adjunct Excellence in Teaching Award.

Sarah Schimmel
Associate Professor of Law
sschimmel@swlaw.edu 

While studying for the bar, Professor Schimmel discovered a passion for helping other students conquer the exam. She has since dedicated years to creating bar exam resources and curricula, organizing workshops and presentations, and mentoring law graduates preparing for the bar exam. Professor Schimmel believes the path to bar success can begin as early as before 1L, and she is committed to supporting her students to excel academically and achieve both personal and professional fulfillment.

Before pursuing her legal education, Professor Schimmel worked for a prominent political lobbying organization. As a law student, she served as a volunteer mediator and clerked for the Major Crimes Division of the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office, assigned to the high-profile Robert Durst murder trial. Prior to her academic career, Professor Schimmel practiced law as a civil litigator with a focus in corporate law, personal injury, premises liability, and landlord-tenant disputes.

Bryce Woolley
Associate Professor of Law
bwoolley@swlaw.edu

Professor Woolley is passionate about helping his students pass the bar exam. His teaching focuses on heavily-tested bar topics and skills for the written portion of the bar exam, ranging from criminal law and procedure to legal ethics. His nonprofit work focuses on connecting people impacted by incarceration with healthcare education and services. Prior to joining Southwestern, he worked as an associate for large, medium, and small law firms practicing complex commercial, healthcare, and professional liability litigation.

Woolley received his J.D. from UCLA School of Law, where he was Editor-in-Chief of the Dukeminier Awards Journal of Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Law and a Moot Court Honors Program Distinguished Advocate. He received his B.A., summa cum laude, from UC San Diego, in Sociology and Law & Society.