Meet our Six New Faculty Members
California Western School of Law is pleased to announce the arrival of six new scholars and teachers to its full-time faculty. Their professional experience spans criminal law, immigration law, civil rights advocacy, appellate practice, housing rights, and regulatory compliance. Their scholarship explores a wide range of issues including criminal law, international law, intellectual property, housing justice, immigration policy and the intersection of law and psychology. As the newest members of our accomplished faculty, they will enrich our academic community through exceptional teaching, impactful scholarship, and an enthusiastic commitment to preparing the next generation of legal professionals.
Natalie Cadwalader, Associate Professor of Law
Professor Natalie Cadwalader joins California Western after having led a successful career as an immigration practitioner and scholar. She has worked for the ABA's South Texas Pro Bono Representation Project (ProBAR), the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the Florence Immigrant & Refugee Rights Project, Al Otro Lado, Human Rights First, and the ABA's Children's Immigration Law Academy. Her work as an immigration attorney has spanned representation of asylum-seeking unaccompanied children, families, and adults detained in various contexts at the U.S. Southern Border. Professor Cadwalader’s scholarship focuses on enforced disappearances of immigrants as a strategy of border enforcement and includes recent publications in the Santa Clara Law Review and the Journal on Migration & Human Security.
Nikola R. Hajdin, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Law
Professor Nikola R. Hajdin joins California Western as an accomplished scholar in criminal law and international law. His work focuses on how legal systems assign responsibility in contexts involving speech, collective action, and political violence. Before joining CWSL, Professor Hajdin held academic appointments at Stanford Law School, Georgetown University Law Center, and Villanova University. Prior to coming to the United States, he taught Law at the University of Oxford and Stockholm University. Professor Hajdin has published articles in leading law journals, including the American Journal of International Law, the Michigan Journal of International Law, the Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology, and the Leiden Journal of International Law. His book, The Crime of Aggression Under International Law, is forthcoming with Hart Publishing.
John McCormick-Huhn, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Law
Professor John McCormick-Huhn joins California Western after practicing for several years as an appellate attorney at leading law firms such as Womble Bond Dickinson (formerly Lewis Roca) and Holland & Hart. Professor McCormick-Huhn earned his J.D. at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, where he was Editor-in-Chief of the law review. Prior to that, he obtained his Ph.D. in cognitive psychology at Penn State. His scholarship focuses on novel applications of cognitive psychology to election law and intellectual property law. His work has been published in Temple Law Review, Nevada Law Journal, and several peer-reviewed psychology journals, including Cognition and Psychology and Aging.
Kaitlin McCormick-Huhn, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Law
Professor Kaitlin McCormick-Huhn joins California Western’s faculty after serving as an Assistant Federal Public Defender in Las Vegas. Her practice focused on representing individuals in federal habeas corpus proceedings, including individuals sentenced to death and individuals in immigration detention. Before joining the Federal Defender’s office, she clerked at the Nevada Supreme Court. Professor McCormick-Huhn has a J.D. and a Ph.D. in Social Psychology and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. She has published on topics related to bias and stereotypes, intersectionality, and emotion—topics she now explores in various legal domains, such as criminal law. Her most recent article was published in the University of Richmond Law Review.
Leslie Morsek, Legal Skills Professor
Professor Leslie Morsek joins California Western with broad experience in regulatory compliance, transactional law, and legal education. Prior to joining CWSL, she taught legal research and writing, contract drafting, and U.S. legal systems courses while also managing cybersecurity compliance initiatives in higher education. Her professional background includes service as a judicial staff attorney for Ohio's Ninth District Court of Appeals and litigation practice at Squire Patton Boggs. Professor Morsek's scholarship has examined expert evidence and the judicial “gatekeeper” function in legal proceedings, and her teaching emphasizes critical thinking, ethical advocacy, and the development of well-rounded legal professionals.
Kaimipono D. Wenger, Associate Professor of Law
Professor Kaimipono "Kaimi" Wenger teaches, writes, and practices in the fields of civil rights and housing law, with scholarship focused on racial justice, reparations, tenant protections, and the legal system’s response to large-scale harms. Prior to joining California Western, he represented hundreds of low-income tenants, and supervised attorneys at Inner City Law Center (ICLC) in Los Angeles. While working at ICLC, he also founded an eviction defense clinic for law students at Southwestern Law School. Professor Wenger’s scholarship has appeared in leading journals including the Wisconsin Law Review, American University Law Review, Loyola L.A. Law Review, and UCLA Law Review Discourse. His work has contributed to national conversations surrounding housing and racial equity.