Southwestern Faculty- Professor Voltaire Perkins (1924-1931)

Professor Perkins was a practicing attorney and actor who appeared in over thirty movies and TV shows from the 1950s to the 1970s.

Between 1957 and 1969, he played a judge on the original TV series “Divorce Court,” now the oldest court-themed TV show currently airing. 

He also played a judge in the “Batman” TV series in 1966. 

First Commencement Ceremonies

June 7, 1916: Southwestern’s first graduation ceremony and banquet is held at the Hotel Clark on South Hill Street with Dean Arthur Abbott serving as toastmaster. 

Betty Trier Berry ’15, Southwestern’s first graduate, and B. Rey Schauer ‘16 receive their J.D. degrees. James Johnson Brunken ‘16 receives the first Bachelor of Laws degree.

Early Homes - The Hill Street Building (1924-1973)

In 1922, construction began on a new campus on Hill Street in downtown Los Angeles. The three-story building opened in 1924.  After a 1927 addition, it reached 10 stories, the height limit for LA structures at the time.  The  building  was  considered very modern and had a library, courtroom, lunch counter, and roof-top athletic facilities. 

The Hill Street Building served Southwestern for nearly 50 years.  In 1973, the school moved to the Westmoreland Building in the mid-Wilshire district of Los Angeles.

The Union Oil (1911-1915) and Wilcox Buildings (1915-1924) 

Southwestern College of Law began in the Union Oil Building downtown at 651 S. Spring. It expanded to the entire fourth floor with classrooms, offices, a library, and lecture hall. An enrollment increase dictated a move to larger facilities.

On Feb. 1, 1915, Southwestern moved to the Wilcox Building at 206 S. Spring, where the school occupied the entire Spring St. frontage of the top floor.Students enjoyed classrooms, a library, auditorium, and student with a piano, lockers, and comfortable furnishings.