San Joaquin College of Law Academic Dean Justin Atkinson laughed when asked what he thought of Wrest taking on the position of Associate Academic Dean. “She could easily step into my shoes and SJCL would probably be a better place.” But Atkinson’s smile ended as he added “Seriously, that’s how much confidence I have in her.”
Wrest graduated from SJCL in 2010. During law school, she clerked at the Dias Law firm in Hanford, her hometown. She passed the bar and was immediately hired as an Associate Attorney at the firm, then elevated to partner in 2012. She practiced in the areas of Business Transactions and Civil Litigation.
Two years ago, when hired as SJCL Library Director, she began work on her Master of Arts in Library and Information Science from the University of Arizona, which she completed in December. In addition, she attained a Certificate in Legal Information and Scholarly Communications. Aside from her other duties as librarian, she has worked supporting students and alumni in preparing for the bar. Her new positon formalizes that “contact when they need support.”
Wrest counts her “ability to connect with students and understand where they are coming from” as one of her strengths. She adds she’s “excited because our students are so hard-working. To be of any assistance to them at this point in time, when they are taking on what will likely be their greatest challenge and sweetest success, is just an honor.”
She’ll also assist Atkinson as they, in his words, “Divide and conquer all administrative duties that our accreditations require.”
Wrest is looking forward to that challenge, describing herself as “very organized, which will help refine our processes.” Wrest will also continue teaching “Legal Methods.”
Mark Masters will replace Wrest as SJCL Library Director. Masters currently is the Research Librarian at the Fresno County Library and will not be joining SJCL full time until August, but will be helping design the renovation of the new library building (in the current Clovis Senior Center). He holds both a J.D. and a Masters in Library Science.