Alumni Success

Mary went to law school because she was convinced it was the one way to make a difference. Upon graduation, she worked for Tom Campagne for 13 years, then briefly with Walter & Wilhelm, before joining Lozano Smith in January of 2016. Mary serves as the City Attorney for multiple cities. She also represents special districts (mosquito abatement and water districts) throughout California, necessitating a lot of travel. Mary is an adjunct professor of multiple subjects at the University of Phoenix – ethics, leadership, management, negotiations, and business law. Mary remembers her fun study group – Trina Root and Ken Jorgensen. She loved Real Property with Professor Perring and Constitutional Law with Professor Purvis. She became good friends with Joan Lassley and even traveled in a tour group with her to Europe in 2016.

With over 20 years of healthcare experience, and a MBA to compliment his J.D. from SJCL, Kent was heavily recruited to fill the position of Contracts Manager at Montage Health.  In this hybrid role involving equal parts law and business, Rick’s responsibilities include physician contracting and contract development, managed care payor contracting and negotiations, health plan contracting, business entity filing and coordination, software and software as a service negotiations, and various other legal review and contracting duties. “In my case, SJCL presented the best option and value.  Considering I already had an MBA and considerable healthcare experience, my status as an attorney SUPERCHARGED my healthcare career and paid for itself in the first two years of employment.”

Monica was a single parent who thought law school might be a step in the right direction for herself and her daughter. Then David Moeck (‘98) opened her eyes to the need for qualified attorneys in the southern San Joaquin Valley. During law school she clerked for the Tulare Public Defender’s Office, ultimately working on two death penalty cases. Upon graduation, she stayed with the Public Defender briefly then worked for five years with David Torres in a private criminal defense practice. Three years ago, the Law Office of Monica L. Bermudez opened, handling DUI to murder cases, along with cases involving drug transactions, gang allegations, possession of fire arms, and juvenile delinquency. “I love my criminal law practice! However, Bakersfield is in desperate need of criminal defense attorneys.” Monica is very involved in local bar association efforts. She is currently managing the criminal defense conflicts panel, pending the hire of a new manager. As to law school, “I remember the friends who were crucial to my making it through.”

Jason was always told he should be a lawyer. During his military service, there were times when he researched and utilized military regulations and procedures to defend himself and others against supervisors’ abuse of discretion. “I thought, maybe I can do this law thing!” During law school, he clerked with Leah Tuisavalalo and Mark Miller. Upon entering the Bar, he worked briefly with Kahn, Soares & Conway, doing mainly family law matters. Then with the Fresno County Public Defender’s Office, he found his passion in criminal law. In August of 2019, he joined the Caine Law Firm doing the entire panoply of criminal defense. Jason recently obtained a defense verdict in a seven-day vehicle manslaughter trial of which he says, “This was a terrible accident that happened to two good people.” As to law school, “I remember the comradery. We all connected and worked together and now I work with many of them as an attorney. It’s amazing to see everyone working as what we all aspired to be.”

Before law school, Robert was a Registered Investment Advisor, working with clients and their lawyers. He found himself drawn to the legal side of the work. His mother, Judith Wright, was already enrolled at SJCL, so he joined her. Judy opened the Law Office of Judy A. Wright upon her graduation and Robert joined her immediately upon his. Their practice has been trusts and estates. Judy and their associate handle trust administration, probate, and any court appearances needed. Robert focusses on estate tax planning and advanced trusts. Robert remembers Professor Purvis grilling him using the Socratic Method. He also remembers “how happy I was to move to the new building in Clovis.”

With the encouragement of her father, Jonette knew since she was a freshman in high school that she wanted to be an attorney. During law school, she clerked for two years for Hagop Bedoyan at Caswell, Bell & Hillison in bankruptcy law. She remained with that firm for a year after passing the bar exam. In 2006 she joined the Dias Law Firm, becoming a partner in 2011. Jonette handles all of the estate planning and estate litigation for the firm as well as probate and trust administration, with a little family law and general litigation. “I love it!” Aside from her degree, she says the best thing coming out of law school was her friendship with her study partner and now work partner, Ella Floresca (’04). “We are quite a team.”

Travis came to law school looking for a challenge and ultimately, satisfying work. While at SJCL he interned at the Fresno Public Defender’s Office. When he graduated, they offered him the first position they had available. Travis has worked in misdemeanors, general felonies, and domestic violence cases. He currently works with a grant assignment trying to remove barriers to employment for individuals who have been on welfare. This includes helping people to expunge offenses and discussing topics that focus on life skills to avoid violations of the law in the future. Travis remembers law school as STRESS, but he made multiple friendships that he hopes will last for the rest of his life.

Upon returning home after graduating from USC, Vanessa went to work as a secretary/paralegal with Robyn Esraelian. Vanessa found she was interested in the estate planning and probate work Robyn was doing. During law school Vanessa clerked with Kimble, MacMichael & Upton and became an Associate there upon entering the Bar in 2005. When the firm closed, five of its attorneys opened a new firm – Moss, Tucker, Chiu, Hebesha & Ward – which Vanessa joined. When that firm closed in March of 2018, Vanessa joined Richardson, Jones & Esraelian. Her work has consistently been in estate planning and probate. “I entered law school dreading school, but found I enjoyed engaging with the professors. In particular, I loved Professor Purvis’ Constitutional Law class even though we had widely differing opinions. Law school had a long-term impact on my life: it refined my analytical mind.”

Tim was between careers when his wife said, “There’s a good law school in town.” He signed up for the LSAT the next day. During law school, he clerked for the Fresno District Attorney’s Office and the Tulare Public Defender’s Office. He says he bugged the Public Defender until they hired him as a Deputy Public Defender. Tim worked there for 8 years, then pursued his own practice in criminal defense for three years. He handled cases in 16 counties and federal court. Then, Tim returned to the Tulare P.D. He has worked for that office for a total of 22 years, currently supervising the Juvenile Team and handling death penalty cases. Tim remembers great professors at SJCL and being the last class to graduate from the Shields building.

Alex worked as a computer programmer through most of law school. From January to May of 2016, he clerked at McCormick Barstow and again after the bar exam. In November of 2016, he became an Associate in the firm’s litigation group. His practice consists of medical malpractice defense, employment, commercial, and a few family law cases with an emphasis on litigation. He said he has enjoyed every minute of it. Alex’s fondest memory of law school was competing in the Hopper Moot Court competition. Alex and his partner, Chris LeFever, won Best Brief and both were Best Oral Advocate finalists.

Traci first worked in the D.A.’s Office through an internship during law school. While awaiting bar results she was an Executive Fellow in the California Department of Food and Agriculture under Secretary Ann Veneman. Upon passing the bar, she returned to the D.A.’s Office as a Deputy, then as the Chief Deputy D.A. of the Juvenile Unit. In 2018, she became the Assistant District Attorney, overseeing the Chiefs of the Misdemeanor, Financial Fraud, and Juvenile Units. This is a management level position entailing personnel issues and procedures and policy creation. Traci remains directly active in court as she staffs the juvenile human trafficking court. Traci was SBA President at SJCL and remembers picking out the furniture for the new Student Lounge in the Clovis building. She attributes the personal connections with students and faculty with helping her to pass the bar on the first try. 

Kevin knew he had the ability to stand up for himself and others, so felt he was headed for a legal career assisting people who did not understand the legal system. In law school he clerked with James Makasian and Roger Nuttall. In 2008, he joined Stammer, McKnight, Barnum & Bailey, focusing on insurance defense cases and being the only attorney in the firm handling criminal defense matters, but the death of his uncle at the hands of a drunk driver motivated him to make a change. In February of 2014, he joined Baradat & Paboojian, Inc. where he handles exclusively plaintiff personal injury cases. He became a partner with the firm in June of 2018. “I love the challenge of being involved in litigation. I think back fondly on the practical courses I took in law school – Criminal Trial Practice with Judge Cullers and Moot Court, Evidence, and Criminal Law with Judges Boone and Conklin. I also enjoyed being called on by Professor Purvis and attempting to answer his questions.”

In college, Michelle was helping her boyfriend study for the logic games portion of the LSAT. He convinced her to take a practice test and, when she outscored him, he encouraged her to consider law school. After she moved back to the Central Valley, she began working as a legal secretary for a family friend who was opening her own practice where her interest in law was further piqued. Eventually the practice began sharing space with Melanie Aldridge and Michelle worked for both attorneys. Ultimately, she was the legal secretary/paralegal/law clerk for Melanie and became an associate upon passing the bar. Michelle’s practice is transactional work in estate planning, business, real estate and water law and serves clients primarily involved in agribusiness as well as a few public agencies. “I grew up in agriculture and my husband farms, so this has always felt like a good fit. Law school was challenging but taught me entirely new levels of discipline and hard work. It really caused to me grow as an individual.”

Chris joined Miles, Sears & Eanni as an Associate immediately upon graduating from SJCL and became a partner two years ago. His practice is entirely plaintiff personal injury and wrongful death, involving primarily motor vehicle accidents and premises liability, along with uninsured/underinsured motorist arbitrations and occasional medical malpractice. His interest in the law stemmed from the stories he heard growing up from his father about his personal injury cases and the injured clients he helped, which made it seem like gratifying work. In every year since 2012, he has been selected for inclusion in the Northern California Rising Stars list. “Law school was pretty enjoyable but the bar was horrible.”

Since every business and profession is governed by law, Feras went to law school to get a versatile degree that would give him legal knowledge applicable to any career. He was in healthcare when he started law school. When he graduated he realized that healthcare was where his heart was, so he stayed in a management capacity at Kaiser Permanente, soon being promoted to Director of Operations. A decade later he became Chief Operations Officer for Livingston Community Health, a health clinic system based in Merced, providing primary care services including Adult, Pediatric, OB/GYN, Behavioral Health, and Dental Services. During his tenure the system has grown from six sites to soon to be nine. “As COO, I’m privileged to oversee all aspects of our operations. My law degree has played a critical role in my professional advancement. My critical thinking skills, learning agility, and legal knowledge have made me valuable in leadership. I forged close friendships in law school and learned just how much grit I had in me.”

Donn had been working on local Kings and San Joaquin River water and land conservation issues for several years when he decided to attend SJCL in 1990. Upon graduation he was a solo practitioner in Fresno. In September of 1996, the San Francisco City Attorney’s Office hired Donn as a deputy to represent the City’s public utilities department, which provides drinking water to 2.7 million residents in the Bay Area. Theoretically, he retired in May of 2014, but has since continued to work part time on water issues for San Francisco when he isn’t hiking or fishing. He also serves on the board of the Sierra Foothill Conservancy, an organization preserving open space and wildlife habitat in Fresno, Madera and Mariposa Counties. “I was 40 when I started attending SJCL, and it was immensely valuable to learn from the school’s fine professors and active practitioners like Professors Wanger, Perring, Pearson and Cameron.”

Michelle Sassano had two young children at home, a three-year-old and a 3-month-old, when she enrolled in law school. She says the help of her study partners and professors helped her make it through. As an Associate Attorney at Weakley Arendt, Michelle represents entities like school districts in areas like negligent supervision, discrimination and harassment, in addition to the areas of business, contracts and real estate disputes. “I loved law school, I loved the learning.”

Ron first worked with Sheri Mount (’91) until opening his own practice in 2011, doing exclusively family law cases. In June of 2017, Ron became the Chief Child Support Attorney for the Department of Child Support Services of Fresno County and is very supportive of the Department’s mission. Ron manages 9 attorneys who handle all aspects of child support cases, from filing of the Summons and Complaint to enforcement of Judgments. The Department typically is handling 60,000 cases. In 2018, they collected $90 million in support for children. 

Dennis was already working for the Fresno Public Defender doing trials while in law school. Admitted in 1977, he formally became a Deputy Public Defender. In 1980, he moved to Tulare to join what is now Mederos, Soares, Ormonde & Rascon. His broad general practice initially included a lot of criminal trial defense, but has transitioned to transactional work and estate planning. Dennis has always been actively involved in the Tulare community including being Legal Counsel for the Tulare Chamber of Commerce and serving as President of the Tulare County Bar. Then he took the big step and ran for Tulare City Council, won in November 2018, and was immediately chosen by the Council as Vice Mayor.

Gayle has long conducted her own criminal law practice, but at least as much of her time is spent serving on the Board of Directors of P.E.O. – Philanthropic Educational Organization. This 150-year old organization of women is dedicated to helping women reach for the stars by funding loans, grants & scholarships for women at all levels advancing their education. They have given more than $325 million in scholarships, for which Gayle is very proud.

Upon graduation, Larry worked with Joe Cooper (’87) for a year doing civil litigation defense cases, before entering the Workers’ Compensation defense field. He has been with Laughlin, Falbo, Levy & Moresi for 20 years, 12 of them as the Managing Attorney of the Fresno Office. In that capacity he has hired a number of fellow SJCL graduates over the years. Larry remembers driving to the bar exam in Sacramento with Mark Asami and Dan Kopfman. On the way they were arguing about a point of Business Law and had dragged out their study guides to resolve the dispute. The exact Business Law issues they had been discussing was one of the essay questions on the bar exam. Larry was able to cite the case in his answer.

Upon graduating from SJCL Linda began her legal career as a research attorney at the Fifth District Court of Appeal. After working for five different appellate justices she was promoted in 2011 to her current position of Managing Attorney. Her responsibilities include overseeing a staff of attorneys, performing specialized legal work, and serving on the Executive Management Team. Linda enjoyed combining law school and motherhood, as her first child was born between her second and third years at SJCL.

Dan’s undergraduate degree was in Criminal Justice as he planned to enter law enforcement, but the job market at that time was not good. “If I can’t catch criminals, at least I can prosecute them.” Law school became the next option. During law school, he clerked with Lenden Webb. Upon admission to the bar, Dan did special appearances all over California for a while to gain some court experience quickly. That led to him joining White Canepa in July of 2018. Dan’s practice is exclusively medical malpractice defense. “It’s fascinating because every case is different and can turn on very small facts.” Dan remembers his close friends in law school. “We were engaged with everyone. We all tried to help each other.”

During Law School Scott worked exclusively in the Criminal Defense field with an emphasis on Driving Under the Influence. Upon graduation, Scott worked under a Pro-Tem judge for a few years and then opened his own practice specializing in Driving Under the Influence cases. Upon reaching his 1,000th client, Scott plans to donate the entire retainer fee to a non-profit of his choosing that helps Fresno County fight against their ongoing substance abuse problems. Scott’s favorite quote from Zig Ziglar is, “You can have anything in life that you want if you are willing to help enough other people get what they want.”

Jesse took an Advanced Criminal Law class at CSUF from Judge Victor Papadakis. After seeing Jesse’s enthusiasm for the subject, the Judge recommended Jesse go to law school. Jesse worked at UPS throughout law school, then while awaiting bar results, for a local family law firm. In March of 2011, Jesse joined the Law Office of Darryl B. Freedman. Jesse’s work is exclusively personal injury, including, for example, premises liability, automobile accidents, malfunctioning equipment, and a very odd case where a man was accidentally shot in the leg while he was asleep.

Allen’s career has always been in real estate. Upon graduation, he initially worked for McCormick Barstow, and later, as a Director of Land Acquisition for Centex Homes. In 2009, he joined Union Community Partners, which became Benchmark Communities, and in 2013, the company went public under the name UCP, Inc. At the time of going public, Allen was General Counsel. In 2017, UCP merged with Century Communities. Allen is now General Counsel for Century Communities, a top 10 public homebuilder in the United States with communities in 15 states across the West, Mountain, Texas, and Southeast regions of the United States. Allen enjoyed the comradery of his classmates and the willingness of so many great practitioners to give of their time to teaching at SJCL.

Rod thought he wanted to be a CPA but had issues with credits and debits. During law school, he clerked for Wagner & Jones in civil litigation. Upon passing the bar, he continued to work there for a few years, followed by short periods with Craig Davis, Hanna, Brophy, and Bradford & Barthel. From 2003-2012, he operated his own practice. For the last six years, Rod has been a partner at Yrulegui & Roberts doing Workers’ Compensation defense and subrogation cases. Rod describes the workers’ compensation practice as “narrow, but deep”. Rod remembers the great professors at SJCL that gave him a solid preparation for the rest of his life (Caeton and Purvis, in particular) and the wonderful friends he made in law school.

Ann worked in law enforcement for 20 years and always wanted to go to law school. Finally in 2004, she was able and ready to do it. She clerked throughout with Bennett & Sharpe and became first, an Associate, and later, a partner there. Ann represents employees in labor law matters including wrongful termination, discrimination, and disciplinary cases. She handles contract negotiations for union bargaining units, EEOC and DFEH complaints, and disability retirement cases for public employees. “I really enjoyed law school. It was a big advantage going back to school as an adult because my life experience meant I had a better understanding of the importance of the principles I was studying.”

Maria worked as a Legal Assistant with Perez, Williams, Medina & Rodriguez for seven years before entering law school. She felt she could do more to help people with a law degree and get to finish her cases. She clerked at the firm during law school and became an Associate upon passing the bar. Her work is primarily plaintiff’s personal injury cases, often automobile accidents with significant injuries or deaths. She does a significant amount of pro bono work. “I met so many interesting people in law school. They grow up so much. I saw them as stressed students in law school and now I see them suited up in court and arguing so well.”

In 2003, Gary was furloughed from his pilot position at United Airlines. Gary was an associate with McCormick, Barstow and then Powell & Pool. In April of 2009, he opened his own practice which evolved into Lawvex, an innovative trust and estates law firm with six partners. Lawvex provides a flexible and balanced work environment where partners are able to work remotely and be accountable for excellent client service instead of billable hours. “Lawvex is about addressing the frustrations and unmet needs in our industry both for clients and our partner attorneys with a fresh approach to both.”

As a teenager, Phil met a labor lawyer on a picket line in Farmersville. The way the man spoke and carried himself left a lasting impression and left him dreaming of becoming an attorney. After military discharge, Phil attended CSUF, graduating summa cum laude in Literature, and then attended SJCL. After passing the bar, he worked for an attorney in Visalia and encountered District Attorney Will Richmond at a bank opening, pressing him for a job. The following Monday he was interviewed and hired as an entry level Deputy District Attorney. Over the next 12 years he worked in the District Attorney’s Office, including seven years trying homicide cases before being selected as Assistant District Attorney by District Attorney, Gerald Sevier. After Mr. Sevier was elected judge, Phil became District Attorney, serving for 20 years. Since retiring in 2012 he remains active in the law, teaching Constitutional Law at the College of Sequoias and serving as a consultant for companies working with the legislative process. He also writes a blog on Constitutional Law (philcline.com). “I was one of the lucky ones. I had John Loomis for Contracts, Dan Eymann for Torts and Justice Hollis Best for Evidence. They engendered in me a love of the law and how it works.”

Nick’s father is a lawyer and had a tremendous influence on his decision to go to Law School. Nick clerked for Georgeson and Bellardinelli and Myers & Overstreet during law school. Nick joined Myers & Overstreet as an Associate upon passing the bar. In 2002, Nick opened Zinkin & Bruce with classmate Danny Bruce (’01). Since 2008, Nick has operated as in-house counsel for family owned businesses focusing on real estate and business transactions, along with entertainment law for his brother’s Sports Agency/ Entertainment Company. “I remember studying my butt off in law school. I really did enjoy it, but it required a lot of sacrifices and hard work. And I love what I do now.” Nick serves as a member of the Board of Trustees of San Joaquin College of Law.

Dennis worked as a paralegal for the Law Offices of Dan Yohman while in law school and became an Associate upon graduation. That firm evolved into Parker, Kern, Nard & Wenzel in 1991. At least 90% of the firm’s work is workers’ compensation defense, a specialized field that requires knowledge of a panoply of laws. The firm employs 20 lawyers, 12 of whom are SJCL grads. Dennis shares a fond memory of many SJCL grads – Judge Wanger lecturing on Civil Procedure from the pulpit of the church across the street from SJCL’s Shields building when the school had outgrown its space.

Jane entered law school because she was always disturbed about the unfairness in the world and wanted to help. Upon graduation from SJCL, she did not immediately take the bar exam, becoming instead the Director of the Fresno Needle Exchange program. When she finally took the bar in February of 2000, she passed on the first attempt and went to work with Fresno County Legal Services. When she discovered she wanted to be in court more, she joined the Fresno Public Defenders Office. She retired from that position in March of 2019 after 17 years, and now operates her own criminal defense practice, taking only the cases she really wants to defend, some of them pro bono. Jane says she made dear friends in law school, ones she with whom she is still in contact today.

In addition to practicing family law, Christina has also served as Chair of the Fresno County Bar Association Family Law Section, which provides family law practitioners updates and proposed changes in family law and practice. “The professional preparation I received at SJCL was phenomenal. The professors are available beyond the classroom, which was instrumental in my education, and ultimately in passing the Bar Exam. For this, I will always be grateful.”

Since he was a small child, people told Mark he should be a lawyer. During law school, he clerked for David Milligan working on personal injury cases, but didn’t particularly like that field. Upon admission to the bar, he immediately opened his own practice. In fact, he was sworn in as quickly as possible as a potential client was waiting for Mark to represent him. Mark’s practice is exclusively criminal law. He accepted some family law cases early on, but quickly learned that criminal defendants are much nicer than people going through divorce. As to law school, “I would have paid extra for Dean Pearson’s Torts class. Whenever I was asked to brief a case, I would act out the action of the case in the aisle. Plus, you really got to know all the professors at SJCL. They really care.”

Mario’s stepfather was an attorney. The work looked interesting and Mario thought he had the aptitude for it. While in law school, he clerked with the Tulare County Public Defender’s Office as well as a worker’s compensation defense firm. Upon graduation, he and a classmate, Jason Kerlan, opened a partnership, with Mario focusing on bankruptcy law. He remembers he was so eager to get started, he asked Judge Caeton to swear him in in the underground parking lot of the state courthouse. In 2002, Mario opened his own office, continuing to work on Chapter 7 and 13 bankruptcy cases. “Law school was more difficult than I expected, but I enjoyed the faculty and classes and made lifelong friends.”

Greg began his career practicing insurance defense with Parichan, Renberg, Crossland & Harvey. In 2000 he joined Walter & Wilhelm doing bankruptcy work, specially focusing on the intersection of insolvency and intellectual property issues. In 2007 he joined the U.S. Trustee’s Office as a Trial Attorney. He was promoted to Assistant U.S. Trustee in 2014. He oversees the administration of all bankruptcy cases and general office operations. As to law school, he greatly enjoyed his study groups that helped him make it through exams!

Tracy worked for about 9 years with Lang, Richert & Patch, ultimately as a partner. Six years as the Compliance Officer for Valley Children’s Hospital followed. She left Valley Children’s for a short period of time, working at Walter & Wilhelm Law Group for about 2 ½ years, focusing on health care and employment law. In July of 2015, she returned to Valley Children’s as the Deputy General Counsel and handles the hospital’s litigation, as well as employment, contract, and risk management issues. Tracy remembers her great study groups and the small class sizes at SJCL, but she still has nightmares of it being exam time for a class she didn’t remember taking. (Sound familiar?)

Lazaro went to law school to help one person at a time rather than trying to take on the world. He clerked for Robert Perez during law school then became an associate at Perez, Williams and Medina upon graduation. In 2007 he opened his own office to emphasize immigration. His office handles 700-750 varied immigration cases a year, as well as 10-20 personal injury cases. “When I help people, it makes a profound change in their lives. Deportation cases, in particular, are difficult but gratifying. You can’t put a price on the emotional payoff for the client and yourself.”

A.J. completed the Police Academy in 2009 just as the recession hit. He applied for law enforcement jobs throughout the state, without success. He had planned to go to law school when his law enforcement career ended, but then law school became the plan. While awaiting bar results, he worked at Yrulegui & Roberts, becoming an Associate when he got his ticket. A.J. has worked with Yrulegui & Roberts for 5 ½ years, becoming a Partner in December of 2018. His work is exclusively Workers Compensation defense. A.J. feels he was fortunate to join this firm, as it has experienced significant growth. A.J. is married to Faith Driscoll (13’). “My job allows for work/life balance and a sense of satisfaction, a life with two full-time working attorneys with small children gets very interesting.”

D’Artagnan attained an M.B.A. and enjoyed an impressive career in international business and retail before enrolling in law school. A few of his notable positions include Senior International Buyer/International Logistics Supervisor for Duncan Enterprises, and Procurement Projects Manager for Schneider Electric in Fresno. During law school he worked as a legal marketing writer for Emerson Church Law, and later as a law clerk at Michael Sullivan before becoming an associate. He now represents self-insured employers, third-party administrators and corporations in all aspects of Workers’ Compensation law.

During her second year of law school, Leanne began working for CCPOA as a Hearing Representative. After passing the bar, she was promoted to Staff Counsel and specializes in union labor defense. In her work at CCPOA, she successfully has defended Correctional Peace Officers in administrative merit-related appeals, grievance arbitrations, and civil actions for the last 12 years. Leanne is also known for her extensive experience negotiating collective bargaining agreements with the State. “I became a lawyer to help. CCPOA represents a group of State employees about which the public knows little, including the challenges of their work environments. It is an honor to help improve their working conditions.” Leanne fondly remembers Moot Court with Peter Wall (’08) and Jennifer Byers-Lawton (’09), Professor Purvis’ challenging Constitutional Law class, and working with Ben Greer (’08) in SJCL’s law library.

Corina has wanted to be a lawyer since she watched Matlock at the age of 6. She became affiliated with Sawl Law Group (then under a different name) while in high school. She briefly left Fresno to get her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science at UC Davis. After graduation, she returned to Sawl Law Group as a legal assistant. She was motivated after starting her family and began her legal education at SJCL. Within minutes of learning she had been admitted to the bar, Sawl Law Group made her an offer to become an Associate with the firm. Initially, her practice was plaintiff personal injury, but it now includes criminal defense. “I love my job! The firm accommodates me and my family. I also enjoyed every moment of law school and being a student. I miss the people and the old building smell.”

Having litigated cases as an insurance defense attorney, in 2000, Warren began exclusively representing plaintiffs in personal injury actions, including wrongful death, catastrophic injury, medical malpractice, and wrongful termination. He has litigated over 55 jury trials to verdict throughout California, including nine verdicts in excess of $1 million. He has been named one of the Top 100 Super Lawyers in Northern California every year since 2009. In 2008 he was awarded the Consumer Attorneys of California Trial Lawyer of the Year. In 2017 he received the America Board of Trial Lawyers of California Trial Lawyer of the Year. Warren is one of only a handful of lawyers in California ever to have received both awards. Warren has always said that SJCL gave him the opportunity to fulfill his dreams.

Michelle works as a neighborhood problem solver, assigned to one of 21 divisions in the City of Los Angeles. Her job is to work to resolve any issue that deteriorates the living conditions in the neighborhoods to which she is assigned, including illegal dumping, abandoned buildings, homelessness issues, or illegal sales of alcohol to minors. The work is designed to build relationships in the community. (Jan’s note. What a great job to have!) Michelle said “I loved law school. It was one of the happiest times of my life.” Her study group members have become life-long friends, including Linda Richardson, Nancy Stegall, and Gitta Merrill (deceased). They studied for the bar for a week on Nancy’s boat in the Oakland Harbor.

Kelsey began working in the legal field during high school, starting out with bankruptcy trustee Beth Stratton. Beginning in college, and for the next 10 years, she worked in the bankruptcy practice of her father, Tom Armstrong. Kelsey subsequently did clerkships with Granville Homes, Magistrate Judge Erica Grosjean, and Hammerschmidt Broughton. In January 2018, Kelsey began clerking with Coleman & Horowitt where she now is an Associate. Kelsey represents clients in creditor’s rights, bankruptcy trustee representation, as well as commercial, real estate and banking litigation. “Law school was more reading than I ever imagined possible, but I grew as a person and made great lifelong friendships. I love bankruptcy because it crosses over to so many areas of the law. It is very complex. I truly enjoy solving complex problems for clients.”

Even as a small child, Jim wanted to be an attorney. He worked as a paralegal in both plaintiff and defendant personal injury litigation firms for 20 years. In October of 2014, he joined the Law Office of Darryl B. Freedman as an Associate where he does exclusively plaintiff personal injury cases. These include automobile accidents, premises liability, sidewalk defect, and an eclectic mix of other cases, even intentional torts. On the walls of his office are pictures of the people he has helped so that he remembers to help one person at a time. Law school was a matter of survival – working, studying, raising four children, and enduring two surgeries. “The opportunity now to work with Steve Cornwell and Rene Sample is extraordinary.”

As a Westside farmer, Gabriel had seen the impact of water law issues. He hoped to use a legal education to help farmers on those issues. In law school, he completed an externship with Magistrate Sheila K. Oberto at the United States District Court for the Eastern District of California. In January of 2014, immediately after passing the bar exam, Gabriel joined the Linneman Law firm. He does transactional work for private clients and public agencies and serves as general counsel for multiple water agencies. Linneman Law has offices in Dos Palos, Los Banos, and Merced. He finds the work challenging, but gratifying as he continues to work with people he knows from farming. Of law school, he remembers the relationships he formed with both classmates and professors, some of which continue today.

In the 6th grade, Keith’s class was required to research 3 possible careers and choose one. He chose law. He commuted from Hanford and ran his own business during law school. Keith worked for five years with the Tulare County District Attorney’s Office, then twelve years with the Kings County District Attorney’s Office. His prosecutorial focus was homicides, gang crimes, and narcotics violations. In Tulare County he was the sole prosecutor handling gang crimes. In January of 2015, he was elected the Kings County District Attorney, and is now in his second term. Over the years, he has handled 90 – 100 trials. His work now is largely administrative with occasional major trials. The office handles more than 10,000 cases a year. The workload is immense, but Keith loves what he does.

Deborah began her law career as a paralegal at Parichan, Renberg, Crossman & Harvey. Harold Parichan encouraged her to attend law school. She continued there as a law clerk during law school, an Associate in 1991, and then a partner. In 1999, Deborah joined Baker Manock & Jensen, PC. She litigates in the areas of product liability, construction, agriculture law, business, and personal injury. Her goal is “to put the 'civil' back in civil litigation.” Deborah has enjoyed serving on the Board of Trustees of SJCL for many years and is the current Fresno County Bar Association President. She enjoys golfing with friends and her husband, Greg; cooking; and spending time with her family.

Prior to attending law school, Tiffany worked as a paralegal for 10 years. She decided she wanted to be able to do the entire job and wanted to be a role model for her children. After going through law school as a single mother, Tiffany was committed to passing the bar on the first attempt. She studied 12 hours a day for three months and completed more than 6000 MBE questions to reach that goal. As to law school, Tiffany found it challenging but she felt supported by her fellow students, the faculty, and staff. Upon passing the bar in November of 2018, she worked first for Peel & Garcia, then moved to Quall Cardot. Her practice is exclusively in creditors’ rights. Her goal is to eventually work in dependency law or juvenile justice.

Ty went to law school because he was intrigued by the way lawyers could impact society to make individuals’ lives better. He initially went solo doing “a little of everything, including contract work.” Within six months, he did his first jury trial and has now handled 60-70 trials including 40 jury trials. In 2008, Ty purchased the Yarra Law Group. With a team of 7 lawyers and 47 staff, the group handles an extensive array of cases including criminal, family, immigration, bankruptcy, and civil litigation. Ty serves on the Fresno County Bar Association’s fee arbitration panel. Ty is grateful that law school and his practice have opened doors that enable him to do charitable work in the community, including gifts to SJCL.

Upon graduation, Karen worked with Baker, Manock & Jensen doing exclusively medical malpractice defense. In January of 2016, she joined White Canepa LLP as a partner, continuing to defend hospitals and doctors. “My SJCL education prepared me well for the bar exam. I appreciated the small classes and the fact that many classes were taught by local attorneys who were in active practice in the subjects they taught, but very approachable.”

Michelle holds both a Juris Doctor degree from SJCL and Master of Industrial and Labor Relations from Cornell University, the latter of which she attained when she discovered a passion for Human Resources. Two days after she took the California bar exam in July 1998 (which she passed), she drove cross country to New York to attend Cornell. For 20 years Michelle has held numerous administrative and management positions within the Chevron Corporation. In the first three years there, she was the Executive Resources and Leadership Development Consultant, HR Business Partner, and Expatriate Administration and Development Specialist. She developed and implemented the design and administration of the Chevron Contribution Plan. She has served as HR Advisor in Luanda, Angola and General Manager of Human Resources in the Asia South Business Unit in Bangkok, Thailand. Michelle now serves as Vice President of Human Resources, Downstream and Chemicals, of Chevron. She is also Director of the Chevron Federal Credit Union.

Delilah was inspired by her aunt, Irma Edmonds, an attorney in Fresno, to attend law school. Upon passing the bar, Delilah worked in the Tulare County District Attorney’s Office for four years, then the Department of Child Support for two. While there, Delilah was surprised to learn she was carrying twin girls. A third daughter joined the team 2 ½ years later. Delilah and her husband decided she would invest in her family, place her career on hold, and home-school the girls. This decision led Delilah to become heavily involved in a national home-schooling organization called Classical Conversations, serving as the San Joaquin Valley Area Representative for five years. Currently, Delilah teaches Criminology and Constitutional Law at Reedley Community College and Business Law at College of the Sequoias. Delilah says the small size and culture of SJCL made her feel connected and grew to lifelong friendships.

While working at a law firm as a paralegal representing Workers’ Compensation Applicants, Victoria discovered that she excelled in the process of analyzing the law. During law school, she clerked with civil litigation and immigration law firms. Upon passing the bar, Victoria joined Stockwell, Harris handling Workers’ Compensation defense cases. Seventy percent of her work is agriculturally related. Her objective is to reduce the burden to both Applicant and Defendant and to help return Applicants to recovery and to resume being a productive employee/citizen. “Law school was A LOT of reading. I enjoyed working with classmates to create analytical frameworks and how they relate to different fact patterns.”

Prior to law school, Beth was the Senior Law Enforcement Officer in Yosemite National Park representing Yosemite in Federal Magistrate Court. (Beth felt she would be more comfortable in that role with a law degree.) At the end of her third year at SJCL, she left the NPS and clerked for Walter & Wilhelm. Beth remained there as an attorney for a couple of years after graduation. She worked with Weiss & Salinas for two years in medical malpractice defense litigation. Then for 3 ½ years she worked with Borton Petrini in insurance defense cases and became a partner. In August of 2017, she moved to the Mariposa County District Attorney’s Office. Beth enjoys the balance that is possible in criminal prosecution and working with county partners to fix the problems that led to an incident.

Carla was a high school teacher looking for a more challenging career when she entered law school. She clerked for Wilson, Altschule & Wittig, on a thrilling death penalty case, but stayed upon graduation to do family law. Four years later, when the Tulare County Family Law Facilitator’s office was formed, she was drawn to it because it incorporated teaching and law practice. Carla ran that very successful program for 20 years. After “retiring” from the Court, Carla worked with C.D. Harbottle’s (‘90) office in Visalia. In July of 2019, she joined Kahn, Soares & Conway continuing her family law involvement. Carla remembers their study group (Rissa Stuart (’93), Linda Bacon (’93), Mary Jarvis(’94)) and watching Mary waive the three of them off to take the bar exam. Carla was a member of the SJCL Tax Law Moot Court Competition team that won 1st Place Brief and Carla won 1st Place Oralist at the competition in Florida in 1993. Carla raised six children, but now that they are grown, she had to fill the empty nest somehow. Now she has six-plus goat-children that make her laugh every day.

David always wanted to be a lawyer but conducted his own civil engineering business until graduating from SJCL in 1992.  He initially was a sole practitioner until he joined then Dowling, Aaron & Keeler in April of 1999, where he became a shareholder and ultimately served as President of the firm for three years.  Since September of 2014, David has been an equity partner at Coleman & Horowitt, sitting on the Management Committee.  As Head of Litigation, he handles and supervises major business litigation.  David has served on the Board of Trustees of San Joaquin College of Law since June of 1999 and was one of the founding students of the San Joaquin Agricultural Law Review.

“I went to law school out of a combination of idealism and a willingness to argue with anyone about anything.” Upon graduation Gary worked with the Small Business Administration, Gates & Lusk, and in partnership with Dan Harralson, before being recruited to join the U.S. Trustee’s Office in Fresno in 1988. A similar position took him to Riverside in 1994 and finally to Spokane, Washington in 2002. In 2007 he became the Acting Assistant U.S. Trustee in Spokane and the Assistant U.S. Trustee in 2010. For the last five years, he has been managing additional offices in Eugene, Oregon and Great Falls, Montana, experiencing interesting issues of different state laws and judges. He has now served a total of 30+ years in the U.S. Trustees system. “Judge Caeton called on me in Criminal Law nine weeks in a row. He was demanding but always had time for his students. We all remember Michael Case’s Contracts class and the immortal phrase ‘It depends!’ Harralson, Benko, Guzman, Wagner, Wasemiller, and I congenially argued about everything in our study group.”

While in law school, William worked full-time as a law clerk with Lang Richert & Patch, doing consumer collection work. From 2007–2012, he did commercial collections for Coleman & Horowitt. At the same time, he was attending California State University Fresno obtaining a Master’s Degree in Business Administration. In 2012 he joined Pascuzzi, Pascuzzi & Stoker where he handles real estate and business-related cases. William has been teaching since 2013 in the Department of Finance & Business at CSUF where he also participates in the Laval Mentorship Program. William balances his life by serving on a myriad of non-profit boards – Central California Legal Services (currently President), Fresno County Bar Association, Fresno Area Hispanic Foundation, La Raza Lawyers, and Family Leadership. “My non-profit work gives me the satisfaction of helping people who can’t afford lawyers. My teaching lets me directly impact the futures of Fresno youth.”

Marriage and children caused Leah to postpone her interest in attending law school. Her father was a lawyer, so she was attracted by the versatility of the degree. During law school she was a summer associate with Baker, Manock & Jensen working in medical malpractice defense, but ultimately joined her father’s firm. She is a Certified Workers’ Compensation Specialist, on the plaintiff side. She also handles Social Security Disability cases. Early in her career she served three years on the California Applicants Attorneys Board of Directors. Apart from practicing law, Leah now runs the Law Firm of Cole, Fisher, Cole and O’Keefe, along with her partner and fellow alumni Joseph O’Keefe (Law ’96). They employ 15 people including her daughter, Rachel Mahoney (Law ’11), who will soon be a partner as well. Leah enjoyed law school, the teachers, and the classmates who all pulled together to succeed. “SJCL definitely prepared me for passing the bar and left me well connected in the Legal and Judicial community. Thanks for everything!”

Elizabeth went to law school so she could help make a positive impact on the agricultural industry. While at SJCL, she clerked for three years as a certified law clerk at Hammerschmidt Broughton Law, where she gained valuable courtroom experience. Upon passing the bar, she joined Emerson Church Law. The firm’s primary wheelhouse is insurance defense. Elizabeth handles cases ranging from simple auto collisions to large multi-million-dollar personal injury and property damage cases. A large portion of her practice consists of agriculturally-based litigation, including crop loss, tractor and equipment-related accidents, big-rig accidents, and animal injury cases. She is the sole handling attorney on all construction defect and habitability cases in her office. Elizabeth has served on the Fresno County Women Lawyers Board of Directors, including as Vice-President. She is grateful to Rayma Church, a 2018 SJCL Hall of Fame inductee, for giving her the opportunity to grow rapidly as a lawyer. As to law school, she fondly remembers the hard work it took to get her law review comment published in the San Joaquin Agricultural Law Review.

Tony met Bob Perez while taking undergraduate classes from Bob at CSUF. It inspired Tony to head towards law school instead of law enforcement. He began working at Perez, Williams & Medina in 2006, was an Associate for three years after passing the bar and became a partner in 2010. He works in civil litigation, primarily motor vehicle and products liability cases involving catastrophic injury and death actions – “Rewarding to help my clients in times of such great loss and need”. Tony remembers the close relationships with other students and feeling fully supported by the professors. “As a single parent with children working 45 hours a week, I am not sure I would have done as well at any other institution.”

Shawn worked for the Internal Revenue Service handling Labor Relations throughout law school. After passing the bar, he worked briefly with Yarra, Kharazi, and Associates, but the call of public service drew him back to the IRS within a year. He was quickly promoted upon his return to a senior position in Labor Relations and within two years was promoted to Section Chief of Labor Relations. For three years now, Shawn has been working on the National Labor Relations Strategy & Negotiation team for the IRS. Shawn feels his law degree was instrumental in his rapid advancement. He has used the skills learned in law school every single day and enjoys what he’s doing. Employment and Labor Law electives during summer school helped him realize that he would enjoy the field. “Thanks to my study groups and professors, especially professors Purvis, Conklin, & Boone, and all the fellow students in the SBA that helped me not only survive but also thrive during law school. I’m grateful for the relationships that I developed through SJCL.”

Marlene was struck with the law school lightning bolt on the first day of a Business Law class at CSUF. She worked as an IRS auditor throughout law school, which explains why she blew the top off the scores in Ron Henderson’s Taxation class. Marlene was a member of the 1991 founding Editorial Board of the San Joaquin Agricultural Law Review, while delivering a son that spring semester. Having won awards for SJCL in national moot court competitions with Patricia Williams (’93), Marlene later taught Moot Court at SJCL from 1993-1997. After graduation she worked in insurance defense, first as an associate and then as a partner, with Sarah Schmidt (’88), then with two different insurance defense firms before opening her own firm. Marlene does special appearances and contract work for over 400 attorneys, in courts in 6 counties, along with her own cases. Her specialty is defending commercial truck drivers in criminal prosecution of violations of their special traffic and federal regulations. Marlene leads a special ministry at NorthPointe Community Church – the Elder Care Ministry. They help elderly residents, family and caregivers, provide education and support in elder issues, and create a sense of community in assisted living facilities. Marlene thanks a dedicated faculty for a superior education and the start of her rewarding legal career.

While working for the California State Legislature, Allie realized she had become more interested in how laws are implemented than how they are passed. She worked with Sara Hedgpeth-Harris (’86) in environmental law for four years as a law clerk and then as a lawyer. In November of 2013, she joined Sagaser, Watkins & Wieland PC, practicing in the areas of labor and employment defense, including employer education. A majority of the lawyers in the firm are SJCL graduates. Allie says she and Ian make a good team. She loves to write, so she does appeals and motions, while Ian prefers to be in court. Allie spends most of her time advising employers on employee workplace issues.

Jessica was attracted to law after competing on her high school’s Mock Trial team and later serving as an attorney coach for the team. She enjoys the challenges associated with the study and practice of law, as well as being able to help those who may not know their rights or how to exercise those rights effectively. She clerked for Hammerschmidt-Broughton during law school and while awaiting Bar results. While there, she worked on a variety of complex, high profile criminal defense cases in both the State and Federal forums. She joined Parker, Kern, Nard & Wenzel as an associate attorney upon being admitted to the Bar in 2015. She currently represents employers, insurance companies and TPA’s in the defense of a variety of WC Insurance, Employment and some cross-over in Civil Litigation matters. She says this about law school: “I enjoyed my time at San Joaquin College of Law. It was a small, supportive community of diverse, but like-minded/goal-oriented individuals. There was always someone available to help if needed. I appreciated that the professors had real-world experience as attorneys and judges. Learning about cases they have handled over the course of their careers better helped us understand the real-world applications of complex issues and legal theories.”

Rissa has worked continuously since graduation at KSC in Hanford, where she is a partner. Her practice has evolved to be primarily civil and complex litigation, including business, agriculture, employment, land use and wage and hour defense. She has advocated for clients before various appellate courts, the California Supreme Court and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Rissa says working at KSC has been a wonderful opportunity because the firm’s work is so diverse, enabling great learning and a fabulous career. No day is ever the same. The lawyers in the firm are highly collaborative, as well. As to law school, Rissa says “I have lifelong friendships with my law school study group – Carla Kahl and Mary Jarvis O’Leary.”

Surrounded by a family of lawyers, having loved government and history classes as an undergraduate, and finding corporate marketing boring, Jeffrey finally entered law school and fell in love with law on day 1. During law school, he clerked with the Days Law Firm, Judge McCabe of the Merced Superior Court, and his brother. In 2017, upon being sworn in, he joined the family practice of estate planning and business transactions. Slowly he branched into criminal law which he found much more interesting. He continued with civil litigation with the firm, along with taking on a criminal law contract with Ciummo and Associates. “I love the theory of the law. The professors at SJCL were fantastic. All the students encouraged each other to be the best that they could be.”

Todd began his career as Associate In-House Counsel for National American Life Insurance Co. in regulatory compliance in 1988. In late 1990, he moved to Hawaii becoming Chief Operations Officer of HMAA, a mutual insurer. In 1996, he returned to the mainland as CEO of NevadaCare and Summerland Life Insurance Companies in Las Vegas, NV. In 2007 Todd accepted a role with Longs Drug Stores to fully develop its Medicare Part D prescription drug plan. Upon acquisition of Longs by CVS Health in 2008, as president of its SilverScript subsidiary, Todd leads the largest such plan in the United States. “Law school was the toughest, most rewarding experience of my life and I apply it every day in the heavily-regulated environment of CVS Health.”

Joe did Mock Trial in Boy Scouts which was led by Magistrate Dennis Beck. He enjoyed the intellectual challenge and the feeling he could help people with law. “Also, I flunked Calculus, so I couldn’t be an engineer.” From his first year of law school, he worked full-time as a law clerk at Cole Fisher, appearing in Workers’ Compensation Court 3-4 days a week. Upon passing the July bar, he became an associate with the firm and a partner in 2005. Joe became a Certified Workers’ Compensation Specialist in 1998. The firm represents injured workers and works to dovetail benefits and Social Security rights to maximize injured plaintiffs’ resources. “I remember Jan teaching us in Torts how to think through exam writing. Our study group – Albert Ramirez, Mario DiSalvo, Dennis Gaab, John Rorabaugh and I took law school very seriously and met regularly.”

Denise had always thought about law school, so decided to give it a try. “I loved it.” Upon graduation, she worked as a Research Attorney at the Fifth District Court of Appeal with Judge Donald Franson from 1983 – 1985. Four years at the Fresno City Attorney’s Office followed. In fall of 1989, Denise was hired part-time at SJCL. In March of 1990 that became a full-time position and Denise discovered she had found the niche she loved. Denise has taught in the SJCL Paralegal Program and in the Law Program - Professional Responsibility, Advanced Professional Responsibility, Legal Analysis, Legal Research & Writing, Advanced Research & Writing, and Civil Procedure. “I was a part of the smallest SJCL graduating class – 1983 – so we had a special closeness.”

Peter wanted to be an attorney from the day in the 5th grade he saw Harold Parichan arguing in court. During law school, he clerked for Judge Crocker at the United States District Court. Very shortly after graduation, he opened his own firm, doing Chapter 7 and 13 bankruptcy petitions. From the outset Peter’s goal was to help people who had gotten themselves into difficult situations. He estimates he has handled more than 10,000 consumer bankruptcy cases, but he never intends to retire because “I love what I do.” Peter commuted from the family dairy in Dos Palos during law school. During the commutes home, he inevitably ruminated on the rules just introduced in class. Peter feels that was the foundation of the good memory for specific points of law he has always possessed.

Richard was the Director of Transportation and Marketing Services for the California Grape & Tree Fruit League when he observed a labor law attorney in a packing house and was intrigued. He graduated in 1992, passed the bar, and immediately opened his own office in an entirely different area of law. Richard practices estate planning and estate and trust administration, while his wife, Susan Hemb (’04), now handles the family and bankruptcy law that helped begin the practice. Four years ago, they moved the practice to Old Town Clovis where they are quite happy. “Law school was a long hard four years. But by opening my own practice, throughout my professional life, I have never had to look for a job.”

Doug was hired by Ed Hunt as a Deputy District Attorney and worked there for 28 ½ years under three different District Attorneys. He worked in every capacity, including Juvenile Court, sexual assault, major felonies, major narcotics vendor unit, MAGEC, and homicides. In January 2006, he became Chief Deputy District Attorney where he at times supervised multiple units including the felony trial team, domestic violence, rural crime, and prison prosecution units. He has been certified as a criminal law specialist since 1993. Theoretically, Doug retired in November of 2011, but still has been working for seven years half-time as a “retired annuitant”. He routinely teaches at the Police Academy teaching topics like handling drug arrests and giving courtroom testimony.

Todd entered law school because he didn’t like the accounting work his father did, his uncle was an attorney, and aptitude tests pointed him in the direction of law. During law school, he interned with the United States Attorney’s Office and loved the trial work. After graduation Todd worked with Blanco, Tomassian & Pimental doing personal injury and civil litigation. From 1999 to 2005, he and a partner continued that type of work. Finally, in 2005, the Law Office of Todd J. Armas was born. His practice consists primarily of family and landlord-tenant cases as well as estate planning. “My best memory of law school is the helpful relationships I had with the SJCL staff – especially Joan Lassley, Lonzetta Hightower, Jill Randles, and Jackie Margritz.”

Currently Angela is an Associate Attorney at Littler Mendelson, P.C., the largest global boutique labor and employment law firm. Angela is adding to her employment practice by advising businesses how to best comply with employment laws and regulations. Angela began working in employment class action litigation while clerking at Wagner Jones Kopfman & Artenian. As an Associate Attorney there, she was quickly pressed into service representing class members at hearings and depositions throughout California. Angela has handled more than 300 depositions and questioned all witnesses in over 100 post-trial damage-phase hearings on behalf of client escrow officers and managers. Angela played a key role on the trial team in two successful class action trials, preparing and putting on numerous witnesses in a successful 52-day court trial in Fresno, and in a month-long jury trial in federal court in San Francisco that resulted in the firm’s $73 million judgment against Walmart. Angela married last summer and relocated to the Bay Area. She is thrilled to be working in Littler’s San Jose office working with a variety of employers, helping them grow their business by handling their employment law needs.

Ever since he was seven years old, John wanted to be a lawyer. He enrolled at McGeorge School of Law but was pulled out by the draft in the 1970’s and became an intelligence officer. Eventually he was readmitted to McGeorge, but when he and his wife married, he transferred to SJCL. While in law school, John was operating a private investigation business and a document shredding business, while also helping to run the family farm. He says it was challenging, with no social life and no study group. The businesses grew rapidly, so John never got to actually practice law, but “his law degree was invaluable, particularly in the investigations business.” He became a full-time partner in the farming business in 1995 and sold Loss Protections and Investigations in 2018. John began The Mill at Kings River in 2015 producing olive oil. Look for Cullen Creek or Sprouts’ California Olive Oil.

Sherrie always wanted to go to law school, but life first sent her to Carnegie Mellon University where she earned a degree in mechanical engineering. After practicing mechanical engineering for many years, she ultimately did enroll at SJCL. She clerked one summer for Baker Manock & Jensen, and then worked as an associate there for five years doing litigation in employment, intellectual property, insurance defense, and general business fields. Sherrie passed the Patent Bar in 2008 and really wanted to focus on intellectual property. She moved to the Law Offices of Andrew Fortney where she engaged in patent practice for three years. Sherrie joined Coleman & Horowitt, LLP six years ago. As a partner, her practice is now almost entirely intellectual property, obtaining patent, trademark and copyright protection for her clients as well as litigating infringement matters. “Law school was fun! I wanted to learn. I appreciated that many of the professors were actively practicing in the subjects they taught.”

During law school, Steve clerked first with the Public Defender’s Office, then with the District Attorney. Upon graduation, he continued working for the D.A.’s office pending bar results. Once being sworn in, the D.A.’s Office was not hiring at that time, so Steve worked for a civil defense firm and then a criminal defense firm for brief periods. Finally in March of 1998, he was hired as a Deputy District Attorney I. He worked the typical succession of cases from misdemeanors through homicides. In January of 2015, Steve became an Assistant District Attorney overseeing the Homicide, General Felony, and Violent Crime Units, in addition to coordinating the Officer-Involved Shooting/In-Custody Death Team and being the office’s “unofficial” PIO. As to law school, he remembers a very diverse group of students and faculty where “everybody wanted everyone to succeed.”

David’s interest in law came from his father, who was an attorney. He kept the idea of following his father’s footsteps in mind as he tried out other, less satisfying areas of endeavor. After enrolling in law school, David clerked at the public defender’s office and various civil litigation offices in town, including his father’s criminal defense practice. Eventually David joined friend and fellow classmate Ian Wieland at Sagaser, Watkins & Wieland, where the specialty is labor and employment defense. David’s practice includes representing employers in civil cases, before the Labor Commissioner, and other forums. David likes the fact that many of his colleagues at the firm are fellow SJCL alumni who became friends in law school well before they became co-workers.

While attending law school, Stephanie continued to work full time, as well as raise her children. As a student she clerked at the Tulare County District Attorney’s Office. Upon passing the Bar she became Deputy District Attorney. In her current role at the Tulare County Counsel, Stephanie has the opportunity to work in a variety of practice areas including education, labor and employment, and civil litigation. She says she was lucky to make lifelong friends during her time at SJCL.

Bob was in the Army Reserves when he learned of SJCL. On his return from summer duty he called the school on a Thursday and enrolled on Friday and started class on Monday. He wasn’t going to continue into the second year until Dean Eymann called him to tell him he finished first in the class. In his third year, as a certified law student, he was doing trials for the Public Defender. That was when he finally knew he wanted to be a lawyer. While awaiting bar results, he clerked with Parichan, Renberg, & Crossman and continued there as an associate for five years after learning he had passed the Bar. In April of 1980 he became a partner with what is now Perez, Williams, Medina & Rodriguez, LLC. His work is 95% personal injury and worker’s compensation with some insurance coverage cases and a rare election contest. In the 1970’s virtually every student was also working full time. Bob says he met a lot of interesting people in law school, but it was all studying…no time for much socializing.

Eddie worked with Barker & Associates for almost three years after graduation doing criminal defense. He found that he absolutely loved being in court regularly. Finally opening his own practice, he moved to his current building in 1999. He handles criminal defense and personal injury cases. He is in court 4-5 days a week and has handled cases in most Central Valley counties and six western states and Georgia. He remembers not having much of a life in his three years of law school but made lifelong friendships. He has reached a point in his life where he is grateful for the career and life he has had and wants to give back to his community. Eddie currently serves on both the SJCL Alumni Association Board of Directors and the SJCL Board of Trustees.

George was inspired to go to law school by his two uncles who were lawyers. During law school, he clerked with Michael J.F. Smith. As a graduate, he was an Associate with Lozano Smith, LLP for a year, serving as counsel for the City of Clovis. Working with Ty Kharazi thereafter inspired him to open his own practice, something that had always been his goal. Since 2016, George’s practice has focused on business and real estate litigation, with some personal injury and bad faith insurance cases. George and his teammates, James Mugridge and Amanda DeHart, won the statewide 2013 Roger Traynor Moot Court Best Oral Advocate Award. This fall, George is co-teaching SJCL’s Moot Court class with James. George expressed appreciation for his San Joaquin Agricultural Law Review experience as well, saying “It engrained in me the legal research skills that have been invaluable in my practice.”

Rachelle wanted to make the world more accessible by pro-actively working with businesses to make every aspect of their operations available to all clients and legally compliant. That is exactly the work she does with the Hatmaker Law Group. Rachelle helps businesses to fix as much as possible immediately and develop strategies to attain full compliance. Immediately after graduation, she first pursued this vision for private entities through consulting work with the Civil Justice Association of California which overlapped with her public entity premises liability cases while working for Overstreet & Associates. Since June of 2018, she has returned to educating and advising in the private sector at Hatmaker Law Group. “At SJCL I felt I was part of a community. At a larger school, I would just have been a number. I would not have had the contacts and opportunities elsewhere to succeed as I have.”

Robert started his own practice immediately upon passing the bar examination in November of 1978, initially in a partnership. He went solo in 1995. His practice is exclusively plaintiff personal injury cases, including premises liability, product liability, automobile accidents, and a rare medical malpractice case. In January of 1989, he won a 9-0 reversal in the United States Supreme Court overturning the trial and appellate court decisions in a tort and 1983 Civil Rights case.

Jennifer worked as a paralegal for many years before becoming an attorney. Immediately upon being sworn-in in 1999, she opened her own practice. Her first client had waited a month for her to be licensed to represent him in a custody dispute, which was such an honor for her, and that client sends her an annual Christmas photo of he and his now grown son. Jennifer initially thought she wanted to be a real estate litigator because she had so enjoyed Sally Perring’s Real Property class, but very quickly her practice transitioned to family law, and so it has remained. In practicing family law, she has learned that “All people are generally caring and ultimately want the same things in life. I try to guide them through what can be a very difficult time with hope and positivity regardless of their circumstances.” As to law school, “Fear was a big motivator. You live an experience only another law student can understand, but going to SJCL forever changed my life in a positive way.”

Catarina practices real estate, bankruptcy, and family law. She opened her own firm in 2009, following the financial crisis. During that time, Catarina saw a need for helping those who would not otherwise receive representation by assisting those who were struggling with their finances, facing foreclosure, and just making ends meet. From there, she expanded her practice to handling eviction and family law matters. Her plan was a temporary one, but she soon became very busy and expanded her offices to include Clovis and Madera. Catarina continues to credit the relationships she made at SJCL for helping the continued success of her practice.

Adam was deciding whether he should return to England or pursue a career in the United States when he met Diane Steel and Joyce Morodomi and decided he wanted to attend SJCL. Upon graduation, he worked for three years with Goldberg & Ibarra, doing Workers’ Compensation and Personal Injury cases. In 2016, he became the Chief Operating Officer for the California Autism Center. Adam runs the Administrative Team, consisting of Human Resources, Scheduling, Communications, Information Technology, Claims, and Compliance. With 140 employees, the Center assists 100 families from Fresno to Merced in obtaining services for their children with autism. They hope to expand to serve people from Bakersfield to Merced, and rural areas of those counties. “I enjoy the business aspects of this work – building efficiency and supporting our employees, but I am also so very committed to obtaining the highest quality clinical work for autism related disorders.”

Michael always planned to go to law school. While in law school he clerked for Quinlan, Kershaw & Fanucchi, LLP and remained with them for two years after passing the bar exam. From June of 2014 to August of 2019, he worked with Frame Matsomoto & Coelho LLP representing agricultural entities in transactional, arbitration, and tort matters, notably the “Cuties” litigation. Effective August 26, 2019, Michael became Legal Counsel for Table Mountain Casino, pursuing the in-house counsel role he had always desired. His work includes insuring the Casino is compliant with all California and Federal gaming laws while protecting tribal sovereignty. Michael is very proud of his additional current role as President of the Padrinos of Valley Children’s Healthcare (Padrinos Guild), raising money for the Hospital. Michael, his wife Rachel, brother-in-law Mario Gonzalez, and mother-in law Leah Cole are all graduates of SJCL.

Mary says the law was her calling. “I had always tried to standup for the underdog.” Upon graduation, she first worked with Joe Arnold with whom she had clerked as a law student. A year and a half with the Public Defender’s Office followed. In 2009, she and Jennifer Walters opened Walters & Moshrefi, which became Moshrefi Law in 2016. Since entering the private sector her practice has focused on family and criminal law. “I remember the comradery between students and faculty at SJCL. We felt like we were all in it together, unlike what you hear about other law schools.”

In the late 1980’s, Rose immigrated to the United States from Armenia and was fascinated by the TV show, “L.A. Law.” From then on she did everything possible to become a lawyer. Upon graduation from SJCL, she opened her own practice for about two and a half years. In 2004, she joined Wilkins, Drolshagen & Czeshinski LLP. In early 2018, she joined Borton Petrini where she focusses on insurance defense, real estate, estate planning, and business litigation. She is grateful for the connections she established with other law students during her three years at SJCL. With her J.D. she was able to take the Real Estate Broker’s exam. For the last fifteen years she has owned and operated her real estate business. Currently, Rose is the Treasurer of the SJCL Alumni Association.

Terri went to law school because her father was an attorney who taught in the Tax Program at SJCL. Terri served an internship with Judge Eckhart Thompson of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Fresno. After entering the Bar, she was accepted into the U.S. Department of Justice Honors Program of the Office of the United States Trustee, the agency that acts as a “watchdog” over all bankruptcy cases. Thereafter, she served as a Trial Attorney for the United States Trustee in Orange County. She was promoted to Assistant United States Trustee in Los Angeles and also served in that capacity in the Riverside office. Wanting to return to trial work, Terri became a Trial Attorney in the United States Trustee’s Honolulu office before returning home to Fresno in 2015. In Los Angeles she managed a United States Trustee’s Office with a staff of 60. Terri has conducted numerous bankruptcy trainings at the National Advocacy Center of the United States Department of Justice. For three years, she taught bankruptcy fraud courses for the FBI at Quantico. “I appreciated that the SJCL professors not only taught the law but also real-life application of the law. Those real-life cases made the lights go on for all of us.”

Benny’s law practice is focused on helping small businesses and startups succeed. He was initially attracted to SJCL by the great bar pass rate and says his choice to attend after working as a training manager for several Bay Area tech companies was a good one, even though he worked full time and had a family at home. “It was a huge commitment, but I’d do it again if I had the opportunity!”

Kris started working in the legal field at the age of 16 with Kahn, Soares & Conway. She then decided to be a legal secretary, then became a paralegal in 1988. In 1993, she joined in establishing the Dooley & Herr firm and set her sights on law school. She completed the three-year program while working 50 hours a week and promptly passed the bar. She continued working with Dooley & Herr as an Associate. To keep life from becoming boring, in 1999, she gave birth to triplets. Six years ago, as her children were entering their high school years, she opened a satellite office of the firm in Hanford. Her practice consists of trust litigation, estate planning, wills, trusts and probate, conservatorships, and adoptions as well as a wide variety of transactional work. As to law school, Kris remembers late night studying with her best law school compadre, Melissa White. The two of them did cartwheels in the parking lot when Professor Artenian posted their passing grades in Remedies, as it meant their law school days were done! Kris sits on the Board of Directors of CASA of Kings County.

Jay works for Celanese, a Fortune 500 company based in Dallas, Texas. Jay is Vice President and Deputy General Counsel for one of Celanese’s two divisions – the Materials Solutions Core. This division produces plastics for manufacturing purposes. For example, your car contains 9½ pounds of Celanese plastic pellets. It also produces materials for 90% of the world’s orthopedic implants and pacemakers. Over the years since graduation, Jay also worked for Motschiedler, Michaelides, Wishon, Brewer & Ryan, LLP, Mercer Advisors, Honeywell International, and Bell Helicopters. “Going to law school was one of the best decisions in my life. There has never been a better financial investment. I love being in-house and part of a team. Lawyers are incredibly valued by business leaders because they don’t jump to conclusions. They take a problem apart to examine its components.”