Top Law Schools

Law School in Paradise

SEASIDE, CA. -- Sitting in his modest office with a glimpse of the world-famous Monterey Bay shining brightly out the window, Mitchel Winick, Dean of Monterey College of Law ponders aloud why anyone would want to attend law school anywhere else. He readily acknowledges that being located in the midst of an area recognized throughout the world for the storybook cottages of Carmel-By-The-Sea, the famous Pebble Beach golf links, the picturesque 17-Mile Drive, the redwood forests of Big Sur, the spectacular coastal drive along Highway 1, and famous area residents such as Clint Eastwood and John Steinbeck . . . makes it easy for a small California accredited law school to get overlooked.

“Monterey College of Law was founded 35 years ago to provide the opportunity for local residents to obtain a quality legal education without having to move out of the area,” said Winick. “That continues to be the primary mission for the law school, but we are also being discovered by students who recognize that there are other benefits to attending law school in an area considered by many to be a cultural, environmental, and recreational paradise.”

On a beautiful, cloudless, sunny day in November it is easy to see his point. “My wife, kids, and I hike almost every weekend. Two weeks ago we hiked up to almost 1,600 feet to a spectacular overlook of the Pacific Ocean along Highway 1. This past weekend we hiked into Los Padres National Forest through redwood forests that go for thousands of acres.” Most people who have visited the area would agree that there are very few places where you can combine a legal education with so many choices for an active lifestyle. Whether it is beach, ocean, forests, or mountains . . . within an hour of the law school you have literally dozens, perhaps hundreds of options. “We moved here last year after more than 25 years in Texas. Don’t get me wrong, there are many great places in Texas, but nothing really compares to the Monterey area,” Winick commented.

Although the tourist attractions in the region may be world-famous, Monterey College of Law is less well known outside of the area. “California accredited law schools are really hidden gems,” Winick believes. Almost everyone has heard of the traditional, three-year ABA approved law schools in California. The state is home to some of the highest ranked law schools in the U.S., including Stanford, Boalt Hall at Berkeley, UCLA, USC, UC Davis, and Hastings. However, many people do not realize that there are also 16 California Accredited Law Schools (CALS) that provide full- and part-time J.D. programs and qualify graduates to sit for the California Bar exam.

“If you begin with the assumption that you plan to take the California Bar exam and practice law in California, you can obtain a first-class legal education, with small classes, and excellent faculty for less than one-third of the cost of a traditional three-year ABA law school,” according to Wendy LaRiviere, Assistant Dean for Admissions at MCL. “We think that the affordability of our program is one of the main reasons that we are getting more applicants from outside of the region.” LaRiviere, who has been in charge of admissions at MCL for the past seven years, points out that “with law school costs jumping by over 35% at many of the ABA law schools, an increasing number of students are now considering the value of attending state accredited law schools.” The cost of a law degree now exceeds $100,000 at the public law schools and more than $120,000 at most of the private law schools. In comparison, total tuition for the part-time, four-year evening program at Monterey College of Law is less than $40,000. “At a time when law students from other schools are graduating with as much as $120,000 of student loan debt, the majority of our graduates ‘pay as they go’ and finish their degree without any debt at all,” said LaRiviere.

“The rising cost of legal education is a barrier to many segments of the population . . . and that should be a significant concern for all of us,” commented Winick. “Furthermore, by burdening recent law graduates with immense debt, we are effectively eliminating the opportunity for them to fill the growing demand for public service lawyers in our communities. We blame new lawyers for only being in it (law) for the money . . . and yet we conveniently overlook that they need to repay thousands of dollars in student loans,” said Winick. “I am proud that the affordability of our program is one of the factors that provide a number of our graduates the opportunity to use their law degree to help the under-represented members of our community through non-profit organizations, city and county legal departments, and legal aid clinics.”

There is always a concern that graduating from a state accredited law school will limit future job opportunities. “There is no question that academic elitism exists in many law firms,” explains Winick. “However, the fact of the matter is that we have successful MCL alumni in many of the most prestigious law firms in the region . . . in the District Attorney’s office and the Public Defender’s office . . . and four of our graduates serve as California Superior Court Judges.” Russell Scott, a 1978 MCL graduate, father of a fourth-year MCL student, and the first alumnus to serve as a Superior Court Judge, agrees. “I have the unique perspective of watching lawyers perform in court every week, and it appears to me that MCL’s top graduates are recognized by their peers as some of the most respected and capable lawyers in the county.”

Monterey College of Law provides a four-year evening J.D. program that has historically catered to working professionals. “One of the real benefits of our program is the breadth of experience and real-life perspective that our students bring into the classroom,” according to Winick. Sally Green, a banker and current president of the MCL Board of Trustees, confirms the point. “Our program has attracted health professionals, police officers, realtors, bankers, legal administrators, fire and safety professionals, health care managers, high-tech professionals, agricultural business owners, and representatives from virtually every industry in the region,” said Green. However, LaRiviere adds, “the Internet is clearly changing the characteristics of our applicants. There is no question that we are seeing a growing number of applications from students who learn about us on-line. These younger students are coming from colleges located across a geographically diverse area. They bring perspectives from outside of the region, and even from outside of the state.”

Another important benefit of the school’s evening law school program is that the faculty members are all practicing lawyers and judges. “We have the great fortune of having the current presiding judges of Monterey and San Benito Counties serving on our faculty, along with four former presidents of the county bar association, the current president of the state-wide association of certified family law specialists, the recipient of one of the top state-wide ACLU awards, and a Fulbright Scholar in international conflict management . . . just to point out a few,” said Michelle Welsh, president of the MCL faculty senate. “Our faculty members represent virtually all aspects of the political, social, business, and legal spectrum in the tri-county area that includes Monterey, Santa Cruz, and San Benito Counties.” Ron Granberg, a former president of the Monterey County Bar Association and Associate Dean for Clinical and Community Programs, adds, “In addition to bringing their expertise into the classroom, as practicing lawyers and judges, the faculty provides students with a valuable link to the legal community.”

The law school is located less than a mile off Highway 1 as part of the higher education enclave being developed on the former Fort Ord army base. MCL moved into its new 12,000 sq. ft. classroom, office, and library building during the summer of 2005. The 3.5 acre campus is adjacent to California State University Monterey Bay and is easily accessible from Monterey, Salinas, and Santa Cruz. “We really enjoy having CSUMB as an educational neighbor,” said Winick. “It is rare for a small private law school to have access to the resources of a CSU campus, including graduate student housing, bookstore, and athletic facilities.”

Winick, who has previous teaching and administrative experience at ABA law schools in Texas and New Mexico, believes that he may have the best law school dean job in America. “I live in one of the world’s most beautiful areas . . . have the privilege to serve a well-respected state accredited law school that enjoys broad community support . . . and get to work with a distinguished group of trustees, faculty, and alumni as colleagues.” There is no question in Winick’s mind that it will not be long before Monterey College of Law grows beyond its well-deserved local reputation as a ‘hidden gem’ and is discovered by future law students who realize that it really is possible to attend law school in paradise.

For more information, contact:
Mitchel L. Winick
Dean and Professor of Law
Monterey College of Law
mwinick@montereylaw.edu
831-582-4000
http://www.montereylaw.edu

“We are extremely proud of this talented and hard working group of graduates,”

This result places us in the top tier of state-accredited law schools,”

SoftBoiledLife wrote:I guess I'll forget about Stanford!

LawBoy wrote:Many people who go to MCL never plan to take the bar and become an attorney; they cannot afford the pay cut from their current jobs as CEO, doctors, dentists, bankers etc.

LawBoy wrote:Because the ABA requires that an ABA accredited school hire a fixed percentage of full-time law professors to students (15 to 1, 12 to 1 are numbers that are thought to be current, but the actual number is a secret!), and pay a minimum salary, schools like Monterey College of Law (MCL) will ever be accredited; they hire only part-time professors, who are lawyers and judges in real life. The school operates only at night, and by my estimate carries about 130 students at any given time. Full-time professors are not an option for this school.

Because the ABA has a requirement that an accredited school carry a fixed number of volume of books in its law library, a number that is not a reality for a school of 130 students who attend school about 12 hours per week, MCL will never gain accreditation.

At an ABA school you will not likely get the personalized attention from your professors that you find at MCL. When you pass the bar and finally open a practice or join a firm you will know quite a few actual practicing local attorneys who are already familiar with you.

That first time you step into a courtroom and have to face a judge, it sure does not hurt that last summer it was this very judge who taught you courtroom procedures and practice.

Yes MCL might be for you if you plan to practice in California and not out of state. MCL might be for you if this is not your first career and you do not plan to take a job that requires 75 hours a week as a new attorney would expect. MCL might be for you if you do not want to have a student loan debt that matches the national budget of a small third world nation.

Many people who go to MCL never plan to take the bar and become an attorney; they cannot afford the pay cut from their current jobs as CEO, doctors, dentists, bankers etc.

When you read that MCL who is pushing 30 years of service to their community has “still not” gained ABA acceptance, consider this; MCL does NOT want to take that road. ABA accreditation would be the death nell for schools like MCL; it would drive the prices way up, would require a huge growth in the student population that is unrealistic for a community based law school and would take the focus off the goal of MCL; to provide a quality education at realistic prices producing lawyers who will benefit their community and not simply leave the area to work for Goldman Sachs, Exxon, or Enron.

I graduated from MCL 13 years ago, am licensed in California, and the US Supreme Court. I am a partner in a local law firm, left MCL with no debt; appear in court at over 30 hearings per month. Only once has a potential client asked me what law school I attended. I told him, and helped him with his legal issue. I am happy to say that HE will be graduating from MCL in just about a month. I made many friends at MCL who are still an important part of my life. Very often the lawyer at the other table is also a graduate of MCL, it never hurts.

LawDog3 wrote:I would like to add this: any fool who looks across the table at a lawyer from a lower-ranked or unacredited school and assumes him/her to be inferior may be in for a rude awakening, and an even ruder one if the stakes are high. Many no-name grads have built their chops (and their bank accounts) by chewing on Harvard ass!