St. Francis School of Law is pleased to welcome our newest Spring 2017 students joining our Juris Doctor program. Once again we have a group that is geographically diverse, including students from California, where our program is based, and around the country. Students will come together in the live interactive classes which form the foundation of St. Francis’ Juris Doctor program.

Carole BucknerOver half of our entering students hold professional licenses. The latest group of students come from a wide variety of industry backgrounds including healthcare, technology, education and business, and several also have legal backgrounds, and with significant career experience averaging 16 years. Dean Carole J. Buckner said, “The diverse career backgrounds of St. Francis students truly enriches their legal education. The law does not operate in isolation, but in context. Often when a class is discussing legal concepts related to a particular context, say for example, healthcare, we have medical professionals in the class who can shed light on things. This really brings the law alive.”

The latest group seeking their law degrees also comes to the St. Francis Juris Doctor program with distinguished academic credentials, with average undergraduate GPA of 3.05. Over half of our latest group of entering students also hold other graduate degrees. There is no question that legal education requires a strong academic background. St. Francis students have performed well in the program and on licensing exams because they come to their study at St. Francis School of Law with the academic background necessary for success.

The students will begin their study at St. Francis with a three week Orientation course designed to prepare students for success in the Juris Doctor program and to introduce students to St. Francis’ state of the art learning platform, Blackboard, and the live interactive technology used by the school. This term, the Orientation course is taught by St. Francis Professor Dennis Tonsing. Prof. Tonsing is the author of the book, 1000 Days to the Bar But the Practice of Law Begins Now. The book is one of the key texts for the Orientation course, and is widely used nationally throughout legal education.

Students will start their legal study with Contracts. Contracts courses will be taught this term by Prof. Tonsing and Prof. Jonathan Watson.
St. Francis students’ distinguished academic backgrounds and diverse experience continue to enrich the St. Francis academic experience. Welcome to the newest incoming class!