On behalf of the St. Francis School of Law faculty, administration, and staff, we would like to welcome our Spring 2016 entering class to the Juris Doctor program.
Students entering the Juris Doctor program met St. Francis School of Law’s rigorous admissions requirements, including notable records in their prior academic studies, as well as an impressive range of professional accomplishments. Our current entering class has substantial range of work experience, with an average of 12 years of experience in diverse industries including business, finance, healthcare, education, law, and politics.
Our newest St. Francis School of Law students come to the Juris Doctor program with diverse academic backgrounds as well, including biology, management, criminal justice, language studies and philosophy. More than half of the entering class holds other graduate degrees, including doctoral and/or masters degrees in business, military studies, human resource management, criminal justice, education, and leadership. Twenty-seven percent of the class holds another professional license. Our students are geographically diverse as well with 36% of students in California, and 64% in other states. The rich diversity of experience and academic background creates a stimulating class environment.
These students recently completed the St. Francis Orientation program. This is a three week program taught by Prof. Michael Santana that is designed to prepare students for success in law school. Prof. Santana served as a Judicial Clerk for the Supreme Court in the State of Washington, and has extensive experience teaching law, as well as all areas of general practice. The Orientation program not only introduces students to St. Francis’ technology, but lays the foundation for students in reading and briefing legal cases, and introduces students to the basics of legal analysis.
“I have already seen some fantastic work produced by our newest students in their assignments for our Orientation program under the guidance of Professor Santana,” said St. Francis DeanCarole J. Buckner.
Students starting this spring will enter the Contracts class, first in a series of three classes, taught this spring by Professor David Graubert and Dr. Roger Cusick. Prof. Graubert is a Stanford Law School graduate who also externed for California Supreme Court Justice Ronald. M. George. He has extensive experience in both litigation and corporate transactional work. Dr. Cusick, who holds his JD from Albany Law School, and his Ph.D. from the State University of New York at Albany, has extensive experience in contracts disputes, among his diverse practice background.
St. Francis students benefit from experienced practitioners and a robust curriculum, as well as state of the art technology. St. Francis professors employ the Socratic method, engaging in a stimulating dialog about the assigned materials in small classes. Students complete weekly assignments and receive feedback from their professors as they learn to apply the law.
We are proud to welcome the latest group of St. Francis students.