Summary: McGeorge School of Law has had their new dean since the beginning of the month, a change the school is excited for.
Starting July 1, University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law had a new dean. Michael Hunter Schwartz has taken over leadership at the law school after serving as dean at William H. Bowen School of Law at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.
Schwartz is no stranger to Southern California. He gained his education in the state, first attending the University of California, Berkeley to receive his A.B. and then going on to the University of California, Hastings College of Law to earn his J.D. How he has returned to the golden state to help the law school succeed.
McGeorge has 562 students enrolled in the law program with 42 full-time and 63 part-time professors teaching the students. The school maintains a fairly quite reputation but Schwartz hopes to improve upon that. He wants to see their name recognized more. He said, “I’ve been stunned to discover how well-kept the secret of McGeorge is. Part of what I want to do is get the facts out about the university to the world.”
Schwartz also wants to build on the school’s community engagement and provide ample job opportunities for their graduates. He plans to do this by launching an employer survey to find out what employers are looking for in recent law school graduates.
He notes that McGeorge has around 350 alumni working as judges, something that most don’t know about the school. There are also a number of state Supreme Court judges and even two U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals judges from McGeorge.
McGeorge started a program recently that helps homeless people in the Sacramento area obtain legal counsel. The clinic is a great opportunity for the students to learn as well as for the community to have access to affordable legal options. Schwartz wants to expand on this clinic to help other areas of the community. He said, “There are rural areas outside of Sacramento that are deeply underserved. I’d like to be able to take our clinical service on the road.”
Schwartz has been in the industry for over 12 years with ten books, three law review articles, and over 190 presentations. He was voted in 2014 at one of National Jurist’s “25 Most Influential People in Legal Education” and was most recently ranked as 9th on the list, making his addition to McGeorge a valuable one. He will be the 10th dean at McGeorge, succeeding Francis J. Mootz, III.
Professor Julie Davies, who co-chaired the dean search committee, said, “We are pleased that Dean Schwartz is joining McGeorge. His understanding of legal education is nationally recognized and his expertise about student learning will benefit the law school community.”
Associate Dean of Academic Affairs Michael Colatrella Jr. added, “Dean Schwartz is a prolific scholar with a track record of revitalizing curriculum and supporting law students for success. His expertise centers on what truly prepares lawyers for what’s next.”
Do you expect to see more recognition of McGeorge Law School? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below.
To learn more about new law school dean announcements, read these articles:
- Thomas McHenry Welcomed as Dean and President at Vermont Law School
- Harvard Law School Names New Dean
- Berkeley Law Lands New Dean
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