Master of Science in Law
Pacific McGeorge offers the Masters of Science in law to professionals who seek the benefits of advanced training in legal reasoning and analysis but who do not require the J.D. degree for their career plans.
In today’s economy with so many highly regulated industries, state and federal agencies, and other professional fields impacted by law, professionals deal with law-related issues every day. Now, Pacific McGeorge has an accelerated program to help these professionals gain and apply just the legal skills they need. Whether in the fields of health care administration, government law and policy, human resources management, or education law, we can help you reach your professional goals.
Pacific McGeorge faculty will work with each student to develop a customized curriculum with a rigorous legal grounding that is infused with real-world examples, skills-based learning, and experiential opportunities. Students will also experience intense interaction and collaboration with a cohort of like-minded professionals who are seeking to increase their own skills.
Finally, opportunities will be created for each student to put their new skills to work in California’s capital city.
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About the Director
Professor J. Clark Kelso, Associate Dean for Strategic Initiatives, is the Director of the M.S.L. program. Professor Kelso has distinguished himself as California government’s “Mr. Fix-It.” His contributions span all three branches of government.
During the 1990s, he worked closely with the courts and the Legislature to advance the cause of judicial administration, garnering in 1998 the California Judicial Council’s highest award for service to the branch. In 2000, he restored integrity and credibility to the Department of Insurance following a scandal that had resulted in the resignation of the sitting Insurance Commissioner. From 2002 to 2008, he successfully led the State’s troubled $5 billion information technology program back to national prominence. In 2008, a federal court appointed Professor Kelso to serve as the Receiver in charge of California’s $1.6 billion prison medical system. Having successfully turned the system around, the court has recently ordered Professor Kelso to begin delegating functions back to the State and winding down the Receivership.
Professor Kelso is a recognized expert in transformational organizational change and in developing high-energy, high-performance executive teams.
Faculty Experts Teaching in the Program
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Leslie Gielow Jacobs, Professor of Law and Director of the Capital Center for Public Law & Policy, is one of the law school's preeminent scholars. A former law clerk to Supreme Court Justice Lewis F. Powell, Jr., she has authored a substantial and important body of scholarship on constitutional law, specifically, free speech and government speech, and on issues of bioterrorism and national security. Her articles have appeared in law journals at many of the nation's most prestigious law schools. |
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Michael Colatrella Jr., Associate Professor of Law, is an expert in alternative dispute resolution, including mediation, negotiation and conflict management. He is the co-author of the interdisciplinary text Mediation: Skills & Techniques (Lexis Nexis 2008) that is widely used in law schools, graduate schools and schools of diplomacy. Along with his colleague, Professor Gregory Weber, he developed a series of Pacific McGeorge-sponsored executive training seminars in negotiation and mediation. |
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Melissa Brown, Professor of Lawyering Skills and Director of Legal Clinics, is the supervising attorney in the Elder and Health Law Clinic and teaches the seminar accompanying the clinic as well as the law school's course on Elder Law and Social Policy. She collaborates with the UC Davis School of Medicine in joint classes for medical and law students. She is the author of a well-regarded treatise on Elder and Disability Law and has directed professional education programs for the law school on health-related issues. Professor Brown is an experienced lawyer with a wealth of experience in workers' compensation and issues facing the elderly and disabled. She has represented consumers in health access cases as well as physicians and health care providers to secure compensation for patient care. |
Questions?
Contact J. Clark Kelso, Director, Master of Science in Law Program, Associate Dean, Strategic Initiatives
Email | 916.739.7000
