Concord Law School Celebrates 100 New Graduates at 26th Commencement Ceremony

Attorney Paul R. Kiesel Delivers Keynote Address

LOS ANGELES--()--Concord Law School at Kaplan University, the nation’s first fully-online law school, held its 26th graduation today at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles, celebrating 100 new graduates.

The graduating class includes 60 graduates of the Juris Doctor program, 38 graduates of the Executive Juris Doctor program and two graduates of Concord’s Small Business Practice LLM program.

Concord Law School Dean Martin Pritikin conferred the degrees.

"I am so proud of our graduates, who have managed the challenge of law school on top of full-time work and family commitments. I am also excited for them, as we are at a moment when the legal profession is increasingly recognizing the need to utilize technology to reduce cost and expand access, both for lawyers and the clients they would serve--precisely what an online law school provides," said Dean Pritikin.

The keynote address was given by Paul R. Kiesel, a partner at Kiesel Law LLP, and the Immediate-Past President of the Los Angeles County Bar Association, where he also served as past Chair of its Litigation Section. Currently Mr. Kiesel is the Co-Chair of the Open Courts Coalition, a bipartisan committee of attorneys from throughout California advocating for full-funding of the civil justice system.

"Concord graduates are what the legal profession needs right now. They bring maturity of prior work and life experience to the practice of law; and they are not burdened by the high debt levels associated with traditional law schools, and so have more flexibility to pursue their goals and represent a wide variety of clients,” said Mr. Kiesel.

During the commencement, several graduates were recognized for outstanding achievement, including:

  • Michelle Roseway-Peart (Victoria, TX) received the Kaplan Award for Legal Services.
  • The Executive Juris Doctor Award for Academic Excellence was awarded to Andrew Stanley (Alabaster, AL).
  • Elizabeth Goodman (St. Charles, MO), Graham Washburn (Pleasant, CA) and James Timm (Oconto Falls, WI) each received the Jack R. Goetz Award for Academic Excellence, which recognizes the Juris Doctor graduates who achieved the highest cumulative grade point average.
  • The Sue Lane Award, honoring a student from the graduating class who embodies strong work ethic, compassionate nature, and service to the community, was presented to Rose Silva (Central Islip, NY) and Susan Lawrence (Lancaster, CA).

In addition to the commencement ceremony, The Honorable Judith L. Meyer, Los Angeles Superior Court, was present to officiate the swearing in of Concord Law School graduate Andrew Bell, class of 2016, to the California State Bar. A resident of Clackamas, OR, attorney Bell is one of more than 550 Concord graduates who have sat for and passed the California State Bar exam.

About Concord Law School

Concord Law School is the nation's first fully online law school. Since opening its virtual doors in 1998, Concord has educated more than 2,200 graduates who have earned their Juris Doctor (JD) or Executive Juris DoctorSM (EJD) degree. Concord Law School is part of Kaplan University, which is regionally accredited by The Higher Learning Commission. Kaplan University, furthermore, is part of Kaplan Higher Education LLC and Kaplan, Inc., which serves over one million students globally each year through its array of higher education, test preparation, professional education, English-language training and university preparation to individuals, institutions, and businesses. Kaplan has operations in over 30 countries, employs more than 15,000 full- and part-time professionals, and maintains relationships and partnerships with more than 1,000 school districts, colleges, and universities, and over 2,600 corporations and businesses. Kaplan is a subsidiary of Graham Holdings Company (NYSE: GHC) and its largest division. For more information, please visit, www.kaplan.com.

Contacts

For Concord Law School
Amy Hawkinson
Director, Public Relations
954-515-3603
ahawkinson@kaplan.edu

Release Summary

The 2017 Concord Law School commencement celebrated 100 graduates at the Skirball Center in Los Angeles, CA. Several graduates were also recognized for outstanding achievement and one was sworn in.

Contacts

For Concord Law School
Amy Hawkinson
Director, Public Relations
954-515-3603
ahawkinson@kaplan.edu