Inter Alia

SJCL Graduates 51st Class

By Logan Tennerelli, Dean of Students

The Class of 2024 was cheered by a crowd of over 1,000 family members and friends as the graduates basked in the spotlight at the Saroyan Theatre in June.

SJCL’s 51st commencement included the heartwarming moments of triumph, inspiration, and gratitude we’ve come to cherish throughout the law school’s history.
Highlights included Dean Atkinson reading the graduates’ biographies in five languages: English, Spanish, Hmong, Punjabi, and Swahili! Many graduates also showed pride in their cultures, identities, and membership in student organizations by donning personalized stoles. One graduate, Jose Ireta, displayed the flag of Mexico as his bio concluded with, “Viva la Mexico!” Members from the SJCL Alumni Association welcomed the graduates to their fold with a gift for each. Dean Tennerelli hooded the graduates, with the exception of Michael Prentice, who was hooded by his father David, a founding partner of Prentice Long, PC.

Unity Bar Honors First-Gen Supporter

By Beth Pitcock, Director of Human Resources & Compliance

Francisco “Javier” Rosas, Director of Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion at San Joaquin College of Law was honored with the Unity Bar Award this spring, for his passion and commitment to supporting unity and diversity in the legal community. The award was presented at the Central California Asian Pacific American Bar Association’s Honorable Mikio Uchiyama Annual Scholarship Banquet in May. Speaking in place of Attorney General Ron Bonta who appeared via video due to a sudden trip to Washington D.C., Associate Justice Shama Hakim Mesiwala noted the grit and tenacity that is required to blaze a path as the first in a family or underrepresented group to achieve a college degree and become a successful professional.

Alumna Tiffany Pack Honored as Pro Bono Attorney of the Year

By Diane Skouti Baiza, Alumni Liaison

On her left arm, criminal defense attorney Tiffany Pack (Law ‘18) has a large tattoo of a jellyfish, an original drawing by her daughter. Her right arm - also fully tatted (even her elbows are inked) displays colorful and happy images from Disney movies, symbolizing her love of family and adventure. “My job (criminal defense attorney at Fitzgerald Alvarez & Ciummo) is stressful,” Tiffany says. Rather than spend a fortune for a therapist, she prefers to talk with her tattoo artist. “He listens to me. It’s therapeutic and it makes me feel better.”

Happy International Be Kind to Lawyers Day!

Did you know that today, April 9^th, 2024, is International Be Kind to Lawyers Day? Wedged into the month of April between the 6^th - Sorry Charlie Day (an unofficial holiday acknowledging that rejection is a common part of the human experience that touches us all), and the 11^th – Submarine Day (to honor people who build and work on submarines, which one celebrates by eating a submarine sandwich!), International Be Kind to Lawyers Day is celebrated on the second Tuesday in April, with an aim to dispel the negative associations often ascribed to lawyers.

Arthur Baggett (Law ’93) has been appointed by Governor Newsom to the Central Valley Regional…

We are thrilled to congratulate Arthur Baggett (Law ’93) on his appointment by Governor Newsom to the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board. Arthur, a resident of El Portal, has been a Partner and Counsel at AG Baggett and PJ Weber Inc. since 2011, and an Adjunct Faculty member at SJCL since 1997. He is also a member of the elite class of alumni in the SJCL Hall of Fame. Arthur’s career includes having served on the State Water Resources Control Board and as its Chair from 2000 to 2005.

Lonzetta Hightower

It is with great sadness that we note the passing of our own Lonzetta Hightower, a long-time member of the SJCL team. Lonzetta was with SJCL for 32 years, beginning in 1990 when she served as receptionist/secretary and the law school was located in a strip mall on Shields Ave.