Past Winners A tradition of excellence - San Joaquin College of Law

May 2005 

2 La Raza 

3 Alumni Assoc. 

4 Profiles 

5 Race Judicata 

6 Barrister’s Ball 

8 Donors 

A tradition of 

excellence 

Over the last five years SJCL has placed in 

the top three in some category in the Traynor 

Moot Court competition – more than any 

other institution. 

(L-R) Jody Winter; retired Justice Anderson; Grace Torres; 

Justice Chin, California Supreme Court; Justice Wiseman, 

Fifth District Court of Appeal; and Gary Winter. 

Grace Torres, Gary Winter, and Jody Winter continued 

the San Joaquin College of Law tradition by 

placing in the top three of at least one category for 

five consecutive years at the Roger J. Traynor Moot Court 

Competition. 

This year’s competition was held at the University of San 

Francisco Law School. Fourteen California schools entered 

including: U.C.L.A. School of Law, U.C. Berkeley School 

of Law, Hastings College of the Law, and University of San 

Francisco School of Law. SJCL students tied for third place 

in the Best Brief category with U.C.L.A. 

At the awards ceremony on Sunday, John Hanft, the 

competition director and representative of the competition 

sponsor, Witkin Institute, indicated the briefs were unusually 

competitive this year with the top four being especially 

good. On a 200 point scale, only 1 point separated the top 

brief from #2, and only 1 point separated #2 from SJCL. 

The final round judges were: Justice Chin from the California 

Supreme Court, Justice Wiseman, Fifth District Court 

of Appeal, and retired Justice Anderson, Fourth District 

Court of Appeal. 

Past Winners 

Volume XVI, Number 1 

2005 Winners 

BEST ORAL ARGUMENT: THE ROGER J. TRAYNOR AWARD 

1st Hastings College of the Law 

2nd U.C. Berkeley School of Law 

3rd University of San Francisco School of Law 

BEST BRIEF: THE CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF APPELLATE LAWYERS AWARD 

1st San Francisco Law School 


3rd SAN JOAQUIN COLLEGE OF LAW 

& U.C.L.A. School of Law 

EXCELLENCE IN APPELLATE ADVOCACY: THE BERNARD E. WITKIN AWARD 

1st U.C. Berkeley School of Law 

2nd Hastings College of the Law 

3rd University of San Francisco School of Law 




2nd Hastings College of the Law 


1st University of West Los Angeles School of Law 

2nd Empire College School of Law 


& California Western School of Law 




3rd Hastings College of the Law 




2nd U.C.L.A. School of Law 






& U.C.L.A. School of Law 


1st U.C.L.A. School of Law 





1st U.C. Davis School of Law 

2nd University of West Los Angeles School of Law 

Runner Up SAN JOAQUIN COLLEGE OF LAW 


1st SAN JOAQUIN COLLEGE OF LAW 

2nd Western State University College of Law 

Runner Up Empire College School of Law 



2nd U.C. Davis School of Law 

Runner Up San Fernando Valley College of Law 




2nd U.C. Davis School of Law 






2nd Western State University College of Law

La Raza Student Law Day 

La Raza Law Students held its first annual Student Law 

Day on Friday, March 4, 2005. 

By Myava Escamilla, La Raza Secretary 

Student Law Day was designed to 

promote post-secondary education 

among valley high school 

students. Over 20 panel sessions, 

consisting of local community leaders, 

educators, members of the legal community 

and students, shared their experiences 

in their own education. Local 

high school students from Sanger 

Unified, DeWolf Continuation, and 

Sunnyside High School were informed 

of the benefits of a 

college education 

and encouraged 

to seek higher 

education. 

The Panelists addressed 

approaches 

and methods 

to overcome 

challenges for 

all students and 

specifically for 

minority and low-income students. 

In addition, the Office of Financial 

Aid Outreach at Fresno City Col- 

2 SJCL Inter Alia 

lege explained the practical aspects of 

obtaining education. 

La Raza organized the event to positively 

influence students to continue 

beyond high school and to consider 

the immeasurable value of education. 

Education is both a stabilizing and an 

empowering force that ultimately benefits 

all members of the community. 

Please contact: Myava Escamilla 

at myavaescamilla@hotmail.com or 

559/445-1456 if you would be interested 

in participating next year. 

Law Library Catalog Now ONLINE 

VISIT: www.sjcl.edu/library 

Board of Trustees 

Douglas Noll, J.D., Chair; Hon. James A. Ardaiz, Vice-Chair; John Loomis, J.D., Treasurer 

Law Day Panelists 

La Raza would like to extend our 

sincere thanks to all our Panelists for 

their generosity of their time. 

Larry Artenian, San Joaquin College of Law 

Jorge Augiliar, University of California at 

Merced 

Johnny Baltierra, Association of Mexican 

American Educators 

Melissa Barrios, California Rural Legal Services 

Robert Barrios, KAIL TV53 

Ken Blackwood, San Joaquin Black Chamber of 

Commerce 

Seng Bosavanh, Central California Legal Services 

Connie Cha, Empowerment Institute 

Jon Conklin, Office of the US Attorney and SJCL 

Adjunct Faculty 

Mark E. Cullers, Office of the US Attorney and 

SJCL Adjunct Faculty 

Alegria De La Cruz, California Rural Legal 

Services 

Eric Escamilla, Law Office of Joseph Uremovic 

Claudia Hernandez, Fresno City College 

Paul Kerkorian, Utility Cost Management & 

Law Office of Paul Kerkorian 

Mr. La Lee, Lao Family Community Center 

Brenda Linder, Law Offices of Pascuzzi, 

O’Neill&Moore 

Jeff Manning-Cartwright, Fifth District 

Appellate Court & SJCL Adjunct Faculty 

Roy Mendiola, Fresno CORAL 

Paul Mullen, Central California Legal Services 

Nick Nicasio, KAIL TV53 

Robert Perez, Law Offices R. Perez, Williams & 

Medina 

Jan Pearson, San Joaquin College of Law Dean 

Esmeralda Santos, Chicanos in Law at Fresno 

State 

Honorable Mark Snauffer, Fresno Superior 

Court 

Ann Voris, Office of the Federal Defender 

We would also like to sincerely thank 

the faculty and staff of San Joaquin 

College of Law for making this event 

possible and Costco, SaveMart, and 

Vons for providing the student lunch. 

Student Law Day 

Organizers 

Brenda Hook, La Raza President 

Eric Castellon, La Raza Treasurer 

Myava Escamilla, La Raza Secretary 

Pa Kou Cha, Edward Day, Amy 

Guerra, Rick Horowitz, John Lopez, 

Pa Houa Lor, Tina Morgan, Frankie 

Rodriquez, Richard Ruiz, Alida Tav 

and Charles Timley. 

Professor Larry Artenian, J.D.; Ross Borba, Jr.; Richard Caglia, J.D.; Hon. Jane Cardoza; Deborah Ann Coe, J.D.; 

Carol Smittcamp Copeland; Greg Durbin, J.D.; Edward D. Fanucchi, J.D.; Traci Fritzler, J.D.; Jan L. Kahn, J.D.; 

Kathleen McKenna, Alumni Representative; Elizabeth O’Neill, J.D.; Hon. Robert Oliver; Susie Osterberg; 

Erik Peterson, SBA President; Wanda L. Rogers; Dennis Veeh, CPA; Dr. Vivian Vidoli; David Weiland, J.D.

What does the SJCL Alumni Association DO? 

By Kim Mayhew, 

SJCL Alumni Association President 

It’s a good question – one that 

many alums ask when considering 

whether to spend $30 each year to 

become a member. 

Probably the most visible event the 

Alumni Association sponsors is an annual 

Christmas party for the residents 

of the Marjaree Mason Center. We 

provide gifts for mothers and children 

at a holiday celebration at SJCL, 

complete with dinner and a visit from 

Santa. In 2004, the party was hosted 

by longtime supporter Kopi Sotiropolous 

from KMPH, with help from his media 

buddy Scoopy, the Fresno Bee mascot. 

Other annual events include Cookies 

and Coffee Night in April, when alums 

visit the Remedies class to answer 

questions about Bar exam preparation. 

Alums also attend the annual Spring 

Fling and graduation ceremony. Current 

students are always seeking greater 

participation from past students, 

considered to be one of SJCL’s most 

prized resources. For many years, the 

Alumni Association has funded two 

scholarships for SJCL students. 

Our greatest strides, however, have 

been over the past two years, as the 

Alumni Association has strengthened 

its ties to SJCL students, working 

closely with the SBA on a number 

of projects. Alums joined with the 

Student Body Association to sponsor a 

Senior Law Day in fall 2003, and the 

Association has taken primary responsibility 

for the Judy Wiseman Memo- 

Judy Wiseman Memorial Golf Tournament 

On March 5, 2005 the SJCL Alumni Association held the Judy Wiseman 

Memorial Golf Tournament to benefit the Judy Wiseman Scholarship. 

rial Golf Tournament, beginning with 

the event held on March 5, 2005. This 

contact between students and alumni 

benefits everyone, forging friendships 

and the potential for employment 

contacts in the future. 

On a more personal note, the Alumni 

Association would not be what it is 

without the tireless efforts and enthusiasm 

of liaison Joan Lassley. 

Thank you to the members of the 

Alumni Association for your continued 

support. We hope to give you the 

opportunity to become more active in 

events that give back to the community, 

and to SJCL. 

Full-Time Faculty 

Lawrence M. Artenian, Richard M. Cartier, Denise M. Kerner, Janice L. Pearson, Sally A. Perring, Jeffrey G. Purvis 

Adjunct Faculty 

Art Baggett, Barry J. Bennett, Hristo Bijev, Stanley A. Boone, David M. Camenson, Hon. Hilary Chittick, Jonathan B. Conklin, Phil Cronin, Mark Cullers, 

John P. Eleazarian, Matthew Farmer, Tom Georgouses, Christine Goodrich, Gary Green, Jason Hamm, Jeff Hammerschmidt, David Jenkins, 

Donna Johnston, Allan E. Junker, Hon. David Kalemkarian, Kathi K. Kesselman, Michael P. Mallery, Jeff Manning-Cartwright, Deanna Martinez, 

Lewis Martinez, William T. McLaughlin II, Mark D. Miller, Douglas E. Noll, Kimberly Nystrom-Geist, Harry Pascuzzi, Curtis Rindlisbacher, 

Rose Safarian, Gary Sawyers, Michael Sheltzer, Michael Slater, Jonathan Skiles, Hon. Mark Snauffer, Bob Whitlock, Lynda Williams, Jacquelyn Yates. 

SJCL Inter Alia 3

Alumni Profiles 

SJCL congratulates our alumni celebrating 10, 20 and 30 year 

anniversaries in 2005. 

1975 

Thomas Campagne 

After graduating from law school, 

Tom was given the honor of a oneyear 

internship as an assistant attorney 

to Federal District Court Judge M.D. 

Crocker who was then the Presiding 

Judge of the Eastern District Court of 

California. After a year as law clerk, 

Tom moved to San Francisco and 

joined the firm of Littler, Mendelson, 

Fastiff & Tichy specializing in defending 

employers in labor litigation and 

employment law matters. During 

his three years there, he saw the firm 

grow from 26 attorneys to over 200 

attorneys. Tom moved back to Fresno 

to see his lifetime dream of having his 

own law firm come to fruition. In the 

beginning he practiced the same management/labor 

law as he did in San 

Francisco; however, by the late 1980’s 

the firm expanded to encompass public 

and private entity employers and a 

variety of labor and employment law 

litigation matters before administrative 

agencies and all state and federal 

courts, including defending employers 

against sexual harassment suits 

and other suits involving violation of 

public policy. 

Tom is married to Sarah. The two 

have four successful children – Justin, 

Danielle, Luke, and Megan. His oldest 

son, Justin, an attorney, left the Bay 

Area law firm Cooley Godward to 

practice law with his father in Fresno. 

On January 1, 2005, Tom made Justin 

his partner and changed the firm name 

to The Law Firm of Campagne & 

Campagne. 

Staff 

Janice L. Pearson, Dean; Sally A. Perring, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs; Thomas Canar, Chief Advancement Officer; Donalyn Carlson, Recruitment 

Officer; Sheryl Castro, Director of Paralegal Program and Director of Placement Services; Debbie Chacon, Receptionist; Ken Coyle, M.I.S. Director; 

Tara Crabtree, Interim Library Director; Mark Enns, Director of Marketing & Public Relations; Megan Fuller, Library Assistant; Maureen Hayes, Assistant 

to Chief Financial Officer; Lonzetta Hightower, Student Services Assistant; Joan Lassley, Alumni Liaison / Facilities Administrator; Jeannie Lewis, Director of 

Financial Aid; Katherine Maxwell, Academic Services Specialist; Joyce Morodomi, Director of Student Services; Rick Rodriguez, Maintenance Supervisor; 

Patricia Smith, Financial Services Specialist; Jill Waller-Randles, Chief Financial Officer; Gwen Watt, Regulatory Compliance Officer; 

Kasi Welte, Administrative Assistant to the Deans 


Tom enjoys hunting, shooting skeet, 

farming, working and working more. 

He is also actively involved in the Roman 

Catholic Church. 

The first night of law school, Tom sat 

between Ernest Kinney and a Fresno 

State professor. Judge Dan Eymann in 

the harshest of terms, explained to the 

72 first year students that he expected 

only 1/3 of them to graduate. He had 

everyone look to their right and left, 

and decide which of the three would 

survive. Ernest Kinney snarled at him 

and the professor commented about 

having a nearly perfect LSAT score. 

By mid-semester the professor had 

flunked out and Ernie and Tom had 

become friends. Judge Oliver Wanger 

was more uplifting and gave them the 

following advice: “You will get to a 

point where you will enjoy studying 

40 hours a week and, after all, what 

will you be doing four years from now 

on a Monday evening at 7:00PM? You 

will be sitting in front of a color television 

worrying about how you are going 

to pay your bills or thinking about 

your current boring job. Whereas, 

if you graduate from law school, the 

doors of opportunity will be open to 

you.” In Tom’s opinion both Judge 

Wanger and Judge Eymann were correct. 

He says “We worked hard but we 

enjoyed it and the doors were thrown 

open to all of us who took advantage 

of the opportunity that had been 

presented to us through the founding 

of San Joaquin College of Law.” 

Fred D. Douma 

After graduation from law school, Fred 

decided not to work in a law-related 

field. Instead, he has been self-em- 

ployed as owner of a flooring supply 

store, owner/operator of an 18- wheel 

truck and trailer, and independent 

contractor in sales. For the past six 

years he has worked for the American 

Red Cross in Medford, Oregon as a 

Mobile Unit Operator in Blood Collections. 

Fred has one daughter and two grandchildren 

in Talent, Oregon, two sons 

in Portland, Oregon, and one son and 

foster daughter in Eugene, Oregon. 

After service in the Vietnam War, Fred 

experienced Post Traumatic Stress 

Syndrome, which slowed him down 

in life’s journey. He was awarded a 

disability pension. He has served on 

his church’s board and has helped with 

local fundraisers. 

Law school was a hectic time. While 

in law school, Fred was raising a family 

and working full time. He was not 

alone; everyone was in the same boat. 

He enjoyed the time he spent with the 

13 members of the class of 1975 and 

wishes them the best. 

Ima Jean Harvey 

Native Fresnan Ima Jean Harvey 

returned to academics in the early 

1970’s following a successful first 

career with Aramco. While a student, 

she worked as a paralegal and law clerk 

for the firm of Parichan, Renberg & 

Crossman. Upon her admission to the 

California Bar, she became an attorney 

for the firm. In 1977, she became a 

shareholder, officer and director there. 

In 2000, she joined the local firm of 

Caswell Bell & Hillison, LLP. Jean 

was one of the first female attorneys to 

make “partner” in a major firm in the 

Fresno area. 

Jean and her husband, Tom, a retired 

Fresno County appraiser, own a small 

vineyard in Madera. She notes it is

2005 Race Judicata 

On February 19, 2005, 

runners from around the 

Valley gathered for the 

annual Race Judicata 

Fun Run at San Joaquin 

College of Law. 

By Sherrie Flynn 

The 5 kilometer race was 

again a Valley Runner of the 

Year Series event in which 

runners in three age divisions compete 

for the coveted title of Runner 

of the Year. The Fun Run also 

featured a 2 mile run/walk and a ¼ 

mile kids’ run. 

This year special awards were given 

to the top male and female San 

Joaquin College of Law students in 

probably her long history in this agricultural 

area that fueled her interest in 

agribusiness law. She represents farmers, 

packers, commission merchants 

and local businesses in a wide spectrum 

of legal issues. She also spends a 

substantial part of her time in estate 

planning. 

Jean is involved in the California State 

Bar and the American Bar Association. 

She served on the CEB Publication 

and Program Committee and served 

two terms on the Agribusiness Committee 

of the State Bar Business Law 

Section. She is now on its advisory 

committee. She also chaired the ABA’s 

Agribusiness Committee of the Real 

Property, Probate and Trust Section 

for several years. 

In addition, Jean has always made 

time for public service. She was a 

member of the board of directors and 

an officer of the Kings View Mental 

Health Association for nine years. She 

was also a board member and president 

of the former Fresno Community 

each race. As a result, race participation 

was at an all time high with 297 

runners and walkers. Over $4,000 

was raised to benefit the Judy Wiseman 

Memorial Scholarship Fund and 

the Student Bar Association. The 2005 

Race Judicata Fun Run Committee 

wishes to thank all of our generous 

sponsors: Baker, Manock & Jensen; 

American Ambulance; Marderosian, 

Runyon, Cercone, Lehman & Armo; 

Dowling, Aaron & Keeler; Kimble, 

Council. She is now on the board of 

directors of the Fresno Women’s Network, 

serving as its legal counsel. 

Jean and Tom have one grown 

daughter, Annette, who lives in San 

Diego. Always the adventurers, the 

couple continues their love of travel 

throughout the United States, Canada, 

Mexico, South America, Australia- 

New Zealand, Fiji and Asia. They have 

been from Machu Pichu to the Great 

Wall to the Great Barrier Reef. 

Ernest Kinney 

After being in the second class at 

SJCL, and graduating in 1975, Ernie 

began his law career in the Fresno 

County Public Defender’s Office. 

He was there 2 ½ years and tried 

a high profile murder case (David 

McGowin). In 1978 he helped form 

Cowin, Johnson, Brewer, Tibbs and 

Kinney. In 1980, he formed Ernest 

S. Kinney Law Corporation and has 

been a sole practitioner ever since. He 

has tried over 300 criminal cases and 

has received not guilty verdicts in 12 

murder cases. 

MacMichael & Upton; McCormick, 

Barstow, Sheppard, Wayte 

& Carruth; and Warnor’s Theatre. 

Without your support, the race 

would not be possible. 

Look for information in the near 

future about the 2006 Race Judicata 

Fun Run. We look forward to 

seeing you there! 

Ernie married Marion Didier during 

his Student Body President year 

at Fresno State. Their daughter, Lisa 

Monet, lives in San Diego and has 

given them two beautiful grandchildren. 

Their son, Scott, is a practicing 

attorney in Fresno with Barker and 

Associates and has tried many cases as 

an aggressive trial lawyer. He, too, has 

given them two beautiful grandchildren. 

In the awards department, Ernie 

recalls being elected “Campus Casanova” 

while at Fresno State University. 

Ernie’s community involvement has 

been one of giving to many nonprofits, 

but he has been barred from 

joining most of them. 

Ernie remembers the Pacific Campus 

when SJCL had only one classroom. 

The unique experience of having Torts 

taught by Judge Eymann, Contracts 

by Mr. Loomis, and Criminal Law by 

Oliver Wanger was one that helped 

him in his career. He states “I owe a 

lot to San Joaquin College of Law and 

so I provide a scholarship each year to 

aspiring trial lawyers”. 

Continued Page 8 

SJCL Inter Alia 5

On April 8, 2005, the SJCL Student 

Bar Association hosted the 

Barrister’s Ball at the Veterans 

Memorial Building in Clovis. More than 

200 well-dressed guests enjoyed themselves 

immensely. Numerous scholarships 

were awarded to deserving San Joaquin 

College of Law students in both the law 

and paralegal programs. Also recognized 

were Rich Cartier and Jeff Purvis as 

Faculty Members of the Year, and the 

Honorable Hilary A. Chittick as Adjunct 

Faculty Member of the Year. 

The silent auction - with more than 40 

great items available for bid - raised more 

than $1,300 that will be contributed to 

the Judy Wiseman Memorial Scholarship 

fund. The musical entertainment was provided 

by Sophisticated Swing. The band 

was a huge hit and the dance floor was 

alive. If you missed this year’s event, plan 

to attend next year. It’s a wonderful opportunity 

to meet your fellow classmates 

or catch up with SJCL alumni and staff. 

Sherrie Flynn (Law ‘05) Scott Jones (Law ‘07) and Erik Peterson (Law ‘07) Kara Schacher (Law ‘06)(R) with 

friend, Barbara Miller. 


(L-R) SBA President Shannon Pell (Law ‘06), Justin Brown (Law ‘05), and 

Vanessa Serpa (Law ‘05). 

Jody Winter (Law ‘06) and his date, Ashley Howard, swingin’ the night away.

Angela Tapia 

(Law ‘05). 

(L-R) Lewis Martinez (Law ‘04), 

Rosemary Hidalgo (Law ‘05), Claire Carroll 

(Law ‘05), and Lisa Ellis (Law ‘05). 

Antonio Stevens (Law ‘07) and 

Rick Wheeler (Law ‘06). 

Elias Suakjian (Law ‘03) and fiancee 

Maral Kochayan. 

Stacie Melikian (Law ‘06) 

(L-R) Chris Wallace (Law ‘05), Christina Skaf 

(Law ‘07), and Andrew Aller (Law ‘06). 

Joanna Ebner (Law ‘05) with husband, 

Ronald. 

Scholarships 

Leon S. Peters Leadership Awards 

Erin Anderson-Woodward, James Binion, 

Pa Kou Cha, Richard Horowitz, Shannon Pell 

Pete P. Peters Leadership Awards 

Autumn Goodrich, Brenda Hook, Eric Kapigian, 

Ana Maria Moore, Vanessa Serpa 

Albert Ramirez Bail Bonds Scholarship 

Greg Fox 

Delta Theta Phi Scholarship 

Scott Jones, Mark King, Angela Tapia 

Michael McGonigle Memorial Scholarship 

Brenda Hook, Vanessa Serpa, Shonda Siler 

SJCL Student Bar Association Law Scholarship 

Lisa Ellis, Sherrie Flynn, Marjorie Webb 

Alumni Association Carolyn T. Mirviss Scholarship 

Shannon Ransberger 

Alumni Association Spirit of SJCL 

Chrystine Carvalho 

Brown Scholarship for Women and Minorities 

Courtney Caron 

Ernest S.Kinney Trial Lawyer Scholarship 

Henry Tyra 

James K & Carol Sellers Herbert Scholarship 

Richard Horowitz 

Woman Lawyer Scholarship 

Chrystine Carvalho 

Alumni Association Judy Wiseman 

Memorial Scholarship 

Sengthiene Bosavanh 

Family Law Scholarship 

Brooke Airey 

Legal Edge Consumer Scholarship 

Eric Kapigian 

Leroy Long Memorial Scholarship 

Stacie Melikian 

The Business Journal Research 

& Writing Scholarship 

Rachele Berglund-Bailey 

Eckhart Thompson Memorial Scholarship 

Amy Guerra 

SJCL Student Bar Assoc Paralegal Scholarship 

Kristen Gates 

The Founders’ Scholarship 

Sherrie Flynn 

Adjunct Faculty of the Year 

Judge Hilary Chittick 

Full-Time Faculty 

Richard M. Cartier & Jeffrey G. Purvis 

Students of the Year 

FIRST YEAR: Steven Graham 

SECOND YEAR: Jill Miller 

THIRD YEAR: John Dyer 

FOURTH YEAR: Mark King & Griselda Torres 

PARALEGAL: Kristen Gates 

Special recognition to Sherrie Flynn for her 

work on the Race Judicata 

SJCL Inter Alia 7

2004-’05 Donors 

August 1, 2004 - May 1, 2005 

Gifts of $5,000 and more 

The Bertha and John 

Garabedian Chartable 

Foundation 

Pete P. Peters Foundation 

Albert Ramirez (’96) 

Diana R. Setoodeh (’01) 

Gifts of $1,000 – 4,999 

Baker, Manock and Jensen 

(Deborah A. Coe ’91) 

Brown & Peel 

Karen Buck (’96) 

Carol Copeland 

P.G. Divine 

James K. Herbert 

Ernest Kinney 

Law Offices of Robert J. 

Cervantes (Eduardo Ruiz ’95) 

Hon. William R. Lee 

John E. Loomis 

National Education Loan 

Network, Inc. 

Quinlan, Kershaw & 

Fanucchi (Edward D. 

Fanucchi ’95) 

Wanda Rogers 

Andrew Sorensen 

Kimberly R. Sweidy (’85) 

Richard Watters 


Gifts of $500-999 

Hristo Bijev 

Hal Bolen 

Michel J. Bryant (’91) 

Business Journal 

Denise Cahill (’04) 

Thomas Canar 

Delta Theta Phi Foundation 

Michael Geis 

Allison Gong (’96) 

Robert I. Lindsay (’92) 

Patricia Mattson-Markell 

(’85) 

Ronald Nissila (’96) 

Elizabeth O’Neill 

Margaret Shainberg (’93) 

SJCL Alumni Association 

Wells Fargo Bank 

Gifts of $100-499 

Anonymous 

Annette Ballatore- 

Williamson (’97) 

Dennis D. Bean 

Mary Ann Bluhm (’78) 

Mark A. Blum (’92) 

Geraldine Brown (’79) 

Julia A. Brungess (’82) 

Sue Cercone (’89) 

Katherine A. Coolidge (’79) 

James Wasson 

After law school Jim resigned from 

the California Highway Patrol on 

January 5, 1975 at the end of his shift 

at 10:30PM. The next day he reported 

for work as a Fresno County Deputy 

District Attorney. Approximately six 

months later he went into private 

practice with attorney George Carter. 

Carter and Wasson handled criminal 

defense cases. Approximately 1-½ 

years later he went solo and incorporated 

in 1979 as a professional 

corporation. In 1980 he became a 

Certified Specialist in Family Law and 

has practiced family and criminal law 

ever since. 

Jim’s wife, Denise, was a human 

resource manager for Macy’s in Fresno 

until he persuaded her to quit so 

they could have more flexible time to 

travel. They have 5 daughters and 10 

grandchildren, who reside in Washington 

State, California and Colorado. 

Jim enjoys snow and water skiing, 

surfing, motorcycle trips to Sturgis, 

South Dakota, Laughlin and Reno, 

visiting foreign counties and studying 

their criminal justice systems. He has 

been to Hong Kong, Peru, Guatemala, 

Ireland, France, Egypt, England, 

James Demsey 

Diana S. Dooley 

Friends of Harry Armstrong 

Traci Fritzler (’97) 

Craig B. Fry (’00) 

Francis G. Gist (‘92) 

Don Germino 

Timothy Hart (’83) 

Angela Hill (’97) 

Robert E. Hurlbett (’90) 

Suzanne Kehde (’99) 

Mary J. Lane (’88) 

Joan Lassley 

Bruce Leichty 

Jeff L. Levinson (’91) 

Karen L. Mathes (’95) 

Kimberly Mayhew (’98) 

Katherine Maxwell 

Kim Mayhew 

W. Rod McClelland (’94) 

McCormick, Barstow, 

Sheppard, Wayte & 

Carruth, LLP 

Pamela McFarland (’85) 

Gina T. Miller (’04) 

Mark Miller 

Susan Moore (’97) 

Richard J. Oleksa 

Sally Perring 

Ofra Pleban (’96) 

Spain, Portugal, Italy, China, Brazil, 

Greece and the Netherlands. 

He has been involved in the improvement 

of the Tower District. He speaks 

to college and high school classes 

regarding the role of the attorney in 

criminal matters. He has participated 

in several protest marches, and has been 

active in local elections and politics. 

Jim relates that law school was hectic 

time; he was lucky to have a great 

group of classmates. The Thursday 

night after class beer drinking at the 

now defunct “Outpost” was a fun 

event at which to relax from the pressures 

of night school. Jim was lucky 

to have a job where he could study 

during his shift; this resulted in his 

having the lowest enforcement action 

in a squad of 100 CHP officers. He 

has fond memories of Highway 99 

overpasses where he spent a great deal 

of time reading Constitutional Law 

while ostensibly observing traffic. 

Robert Williams 

Before taking the bar, Bob went to 

work for Parichan, Renberg & Crossman 

with his classmate, Ima Jean 

Harvey. He worked in personal injury 

defense and business litigation. Ima 

Robert F. Price (’87 Tax) 

Mary K. Rau (’91) 

Stephen Sefton (’78) 

Nancy I. Smith (’80) 

Hon. Mark Snauffer 

John D. Suhr (’78) 

Howard Watkins 

Weymouth Pest Control and 

Tamara Pulos Smith (’02) 

James Witherow (’87) 

Daniel Yohman (’77) 

Yohman, Parker, Kern, Nard 

and Dennis Nard (’95) 

Other 

Cynthia Arroyo (’00) 

Lloyd Carter (’94) 

Sheryl Castro 

Kevin Cook (’99) 

Sofian Dawood (’04) 

Donalyn Carlson 

Michael Dias (’93) 

Jackson Grode (’83) 

Douglas (’82) & Marcia 

Haas 

Linda Kelly (’86) 

Ian Marty (99) 

Joyce Morodomi 

Mio Quatraro (’74) 

Eric Schweitzer (’95) 

LeRoy Snyder 

Sharon Stull (’85) 

Jill Waller-Randles 

Sarah Widener-Brightwell 

(’94) 

Nancy Winston Silacci (’80) 

Donations of Books to 

the Library 

Baker, Manock, & Jensen 

Hristo Bijev 

Cooper Copy 

John Loomis 

Jeremy Lusk (‘03) 

Miles, Sears, & Eanni 

David Mugridge (’85) 

Elizabeth O’Neill 

Irene Spensley 

Phillip E. Tavlian (’80) 

Richard Watters 

DeWayne Zinkin 

In-Kind Gifts 

City of Clovis 

Electric Motor Shop and 

Richard M. Caglia, II (’99) 

Sheryl Castro 

Patrick Cervelli Distributing 

Jean soon became a partner. Bob then 

worked with Mr. Parichan on product 

liability cases. In 1980 Bob formed 

the law office of Perez, Makasian and 

Williams. Currently, he is a partner 

with Perez, Williams & Medina doing 

plaintiff personal injury and insurance 

coverage disputes. 

Bob is married to Julia Brungess. They 

have a son, Ryan, who is a scientist 

with Clorox. They have been busy 

trying to build a home in the O’Neals 

area, but that process is taking longer 

than he anticipated! The family has 

always been avid bicycle riders. 

Bob has fond memories of his 

outstanding instructors Hollis Best, 

Leonard Ginsberg, and Ollie Wanger. 

1985 

Robert Fletcher 

Robert is in private practice. He is 

married to Diane. The two will celebrate 

their 34- year wedding anniversary 

in 2005. They have two children. 

The oldest graduated from California 

State University, Fresno in 2002 with 

a BA in Graphic Design. The youngest 

is a sophomore at College of Sequoias 

in Visalia. The family recently traveled

to Peru, visiting Lima and Cusco, 

hiking the “El Camino Inka” (the Inca 

Trail) to Macchu Picchu. The hike was 

strenuous and the air was thin, but at 

the end they were met with a beautiful 

cloud forest. Robert was impressed 

with the history of Peru and its people. 

He highly recommends the trip. 

While Robert no longer competes 

in judo, he enjoys watching matches 

when available. He also is a fan of the 

Arkansas Razorback Football team. He 

intends to pick up scuba diving again. 

His interest has recently been revived 

when his daughter, a competitive 

swimmer, expressed an interest in the 

hobby and asked dad to join her. 

Robert is very involved with his 

church. He teaches Sunday School. 

He has been a member of the Board 

of Deacons, part of the leadership at 

his church. Sunday worship gets his 

batteries charged for the week. Since 

1987 he has worked for Gideons 

International, an interdenominational 

organization of Christian professionals 

and businessmen that distribute Bibles 

and New Testaments throughout the 

world. 

Robert’s special memory of SJCL: “On 

the night of our graduation ceremony 

I lifted my (then) five year old son up 

and as I gave him a big bear hug somebody 

from SJCL snapped a picture of 

the moment. Later, with my permission, 

the picture was used in one of 

the SJCL catalogues. A glossy print of 

that picture still sits on our fireplace 

mantel in its own special wood frame 

bearing the inscription ‘Anyone can be 

a father but it takes someone special 

to be a Daddy.’ Actually, I think that 

moment caught on film goes well beyond 

my experience at SJCL, beyond 

this 20-year anniversary of our SJCL 

graduation, and fairly sums up how I 

feel about the entire past 36 years. As 

a special memory, it was pivotal in our 

lives and it happened at SJCL.” 

Kevin Hansen 

Kevin is currently a partner at Mc- 

Cormick, Barstow, Sheppard, Wayte 

& Carruth, LLP, which has offices in 

Fresno, Modesto, and Las Vegas. 

You are invited to the 2005 Law Program 

Graduation 

Kevin also teaches and lectures to 

various professional organizations, 

serves on the board of the Volunteer 

Center of Fresno County and the 

board of Clovis West High School’s 

Babe Ruth Baseball team. He is also 

involved in Scouting, is an art docent 

at Ft. Washington Elementary School, 

coaches mock trial at Clovis West and 

stays active in his church. 

Kevin is married to Clare. They have 

five wonderful children -- Alexandra 

(Alex), age 15; Zachary, age 13; Matthew, 

age 10; Samantha, age 10; and 

McKenzie, age 9. Kevin likes to spend 

his free time reading, playing sports-as 

much as his deteriorating knees will 

allow--and, riding herd on his brood. 

He recalls his class attending SJCL at 

the old building on Shields Avenue. 

A highlight of many an evening was 

the trek to the donut shop during the 

mid-evening break. He also remembers 

being overwhelmed by “the great” 

Oliver Wanger (now a federal judge) 

in Civil Procedure and marveling 

at how cool and collected Professor 

Wanger seemed, even late at night. 

Little did he suspect that he would 

later go on to become a partner of his 

at McCormick-Barstow before Judge 

Wanger’s appointment to the federal 

bench. Kevin fondly remembers the 

many good friends he made in law 

school and the camaraderie everyone 

felt in helping each other study and 

work through the four-year ordeal. 

Though it may seem long ago now, 

he realizes daily just what an impact 

studying law had on his entire life, not 

just on his career. 

Saturday May 28, 2005 at 3:00PM 

Warnors Theatre in Fresno 

A reception will follow immediately after the ceremony. 

Warren Paboojian 

Warren is currently a partner with the 

law firm of Oren & Paboojian, which 

handles plaintiffs’ personal injury lawsuits. 

The firm specializes in products 

liability, catastrophic injuries, medical 

malpractice and employment law. 

After graduating from SJCL, Warren 

worked for an insurance defense firm, 

Marderosian & Swanson. He worked 

in insurance defense for approximately 

15 years excluding his time as Deputy 

District Attorney from 1988 to 1990. 

In 2000, his practice shifted to 

plaintiff’s personal injury. Recently, he 

is handling the very high-profile case 

for Stacy Johnson-Klein. 

Warren is a member of ABOTA 

(American Board of Trial Advocates). 

Oren and Paboojian is an AV rated law 

firm by Martindale-Hubbell. In 2004, 

he was the recipient of the Central 

California Trial Lawyers Association 

President’s Award in recognition for 

outstanding trial advocacy protecting 

the rights of consumers in civil 

litigation. He also serves as an elected 

Board of Directors for the Fresno 

County Bar Association. 

Warren has been married for 15 years 

to Lesa Paboojian. They have three 

children – Tara, age 10, Bridgette, 

age 8, and Tyler, age 6. 

Warren enjoys spending time with 

his family, exercise, and golf. He also 

enjoys going to Indian Guide meetings 

with his three children. 

Continued Page 10 

SJCL Inter Alia 9

As to special memories, Waren remembers 

surviving the first year of law 

school and passing his torts class taught 

by attorney Don Fischbach. 

Sharon (Lessley- 

Gilmore) Stull 

Sharon reports that her life following 

graduation has been blessed with 

many happy endings. She is currently 

the human resources director for a 

specialty insurance agency, Poms & 

Associates Insurance Brokers, Inc., in 

Calabasas. There she performs both 

human resource consulting and training 

and was named Manager of the 

Year for 2004. The company’s employees 

chose her for this award, which 

made it all that more special. 

She uses her education in labor law 

and human resources on a daily basis 

and still finds it to be both challenging 

and interesting. 

Sharon was certified as a Professional 

in Human Resources (PHR) 

in 2001, which is a national certification 

through the Society of Human 

Resource Management. Sharon 

volunteers her time to the Simi Valley 

YMCA and is an active member of 

Toastmasters International. Both 

she and her husband are involved as 

speech judges for the Ventura County 

Academic Decathlon. She likes to curl 

up with a good murder mystery or begin 

a new quilting or knitting project. 

Sharon is a blissful newlywed, having 

married Bill Stull in 2002. She met 

Bill through her involvement in Toastmasters 

International. After the wedding 

she moved to Simi Valley where 

Bill has been a long-time resident. Bill 

is the business manager for William L. 

Morris Chevrolet. 

Her special memories of SJCL include 

Trisha Markell’s never-ending variety 

of hairdos. She also recalls a student in 

Torts who stood up half hour into the 

mid-term and said, “Well, that’s all I 

know,” and turned in his paper! Her 

study group included Trisha Markell 

and David Mugridge. The group was 

famous for scaling the wall to get to 

the donut shop. She marvels that no 

one broke their neck during these 


escapades. She also remembers desperately 

trying to decipher Judge Caeton’s 

hieroglyphic chalkboard notes. All in 

all, she says, going to school at SJCL 

was a great experience. 

Kimberly Sweidy Stata 

Kim is a stay at home mom. She is 

married to Raymond P. Stata and 

has two beautiful daughters, Raychel 

Roark who is 4 1/2 and Rene Rearden 

who is 2 ½. 

In 1993 she earned her MBA from 

the University of Pennsylvania, The 

Wharton School. 

Kim is interested in education, particularly 

in the area of early multiple 

language acquisition, piano, scrapbooking, 

sewing and dancing, but 

everything has taken a back seat to 

building a new home. 

Kim is the Board Secretary for Friends 

of the Palo Alto Junior Museum and 

Zoo. She is actively involved in their 

daughter’s school, which is a Montessori-based 

curriculum taught in Mandarin 

and English. She also does pro 

bono legal representation for at-risk 

and abused children. 

Her fond SJCL memories are of the 

high caliber of the professors, all of 

whom outshone the professors at UC 

Davis School of Law. She has always 

been glad that she returned to SJCL to 

complete her law degree after her first 

year of law school. 

1995 

Brian Alvarez 

Brian decided to attend law school 

after returning home from the 

first Persian Gulf War in 1991. He 

worked in the Fresno County District 

Attorney’s Office, Bureau of Investigations 

while attending SJCL (‘91-‘95). 

In retrospect, he did not realize what 

he was getting into. Upon graduating 

from SJCL and passing the bar 

exam in 1995, he became a Fresno 

County Deputy District Attorney. As 

a DA he prosecuted a wide variety of 

criminal cases, until he left in 2002 to 

gain other prosecutorial experience. 

In 2002, he went to work for the 

California Attorney General’s Office to 

prosecute complex criminal cases and 

argue appellate cases in both state and 

federal courts of appeal. 

Brian married Teresa, a district attorney 

investigator, in 1990. Their oldest 

daughter Jessica was born on the first 

day of SJCL instruction – August 

28, 1991. Needless to say, he did not 

attend his first day of Torts. Their 

younger daughter is Daniella, age 21 

months. (Yes, they waited almost 12 

years to have another) And, of course, 

he can’t forget Smooch, their retired 

racing Greyhound, and their two 

geriatric Chihuahuas. 

Brian enjoys running, skiing, weight 

training, reading, music, smoking fine 

cigars, and traveling. He was a Captain 

of the California Air National Guard, 

Fresno’s 144th Fighter Wing as the 

Public Affairs Officer from 1995 to 

2003. He is also active in the Central 

California Greyhound Adoption 

Society. 

When he enrolled at SJCL Brian was 

not sure what he was up against; he 

was shocked into reality by his midterm 

Torts grade. Justice Jim Ardaiz’s 

evidence course was his favorite law 

school class. School administration 

made students sign a student roster 

as proof of attendance, an unpopular 

task amongst the students. Brian’s special 

SJCL memory is watching Justice 

Ardaiz’s facial expressions after receiving 

the student attendance list which 

was defaced with various unflattering 

comments by unnamed students 

(Brian and Jim Martin). 

Kenneth Carver 

After graduation from law school, Ken 

stayed with his employer, practicing 

plaintiff’s personal injury law with 

some criminal defense work. In 2001 

he went to the Fifth District Court of 

Appeal as a research attorney, working 

for Associate Justices Thomas A. Harris 

and Nickolas J. Dibiaso. In 2003 

the State’s budget crisis forced the 

elimination of his job.

Since December 2003, Ken has been 

doing his best to ease prison overcrowding 

doing criminal appellate 

work in the First, Third, Fifth, and 

Sixth District Courts of Appeal. He 

was fortunate to win his first appointed 

case. Although it has been a 

bit down hill since, he still hopes of 

winning a few more. 

In March 2005, Ken accepted a position 

as a research attorney with the 

Fresno County Superior Court, after 

obtaining release as counsel of record 

on his ongoing appellate cases. 

Diana S. Dooley 

Diana is General Counsel and Vice 

President for Children’s Hospital 

Central California. She is responsible 

for managing legal services and for 

leading Hospital programs in communications, 

advocacy, and governmental 

relations. 

Diana is active in civic and community 

affairs and currently serves on 

the Executive Committee of the UC 

Merced Board of Trustees, the Maddy 

Institute Board of Directors at Fresno 

State, the California Historical Society 

Board of Trustees and is a member of 

the Visalia Rotary Club. She is also a 

past president of Planned Parenthood, 

the Visalia Chamber of Commerce 

and the Central California Futures 

Institute. 

Diana often travels to Arkansas and 

Massachusetts to visit her daughters. 

She plays golf on Sunday mornings, 

knits on airplanes, and reads at least 

one book a month to keep up with the 

book club she started 16 years ago. 

Diana’s fondest memory of her law 

school experience is the caring and 

cooperative atmosphere fostered by 

the faculty and staff under trying circumstances. 

Most of the students were 

working as well as going to school, so 

the rigorous program and the cramped 

quarters of the old Shields building 

created many challenges. She appreciated 

the sense that we were all in it 

together and the goal was for everyone 

to succeed. 

Jeffrey Heeren 

Upon graduation Jeff entered private 

practice with The Law Offices 

of Thomas Campagne. He enjoyed 

appellate practice before the California 

Fifth District Court of Appeal, 

California Supreme Court, and U.S. 

Supreme Court. His transactional 

work included drafting contracts, 

leasing, and licensing agreement of 

many sorts. His trial work included 

management defense, agribusiness 

contract disputes, bankruptcy issues, 

and probate/trust litigation. He also 

participated in administrative proceedings 

including government rulemaking 

and state and federal administrative 

procedure hearings. 

Since joining the Fresno City Attorney’s 

Office, Jeff has handled eminent 

domain, CEQA, code enforcement, 

collection, contract, risk management, 

and other public entity matters. Jeff 

is now a member of the City Attorney 

Office’s Economic Development Unit, 

advising the City and the Redevelopment 

Agency. 

Jeff is single and enjoys cooking, backpacking 

in the Sierra Nevada, gardening, 

and irrigating his vinyard. 

Joan Levie 

Upon passing the bar in December 

1995, Joan went to work for attorney 

Salvatore Sciandra as an associate, then 

on to McCormick-Barstow practicing 

insurance defense. In 1997, she moved 

to Cooper & Hoppe and continued 

her interest in insurance defense. 

Joan has been a sole practitioner since 

1998 with an emphasis on federal 

criminal defense, plaintiff tort litigation, 

and appellate work for plaintiffs. 

Joan is a member of the federal 

Criminal Justice Act attorney panel, 

appointed by the Eastern District of 

California Federal Defender’s Office. 

She has argued at least six cases at the 

Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and 

has had a case published. She recently 

argued First Amendment criminal 

case of first impression at the Ninth 

Circuit. SJCL Professor Jeff Purvis 

was her consultant on the case, more 

evidence that the value of a SJCL 

education extends far beyond the 

classroom. 

Joan is active in the legal community, 

evidenced by her award as Outstanding 

Attorney Volunteer of the 

Year. She has served on the board of 

directors of Fresno County Women 

Lawyers. She has also been involved, 

for more than a decade, with Volunteers 

in Parole (VIP). 

Joan’s son, Jeremy, is now married to 

Meg; they have a daughter, Elizabeth, 

age 4. She is the apple of grandma’s 

eye and the source of much laughter 

and relaxation. Jeremy and Meg 

are both Zen Buddhists at the San 

Francisco Zen Center. Jeremy is an 

administrator and Meg is a priest. 

They reside in Marin County at Green 

Gulch Farm and Tassajara, the first 

Zen training monastery in the West. 

As you might imagine, Joan and her 

husband, Juda, spend most of their 

free time in the Bay Area. 

Joan’s best memory of law school was 

when her law review article was recommended 

as “worth reading” by the 

National Law Journal. Immediately 

after that she started receiving contact 

from people all over the country who’d 

actually read the article! 

Her most hilarious SJCL memory 

stems from when she, Gayle DeLapp, 

Dave Rendahl, and Kevin O’Casey 

went to Seton Hall Law School in 

New Jersey for a criminal moot court 

competition. One night, they stayed 

up all night to drive to Atlantic City 

for dinner so the men could gamble. 

The women did the smart thing; they 

found a place to crash while Kevin 

and Dave tossed their dollars to the 

wind. They returned to the hotel with 

only one hour left to pack and drive to 

Newark Airport. After this mad dash, 

all the travelers slept like babies on the 

flight back to California. 

SJCL Inter Alia 11

We want updates 

We want to know what you are doing. 

Include your current address, family 

information, recent accomplishments, 

and any other information or photos you 

would like to provide. Then send us the 

information by: 

Fax: 559/323-5566, 

Email: menns@sjcl.edu, or Mail: SJCL, 

Alumni Updates, 901 5th Street, Clovis, 

CA 93612. 

Bookstore 

The Bookstore has a complete listing 

of the books it carries at www.sjcl. 

edu/bookstore.asp 

San Joaquin College of Law 

901 5th Street 

Clovis, California 93612 

RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED 

Spring 2004-05 

Paralegal Graduates 

(L-R) Denise McGee, Alec Perring, Valedictorian Laura Bragg, Kyle Marney, and 

Sarah Stauch. 

Non-Profit Org. 

U. S. Postage 

PAID 

Fresno, CA 

Permit No. 721

Past Winners A tradition of excellence - San Joaquin College of Law

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