Graduation ceremony Saturday, May 16, at 1:00 p.m., at Harold J. Miossi Cultural and Performing Arts Center, Cuesta College, CA-1, San Luis Obispo.

One of SLOCL's most important roles is providing a more equitable pathway to the legal profession for working adults and nontraditional students to attend law school.”— Lisa Sperow, MCL President and CEO
 

SAN LUIS OBISPO, CA, UNITED STATES, May 11, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- San Luis Obispo College of Law (SLOCL), an accredited branch of Monterey College of Law (MCL), will confer Juris Doctor and Master of Legal Studies degrees to students at a graduation ceremony on Saturday, May 16, beginning at 1:00 p.m., at the Harold J. Miossi Cultural and Performing Arts Center at Cuesta College, CA-1, San Luis Obispo.

“The Class of 2026 has worked incredibly hard. They’ve balanced full-time jobs, family responsibilities, and a rigorous load of evening law school classes, clinics, and internships,” said SLOCL Campus Dean Erica Flores Baltodano. “We look forward to celebrating all of their accomplishments and honoring the sacrifices of their loved ones who will be present and have supported them along their law school journey,” said Baltodano.

San Luis Obispo College of Law celebrated its 10th anniversary last year and has produced a steady number of law school graduates who now have successful careers as attorneys and business leaders in local law firms, public agencies, non-profit legal organizations, and other local businesses.

“One of SLOCL's most important roles is providing a more equitable pathway to the legal profession for working adults and nontraditional students who otherwise would have been denied the opportunity to attend law school,” MCL President & CEO Lisa Sperow explained. “SLOCL has proven to be a very valuable addition to the higher education community on the Central Coast,” said Sperow.

During the graduation ceremony, SLOCL’s two highest achieving students will receive the West Publishing Award, and local attorneys who serve as adjunct law professors who have been selected by students and the MCL Board of Trustees will also receive awards. Over the last several years, SLOCL Graduation has attracted a high caliber of notable Commencement Speakers, including a California Appellate Court Justice and Superior Court Judges from San Luis Obispo and Northern Santa Barbara County. “Students, faculty, members of the MCL Board of Trustees and SLOCL Advisory Board, and friends and relatives in attendance are not going to be disappointed,” said Baltodano.

This year, several graduating law students chose to sit for the Bar Exam in February and will be receiving their law school degrees, having already passed the California Bar Exam, widely considered one of the toughest in the nation. Other graduates will continue their Bar studies after graduation in preparation for the July exam.

Monterey College of Law was founded in 1972 by local lawyers and judges as an evening law school program providing high-quality legal education for individuals living and working in the local community. San Luis Obispo opened as the law school’s first accredited branch campus in 2015. The local campus provides the same curriculum and degree programs as the original campus in Monterey and the school’s other campus locations in Bakersfield and Santa Rosa. Local students can choose to enroll in on-site courses or in the law school’s hybrid online option.

In the last 12 years, Monterey College of Law has experienced a period of successful growth, including opening three additional residential campus locations – San Luis Obispo College of Law, Kern County College of Law, and Empire College of Law (Santa Rosa), and the development of one of the first California-accredited online hybrid law school enrollment options. The law school is also the only state-accredited legal education program that offers an advanced graduate LL.M. degree in addition to the J.D. and Master of Legal Studies degrees.

“In addition to the traditional J.D. degree program, our Master of Legal Studies degree expands legal education to those who are not interested in practicing law, but who would benefit in their existing careers from graduate school courses in law,” said Sperow.

“It has been exciting to watch the community take advantage of these programs,” said Assistant Dean of Market Development Dena Dowsett. “We are always looking for new qualified candidates for our programs here in SLO. Students interested in learning more or who are interested in applying for Spring, Summer, or Fall Semesters are encouraged to go to our website at www.slolaw.org.”