Graduate Profile: Ellen Bowden Like many Concord Law School students, Ellen Bowden totes a law book with her wherever she goes, and like many parents, she uses quiet moments when her son is napping to catch up on her studies. A single mother who had wanted to study law for ten years, Ellen considered attending one of the two fixed facility law schools within driving distance from her home in Salt Lake City, Utah. She chose Concord instead because she wanted to schedule her day around her own needs, which include taking care of her son and running a private investment business. Ellen earned her BA in Elementary Education from Emory University and her MBA from the University of Oklahoma, and began her career first as a teacher, and then as a pharmaceutical sales representative. She later earned the designation of Certified Personal Trainer, and now consults on gym design, athletic injury and treatment, and weight loss. In addition to caring for her son and running her business, Ellen devotes 25-35 hours each week to studying law, and regularly talks with her classmates by phone, email and in the student lounge after chat sessions, to review and analyze cases. During her first year of law school at Concord, Ellen lived in a small town in southern Utah, and was hired as a law clerk by a local attorney who gave her the opportunity to conduct research, write briefs, and observe litigation. Ellen plans to use her J.D. to take her career in another direction, to grow a portfolio management business, as well as practice business and contract law, building on her studies in tax, property and estate law at Concord. In addition, she hopes to do pro bono work in her community.
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Graduate Profile: Laura Collins As a transfer student who studied at a fixed facility law school before transferring to Concord, Laura Collins can speak to both the on- and offline experience. But before switching gears to law school, the Southern California native was a veteran of the entertainment business. At the age of 24, Laura co-founded a film production and distribution company. Over the next 15 years of running Moviestore/Active Entertainment, she built it into a major force in the independent film industry. After selling her interest in the business and taking some time to pursue an equally rigorous endeavor – motherhood – Laura decided to consider a new career direction, and turned to law school. Yet she found her first law school experience, at Santa Barbara College of Law, created a challenging barrier to the demands of raising Amelia, 12 and Jacob, 9. Attendance at the fixed facility campus three nights a week, for three hours a night, was taking a toll on Laura’s capacity to devote time to her family. In researching her options, she discovered Concord. The quality of faculty, including nationally preeminent lecturers, attracted her attention and by 2000, Laura transferred her credits into Concord’s J.D. program. “I was hoping for a flexible schedule that would allow me to accommodate the needs of my family,” said Laura. “What I got was some of the best law professors in the country and the most rigorous learning experience of my life. I enjoy both the discipline of the academic program and the ability to implement my own schedule. The experience has exceeded my expectations.” She has been impressed with the level of attention students receive from professors. “The professors have been extremely responsive. My questions are always answered fully and my essay exams are returned promptly and with voluminous comments. This is much more feedback than I received at a fixed facility school!” Equally important is the flexibility, which allows her to study and view lectures while her children, Amelia, 12, and Jacob, 9, are in school, in the evenings and on the weekends. While Laura is undecided about definitive next steps in putting her J.D. to use, one consideration is starting a family-centered divorce mediation practice with her husband, a therapist. Her advice to prospective Concord students: “This is a great adventure, if you are self- motivated. The studying will take more time than you think, and the preparation for finals will be grueling. But, if you can handle the schedule, you will find it a very rewarding experience.”
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Graduate Profile: Elazar Harel As the Chief Information Officer at the University of California, San Diego, Elazar Harel hopes to integrate his J.D. from Concord Law School with his Management Information Systems (MIS) experience and then specialize in Internet/computing law. Elazar, who was raised in Tel-Aviv, Israel, received a B.Sc. in Electrical Engineering, Technion, Israel Institute of Technology, in 1974; a M.Sc. in Management, Tel Aviv University in 1979; and a Ph.D. in Management, UCLA, in 1987. He says that Concord allowed him the opportunity to return to school at the age of 47, sharpen the “grey cells” and help him to feel young. He chose Concord because he was impressed by the quality of the faculty, by the innovative teaching approach, by the strong financial and testing experiences provided by its affiliation with Kaplan, as well as by the affordability. His choice to pursue a law degree online also made strategic sense given his current profession. “Since I am involved in online learning initiatives as part of my job, experiencing online learning firsthand is the best way to find out about the advantages and disadvantages of this environment.” Additionally, he says, the online learning experience provides another positive benefit. “The best side effect of Concord,” says Elazar, “has been that I do my homework alongside my three teenagers as they do theirs. It is a wonderful experience to study together. I usually study in the evenings and weekends and even discuss some of the cases with the family.” The biggest challenge of online learning, he says, is finding time to study and challenging ?? traditional methods of interaction. He has formed a virtual study group with three classmates, which has provided him with an arena to discuss issues, provide support and encouragement when studying becomes difficult, and share relevant information. Additionally, he occasionally sends email questions to the faculty and says he has always received very prompt and good responses. He particularly likes Concord's educational process, including the live online chats and the quizzes. Elazar notes that his online educational experience hasn’t escaped the notice of his colleagues and peers: “Everyone is admiring the process and they can’t believe that I can find time for this. Many people voiced interest in joining an online learning law school and are waiting to see how my experience will unfold.”
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Graduate Profile: John Jascob A compliance analyst at Deutsche Asset Management, John Jascob commutes three to fo ur hours every day from his home in New Hampshire to his job in Boston. For the past four years, he has been using his commute time to study law. With a J.D., John hopes to further his career in securities and insurance law, as his current position already involves working with state and federal securities laws and regulation on a daily basis. “A law degree will significantly enhance my knowledge in my field, particularly with regard to legal principles,” he explains. “Several members of my department have achieved J.D.’s through evening study, and although they do not act as attorneys on behalf of the firm, the passage of a state bar examination has proved to be a significant enhancement to their careers.” A former Latin teacher who received his B.A. in Classical Archaeology from the University of Michigan and an M.A. in Teaching Latin from the University of Massachusetts, John has a unique perspective on the learning process. His experiences as a teacher contributed to his interest in distance learning options, and having taken an online paralegal studies course at the University of Maryland, John found the method and flexibility suited his personal style. Also factoring into John’s decision was the cost of tuition. “A comparable four year program at traditional schools would have cost perhaps four times as much as that offered by Concord University. Concord offers the opportunity of a high quality education to students of moderate or limited means.” John notes that the affordable tuition may ha ve a positive side effect: “As we are not subject to the often crushing burden of financing our education, it would not surprise me to see many Concord graduates explore areas of the law that are currently underserved, including legal services to poor or low income families.” He says that the level of student-teacher interaction at Concord has exceeded his expectations of a distance education program. “The distance format can occasionally leave a student feeling somewhat removed or isolated, and the degree of support we receive in the chat rooms or via questions is very much appreciated,” he says. “Although I was fortunate to be a member of a number of ‘seminar’ type classes as both an undergraduate and graduate, the level of interaction with the faculty at Concord University has exceeded what I experienced at those institutions.” To prospective students, John offers the following advice: “Although the Concord curriculum requires that the student accept an even greater degree of responsibility for his or her own education, the intellectual and personal rewards are substantial. Persistent effort is the key to success.”
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Graduate Profile: Roberto Lee On a typical day, Dr. Roberto Lee gets up at 3:00 a.m. and hits the books for a few hours of study before heading to Wythe County Community Hospital, where he is an attending physician. By 7:30 a.m., he is scrubbing down for his first surgery. After a couple of hours of incisions and suturing, Dr. Lee hangs up his scrubs and switches gears: by 10:00 a.m., he is in Circuit Court, interning as a judicial clerk as part of Concord’s Legal Education Experience Program (LEEP). Several hours and some depositions and cases later, he again changes hats, closing the legal briefcase and heading to his private surgical practice at Wythe Surgical Associates, Inc. Here, he sees patients for a few more hours before calling it a day – unless he decides to squeeze in more study time before bed. For more than 30 years, Roberto has practiced general surgery in Wytheville, VA – a small town of about 8,000 residents where he has raised a family of five children with his wife of 37 years (also a physician). But in 1999, Roberto decided to pursue a longtime alternate professional goal: to attain a legal education. He notes that he was drawn to Concord Law School by its affiliation with Kaplan Inc.: “I have known Kaplan for years, as being a pioneer in helping students with their respective studies. The name ‘Kaplan’ attracted me to Concord.” Although balancing a full- time surgical practice with a rigorous program of legal coursework might seem overwhelming to some, this M.D. views the Concord curriculum as “a good change from the long hours of practice of surgery.” In fact, he says, within his first year, he was already able to apply what he had learned to real life situations. He cites top-notch faculty support as an integral part of the Concord experience: “With the faculty, I feel like they are with me 24 hours a day. I can e-mail them anytime I have a question or need a point of law clarified…In fact, two of my children are graduates of brick and mortar law schools (rated in the top 25 by U.S. News & World Report), and they thought I received better faculty support than they did when they were in law school.” Roberto also notes he has had greater exposure to actual clinical experience – through the LEEP program he has attended months of court sessions, including observing a full murder trial firsthand, from jury selection to verdict. With plans to take the California State Bar exam after graduation, Roberto intends to pursue a legal- medical direction, and is even considering working with his daughter, an attorney specializing in health law. Few get to enjoy two fulfilling careers, but Roberto is looking forward to doing just that.
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Graduate Profile: Farzad Naeim Farzad Naeim, from Porter Ranch, California, is an internationally recognized earthquake engineer who has authored two seismic design textbooks that are standard teaching tools in virtually all of the major universities in the United States and abroad. In addition, he has taught engineering at leading institutions and has written more than 100 articles for scientific journals or conference proceedings. As Director of Research and Development at John A. Martin & Associates, Inc., one of the nation’s largest consulting firm in the field of structural, civil and earthquake engineering, it had been sixteen years since Farzad had earned his last graduate degree (a Ph.D. in engineering) when he enrolled at Concord in 1998 as a member of the law school’s first class. With more than 20 years of experience in the earthquake engineering industry as both an engineer and a teacher at the University of California at Los Angeles and the University of Southern California, Farzad recognized a gap of understanding between engineers and lawyers, and felt that a law degree could help him bridge that gap in his industry. His work and travel schedule, along with two young children at home, made for a hectic pace, and Farzad needed a way to fit in a legal education. “Concord was the natural choice for me,” explains Farzad. “I often travel, on short notice, and it was impractical for me to be physically present at a particular classroom four nights a week. With Concord, the law school travels with me. All I need is my laptop and relevant study material. I have attended Concord from Los Angeles to Taipei, from Vancouver to Milan, and from Paris to New York. I watch my lectures in the morning before my kids wake up and at night after I put them to bed. I do my studies on the plane, on the train, and my home office at my convenience. It just makes a lot of sense.” Farzad’s children, ages 11 and 6, were a significant factor in his decision to attend Concord. “I did not want to lose the opportunity to see my kids grow up. As it turns out, studying at home in my office has had a very positive impact on my children. When they see their dad doing homework, they no longer complain about doing their own homework, and very often my daughter studies alongside me.” Upon passing the bar, Farzad intends to wear a new hat at John Martin, that of General Counsel. “Over many years of engineering practice and involvement with attorneys, I am glad to have a knowledge base that helps both sides understand each other, not only in conflict, but in negotiations and development discussions. My understanding of law makes me a greater asset to our firm, and I credit Concord’s program for enabling me to juggle so much and yet achieve so much as well.”
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Graduate Profile: Patrick T. Reilly For years Patrick Reilly has been at the forefront of cutting edge technology, developing business opportunities and marketing initiatives with companies such as Hewlett-Packard, Intel, Motorola, Philips, IBM and General Electric. As a patent agent and intellectual property (IP) strategist he prosecutes patents for software developers and in MEMS and optical technologies, develops patent strategies, creates IP partnerships, and negotiates IP co-venture agreements. Additionally, Patrick has helped his IP community by founding the Intellectual Property Society (www.ipsociety.net) and newly serving as Executive Director of Lighthouse Venture Forum, a premier technology business forum for Santa Cruz entrepreneurs. In his spare time, Patrick brushes up on his Russian, Japanese and German. A longtime distance learning/Internet education enthusiast, Patrick had earned his B.S. in sociology and passed the Patent Bar Exam largely through self- learning, and was intrigued by the opportunity offered through Concord to obtain his law degree. “My extended family has a pattern of switching professions in mid- life. Pursuing my J.D. at Concord allowed me to join in this ‘tradition’ while being a pioneer in e- learning at the same time.” However, like many Concord students, Patrick is looking to use his J.D. not to change career direction entirely but rather to enhance his current situation. He explains, “As a patent agent I could prosecute patents, but as an attorney, I can do copyright, trademark, trade dress and trade secret law, and form corporations for clients.” Patrick says it was Concord’s convenience and flexibility that lured him, but he has been impressed by the incredible responsiveness and extreme accessibility of the faculty. “The availability of the professors still amazes me. If anything, I don’t think I took advantage enough of their availability.” He also says that his employers and peers have been extremely supportive of his online education, noting, “In fact, my Ivy League law school grad peers are the most positive.” As for his advice to prospective Concord students, Patrick says, “If you enjoy roaming a broad intellectual landscape with excellent mentors literally at your fingertips, then you’ll love the Concord experience.” Though his own Concord experience is coming to an end, Patrick does not plan on leaving it behind. He plans to create an alumni group that will sponsor face-to-face, local gatherings for moral support and encouragement. With aspirations of working with underdeveloped countries in establishing intellectual property law structures and protections, Patrick views his J.D. as the next step to making these dreams a reality.
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Graduate Profile: Paula Shaver Law school had always been a dream for Paula Shaver. In college she was bit by the law bug, but with a two year commitment to the United States Air Force through the Reserved Officers Training Corp, the timing just wasn’t right. After obtaining a B.S. in Political Science from Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio, Paula was commissioned to the U.S. Air Force. While on active duty, Paula did not have the time or financial resources to attend law school. After leaving the Air Force and securing a few years of work experience under her belt, she revisited her law school dream. Paula spent a year as a law student at a campus-based law school in Stockton, California, but with a commute that ranged between 25-75 minutes and two small children at home, the time spent away from her family became too much. “The drive time and hours away from home were too restrictive for my family and our activities,” she noted. But upon learning of Concord Law School, Paula jumped at the opportunity to earn her J.D. through an online paradigm. A self proclaimed motivated and disciplined student, Paula found Concord’s self pace most appealing. “The flexibility was wonderful. I was able to do my daily activities and still maintain my education.” At the same time, she noted that self motivation and discipline posed the greatest challenge during her experience. “The work required selfmotivation and self-discipline. Although I possess both characteristics, it is easy to let the work fall second to daily activities,” she observed. With her family’s recent move from California to Texas and their upcoming move to New Mexico, Paula recognizes that flexibility in conducting studies is crucial for many. While her children were at school, she says, she treated Concord like any other job with set work hours and a schedule. “During the day, I spent on average between 1-3 hours reviewing material, with additional time reading and rereading cases the night before chats. Before exams I spent anywhere from 4-6 hours studying,” she says. Paula’s Concord experience is highlighted by the connections she formed with classmates and faculty. Their support and motivation “added the personal touch that was really needed to push me to succeed. Re lating to your professors is extremely crucial to online learning.”
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Graduate Profile: Sandusky Shelton From a mountain home miles away from the nearest town of Clio, CA, Sandusky Shelton uses her computer to get back to civilization. A retired AT&T system administrator, Sandusky’s primary job is as mom to her six- year-old daughter, Golden. For the past four years, her other full-time commitment has been to getting a law degree. As a mom and a student, Sandusky spends her average day doing he r homework and helping her daughter with hers. “Concord is my daily routine, other than reading to my daughter. I’m retired, and I can’t even imagine how my classmates who have full time jobs and families do it.” But she says the work is gratifying, as is the quality. Having taken online electives at other top law schools, she notes, “Concord provided a consistent level of excellence that I doubt anyone else could, and I definitely thought that Concord had tougher academic standards than the others did.” Eight years ago, when she retired from the work force, this U.C. Berkley graduate had been exploring the idea of law school and had even taken the LSAT, scoring high enough to generate inquiries from top 10 law schools. But with the nearest school three hours away in Sacramento and living in a home “not close to anything except a telephone line,” she says, it seemed impossible. That is, until she read about Concord Law School – and jumped at the opportunity. “I was just waiting for someone to start and online law school, because there was no way I could leave my family to attend a traditional one,” she says. “I had no feasible alternative, with a sixyear-old home in the mountains.” In addition to the high academic standards Sandusky has faced, she has found Concord’s level of student-teacher interaction to be an added bonus. “Everyone is admirably helpful and responsive. The professors respond to questions in detail, and review answers to problems to show where and how you went wrong.” She notes that her online experience with Concord has provided her with support and friendship. Though Sandusky is still deciding her future career plans, she’s thinking of helping others the same way Concord helped her. “I’m hoping to carve out a position as an Internet attorney, not as a specialist, but more in the sense that I will do most of my work online.”
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Graduate Profile: Chris Zouboulakis Chris Zouboulakis wants to be an Assistant District Attorney for environmental crimes in California. To achieve this goal, Chris researched his law school options. "I chose Concord," he says, "because it successfully combines the convenience of the Internet with some of the best legal minds in the educational world." The flexibility of the program enables him to pursue a legal education that works with his career, his wife's demanding work obligations, and their family responsibilities. Since 1994, Chris has been a Principal at C&C Environmental Group in California, where he conducts environmental audits, handles asbestos and lead-based paint surveys, and provides litigation support for cases involving hazardous materials. He works for C&C Environmental Group from a home office part time so that he can take care of his two children, ages 4 and 8, while his wife works full time for a software start-up company. "Course lectures and research materials can be retrieved over the Internet anytime, day or night, seven days a week, which works perfectly with my hectic schedule," says Chris. "But it's still no t an easy program, and I find that to be one of the best students at Concord I put in 30 good hours every week." He appreciates the interaction he has with faculty and administrators. "The ratio between the instructor and the students is anywhere from 1:8 to 1:16. This is unmatchable in any world, physical or virtual. In a lot of ways, the support that I have through Concord is much more immediate and personal than what I was receiving at Berkeley in my Ph.D. program." An accomplished scholar, Chris has taken courses toward a Ph.D. at Berkeley, and received his MS in Physics from Adelphi University in Garden City, New York in 1986, with a focus on Energy Studies. He received his BS in Physics from Aristotelian University in Salonica, Greece in 1985 with a focus on Environmental Physics. He holds several professional licenses in the hazardous materials and environmental engineering areas, and has been an environmental consultant for many years. Chris is now preparing for his transition from consultant to litigator, and has interned with the District Attorney’s office of San Mateo County, California, where he assisted on Consumer Environmental disputes. "I was excited when my first courtroom experience centered on an environmental issue about a storage tank that had leaked. For this first case, I observed the pretrial hearing and then worked with the ADA to develop several questions for one of the witnesses," said Chris. "One of my three questions was used in the examination, which was thrilling.”
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