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

24 Feb 2017, 13:53 PM EST

Attorney Paul R. Kiesel Delivers Keynote Address

LOS ANGELES–(BUSINESS WIRE)–#graduate—Concord
Law School at Kaplan University, the nation’s first fully-online law
school, held its 26^th 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
Doctor^SM (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.