Monterey College of Law (“MCL”), a not-for-profit, California Accredited Law School (“CALS”) founded in 1972 and today a system of four community-identified campuses and a hybrid online option serving the Northern and Central California region, seeks a new President and CEO (the “President”), following the announced July 2025 retirement of its current president after 20 years of exemplary service.
MCL provides one of the most robust alternative models to the kind of traditional legal education that necessitates residence near an ABA-approved campus and imposes a high financial burden on students for tuition and other costs of attendance. In doing so, MCL remains committed to the vision of its founding practitioners and judges. They believed it important to provide a high-quality legal education in a part-time evening program at a reasonable cost for working adults who did not have access to a traditional ABA-approved law school and who wanted to serve their local communities. More than 50 years later, MCL continues to expand access to legal services and justice by providing affordable, high-quality, community-based legal education at four California campuses located in Monterey, San Luis Obispo, Bakersfield and Santa Rosa—communities that are among the most significant areas of population growth in the state. MCL also offers one of the first California-accredited online hybrid JD programs, where students complete 85-90% of the curriculum in a combined synchronous/asynchronous online model.
In 2015, MCL began a strategy of regional expansion by extending its proven academic programs from Monterey to additional California communities that are likewise remote from other law schools. MCL opened San Luis Obispo College of Law in 2015, Kern County College of Law in 2016, its online hybrid program in 2018 and Empire College of Law in Santa Rosa in 2023. In addition to its academic programs, MCL provides the only comprehensive free and low-cost legal services available to all Monterey County residents through its Community Justice Center. MCL is also home to the Mandell Gisnet Center for Conflict Management, which offers training in alternative dispute resolution to law students and the Monterey community.
With approximately 140 part-time faculty members drawn from the bar and bench in the communities that it serves, MCL provides instruction to approximately 250 students in small classes averaging 12 – 18 students. The long service of many faculty members is notable, reflecting their commitment to the mission of MCL and its success in community building. Students are supported on-site at each location by a campus dean and campus administrator, with other administrative, business and academic support services provided by a central administrative team. The President is part of a three-member executive team, along with the Chief Academic Officer and CFO/COO. In addition, 13 full-time and seven part-time administrators provide institutional and academic management. As a part-time program, class sessions, both on-site and on-line, are primarily in the evenings Monday through Thursday, with three semesters per year—Fall, Spring and Summer. MCL graduates approximately 30 students each year across all campuses.
MCL intends to be an “opportunity law school” that reflects the demographics of the communities it serves. Currently, 60 – 65% of its enrollment identify from groups historically underrepresented in the California Bar. With an operating budget of approximately $5,000,000 and an undiscounted tuition that is one-third to one-half that of ABA-approved law schools, MCL is one of the few California law schools that extends a “guaranteed tuition plan” that locks students into a tuition rate when they first enroll and stay enrolled and in good financial standing. Accredited by the Committee of Bar Examiners of the State Bar of California since 1981, MCL was granted eligibility in its efforts to seek accreditation by WSCUC in 2022. It achieved candidacy in March 2024 and is currently under consideration for initial accreditation. In addition to its imprimatur of academic excellence, WSCUC accreditation would confer MCL Title IV institutional status, making its students eligible for federal student loans.
Institutions granted the status of Candidate for Accreditation must use the following statement if they wish to describe that status publicly:
Monterey College of Law has been recognized as a Candidate for Accreditation by WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC), 1080 Marina Village Parkway, Suite 500, Alameda, CA 94501, 510.748.9001. This status is a preliminary affiliation with the Commission awarded for a maximum period of five years. Candidacy is an indication that the institution is progressing toward Accreditation. Candidacy is not Accreditation and does not ensure eventual Accreditation.
Reporting to the Board of Trustees, the President serves as chief executive officer of MCL and a non-voting member of the Board, managing and overseeing all operational, academic and financial matters, including the four on-site campus locations and the hybrid online degree programs. Direct reports include the Chief Academic Officer, the Chief Financial and Operating Officer and the Chief Development Officer. With a new senior leadership structure that delegates internal administrative authority to these direct reports, the new President will have the opportunity to advance the interests of MCL externally, sustaining community relationships that the outgoing president has nurtured over 20 years, while consolidating and improving the infrastructure that supports the MCL system. With MCL graduates now extending back more than 50 years, the opportunity is ripe for the new President to raise an endowment for the law school from grateful alumni and the resourceful local communities that MCL serves. The new President will lead strategic planning that responds to future marketing challenges for legal education, a growing demand for lawyers to serve rural and regional communities and the integration of technology such as Artificial Intelligence in legal education and law practice. The new President will be supported by a devoted, seasoned and highly functional administrative staff that works well as a team and individually to meet designated goals and outcomes.
Qualifications: A JD degree is strongly preferred, but not required. Candidates must embrace MCL’s commitment to teaching excellence, a practice-oriented curriculum, and an access, opportunity and community service mission. A transferable leadership record and relevant administrative experience are essential. Candidates should demonstrate the ability to manage strategically, cultivate professional and personal relationships, strengthen financial sustainability, facilitate program innovation and build MCL’s capacity to serve a diverse, striving student population. Candidates should have fundraising aptitude, an informed interest in the future of legal education and ideas for nurturing high student and alumni institutional affinity. Familiarity with WSCUC or other accreditation protocols would be advantageous. Compensation will be commensurate with the relatively small scale of MCL’s operations and its modest budget. The targeted salary is $200,000, making this presidency a rare service opportunity for an already well-established academic, senior legal practitioner, non-profit executive, successful entrepreneur, financier or senior manager to lead a law school while also living in or near Monterey or one of the branch campus communities, which are among the most scenic and diverse, demographically and economically, in California. Excellent employee benefits and generous flex and vacation time are additional perquisites.
Search committee review of candidate materials will begin immediately and continue until the appointment. Priority will be granted to applications received prior to Friday, January 31, 2025. A complete application will include a letter of interest, a curriculum vitae or resumé, and contact information for five professional references who can speak about the candidate’s qualifications for this appointment. Named references will not be contacted without the candidate’s prior consent. MCL encourages applications from candidates whose leadership and personal experience will enrich the diversity of faculty and staff.
Expressions of interest, applications, nominations and inquiries should be directed to MCL’s search consultant, Mr. Chuck O’Boyle of C. V. O’Boyle, Jr., LLC, at chuck@cvoboyle.com.
