San Joaquin College of Law

09/09/2026

The Bar Exam may be behind him, but Jagr Alindajao’s (JD ’26) legal career is already moving forward. ⚖️

We’re excited to congratulate Jagr on joining the Kern County District Attorney's Office as one of its newest Post-Bar Law Clerks! 👏

After graduating from SJCL and taking the California Bar Exam, Jagr is now putting those years of studying, briefing cases, and building legal skills to work while he awaits his Bar results. 💙

As a Post-Bar Law Clerk, he’ll gain valuable hands-on experience assisting the Misdemeanor and Preliminary Hearing Units—learning what the work looks like both inside the courtroom and behind the scenes while helping serve the Kern County community.

Jagr’s next chapter is a great reminder that the transition from law school to legal practice doesn’t begin the day your Bar results come in.

It begins with opportunities like these. ✨

The first real case you help work on.
The first time your legal research helps move something forward.
The first courtroom experiences that turn concepts you studied in school into work that affects real people.

Those experiences add up—and little by little, the law student you spent years becoming starts to step into the attorney you worked so hard to be.

Congratulations, Jagr! We’re proud to watch you take this next step and can’t wait to see where your legal career takes you next. 🎉

District Attorney Cynthia Zimmer is proud to welcome the newest group of Post-Bar Law Clerks to the team! ⚖️💼🌟

These talented individuals recently graduated from law school, took the rigorous California Bar Exam, and are now eagerly awaiting their results as they take the next step toward becoming licensed attorneys.

📸 From left to right:
• Stefanos Koutsos, Loyola Law School
• Blye Escalante, California Western School of Law
• Jenna Samuelian, Southwestern Law School
• District Attorney Cynthia Zimmer
• Alexandra Bennett, Chapman University Law School
• Noah Massaro, Baylor Law School
• Jagr Alindajao, San Joaquin College of Law

Our Post-Bar Law Clerks are currently assisting the Misdemeanor and Preliminary Hearing Units, gaining valuable hands-on experience in the courtroom and behind the scenes.

Welcome to the team! 👏

09/07/2026

This is your reminder to put the casebook down today. 💙

It's Labor Day—and while we know there's probably a reading assignment somewhere quietly calling your name, we're hoping our students find a little room today for some rest.

Not productive rest.
Not "I'll relax while reviewing my outline" rest.
Not "I'll take a break after I finish 47 more pages" rest.

Actual rest. 🫶

Because when you're in law school, it can start to feel like every free hour should be used to get ahead.

There's always another case to brief.
Another outline you could work on.
Another concept you could review.
Another thing on tomorrow's to-do list.

But you still need slow mornings. Time with people you love. Walks with your dog. A favorite TV show. Dinner without your laptop open. Eight hours of sleep. An afternoon where nobody asks you what the holding was. 😂

So in honor of Labor Day, here's a little reset menu for whenever you need to order something other than more work. ⚖️

Maybe today calls for a Quick Bite.

Maybe you're ordering the Main Course and Dessert.

And maybe today's special is simply closing the books and enjoying your day off.

Whatever you choose, we hope this is a reminder throughout the semester that taking care of the person earning the JD matters and the books will still be there when you come back. 📚

📌 SAVE this menu for finals season, midterms, or any random Tuesday when your brain officially has 37 tabs open.

09/05/2026

Helping someone find their voice can change far more than the outcome of a case. ⚖️

For SJCL alumnus Emilio Avellaneda Jr. (JD ’19), that’s an important part of the work he does every day.

As an associate attorney at JML Law in Woodland Hills, Emilio represents employees facing some of the most difficult moments of their careers—including workplace discrimination, retaliation, wrongful termination, and wage and hour disputes.

And what he finds most meaningful about that work says a lot about the kind of attorney he’s become:

“The best part of my job is helping people find their voice and fight for fairness when they have been treated unjustly.”

Because when someone believes they’ve been discriminated against, retaliated against for speaking up, or wrongfully terminated, it can leave them feeling like they have very little power in what happens next.

Having an attorney in their corner can help change that.

Because it means having someone who understands the law, listens to what happened, and can help them advocate for themselves when they might not know where to begin.

From his roots at Fresno Pacific University to our classrooms at SJCL and now employment law practice, Emilio has turned his education into a career centered around advocating for people when they need someone willing to stand beside them and fight for fairness.

His work is another reminder of just how many ways you can make an impact with a law degree.

You might advocate in a courtroom.
Challenge an unfair workplace practice.
Help someone understand their rights.
Or give someone the confidence to use their voice when they feel like no one is listening.

And sometimes making an impact starts with helping one person realize their voice matters. 💙

We’re proud of you, Emilio, and the meaningful work you continue to do for the people you represent!

09/01/2026

Great lawyers know how to stand on their own. 💪

Exceptional lawyers know how to work as a team. ⚖️

That spirit was on full display when Sergio Lopez (JD '26), Bradley Rutledge (JD '26), and 3L Benjamin Arcure represented SJCL at the 57th Annual Roger J. Traynor California Appellate Moot Court Competition last semester.

Moot Court isn't just about making persuasive arguments.

It's about countless hours of legal research, anticipating tough questions from the bench, and learning to think on your feet—all while trusting your teammates to do the very same.

And that's exactly what this team did. ✨

Throughout the competition, they challenged each other, encouraged one another, and worked side by side to prepare for one of California's premier appellate advocacy competitions.

Their dedication didn't go unnoticed. 🏆

The judges praised the team's performance, noting their command of the facts and the law, their thoughtful responses to hard questions, and the quality of their preparation. One judge even compared them to "seasoned appellate attorneys," while another described the team as "extremely impressed" with their preparation. 💬

Their hard work also earned individual recognition for Benjamin Arcure and Bradley Rutledge, who received Individual Merit Awards for their oral advocacy.

But the greatest accomplishment wasn't an award.

It was the reminder that some of the strongest lawyers aren't built alone. They're built through collaboration, constructive feedback, late-night practice rounds, and teammates who challenge each other to become better advocates every single day. 👏

Congratulations to Sergio, Bradley, and Benjamin on representing SJCL with professionalism, integrity, and excellence. We're incredibly proud of all you accomplished and can't wait to see where your advocacy takes you next. 💙

09/01/2026

Some of the most powerful advocates are the ones who know exactly what it feels like to need one. ✨

For SJCL alumna Laura Higareda-Chapa (JD '22), advocating for students isn't just a career.

It's personal.

Growing up, Laura watched her brother get caught in a cycle that too many young people experience. As a child, he struggled in school and looking back, she believes undiagnosed learning disabilities may have played a role. But instead of receiving the support he needed, he got caught up in the juvenile justice system—a cycle that continued into adulthood.

That experience shaped the lawyer Laura would become. ⚖️

Today, as the first Education Attorney in the Juvenile Unit of the Fresno County Public Defender's Office, she's ensuring that students who face some of the same challenges have someone fighting for the educational support they're entitled to before they're pushed out of classrooms and deeper into the justice system.

Because changing a child's future begins long before they should ever have to step foot in a courtroom.

Laura's commitment to advocating for vulnerable students recently earned her the Central Valley Hero Award for Education from the American Red Cross—an honor that recognizes the life-changing impact she's making throughout our community. 🤍

Her journey is a powerful reminder that the experiences that once broke your heart can become the very reason you help change someone else's future.

Congratulations on this well-deserved recognition Laura. We're so proud of the compassion, determination, and advocacy you bring to our community every day. Your work is changing lives in ways that will be felt for generations to come. 💙

Read Laura's full story in the latest issue of Inter Alia to learn how her personal experiences inspired her legal career, why educational advocacy matters, and how she's helping rewrite the futures of students who simply need someone in their corner.

📖: https://bit.ly/InterAliaSummer26

08/29/2026

One of the best parts of law school happens outside the classroom. 🎉

Next week, our Student Bar Association is kicking off the semester with our annual Back to School Night Cookout and we can't wait to see our SJCL community together again. 🤗

It's a chance to step away from the books for a night and reconnect with the people who make the law school journey so memorable.

Whether you're:

✨ Catching up with classmates after the first few weeks of school...
✨ A new 1L getting to know more of your classmates outside the classroom...
✨ An alum stopping by to reconnect...
✨ Or a family member who's been supporting a law student every step of the way...

There's a place (and a plate) waiting for you! 🍽

So bring your family, reconnect with classmates, meet our incoming students, and enjoy an evening of great food, games, music, and more.

Because while law school is built on casebooks and classrooms...

It's the people you share the journey with who often make it unforgettable. 💙

We can't wait to welcome everyone back and kick off another incredible year at SJCL. See you next week! 👋

08/28/2026

Small law school. Big Bar results 💪

Over the last five years, 85% of SJCL graduates have passed the California Bar Exam.

But that number tells only part of the story.

Behind every Bar pass is a student who showed up when it would’ve been easier to quit.

Someone who balanced work, family, and life while chasing a goal that sometimes felt out of reach.

Someone who spent late nights studying, leaned on their classmates, learned from professors, and kept going one day at a time.

That’s what the number represents. 🔑

Not luck.
Not shortcuts.
But hard work. Persistence. Community.

And students who refused to give up on becoming lawyers.

We’re incredibly proud of every graduate who’s helped build that legacy—and we’re just as excited for our students who are just beginning to imagine what’s possible.

Because every attorney starts somewhere. ✨

Thinking about law school or just want to see what the journey would actually look like?

Join us for ✨Law School 101 on Tuesday, October 27 at 6pm✨ to meet our students, hear their stories, get your questions answered, and see what makes SJCL different from other law schools. ⚖️

Your story could be the next one behind that 85%. 💙

08/27/2026

to the birthday that changed everything. 🎉

Imagine celebrating your birthday with the people you love...
..and surprising them with the news that you got accepted to law school. ⚖️

That's exactly how 3L Alexa Garcia-Espinoza celebrated one of the biggest milestones of her life.

At the time, she said she was grateful for the opportunity and ready to start building a legacy her son could be proud of. 🫶

Fast forward to today, and she's no longer wondering what law school will be like.

She's living it. ✨

Late nights.
Cold calls.
Case briefs.
Study groups.
The wins.
The challenges.
And every lesson that's helping shape the lawyer she's becoming.

It reminds us that every law student was once a brand-new 1L wondering if they were ready and if they could really do this.

They could.
They did.
And so can you.

As Elle Woods famously proved, believing in yourself is never something to apologize for.

"What, like it's hard?" 😉

To our 1Ls - keep showing up! One day you'll look back on the moment your journey began and realize it was the start of something much bigger than you imagined. 💗

08/27/2026

Her words hit a little differently today 💕

Dolly Parton spent her life reminding people that where you come from doesn’t determine how far you can go—and that you don’t have to forget your roots to build a life bigger than you once imagined.

For our current and future law students, we hope you carry that reminder with you too. 🫶

💠If the LSAT score isn’t what you hoped for.

💠When you’re sitting in your first law school class wondering if everyone else knows something you don’t.

💠When you’re balancing casebooks with children, bills, or responsibilities that don’t disappear just because you decided to chase your goals.

💠When someone questions whether law school is really for “someone like you.”

Remember who you are. Remember where you came from.

And remember all the things you’ve already overcome to get this far.

The community that raised you.
The experiences that shaped you.
The obstacles you’ve faced.
The people you want to fight for someday.

All of those things are part of what will make you a powerful lawyer one day. ⚖️

Today, we remember Dolly not only for the music and joy she gave the world, but for a life that showed generations of people what can happen when you dream big without forgetting where you started. ✨

May we all carry a little of that courage with us.

Rest in peace, Dolly. 🤍

08/26/2026

There's no such thing as a "lawyer personality." ⚖️

One of the biggest questions law students ask is: "What kind of lawyer could I be?"

And the truth is... there's no single answer.

Some lawyers are energized by the courtroom.
Some are passionate about helping families.
Some thrive behind the scenes researching complex legal issues.

Others are driven by personal experiences that inspire them to make sure no one else has to navigate the legal system alone.

Earlier this year, four SJCL alumni returned to Fresno State to share their experiences, their career journeys, and what they've learned since graduating.

Their stories are all different.
But they have one thing in common:

They each found a way to turn what mattered most to them into meaningful legal careers. 💙

➡️ SWIPE to meet our four SJCL alumni whose passion for the law is making a difference across the Central Valley and beyond.