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Michael Belote, ’87, is a lobbyist with over 40 years of experience.

Michael Belote, ’87, has over 43 years of experience as a lobbyist in California. After serving as President of California Advocates, Inc. for 10 years, he is currently Immediate Past President of the firm. Before joining California Advocates in 1990, Mike worked in lobbying as an employee of several trade and professional associations.  

Mike’s activities in the legislative process have spanned a broad array of issues, including financial services, real estate, health care, the judiciary, and transportation. Capitol Weekly has named him one of the Top 100 in California politics for many years, and he twice was named the recipient of the annual President’s Award by the California Judges Association. Mike also was named as Outstanding Philanthropist of the Year by an association of philanthropic fundraisers in the Sacramento Capital Region. 

After receiving an undergraduate degree from the University of California at Berkeley, Mike earned his JD from the McGeorge School of Law in 1987, where he was admitted to the Order of the Coif. He has many times publicly acknowledged his education and training at McGeorge as an essential element in his lobbying career.  

Belote has actively supported students in McGeorge’s Public Legal Services Society by volunteering to emcee the program’s yearly fundraising auction, as well as offering financial donations himself. Belote often encourages others to match his gifts and support the program. Belote’s assistance is felt, not only by the student grant recipients, but also by the clients that they serve. Thanks to the support he provides and helps generate, McGeorge School of Law students are able to provide legal assistance to vulnerable people in underserved communities, through an impressive variety of public sector and nonprofit organizations. 

Belote has also funded two generous endowments. The Michael Belote Endowed Capital Center Lecture, part of McGeorge’s Capital Center for Law and Policy Lecture Series, has brought discussions on cutting-edge legal issues to the campus, such as “Journalism in the Era of Fake News” and “Brews and Bureaucracy – Emerging Craft Beer Law.” The Michael Belote Public Interest Endowed Scholarship ensures that students wishing to better themselves and their community can afford a legal education without financial barriers. 

Belote’s generosity extends to his time as well. He is both a member of the law school’s Dean’s Cabinet and Capital Center’s Board of Advisors. Belote has hired McGeorge students to ensure that they are gainfully employed and mentored students with an interest in lobbying and practicing in the capital.


Throughout 2024, the University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law will celebrate members of its vast alumni network in honor of the school’s 100-year anniversary. This post is part of a series highlighting 100 exceptional McGeorge School of Law alumni.  

Stay tuned for more blog posts as we celebrate the law school’s centennial anniversary. 

Jason Miller, ’15, works for the Office of Legislative Counsel for the State of California. Miller chose to pursue his law degree at McGeorge School of Law because of the faculty and their passion to teach as well as the school’s collaborative learning environment.

Before law school, Miller was a teacher and school administrator. Miller decided to go to law school because he wanted to grow his influence and have a greater positive influence on more people.

In this video, Miller discusses the passion that Dean Michael Hunter Schwartz has brought to the law school including the programs he has instituted and positive changes going on that influenced Miller to get involved with the McGeorge Alumni Association Board of Directors.


Learn more about McGeorge School of Law.

Apply to McGeorge School of Law.

Learn more about the Alumni Board.

Margaret Kuroda Masunaga, ‘87
The Hon. Margaret Kuroda Masunaga, ‘87, retired Hawaii State District Court Judge.

The Hon. Margaret Kuroda Masunaga, ’87, served as a Hawaii State District Court Judge from 2014 to 2020 on the Big Island of Hawaii in Kona. 

Judge Masunaga grew up in Sacramento, California, and graduated from C. K. McClatchy High School in the Land Park Area near McGeorge School of Law. She is a graduate of UC Berkeley, and McGeorge School of Law. She served on the McGeorge Alumni Association Board since 2023. When she was a student at McGeorge, she was President of the Asian American Law Students Association, as well as Minority Representative on the admissions committee. After graduating from McGeorge in 1987, she passed the bar exam and was an Associate at the law firm of Goodsill Anderson Quinn & Stifel. 

Judge Masunaga had a lengthy career of public service in Hawaii in various capacities before serving on the bench for six years. She was a Deputy Corporation Counsel and Deputy Planning Director for the County of Hawaii, and Deputy Attorney General for the State of Hawaii. 

Judge Masunaga has been active in the American Bar Association (ABA) since she was on the Young Lawyers Division (YLD) Executive Council. She has served as Co-Chair of the Judges’ Journal Editorial Board and Secretary of the Executive Committee of the National Conference of State Trial Judges, ABA Judicial Division, Chair of the Judges Advisory Committee of the ABA Standing Committee on Ethics & Professional Responsibility, ABA State Delegate for Hawaii, member of the ABA Commission on Women in the Profession, ABA Commission on Racial & Ethnic Diversity in the Profession, ABA Standing Committee on the American Judicial System, and Judicial Council member of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA). She is the former Hawaii State Trial Judges Association Vice President, Treasurer of the Hawaii State Bar Association, President of the West Hawaii Bar Association, NAPABA Board of Governor and Hawaii Community Foundation Board of Governor. 

Judge Masunaga is the recipient of U.S. President George W. Bush’s Gold Volunteer Service Award, ABA Nelson Award for outstanding contribution, Hawaii Women’s Legal Foundation Award, Soropitmist International of Kona Award, Hawaii Lawyers Care Award, and Hawaii State Bar Association YLD Justice Award. She has been an ABA contributor in two “Dear Sisters, Dear Daughters” publications. 

Judge Masunaga and her husband Gail both retired in December 2020, and own Masunaga Farms, Kona coffee.  


Throughout 2024, the University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law will celebrate members of its vast alumni network in honor of the school’s 100-year anniversary. This post is part of a series highlighting 100 exceptional McGeorge School of Law alumni. 

Stay tuned for more blog posts as we celebrate the law school’s centennial anniversary. 

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The Hon. Daniel Flores, ’01, has been on the bench for over 10 years.

The Hon. Daniel A. Flores, ‘01, was born in San Francisco to immigrant parents from El Salvador. He joined the United States Marine Corps Reserve after high school. He then attended California State University, Sacramento, and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice. While initially looking for a career in law enforcement and investigations, Judge Flores became interested in pursuing a law degree during his senior year.  

Judge Flores began his studies at the University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law in 1998. He participated in the Minority Students’ Program as a first-year law student to get extra academic support from his peers. In his second year, Judge Flores paid it forward by serving as a Minority Students’ Program tutor in Real Property Law. Judge Flores was also involved in the Latino Law Students Association at McGeorge by serving as a board member and later as president. As a student, he realized how the law touched his music, real estate, and entrepreneurship interests. He completed a concentration in Intellectual Property Law and received his Juris Doctor, with distinction, in 2001. 

Judge Flores began his career as a civil litigator at Ropers, Majeski, Kohn & Bentley and later opened a private practice where he incorporated criminal defense. As a young attorney, he was named a Rising Star and later a Super Lawyer in the Northern California Super Lawyer’s Magazine. With heavy judicial support and the endorsement of the Democratic, Green, and Republican parties, Judge Flores was elected to the Superior Court in 2014. Judge Flores currently presides over civil trials. His previous assignments include criminal, juvenile justice, and family law. Judge Flores also served as the Presiding Judge of the San Francisco Superior Court’s Appellate Division.  

Judge Flores remains active in the community through mentoring and speaking engagements designed to promote the virtues of the legal profession. Judge Flores is a Bay Area Judicial Selection Advisory Committee member and is on the board of directors of the California Latino Judges Association. Judge Flores received the Bay Area Minority Bar Coalition Champion of Diversity Award in 2022 and the San Francisco La Raza Lawyers Association’s Judge of the Year Award in 2023. 


Throughout 2024, the University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law will celebrate members of its vast alumni network in honor of the school’s 100-year anniversary. This post is part of a series highlighting 100 exceptional McGeorge School of Law alumni.  

Stay tuned for more blog posts as we celebrate the law school’s centennial anniversary. 

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Katharine Martin, ’87, is chair of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati’s board of directors.

Katharine Martin, ’87, is the chair of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati’s board of directors and a partner in the firm’s Palo Alto office, where she practices corporate and securities law. Martin previously served as a member of the Policy Committee and as the leader of its business law department. 

Martin has extensive experience in representing public companies. Her practice includes all aspects of company representation, including corporate governance, SEC compliance, 1934 Act issues, public offerings, private placements, and mergers and acquisitions. She also has represented underwriters in public offerings and issuers and investors in private equity financing. 

Recognized in various editions of Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business and Chambers Global, Martin described as “especially gifted at handling significant equity offerings, including IPOs, and private investments, on behalf of issuers, sponsors, and investment banks.” In 2021, she was honored as a “Top Lawyer of the Decade” by the Daily Journal, and in 2017, 2018, and 2019 Daily Journal’s “Top Women Lawyers” in California. 

Martin joined Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati in 1999, after 12 years at Pillsbury Madison & Sutro LLP where she was a partner. She is a frequent speaker on corporate and securities law, corporate governance, and mergers and acquisition topics, presenting at such venues as PLI, Corporate Board Member, and the SEC Institute. 

Martin led the team at her firm that advised Twitter, Inc. on a $44 billion acquisition in 2022 by Elon Musk.


Throughout 2024, the University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law will celebrate members of its vast alumni network in honor of the school’s 100-year anniversary. This post is part of a series highlighting 100 exceptional McGeorge School of Law alumni.  

Stay tuned for more blog posts as we celebrate the law school’s centennial anniversary. 

Tiffany Johnson, ‘11, is the Director of Policy and Legislative Initiatives Division at the Office of Policy Legislative Initiatives and Outreach within the Office of Fair Housing Equal Opportunity in Washington, D.C.

Johnson said that that McGeorge School of Law is a wonderful place to learn the skills that are necessary to become a good advocate and policymaker. In this video, Johnson explains that the faculty at McGeorge did a wonderful job showcasing what practical application of law looks like.

Johnson decided to get involved with the school’s Alumni Association Board of Directors because she wanted to give back to the law school and be a part of decision-making processes.


Learn more about McGeorge School of Law.

Apply to McGeorge School of Law.

Learn more about the Alumni Board.

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The Hon. Dana Makoto Sabraw, ’85, was only 37 years old when he was first appointed to the bench.

The Hon. Dana Makoto Sabraw, ‘85, was appointed to the United States District Court in 2003, where he currently serves as Chief Judge. He received his undergraduate degree from San Diego State University, and thereafter attended McGeorge School of Law at the University of the Pacific, where he graduated in 1985 in the top 10% of his class and served on the Law Review. Sabraw is the fourth judge in his family, so he was exposed to the bench at a very early age, but it was his experience with litigation and being in court that led him to seek a judgeship. 

Before his appointment, Judge Sabraw practiced law as a commercial litigator with Baker & McKenzie in San Diego, becoming a partner in 1992. In 1995, he was appointed to San Diego’s North County Municipal Court. He served as Presiding Judge of the Municipal Court until his elevation to the Superior Court in 1998, where he served as Criminal Supervising Judge and as a criminal and civil trial judge until his appointment to the federal bench.  As a trial lawyer and judge, Judge Sabraw has tried more than 300 cases to verdict. 

Judge Sabraw is a member of the U.S. Judicial Conference Committee on the Judicial Branch, and has been active in a number of professional organizations. Among these, he is a founding member and past president of two American Inns of Court (Lopardo and Wallace Inn Chapters), and current member, and past board member, of the Pan Asian Lawyers of San Diego. He also serves on the founding committee of “Just the Beginning—A Pipeline Organization.” The “Just the Beginning” organization’s mission is to encourage students of color and from other underrepresented groups to pursue career and leadership opportunities in the law. He is a frequent speaker at law and community related events on judicial independence, the rule of law, and the importance of diversity and inclusion.   

He has received numerous awards from the community and bar associations, including the Bernard E. Witkin, Esq. award for Excellence in the Adjudication of the Law, Outstanding Jurist by the San Diego County Bar Association, Judge of the Year by La Raza Lawyers Association of San Diego, Humanitarian of the Year by Casa Cornelia Law Center, Person of the Year by the San Diego Union Tribune editorial board, and Judge of the Year by Consumer Trial Attorneys of San Diego.  He also received the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Asian Business Association of San Diego, the Trailblazer Award from the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association, the Sunshine Award by the Society of Professional Journalists, San Diego, and the Civil Rights Civil Leadership Award by the Japanese American Citizens League, San Diego, among others.


Throughout 2024, the University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law will celebrate members of its vast alumni network in honor of the school’s 100-year anniversary. This post is part of a series highlighting 100 exceptional McGeorge School of Law alumni.  

Stay tuned for more blog posts as we celebrate the law school’s centennial anniversary. 

Alexander Lee '22
Alexander Lee ’22

When I graduated from UC San Diego, I had no plans of attending law school, let alone becoming a practicing attorney; instead, I was intent on working in politics and public policy. However, after several professional experiences, I felt called to enter the law and applied to the University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law’s evening program, largely because of McGeorge’s Capital Center for Law & Policy. The Capital Center blended my passion for politics and public policy with what I realized I had been missing in my career: a legal education.

After graduation, I devoted myself entirely to my first job in politics, working on one of the country’s most well-funded and hotly contested congressional races. The race ended in a narrow loss for my candidate following a recount. During the recount, I observed in awe as lawyers for both campaigns and the government engaged in the recount and adjudicated ballots to ensure the voter’s intent was fulfilled in accordance with the law. At times, this process seemed to be a different language. Despite my confusion, I recall the comfort of having a capable attorney present to advocate on our behalf to ensure the county election office counted every legal ballot.

Following the campaign’s narrow loss, a federal prosecution found that one of the most devastating attacks used by our opponent and outside groups during the campaign was materially false. As the Federal Judge in the case said, “There is no way of knowing how much [the criminal’s conduct] affected voters’ minds … The victim is the [candidate], [candidate’s] campaign, or the democratic process.” While disillusioned that a bad actor had subverted the voters, I was thankful that the legal process and U.S. Attorneys sought justice and provided a small amount of vindication to the campaign and democratic process.

After the campaign, I moved to Washington, D.C., to pursue my dreams of working in public policy, and I found a job working for a member of Congress who served on the Judiciary Committee. I was able to serve as a legislative assistant under a lawyer who led the Congresswoman’s Judiciary Committee portfolio. Whenever someone sought his advice on the policy issue of the day, they could always count on him to provide a critical yet objective analysis, and you also knew that he had thoroughly considered the legal and constitutional principles underlying the policy issue. Moreover, his counsel was straightforward. He could deconstruct complex issues for non-lawyers like me. I realized that if I ever wanted to be half as effective as he was, I would need to be trained by similarly talented lawyers and become an attorney.

Given my specific interests in political law and public policy, the question became, where could I go to be trained as an attorney who could both counsel and comfort while seeking justice? After researching different political and policy law school programs, I discovered McGeorge and its Capital Center. The school’s Capital Lawyering Concentration offered every class I could dream of taking to hone my skills and become a political lawyer, such as Election Law, Statutes and Regulations, and the Initiative Seminar.

Additionally, the Capital Center’s stellar job placement numbers demonstrated that McGeorge provided their students with practical legal skills that were valued by the market. I found other comparable programs to lack such post-graduation employment success, or the school’s curriculum was more theoretical than practical. Further, these job placement numbers showed that there was a tight-knit and supportive community that would foster my development and assist me during my law school and throughout my legal career.

I am privileged to have graduated from McGeorge School of Law with a Capital Lawyering Concentration in 2022. The exceptional training and tangible legal skills that McGeorge and the Capital Center provided me allowed me to start practicing law with confidence. As I continue to hone the skills I learned at McGeorge, I will try to emulate the attorneys who inspired me to become an attorney by providing cogent and just counsel to my clients. Hopefully, somewhere along the way, I will come across another young politico and encourage them to go to McGeorge so they can grow as much as I did during my four years at McGeorge.

By Alexander Lee, ’22.

A woman poses for a photo inside.
Summer Stephan, ’86, leads the second-largest DA’s Office in California, and the fifth-largest in the United States.

District Attorney Summer Stephan, ’86, has devoted her life to protecting children and families, providing justice to the most vulnerable, and is a national leader in the fight against human trafficking and sexual exploitation. Summer rose through the ranks fighting for justice in the trenches before San Diego County voters overwhelmingly elected Summer as District Attorney in 2018 and again in 2022. As District Attorney, she leads the second-largest DA’s Office in California, and the fifth-largest in the United States, managing a professional staff of 1,000 employees, serving as the People’s Prosecutor for San Diego County and its more than three million residents. Summer leverages her extensive courtroom, management, and leadership experience to set clear public safety priorities in collaboration with law enforcement and the community, keeping San Diego County one of the safest urban regions in the United States. In 2022, Summer was named one of “The Five Best Prosecutors in America,” utilizing evaluation factors of integrity, fidelity to the rule of law, responsible innovations, and community relations.  

As a trial prosecutor, she tried more than 100 jury trials, including cases of complex homicides, sexually violent predators, child molestation, sexual assaults, school shooting, and human trafficking-related cases. She served as Chief of the DA’s North County Branch and Chief of the Sex Crimes and Human Trafficking Division, a special victims unit she pioneered.  

As the District Attorney, Summer opened a state-of-the-art Family Justice Center in the North County for victims of domestic violence and elder abuse. Summer launched a juvenile diversion program that diverted hundreds of kids away from the school to prison pipeline. Summer fulfilled her commitment to test every rape kit with over 2000 rape kits tested. Her office tripled the prosecutions of hate crimes and doubled down on the prosecution of deadly fentanyl dealers. Summer formed a specialized team to effectively combat Organized Retail Crime. Summer is implementing innovations to help address the intersection of crime and homelessness.  

DA Stephan holds leadership positions in public safety nationally and locally, including serving as President-Elect of the National District Attorneys Association, and co-chair of the National Association of Women Judges Human Trafficking committee. Summer served on the Governor’s Task Force for High-Risk Sex Offenders and Sexually-Violent Predators. She spearheaded the innovative “Know the Price” campaign, which focused on reducing sexual assaults on college campuses. She also led the award-winning “The Ugly Truth” human trafficking awareness campaign as well as the “San Diego Opioid Project,” aimed at reducing opioid and fentanyl overdoses. Summer led a coordinated effort to protect the community from targeted mass violence with a School Threats Task Force that implemented a unified protocol with all 42 school districts in San Diego County. In addition, she began an effective Veterans Treatment model in North County inspired by a heroic Marine Corps veteran.  

Summer is the recipient of numerous local, state, and federal awards, including an FBI commendation for organized crime prosecution, outstanding achievement award from the Deputy District Attorneys Association for the complex prosecution for the rape and murder of an elderly woman. She was named an “Angel of Anti-Human Trafficking” and a “Modern Day Abolitionist.” In 2022, she received the Bernard E. Witkin Esq. Award for Excellence in the Practice of Law, for her extraordinary contributions, leadership, and accomplishments as District Attorney. She was selected as the 2017 Southern California District Attorney of the Year by Crime Victims United, was awarded the Pathbreaker Award by Shared Hope International, and received the 2019 Humane Award for her work in fighting animal cruelty. 

Summer received her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California, Davis and her Juris Doctor from the University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law.


Throughout 2024, the University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law will celebrate members of its vast alumni network in honor of the school’s 100-year anniversary. This post is part of a series highlighting 100 exceptional McGeorge School of Law alumni.  

Stay tuned for more blog posts as we celebrate the law school’s centennial anniversary. 

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The Hon. Consuelo M. Callahan, ’75, became the first Hispanic woman to be appointed to the San Joaquin Superior Court.

The Hon. Consuelo María Callahan, ‘75, serves as judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit for nearly 20 years. She was nominated by President George W. Bush and confirmed by a 99-0 vote by the Senate in 2003. 

Callahan graduated from Stanford University with a degree in English in 1972, received her Juris Doctor from the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law in 1975, and received her Master of Laws from the University of Virginia School of Law in 2004. 

Upon graduating from McGeorge, Callahan worked as a Deputy City Attorney for the City of Stockton and then as a Deputy District Attorney for the San Joaquin County District Attorney’s Office where she focused her practice on child abuse and sexual assault cases. In 1986, she was appointed Commissioner of the Municipal Court for Stockton Municipal Court.  

In 1992 she became the first Hispanic woman to be appointed to the San Joaquin Superior Court, and in 1996 was elevated to associate justice for California Third District Court of Appeal. In 2003 Callahan accepted an appointment to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, where she currently serves. 

Callahan gives back to her alma mater, McGeorge School of Law, through service. For instance, Callahan has taught numerous sessions in the Salzburg Graduate Study Abroad Program, a program in which students are given the opportunity to study international legal studies and work in firms abroad. She has also served on the McGeorge Alumni Board Association as secretary, vice president, and president. In addition, Callahan administered the Oath of Professionalism to McGeorge School of Law’s incoming students.  

From 2006 to 2014, and 2022 to present, Callahan served on the University of the Pacific Board of Regents, which oversees Pacific’s education experience by selecting the university president and approving the school’s mission, strategic goals and budgets.  

Callahan is a recognized leader and legal professional in the community. In 2005, she received the Alumna of the Year Award from McGeorge School of Law. In 2006, she received the Judge of the Year award from the Sacramento Bar Association. Later in 2014, Callahan was presented the Ninth Circuit Professionalism Award from the American Inns of Court.


Throughout 2024, the University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law will celebrate members of its vast alumni network in honor of the school’s 100-year anniversary. This post is part of a series highlighting 100 exceptional McGeorge School of Law alumni.  

Stay tuned for more blog posts as we celebrate the law school’s centennial anniversary.