A man in judges robes poses for a photo.
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. 

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Boras is currently ranked as the No. 1 sports agent in the world.

Scott Dean Boras, ‘82, was named as the most powerful sports agent in the world – for the eighth time – by Forbes Magazine in 2022. 

Boras is currently ranked as the No. 1 sports agent in the world and has achieved that ranking eight out of the nine times Forbes Magazine has conducted the ranking since 2013.  

Boras is the founder, owner, and president of the Boras Corporation, a sports agency in Newport Beach, California. Boras Corporation is the most valuable baseball (only) agency in the country, with 106 clients and more than $3.8 billion in active playing contracts. Boras is the first agent to negotiate $50 million, $100 million, $200 million, and $330 million dollar baseball contracts for players.  In the baseball litigation arena, he has won the most arbitration cases in Major League history than any other agent. Boras Corporation is the only agency in history to negotiate annual player contracts in excess of $1 billion, which has been achieved 3 times in the past 4 years.  

Boras’ client roster is star-studded. His roaster includes but is not limited to the following players: Jose Altuve, Josh Bell, Cody Bellinger, Alec Bohm, Xander Bogaerts, Alex Bregman, Kris Bryant, Nick Castellanos, Matt Chapman, Gerrit Cole, Michael Conforto, Carlos Correa, Bryce Harper, Gunnar Henderson, Rhys Hoskins, Jonathan India, Josh Jung, Sean Manaea, J.D. Martinez, Brandon Nimmo, Tyler O’Neill, Anthony Rendon, Brendan Rodgers, Carlos Rodon, Max Scherzer, Corey Seager, Marcus Semien, Blake Snell, Juan Soto, Stephen Strasburg, Taijuan Walker, and Masataka Yoshida.  

Boras is a native of Sacramento. He grew up on a local dairy farm and earned two degrees from the University of the Pacific (UOP). During his undergraduate studies, Boras was a student-athlete, team captain, and All-American on the school’s baseball team. Boras received a Doctor of Pharmacy degree from UOP in 1977 and a Juris Doctor degree from McGeorge School of Law in 1982. After college, Boras played professional baseball for the St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs organizations.  Knee injuries cut his career short which then led him to pursue his legal education at McGeorge. 

After law school, Boras worked as an associate in the pharmaceutical defense department of a major Chicago law firm before founding the Boras Corporation. 

In 1995, Boras was inducted into the University of the Pacific’s Athletics Hall of Fame. In 2010, Boras was awarded UOP’s Distinguished Alumni Award, an award recognizing individuals whose outstanding achievements and service to humanity have brought credit to the university.  In 2021, he was inducted into the Sacramento Baseball Hall of Fame.  Baseball America has named him the MLB’s “Most Influential Non-Player in the Last 25 Years.” 

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. 

A man in judges robes poses for a photo.
Senior United States District Judge John M. Gerrard, ’81

Senior United States District Judge John M. Gerrard, ’81, earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Nebraska Wesleyan University (1976) and a Masters in Public Administration degree from the University of Arizona (1977). After graduation, Judge Gerrard began his professional career as a state probation officer in Norfolk, Nebraska, where he worked with both juvenile and adult offenders.   

Judge Gerrard’s legal education and career began in 1978. He obtained his law degree in 1981 from Pacific McGeorge School of Law in Sacramento, California. The judge then returned to Norfolk and embarked in the private practice of law for 14 years. Judge Gerrard’s practice focused on both civil and criminal litigation. He is an elected member of the American Board of Trial Advocates, and he was board certified as a civil trial specialist by the National Board of Trial Advocacy. 

In 1995, then Governor E. Benjamin Nelson appointed Judge Gerrard to the Nebraska Supreme Court. At 41 years of age, Gerrard was the youngest ever appointee to the Nebraska Supreme Court. He served for 16½ years on Nebraska’s high court. During that time, the judge helped lead court initiatives that promoted racial and ethnic fairness in the state court system. 

President Barack Obama nominated Judge Gerrard for a United States District Court judgeship on May 4, 2011, and the United States Senate confirmed his nomination on January 23, 2012. He was Chief Judge of the District of Nebraska from November 2018 through July 2021. Judge Gerrard took senior status on February 6, 2023, and he continues to carry a full case load for the District of Nebraska. 

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 the first in 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. 

Mikayil Jabbarov
Mikayil Jabbarov, ’98, serves as the Minister of Economy of Azerbaijan.

Mikayil Jabbarov, ‘98, was born in September 1976, in Baku, Azerbaijan. 

Before completing LLM in Transnational Business Practice at McGeorge School of Law, Jabbarov had graduated from Baku State University, majoring in International Law. Following that he successfully passed the New York State Bar Exam in 1999 becoming one of the first Azerbaijani nationals to be licensed to practice law in the State of New York. He also holds a master’s degree in economics from the Azerbaijan State Economic University. 

Jabbarov began his professional career in banking before pursuing a legal career in the Baku office of an international law firm. In 2002 Jabbarov started working in the public sector and held various positions within the Government ever since. 

After spending seven years in the Ministry of Economic Development (ultimately, holding the position of Deputy Minister), from 2009 to 2013 Jabbarov served as the Director of the Administration of the Icherisheher State Historical-Architectural Reserve. Under his leadership, the Administration developed and implemented a comprehensive master plan for the conservation of Icherisheher, the historical center of Baku. Also, significant restoration efforts were undertaken, including the reconstruction of the Baku Fortress and the restoration of the Maiden Tower, a UNESCO-listed Cultural Heritage site. Jabbarov oversaw the development of the Administration’s foreign relations. For instance, the Centre for Traditional Arts Icherisheher was established in cooperation with the Prince of Wales School of Traditional Arts (UK). He put forward several initiatives to turn Icherisheher into a center for domestic and foreign tourism. 

From 2013 to 2017, Jabbarov held the position of the Minister of Education. During his tenure at the Ministry, Jabbarov prioritized digitalization of the education sector and contributed to the development of the “State Strategy for the Development of Education in the Republic of Azerbaijan”. As part of this strategy, the establishment of SABAH groups, comprising the best students from various higher education institutions was initiated with the goal of enhancing the quality of higher education. The strategy also included a diagnostic evaluation of nearly 100,000 teachers in pre-school and school education.  

In December 2017, Jabbarov was appointed as the Minister of Taxes. Jabbarov’s primary objectives in this role were to ensure digitalization and transparency of the Ministry’s activities, improvement of the accessibility of its services to taxpayers, and oversight of the tax revenues collection process. He also initiated tax reforms and changes to the Tax Code, which contributed to bolstering entrepreneurship, improving tax administration, and increasing the efficiency of tax incentives. 

In October 2019, Jabbarov assumed the role of the Minister of Economy. He attaches great importance to the development and diversification of the non-oil sector of Azerbaijan and attraction of foreign investments and encouragement of the introduction of modern technologies in the Ministry’s activities. In May 2020, an innovative VAT refund mechanism for both non-cash and cash payments was introduced, earning recognition as the “Innovative Project of the Year.” Under his leadership, the Ministry stimulates entrepreneurship by expanding and simplifying concessional lending, carries out reforms for the development of SMBs, offers many other support mechanisms for businesses and fosters a favorable business and investment climate for foreign entrepreneurs. 

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 the first in 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.