When making a point, Gilbert Holmes always leads with his strong suit.<\/p>\n
Few spend any real time with Holmes, dean of the University of La Verne College of Law, without hearing one of his stories. While his repertoire likely falls short of a million, there is no doubt he can hold his own with Scheherazade\u2019s 1,001 tales.<\/p>\n
When asked to name those who have mentored him during his life, Holmes, now in his 24th year working in legal education, responded \u201cYou don\u2019t really need a lot of mentors; you just need a couple of good ones.\u201d Such as civil rights lawyer Conrad J. Lynn.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was an amazing person. I started my (legal) practice and he took me in, charged me $50 a week for rent and secretarial services to get me started,\u201d he said to begin his favorite Conrad Lynn story.<\/p>\n
\u201cConrad had a client come in that looked like someone straight out of central casting as an ex-offender: big, bald-headed and muscular. Conrad was only five feet tall. And this guy is sitting there, yelling \u2018Mister Lynn, you gotta give me my money back; you didn\u2019t do a good job representing me.\u2019 Conrad asks \u2018What are you going to do, come around this desk and beat me up?\u2019 Meanwhile, I am sitting at my desk, wondering what I\u2019m going to do if this guy does start beating on Conrad.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe guy left in a huff and I walked into Conrad\u2019s office to tell him how really hairy the situation had been. As I do, I see he has his checkbook open, writing a check to give the guy his money back. I asked what he\u2019s doing, and Conrad says he\u2019s giving the guy his money back because he wasn\u2019t satisfied with his representation. I asked why he didn\u2019t give it back when the guy was confronting him. Conrad looked at me and said, \u2018Never do anything under threat; do everything out of principle.\u201d<\/p>\n
A graduate of New York University School of Law in 1972, Holmes worked 19 years in private practice and, after he began teaching, served several more years as an arbitrator. It was when he began teaching he realized he\u2019d found his true career path.<\/p>\n
\u201cI quickly discovered teaching is a calling for me and that I\u2019ve been a teacher for as long as I can remember. When I was 10 years old I was participating and assisting in the Learn to Swim Campaign at the local YMCA,\u201d Holmes said. \u201cI loved doing it and really enjoyed teaching it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Holmes knew La Verne Law faced serious challenges when he accepted the position in spring 2013. He\u2019d served as chair of the American Bar Association site team that visited in 2011 as La Verne was attempting to gain full ABA approval.<\/p>\n
By the time he officially took office in June 2013, Holmes had given a great deal of thought to the law school\u2019s situation as well as the state of legal education across the country.<\/p>\n
\u201cI came here with a specific mission \u2013 to develop and implement a new model for legal education. That was what I was focused on, the opportunity to do that,\u201d Holmes said.<\/p>\n
That mission required Holmes to expand on what was already in place and establish a solid base to support his vision. He began holding individual and group meetings with La Verne Law faculty, administrators, staff, students, alumni, donors, and members of the university and local legal communities. Stories were told, ideas exchanged, and concepts started taking shape.<\/p>\n
Those efforts established a vision statement, a mission statement and, ultimately, five core principles forming the foundation of the La Verne Law Model of Legal Education.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Basic Skills for Success<\/strong>: Grounding students in the ability to Read, Analyze and Present (RAP) for success in the classroom, on the bar exam, and in their chosen legal careers. Those concepts are incorporated in orientation, maintained and expanded upon throughout the curriculum, and finely honed during postgraduate bar exam preparation.<\/p>\n \u2022 High Bar Performance<\/strong>: Introducing students \u2013 in every class and at each stage of their law school life \u2013 to bar exam success concepts through the Center for Academic & Bar Readiness (CABR). It continues with the Bar Exam Strategic Training (BEST) program offering graduates preparation for their first bar exam.<\/p>\n \u2022 Ready to Practice Curriculum<\/strong>: Equipping students with the skills and experiences lawyers, judges, clients and the legal community expect from a law school graduate. Its revised curriculum exposes students to the interconnection of knowledge, skills and experience, making graduates highly attractive to potential employers.<\/p>\n \u2022 Being a Beacon of Hope & Inspiration<\/strong>: As an institution, the law school is involved in understanding and advancing the law as well as serving as a community resource. It promotes learning, academic research, cultural outreach and establishes itself as an interested and engaged partner with the local, regional and legal communities.<\/p>\n \u2022 Commitment to Access & Affordability<\/strong>: Addressing a national concern over the increasing cost of legal education and record levels of student debt, La Verne Law now offers a flat, no-discount tuition rate \u2013 the True Tuition Model. It breaks from policy used by most of the nation\u2019s law schools of charging a high tuition rate and offering merit scholarships primarily based on high scores applicants receive on the Law School Admissions Test (LSAT).<\/p>\n Both CABR and the BEST program, established prior to Holmes\u2019 arrival, have seen positive early returns. The July 2013 California Bar Exam results showed a double-digit improvement in the pass rate percentage of first-time takers versus the July 2012 exam.<\/p>\n The True Tuition Model, unveiled in March, has inserted La Verne Law into the national conversation on the expense of attending law school. It has been cited in articles appearing in several high-profile print and online publications.<\/p>\n A key concern with merit scholarships centers on problems relating to the LSAT test. The Law Admissions Council, administrators of the LSAT, has acknowledged disparities in student LSAT performance based on race, ethnicity and socioeconomic factors. Applicants having greater advantages both in preparation and personal backgrounds score higher and enjoy lower law school tuition costs by receiving merit scholarships. Those having fewer advantages and opportunities in preparation and personal background typically don\u2019t achieve high LSAT scores, pay higher tuition, incur greater debt and, essentially, fund the education of the advantaged.<\/p>\n That puts merit scholarships in opposition to the University of La Verne\u2019s core values.<\/p>\n \u201cOnce you recognize that the merit scholarship model is contrary to the University\u2019s core value of Diversity and Inclusivity, you are then committed to another core value, Ethical Reasoning, to change your model,\u201d Holmes said. \u201cOur True Tuition Model expands access to all individuals by not charging some very little and others a tremendous amount for their tuition.\u201d<\/p>\n While it is understandable for the University\u2019s core values to be shared by its College of Law, Holmes incorporated them into the mission statement \u201cbecause I believe in them.\u201d \u201cI have found, to my surprise and pleasure, that I resonate with La Verne as an undergraduate institution,\u201d he said, leading to a story involving chance conversations with students and his attending a meeting of the Brothers Forum \u2013 a campus club for male African American undergraduate students.<\/p>\n \u201cIn the end,\u201d Holmes said, \u201cI just decided I was going to mentor a couple of students.\u201d<\/p>\n A decision Conrad Lynn would certainly appreciate.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" When making a point, Gilbert Holmes always leads with his strong suit. Few spend any real time with Holmes, dean of the University of La Verne College of Law, without hearing one of his stories. While his repertoire likely falls short of a million, there is no doubt he can hold his own with Scheherazade\u2019s 1,001 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1549,237],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-70","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news-and-events","category-regional-campus","ulv_author-university-of-la-verne"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
\nIt came down to a matter of principle, much like his decision to join the university\u2019s mentoring program.<\/p>\n