Law School Alumni

Find Out More

Fill Out The Form Below To Learn More

By submitting this form, you agree to the Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy

We’re proud of our successful law school alumni.

Empire College alumni comprise approximately 25 percent of the Sonoma County Bar. Fifteen have gone on to become members of the judiciary in Sonoma, Napa, Mendocino, Lake, Lassen, Calaveras, and Merced counties, along with one in Arizona. A partial list of alumni appears below.

Tadd C. Aiona, Attorney at Law, Provencher & Flatt LLP

Hon. Shelly Averill, Sonoma County Superior Court Judge

Jared J. Babula, Senior Staff Counsel, California Energy Commission

Hon. Raima H. Ballinger (Ret.), Sonoma County Superior Court Judge

Hon. Grant Barrett (Ret.), Calaveras County Superior Court Judge

Hon. Carla Bonilla (Ret.), Sonoma County Superior Court Commissioner

Hon. Kathleen Ferchland Boriolo, Administrative Law Judge, Workers Compensation Appeals Board

Craig T. Brooks, Deputy District Attorney, Sonoma County; President, Sonoma County Prosecutors Association

Hon. Ron W. Brown (Ret.), Mendocino County Superior Court Judge

Jeanne M. Browne, Attorney at Law, Private Practitioner

Hon. Jeanne M. Buckley (Ret.), Sonoma County Superior Court Commissioner

Hon. Thomas S. Burr (Ret.), Commissioner, Superior Court of Merced County

Anne D’Arcy, Associate, Perry, Johnson, Anderson, Miller & Moskowitz LLP

Teresa de la O, Attorney at Law, Private Practitioner

Jeffrey E. Duplicki, Associate, McMillan & Shureen LLP

Patrick M. Dyas, Attorney at Law, Adams Nye Sinunu Bruni Becht LLP

Marlisa A. Ferreira, Senior Deputy District Attorney – Gang Unit, Stanislaus County

Gail F. Flatt, Partner, Provencher & Flatt LLP

Jacqueline D. Gillespie, Attorney at Law, Private Practitioner

Michael Gogna, City Attorney, Healdsburg and Fort Bragg; Attorney at Law, Meyers Nave

Stephen E. Hansel, President, Hansel Leasing

Donald P. Hawley, Claims Counsel, Universal Underwriters Group

John A. Holdredge, Partner, Geary, Shea, O’Donnell & Grattan PC

Sharon H. Holwerda, Attorney at Law, Bishop, Barry, Howe, Haney & Ryder

Ronald W. Horton, Attorney at Law, State Compensation Insurance Fund

Seth Howard, Attorney at Law, Law Office of Steve Turer

Yolanda M. Jackson, Deputy Executive Director and Diversity Director, Bar Association of San Francisco

Scott A. Jamar, Sonoma County Deputy District Attorney

Patrick W. Kilkenny, President/CEO, National Bank of the Redwoods

Joseph C. Kinkade, Staff Attorney, School and College Legal Services

John P. LaLonde, Deputy District Attorney, Fresno County

Heidi Larson, Deputy District Attorney, Mendocino County

John P. Levering, Associate, Mullen & Filippi LLP

Mark F. Lightfoot, Attorney at Law, American Home Shield Insurance

Hon. Paul Lozada, Sonoma County Superior Court Commissioner

Katy Rose Lusson, Attorney at Law, Protection & Advocacy, Inc.

Julianne Major, Attorney at Law, Private Practitioner

Jean Maltby, Research Attorney, Sonoma County Superior Court

Hon. J. David Markham, Lake County Superior Court Judge

Susan Moore Massini, Mendocino County District Attorney (retired)

Michael G. Miller, Partner, Perry, Johnson, Anderson, Miller & Moskowitz LLP

Carol J. Monahan, Chief Counsel, California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment

Adrienne M. Moran, Partner, Shapiro, Galvin, Shapiro, Piasta & Moran

Hon. Lawrence E. Ornell, Sonoma County Superior Court Judge

Kathleen A. Pozzi, Sonoma County Chief Deputy Public Defender

Douglas B. Provencher, Partner, Provencher & Flatt

Nathaniel Raff, Law Offices of L. Stephen Turer

Hon. Becky Rasmason, Sonoma County Superior Court Commissioner

Hon. Cathy Riggs, Justice of the Peace, Desert Ridge Justice Court, Arizona

Andy J. Rubinger, Chief Deputy Public Defender, Napa County

Peggy J. Schmeck, Attorney at Law, Sonoma County Family Mediation Services (retired)

E. Gregory Schrader, Attorney at Law, Private Practitioner

Richard S. Scott, Associate, Andrian & Gallenson

Hon. Victoria Shanahan, Mendocino County Superior Court Judge

Doug Shureen, Partner, McMillan & Shureen LLP; 2006 President, Sonoma County Bar Association

Ann Thomas, Attorney at Law & Project Director, Council on Aging

Daniel Taylor, Associate Attorney, Ellis Law Group, LLP

Hon. Francisca P. Tisher (Ret.), Napa County Superior Court Judge

George R. Valenzuela, Attorney at Law, Santa Rosa City Schools

Hon. Michele Verderosa, Lassen County Superior Court Judge

J. Ross Walker, Willits City Attorney

Robert Wieworka, Staff Counsel, Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control

Thomas Q. WinterMD, Of Counsel, Teal & Montgomery

Note: Listings reflect the most current information available at the time of publication. To update a listing, contact shurd@empcol.edu.


Alicia Cronbach, Esq.

(Class of 2006)
One of the advantages of Empire as a night vs. traditional law school is the real-life experience that most students have between college and law school. Being a second-career lawyer, you bring a lot more value to the table and to a prospective employer than you may appreciate.

Jacqueline Rosario, Esq

(Class of 2014)
I wanted to be an attorney because I wanted to make a difference in this world, and I feel that I am doing that. It is very rewarding, and I am blessed to be living my dream. I recommend to everybody considering law school that if you want to do this and have the will to do it, do it.

Chris Van Nuys

Operations Manager, LEMO USA, Inc. (Class of 2019)
Empire Law School provided the instruction, guidance, and motivation that I needed to pass the California State Bar Examination on the first try, despite the rigors of managing a full-time career and family commitments in parallel. I would absolutely recommend Empire Law School to anyone looking for relevant and masterful instruction in the subjects of law.