Highlighting 100 McGeorge alumni for school’s 100-year anniversary: Posts 31-40

May 10, 2024

Throughout 2024, the University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law is celebrating members of its vast alumni network in honor of the school’s 100-year anniversary. These posts are part of a series highlighting 100 exceptional McGeorge School of Law alumni.

As we continue publishing stories, we invite you to follow along and explore the stories of exceptional McGeorge alumni. This article spotlights ten McGeorge alumni who have emerged as formidable forces in their respective industries, making significant impacts on their communities and even extending their influence to the government level. McGeorge alumni pave the way for the next generation of law professionals, with their stellar career histories, continued dedication for justice, and status as leading experts in their fields. 


Ron Freitas, ‘88

Ron Freitas, ’88, is a career prosecutor and the current District Attorney of San Joaquin County. He is the founder of the San Joaquin County Homicide Task Force, Evidence Task Force, and the Grand Jury Task Force. Freitas has been published by the Pacific Law Journal, the California District Attorney’s Association, and the National District Attorney’s Association, and is a Chapter Author for the California Continuing Education of the Bar, Criminal Sentencing Enhancements manual.


The Hon. James Hardesty (Ret.), ‘75

The Hon. James Hardesty, ’75, served as Chief Justice of the Nevada Supreme Court for four years and was on the Supreme Court from 2004 until he retired in 2023. In 2014, he led the Nevada Supreme Court’s educational effort to amend the Nevada Constitution to create a Court of Appeals, which the voters approved in the November election. Nevada’s Court of Appeals commenced on January 5, 2015.


Jose Hermocillo, ‘83

Jose Hermocillo, ‘83, has been at the center of dozens of high-profile ballot measure campaigns and legislative and regulatory debates on issues ranging from workers’ compensation to natural resources and taxation. He has been recognized as “Public Affairs Executive of the Year” and one of the most influential people in the region by Sacramento Magazine.  


Thomas W. Hiltachk, ’87

Thomas Hiltachk, ’87, has served as legal counsel and treasurer to numerous statewide and local committees, lobbyists, candidates, and officeholders. Hiltachk served as legal counsel for the campaign behind the Three Strikes Law and was also a legal counsel for the campaign to recall Gov. Gray Davis. Hiltachk has previously served as general counsel to the California Republican Party and lead counsel for former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.


Thien Ho, ‘98

Thien Ho, ‘98, is the District Attorney of Sacramento County. Over Ho’s 23-year career as an attorney, he successfully prosecuted sexual assault, gang, and homicide cases. Most notably, he successfully prosecuted the Golden State Killer. He also helped to build a nationally ranked trial advocacy program at McGeorge, winning multiple regional and national mock trial competitions.  


Nora Klug, ‘01

Nora Klug, LLM ’01, serves as Group General Counsel for Bosch Global in Germany. Klug leads the legal department of a global company that ranks No. 95 on the Fortune Global 500 and employs nearly 400,000 people. Before her current role, she was General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer of the global legal and compliance sector at BSH Hausgeräte GmbH in Munich, Germany for over 7 years. Klug earned her LLM from McGeorge in Transnational Business Practice in 2001.


The Hon. Barbara Kronlund, ‘89

The Hon. Barbara Kronlund, ’89, made history as the first South Asian American female judge in California on both the state and federal benches, and was appointed to the Superior Court of San Joaquin County in 2005. Throughout her tenure, Judge Kronlund has served in various capacities, including presiding over the Juvenile Court and assuming roles as a supervising civil judge and court commissioner.


Lance H. Olson, ‘77

Lance H. Olson, ’77, has advised scores of elected and public officials, including Speakers of the Assembly and Presidents Pro Tem of the Senate. He has provided legal advice to the California Democratic Party since 1982 and has played a major part in the drafting and passage of many of California’s major laws. Olson also serves as counsel to many of California’s foremost labor unions, several large trade associations, several major environmental organizations, and many of California’s leading tech entrepreneurs.


The Hon. Michelle Tong, ‘01

The Hon. Michelle Tong, ‘01, is a judge for the San Francisco Superior Court. Prior to this, she dedicated 17 years to the San Francisco Public Defender’s Office, focused on social justice causes. After working in San Francisco serving low-income Asian immigrants for several years, Judge Tong attended McGeorge and was active in the Asian Pacific American Law Students Association, Black Law Students Association, and Minority Students Bar Association.


Pamela Tondreau, ‘87

Pamela Tondreau, ‘87, is the executive vice president and chief legal officer at Onsemi and has extensive experience in business compliance, antitrust, M&A, and patent portfolio management. Tondreau was formerly the chief legal officer for Cypress Semiconductor Corporation and spent 13 years at Hewlett-Packard. She is a strong advocate for diversity in the workplace, a believer in mentorship programs, and actively works to build the next generation of leaders.

Learn more. 

 

Stay tuned for more blog posts as we celebrate the law school’s centennial anniversary in 2024. Check out earlier posts from the series:

For more information about McGeorge School of Law, visit our website.

Media Contacts:

McGeorge School of Law