Leah Adams, ’07, was recently hired as the Assistant Dean of Students and Career Services at McGeorge School of Law. Adams oversees and manages the Student Services Office and Career Services Office (CSO), which have become a combined Office of Student and Career Services. Her first day was July 1.

“The most important thing people need to know about me is how deeply I care about our students. I care about the success of the campus and the people I work with,” Adams said. “I’m excited to take on this new role.”

Previously, Adams practiced criminal defense and family law for seven and a half years in the Bay Area. Adams has many years of experience in counseling, advising, and mentoring students. She has been a part of the CSO team since 2014 and has served an adjunct professor in the Global Lawyering Skills program since 2018.

Adams has worked with students and alumni for nearly a decade, giving her a well-rounded background to be able to take on this new role.

“I’m very familiar with the cycles and what students and employers are looking for,” Adams said. “As a professor, and in my role in the CSO, I have learned a lot about student needs and I’m able to provide the necessary support.”

The new position came to fruition when McGeorge’s previous assistant deans of student affairs and career development left the institution for exciting new job opportunities. According to Adams, there have been a handful of law schools in the country that have decided to combine their career development and student affairs offices with promising results. Adams will be taking on the oversight, long-term planning, and strategic vision behind both departments.

“It’s stressful because it's new. But I also think we have great people on the team,” Adams said. “Our career and student services teams are just really solid. They’re supportive of the students, the department, and each other. That’s going to help with the transition.”

Adams plans to continue working with the school’s administration, students, and alumni on improving equity in the McGeorge community and advance the law school’s efforts to become an antiracist law school.

“Diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging are incredibly important to me. I will continue to work to ensure that diverse students have the tools and resources to succeed in law school and professionally,” Adams said. “I would like to encourage students to utilize the Center for Inclusion and Diversity, and take advantage of our other resources, like our professional clothing closet.”

She will also work to ensure that students feel empowered and supported throughout their law school journey and beyond.

When Adams graduated from law school, she had always planned on becoming an attorney. She never expected herself to work at a law school or become an assistant dean. Adams offered advice for current or prospecting students looking to pursue a law degree.

“There are so many ways to utilize a law degree that we don’t expect. When you are open to new possibilities, that’s where the fun stuff happens,” she said.

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

Media Contacts: Ashley Golledge, Director of Marketing and Communications, agolledge@pacific.edu, 916.325.4687; and Victoria Ambriz, Marketing Coordinator, vambriz@pacific.edu, 916.325.4631.