Monterey College of Law Announces Lisa Sperow as its New President/CEO

Lisa Sperow will become the new President/CEO of Monterey College of Law following the retirement of long-standing President and Dean Mitchel Winick.

SEASIDE, CA, UNITED STATES, April 15, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The Board of Trustees of Monterey College of Law is pleased to announce that Lisa Sperow has accepted the board’s offer to serve as the law school’s next President/CEO starting in August 2025. Sperow takes over the position following the retirement of long-standing President and Dean Mitchel Winick. Winick is retiring in July 2025 after 20 years at the helm of the non-profit California-accredited law school.

Monterey College of Law was founded in 1972 by local lawyers and judges as an evening law school program providing high-quality legal education for individuals living and working in the local community. The law school is also home to the Mandell Gisnet Center for Dispute Resolution which was founded in 2005 to provide community mediation services and training for law students, lawyers, and community mediators.

Under Winick’s leadership, the school has experienced a period of successful growth that included opening three additional residential campus locations – San Luis Obispo College of Law, Kern County College of Law, and Empire College of Law (Santa Rosa) and the development of one of the first California accredited online hybrid law school programs. The law school also expanded to become the only state-accredited legal education program that offers an advanced graduate LL.M. degree in addition to the J.D. and Master of Legal Studies degrees.

Sperow is a long-time San Luis Obispo County, CA resident who received her Bachelor of Arts degree at University of California at Davis with honors and her Doctor of Jurisprudence from the University of Oklahoma College of Law with highest honors. She brings extensive experience in both academic and community leadership to her new position at MCL.

Sperow has served for the past thirteen years as Executive Director of the Low Income Taxpayer Clinic at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and has taught undergraduate law, tax, and accounting at Cal Poly since 2001. As a highly active and engaged community leader, Sperow is a board member and Vice President of the San Luis Obispo County Bar Association, the co-chair of the American Bar Association Section of Taxation’s Pro Bono and Tax Clinics Committee, and former president of the Women Lawyers Association of San Luis Obispo County. Among her other community activities, Sperow serves on the boards of Community Action Partnership of San Luis Obispo County, San Luis Obispo Unity Bar, and KCBX Public Radio Station. In recognition of her community service, she was recognized as the Outstanding Woman Lawyer of the Year in 2020 by the Women Lawyers Association of San Luis Obispo County and was the 2023 recipient of the John L. Seitz Award for Community Service from the San Luis Obispo County Bar Association.

“I am very excited to start this new chapter in my career with Monterey College of Law,” said Sperow. “The school has been an innovator and leader among California Accredited Law Schools and has a highly respected reputation among the bench and the bar, many of whom are graduates of the law school. During the interview process, I learned how the board members, faculty, and staff fully embrace the school’s mission of serving the community by providing high-quality legal education to underserved populations. I look forward to joining them to continue to advance this mission which means so much to me.”

Barry Currier, former Managing Director of Accreditation and Legal Education for the American Bar Association, and chair-elect of the MCL Board of Trustees, noted that “Lisa provides a great role model for our future lawyers and community leaders. She reflects someone with excellent academic credentials, she leads by example, serving on numerous community boards, bar association boards, and as a Judge Pro Tem for the Superior Court of San Luis Obispo. She has clearly earned a trusted position of leadership within the community. We look forward to her leading MCL and our family of law schools as our new president.”

Sperow began her legal career as a Judicial Law Clerk for the United States Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit and as a trial attorney for the United States Department of Justice, Civil Division, Commercial Litigation Branch in Washington D.C. She was selected as part of the Department of Justice Honors Program to represent federal agencies in cases related to constitutional law, contracts, bankruptcy, and administrative law. While working in the Justice Department in Washington, D.C. she also taught as an Adjunct Professor at The George Washington University School of Law.

Liza Horvath, president and CEO of Monterey Trust Management, and current chair of the MCL board of trustees observed that the selection committee was not only impressed with Sperow’s leadership experience but noted that she brings a hands-on approach to her community engagement. As an example, Horvath pointed out that Sperow served from 2016 to 2024 as a legal consultant for the Small Business Development Center/Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship in SLO, providing legal advice to developing companies and entrepreneurs in areas related to employment law, tax considerations, and contract issues.

Sperow is also a frequent contributor to the San Luis Obispo County Bar Bulletin and a regular presenter on tax-related topics for the American Bar Association, the California Lawyer’s Association, and other professional training programs. In addition to her technical articles and presentations on tax policy, employment law, and constitutional issues, Sperow’s articles have also reflected her view that lawyers have a broader responsibility within the community, with articles focused on, “Making the World a Better Place”, “Taxing Powers Can Empower Social Justice”, and “Learning By Helping”.

“I have no doubt that I am turning over the presidency of MCL to someone who brings a passion for education, community service, and dedication to mission that will allow MCL to continue its success as a leader in community-based legal education,” said Winick.

Sperow will remain based in San Luis Obispo at the law school’s branch campus and intends to expand her engagement and involvement into each of the communities served by the law school, including Monterey, Bakersfield, and Santa Rosa. “I look forward to spending time at each of our campus locations getting to know our alumni, staff, students, lawyers, judges, and community leaders who are such an integral part of the Monterey College of Law extended family,” said Sperow.

Mitchel Winick
MONTEREY COLLEGE OF LAW
+1 831-241-8999
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