UC Law SF Highlights Value of MSL Program at National Conference

Jessica Vapnek (left), associate dean of the MSL Program at UC Law SF, joined MSL Program Associate Director Morgan Wells (center) and Associate Director of Graduate Enrollment and MSL alumna Veronica Collins ’20 (right) at the sixth annual Legal Masters Conference in Philadelphia in early March.

UC Law San Francisco was well represented at the National Legal Masters Conference hosted by the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School in Philadelphia in early March.

At UC Law SF, the Master of Studies in Law (MSL) program was started in 2012 and welcomes professionals from a wide range of backgrounds. It allows students to earn a law-focused credential within one to four years, without committing the time and money required to pursue a JD.

Veronica Collins ’20, the associate director of Graduate Program Enrollment at UC Law SF, served on an alumni panel at the conference. The panel discussed how obtaining an MSL degree allowed candidates to develop core, transferable skills that helped them on diverse career paths. “You don’t want to be afraid to do your job,” one panelist remarked. “We are sitting ducks without this knowledge.”

Experts also discussed how an MSL degree helps recipients build bridges between businesses and legal counsels. For the many MSL candidates who are mid-career working professionals, learning the language of the law is an important skill that helps them translate legal advice into laypersons’ terms for key stakeholders and colleagues.

At the conference, law school deans discussed the value of legal masters’ programs and how they empower students to understand and engage with legal issues at work, in their communities, and in public service.

Jessica Vapnek, associate dean of the MSL Program at UC Law San Francisco, spoke on a panel about legal masters programs at a conference in Philadelphia.

They said an MSL degree can help close the justice gap by expanding access to legal knowledge for non-lawyers.

Jessica Vapnek, associate dean of the MSL Program at UC Law SF, spoke on a panel titled “Building the Profession: Program Faculty & Administrators.” She noted that while this area of specialization remains new, the evolving nature allows leaders to bring creativity and innovation to the program to meet the needs of the diverse MSL student base.

“I continue to believe these legal masters programs are the way of the future – a degree that democratizes legal education and equips people from so many backgrounds to interact with lawyers and legal concepts,” she said.