Family Law

• Divorce
  Barton Pokras received his Juris Doctor Degree (J.D.) with honors from the University of California, Hastings College of Law. He obtained a Bachelor of Arts Degree (B.A.) in English Literature from the University of California in Santa Cruz. He received a LL.M Degree in Taxation from Golden Gate University. He is a member of the California State Bar. While at Hastings, Mr. Pokras received his highest grade in Community Property. Mr. Pokras is the current President of the Coalition for Collaborative Divorce in Ventura County, and his practice is entirely devoted to all aspects of Family Law. He is licensed to practice law in the State of California, the United States Tax Court, and the U.S. District Court – Northern District of California.

Criminal Law

• Criminal Defense
  For all applicants who have passed the First-Year Law Students’ Examination, credit may be allowed in Torts, Contracts, and Criminal Law, even if the grades at the prior law school were not above passing. For students who were disqualified for academic reasons at the prior law school, credit may be granted only for courses in which the applicant received a grade above passing.
• Sex Crimes
  I graduated from SCIL at the top of my class in 2014 and passed the Bar Exam in February of 2015. My first job as an attorney was with the Imperial County Deputy District Attorney’s office.  I quickly climbed the ranks and became one of the top prosecutors in the office.  After five years in Imperial County, I had numerous serious cases under my belt, which included third-strike cases, robberies, domestic violence, assaults with serious bodily injury, and even several murders.  I then returned home in 2021 to work for the Ventura County District Attorney’s office.  I am currently assigned to prosecutions in the Sexual Assault Unit.  In my free time I enjoy traveling, home improvement projects, and working on the family farm.
• Misdemeanors
  Miranda v. Arizona and its progeny. An interpretation of what constitutes “custodial interrogation,” the public safety exception, the doctrine of waiver, and the testimonial limitations of the Fifth Amendment will be explored. This course will also examine the scope of the right to counsel, and its limits in various settings inquiring into the critical stages requiring the appointment of counsel in reference to misdemeanor and felony prosecutions
• Assault
• Juvenile Crimes
  Professor Robert Goodman received his Bachelor of Arts Degree (B.A.) from Stanford University where he was Phi Beta Kappa. He earned his Juris Doctor Degree (J.D.) from George Washington University National Law Center in St. Louis. Prof. Goodman practices in the field of criminal and juvenile law and was a member of the Criminal Defense Defenders panel where he represents individuals who, for a variety of reasons, may not be represented by the Public Defender’s Office. Since 1979 he has been a member of the California State Bar and has been admitted to practice before the United States District Court-Central District of California.

Business and Corporate Law

• Business Disputes
  Professor Panossian received her Bachelor of Arts Degree (B.A.) with honors from the University of California, Los Angeles, and obtained her Juris Doctor Degree (J.D.) from Whittier Law School. She went on to complete her M.B.A. Degree from the Pepperdine University School of Business & Management. Professor Panossian is currently corporate counsel for Ricoh Printing Systems American, Inc. She has served as Judge Pro Tem, and is President of Gold Coast Chapter of the Federalist Society. She is a Business Law Fellow of the American Bar Association and was included by the Pacific Coast Times in the “Top 50 Women in Law.” Prof. Panossian is a member of the California State Bar.
• Construction Contracts
• Intellectual Property
• Antitrust

Employment Law

• Workers Compensation
  In 1997 I began representing civilian federal employees in claims brought under the FECA, or Federal Employees Compensation Act, for on-the-job injury. Unlike other workers’ compensation systems, FECA claims do not settle and can remain open for the life of the claimant, long after retirement from federal employment. As a result, we represent individuals today before the Office of Workers Compensation Programs (OWCP) who first retained our services in the 1990’s. FECA claims make up 95% of our business. These days, the rest are applications for immediate retirement to the federal Office of Personnel Management (OPM).
• Employment Litigation
  In January 1995, I went to work for a federal labor union called the National Association of Government Employees, NAGE. I represented dues paying members in employment disputes over the CBA – the negotiated collective bargaining agreement. I appeared before the NLRB (National Labor Relations Board) either to defend the union against an unfair labor practice (ULP) charge brought by a union member, or to represent a private sector employee in a ULP action against their employer. NAGE represented a spattering of private sector nurses and paramedics in those days.
• Sexual Harassment
  Various State and Federal laws forbid sexual harassment on campus. An information sheet on the subject developed by the Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH-185) listing the procedures used for investigating such complaints has been adopted by the Institute. This informatin sheet is available upon request by any student.

Property Law

• Real Estate Litigation
  Prof. Kaur having received a Bachelor of Arts Degree (B.A.) from the University of California Riverside. Ms. Kaur graduated with a J.D. Degree from SCIL and passed the bar examination prior to her graduation. She has worked in the Neighborhood Legal Offices volunteering legal services. Currently she practices in landlord-tenant, real estate law, and immigration.
• Construction Litigation
  Prof. Reed obtained his Juris Doctor Degree (J.D.) from the University of California, Hastings College of Law. He earned his Bachelor of Arts Degree (B.A.) cum laude from Claremont McKenna College. He has broad experience in construction contracts, real estate, personal injury and employment disputes. He has handled several civil and criminal appeals. He is a member of the California State Bar and the U.S. District Court for the Central and Eastern Districts in California.
• Eminent Domain
  The principal issues examined in this two-semester course involve possession and ownership of land, including its use and development, landlord and tenant laws, adverse possession, prescription, rights to lateral and subjacent support, types of estates in land, conveyances, including tenure and the system of uses, title protection, and eminent domain.
• Landlord-Tenant Disputes
  Prof. Romero received her Juris Doctor Degree (J.D.) from the Southern California Institute of Law in Ventura. Her prior legal experience involved landlord tenant litigation and legal work at the Children’s Law Center in Los Angeles. She is a member of the California State Bar.

Health Law

• Personal Injury
  Prof. Mauseth received his undergraduate Bachelor’s Degree from UCSB in 2005. He graduated cum laude in July 2013 from the Southern California Institute of Law, as Valedictorian, and passed the CA GBX that same year. He is admitted to practice in California and before the Ninth Circuit. He is an associate of the law firm of Bright & Powell in Carpinteria. He edited the Westlaw “California Civil Jury Instruction Companion Handbook” 2012-2013, ed. by Justice Elizabeth A. Baron (ret.) He was Editor of the school newspaper: The Advocate. He has a variety of trial practice skills in personal injury and real property law.
• Social Security Disability
  “I am grateful for the solid legal education I received at SCIL. The diverse skillset acquired has proven invaluable in my work, where I am able to make a real difference in the lives of disabled people in our local community.”

Trusts and Estates

• Wills
  This 1-unit credit/no-credit course follows a learn-by-doing approach to drafting documents related to wills and trusts, including simple wills, wills with testamentary trusts, pour-over wills, and a variety of inter-vivos trusts, primarily under the California Probate Code.
• Trusts
  Professor Pommer obtained his B.A. in English from Pomona College and went on to earn his Juris Doctor Degree (J.D.) with honors from Thomas Jefferson School of Law in San Diego – formerly Western State University School of Law. While in law school he was the recipient of American Jurisprudence Awards in several subjects. He has written for the Public Contract Law Journal and was the Comments Editor of the first issue of the Criminal Justice Journal. Prof. Pommer obtained a M.S. degree from USC in Systems Management. He was Vice President and General Counsel for Technoconcepts and worked for Martin Marietta and Abex Aerospace in corporate contracts management. He has been recognized as an expert in Corporations Law by the Superior Court in Ventura County. He is a member of the California State Bar and has been admitted to practice before the United States District Court for the Central District of California.
• Probate

Finance Law

• Bankruptcy
  Construction industries. He still maintains his General Contractors and Real Estate Brokers licenses. Currently Prof. Hunt is working in commercial real estate and has a Bankruptcy Law practice.
• Tax Law