A Letter from the Dean
Dear Friends,
We put some miles on Lincoln in September. Between recruiting events at colleges throughout the Bay Area, the Menlo Art & Wine Festival and Innovate Bay, we spent a lot of time introducing and re-introducing people to Lincoln. Back at the school, we welcomed students, alumni, professors, prospective students and local attorneys for our first MCLE program of the academic year.
While we were out recruiting, I was surprised by how many people we met who had never considered law school because they assumed they did not have the right background. Many were genuinely surprised to learn that my undergraduate degree is in electrical engineering and that I had no legal education before going to law school. Those conversations reinforced why it is so important for Lincoln to be out in the community. There are many people who could thrive in law school but have never considered it because they do not realize their background can take them there.
We saw the other end of that journey at our September MCLE program, when three experienced prosecutors joined us to share what they have learned in practice. Two of them, Ney Montenegro and Girlie Fishel, are Lincoln graduates who returned this time with years of practice and stories to share. It was wonderful to have a room filled with current and prospective students, alumni, faculty and members of the legal community. Those are the kinds of connections we will continue to build at Lincoln.
We are also seeing encouraging signs of growth, both in enrollment and in the number of prospective students who are finding their way to Lincoln. As you will see in this issue, we are continuing to introduce more people to the school, create opportunities for our students, reconnect with our alumni and bring more of the legal community into Lincoln.
I hope you enjoy this month’s Fuller View, and I hope we see you at Lincoln soon.
Warmly,
Mary Fuller
President & Dean
Around Lincoln: Looking Ahead
⚖️ Navigating the U.S. Immigration System – October 21
Our next MCLE program will focus on immigration law and feature two Lincoln alumni who practice in the field: Ron Cabanayan ’10 and Peri Abdelbaky ’17. The panel presentation will run from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., followed by 30 minutes of networking. Appetizers and beverages will be served. Come learn something, reconnect with Lincoln and meet someone new.
📍 Find Lincoln Around the Bay
We are not putting away the recruiting table just yet. Look for Lincoln at Pumpkins in the Park in downtown San José on October 10, and back at Las Positas College for Transfer Day on October 20.
🎓 Student Government Is Officially Back
We are excited to announce that Lincoln’s Student Government is officially back, and its officers have been elected. Congratulations to Joshua Pinson, President; Sasan Pournaghshband, Vice President; Jin Son, Secretary; and Olivia Hodges, Treasurer. Professor Alana Wilson will serve as faculty advisor.
⚖️ Serving at the State Bar
Dean Mary Fuller has been appointed to serve on the Committee of State Bar Accredited and Registered Schools. This volunteer position has a four-year term.
🎉 Save the Date: Lincoln Open House – May 5, 2027
We are planning something special for our next Lincoln Open House. Mark your calendar for Wednesday, May 5, 2027, when we will open our doors for a Cinco de Mayo-themed evening for students, prospective students, alumni, friends and the greater Lincoln community.
Notably, we already have our first contribution to the festivities: one of our graduating 4Ls has reserved and is generously paying for a mariachi band! More to come!
One Way You Can Strengthen Lincoln This Month
Come Back to Lincoln on October 21, 6:30 – 8:00pm
Our next MCLE program will focus on immigration law, with Lincoln alumni Ron Cabanayan ’10 and Peri Abdelbaky ’17, both of whom practice in the field. The panel presentation will run from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., followed by 30 minutes to meet the speakers, reconnect with old friends and make some new ones. Appetizers and beverages will be served.
If you have not been to Lincoln lately, this is a good excuse to come back. The building has been refreshed, there is a lot happening here, and our class pictures are finally back on the walls. If you are an alumnus, come see if you can find yourself on the wall.
Whether you are an alumnus, attorney, student, prospective student, friend of Lincoln or simply interested in immigration law, please join us. Every person who walks through the door helps us build these programs and gives our students another opportunity to connect with the legal community they are preparing to join.
October 21, 2026 | 6:30pm – 8pm |Appetizers & Beverages
Lincoln Law School | 384 S. 2nd St., San Jose, CA 95113
Come for the MCLE. Stay for the love of Lincoln.
There is More Than One Path to Law School
During our September recruiting events, we discovered that a surprising number of people did not know they were eligible to go to law school. Some thought they needed to major in political science. Others assumed they needed a background in criminal justice, paralegal studies or something else specifically related to law. Many were surprised when I told them that my undergraduate degree is in electrical engineering and that I had no legal education before I went to law school.
Nadia Padilla has a different story, but the same message. Nadia works part time during the day as Lincoln’s Admissions and Outreach Coordinator and attends Lincoln as a 1L at night. She came to law school with a master’s degree in business, not a traditional “pre-law” background. And in California, even a bachelor’s degree is not the only route to law school. There are paths for people with qualifying college-level education, including those whose highest degree is an associate’s degree.
Nadia Padilla with students at Las Positas College
Sometimes the biggest obstacle to law school is simply not knowing that the door is open to you. That is one reason we have been spending so much time getting Lincoln out into the community.
Nadia has been leading our outreach efforts throughout the Bay Area. In September, she and I attended Menlo College’s Art & Wine Festival and their Meet the Recruiters event, where we talked with students about the many different paths to law school. We also learned that Menlo launched a new Pre-Law Society this semester, a connection we are already working to develop into an ongoing relationship.
And you never really know who you are going to meet. At the Art & Wine Festival, Nadia and I met Dr. Pat Lincoln, who shares DNA with President Abraham Lincoln, our school’s namesake. That was a recruiting first for both of us!
Nadia also represented Lincoln at Las Positas College and Cal State East Bay. Additionally, on September 24, she and 2L Hugo Jimenez spent time talking with San José State students and answering questions about Lincoln and law school.
We are looking for more places to go. If your college, company, professional association, community organization or other group is hosting an event where Lincoln might meet future law students, please invite us. We are happy to set up a table, talk with prospective students or simply answer questions about law school. We would love to bring Lincoln to you.
Dr. Pat Lincoln, Nadia Padilla, and Dean Fuller at Menlo College Art & Wine Festival
From Students to Teachers
On September 21, Lincoln’s classrooms looked a little different. Students were there, but so were alumni, professors, prospective students and attorneys from the community. Thirty-two people joined us for From Case File to Verdict: How Prosecutors Seek Justice for Victims, our first MCLE program of the academic year.
From left to right: Dean Mary Fuller, Teresa Souto, Girlie Fishel, Ney Montenegro
Prosecutors Teresa Souto, Ney Montenegro ’16 and Girlie Fishel ’15 took us through a criminal case from initial evaluation through trial, sharing stories from their own experiences along the way. The stories made the discussion practical, candid and, at times, pretty entertaining.
There was also a nice Lincoln connection. Ney and Girlie were once Lincoln students themselves. This time, they came back as experienced prosecutors, talking about the careers they have built since graduating.
That is part of what we want our students to see. A J.D. can take them in many different directions, and there is real value in hearing from people who began their legal education at Lincoln too. At the same time, evenings like this bring alumni back to Lincoln and give our students and prospective students a chance to spend time with members of the legal community.
Thank you to Teresa, Ney and Girlie for sharing their experiences with us, and to everyone who came out and made it such a good evening.
Already Making a Difference
Dr. Simone Lundquist, Ph.D., one of our first-year students, was the featured speaker at the Rotary Club of San Jose on September 30, where she shared her personal journey and the experiences that have shaped her work. Simone is a professor of psychology at San José State University and founder of Open Doors to Future Possibilities, a nonprofit that supports veterans and others in the community. In December, she will add another accomplishment to the list with the release of her book, Unraveling the Echoes: A Journey Through Trauma and Healing.
Simone may be a 1L at Lincoln, but she came to law school with a lifetime of experience, accomplishment and service already behind her. We are very glad she brought all of that experience to Lincoln.
Lincoln Meets the Startup Community
Not everything we did in September looked like a traditional recruiting event. I also had the opportunity to join Varun Gupta of Varun Gupta Law for Innovate Bay’s Startup Legal Essentials program, organized and moderated by Rohan Brown, Managing Director of Innovate Bay. Varun and I spent the evening talking with entrepreneurs about some of the legal issues that come with starting and growing a business.
It was a fun panel. We had a lot of laughs, the audience asked great questions, and the conversation continued well after the program was officially over. People stayed to talk with us and with each other, which is usually a pretty good sign that something worked.
It was also a good place for Lincoln to be. One of our goals whenever we are out in the community is to introduce, or sometimes re-introduce, people to Lincoln. Events like this put us in a room with entrepreneurs and working professionals who may not have considered how legal education could fit into their own careers. Many of them are exactly the kind of people for whom an evening law program can make law school possible.
Thank you to Rohan and Innovate Bay for inviting us into the conversation. We were there to share some legal knowledge, and I was very happy to spread the Lincoln word along the way.
Check out the Lincoln Branded Gear on our Lands’ End Storefront
Wear your Lincoln pride! Help people get to know Lincoln.
Check out the Lincoln Branded Gear on our Lands’ End Storefront
Wear your Lincoln pride! Help people get to know Lincoln.
