FACULTY
Making a Case for More Law School Students Professor Blake Wilson Creates Pre-Law Minor Within Criminal Justice By Lori Gilbert Stanislaus State students have taken the Law School Admissions Test (LSAT) for years.
pre-law, and there are actually quite a few students interested in that,” Wilson said.
But the 2017 arrival of Associate Professor Blake Wilson has made that challenging road easier to navigate.
One was Karan Saini, who ditched his parent’s dream for him to become a doctor when he chose a criminal justice major. He has always been interested in governance and policies.
The licensed criminal attorney, who served defendants in private practice in San Francisco with his mentor, Tony Serra, quickly established a Pre-Law Resource Center at Stan State and offered advice at a table in his office.
“We had the legal studies concentation prior to Blake’s arrival, but Blake polished it,” said Saini, a 2019 Stan State graduate now studying at Humphreys Law School and working part-time for a local defense attorney. “Blake helped make the journey easier for me and other students considering law school.”
Now, that center has expanded to a suite in Room 107 in Bizzini Hall, to be shared with new Criminal Legal Studies Professor Judy Bandermann, who is bringing a law-oriented Record Clearance Project to Stan State.
Wilson attended University of the Pacific’s McGeorge Law School after graduating with a philosophy degree from San Francisco State. He practiced law for nearly 20 years, but he always wanted to teach.
“Thanks to Dean Jim Tuedio and Associate Dean Steve Routh, pre-law has finally found a physical home,” Wilson said.
He began that role at a community college in Colorado and then earned his Ph.D. in Philosophy of Law from New York’s Binghamton University.
In addition, Wilson created two courses — Moot Court and Court Observer — to start a pre-law minor at Stan State.
Wilson was what Stan State was looking for in 2017: an experienced attorney with a Ph.D.
The minor launched in fall 2020 during the pandemic, but Wilson said the number of criminal justice students in the criminal legal studies concentration has tripled since his arrival.
“When I got here, my job description was to teach in the Criminal Justice Department’s criminal legal studies concentration,” Wilson said.
“I think it’s because students heard there’s this criminal defense attorney who’s starting to promote
STA N M AGA Z I N E
Before long, College of the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences Dean Jim Tuedio and Political Science Professor Stephen Routh, who advised
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