Located on the former Fort Ord Army base in historic Monterey Bay, The Monterey College of Law not only offers part-time degrees for those wishing to practice the law but an additional MA degree for those who have an interest in the law but wish to use the knowledge in other professions. Monterey College of Law (MCL) is a private, non-profit law school founded in 1972 in Monterey, California, and
the Committee of Bar Examiners of the State Bar of California accredits its degree programs.
The school is the first California-accredited law school to be granted authority to offer a two-year Master of Legal Studies (M.L.S.) degree for individuals who want to study law but do not wish to pursue a traditional law degree. The Committee of Bar Examiners authorized the law school to offer a one-year LL.M. in International Law starting in Fall 2011.
The school opened its second building, a Certified LEED Platinum Community Justice Center, in April 2010. By achieving LEED Platinum certification, it is only the second law school in the US to open a LEED Platinum facility. The new courtroom and Mediation Center meet the highest US Standards for environmentally sustainable design, engineering, and construction.
In the Fall of 2015, the law school opened its first branch campus in San Luis Obispo, its second branch in Kern County in 2017, and its third branch campus in Santa Rosa in July of 2022. It also launched its hybrid online enrollment option in 2018.
Alums are community leaders, judges, lawyers, and business professionals representing the broad spectrum of individuals, organizations, and industries that define the area. Because the faculty remains actively involved in the legal community, students benefit from their knowledge of legal theory and legal practice.
