Rate My Professor Michael Dessent

Michael H. Dessent is Dean Emeritus and Professor at California Western School of Law. He received a B.S. from Northwestern University in 1964 and a J.D. cum laude from Northwestern University School of Law in 1967. Admitted to the State Bar of California on December 21, 1967, he practiced in business and corporate law and served 12 years as vice president and general counsel for The Price Company before entering legal academia.

Dessent served as Dean of California Western School of Law from 1986 to 1996. During his tenure, he led a financial turnaround, shifting the institution from deficits to regular surpluses that funded the endowment and reserves. He expanded the faculty by hiring 15 current professors, doubled student applications from 1,200 to 2,850 while increasing LSAT scores by 10%, and boosted fundraising from $7,000 to $650,000 annually. Key initiatives included establishing a telecommunications law center with a $400,000 grant, expanding the curriculum to encompass business and labor law, biotechnology and patent law, entertainment law, and international law, and launching the Diversity Admissions program, a national model. Under his leadership, the school's mock trial team won the American Bar Association's national championship, the first for any western law school, and on-campus interviews rose from 8 to 44 firms. He oversaw facility construction at 225 Cedar Street and land acquisition for the new library. Returning to the faculty, Dessent taught business law and contracts in large classes, mentored students and colleagues, and contributed to the school's diversity efforts and student-centered culture during his 30 years there. His publications include "Browse-Wraps, Click-Wraps and Cyber Law, Our Shrinking (Wrap) World," published in 2002.