Dean’s Welcome

It is with great pleasure that I welcome you to the Aristotle University Institute of Law and Jurisprudence. We are very pleased that you have expressed an interest in pursuing one of our outstanding legal educational programs and we look forward to having the opportunity to provide you with the finest legal education possible. In keeping with the great philosopher Aristotle’s proclamation that “the energy of the mind is the essence of life,” the Aristotle University’s legal education programs are committed to the principle that the essential pre-condition for the expansion of the common good of all society is dependent upon the quest for knowledge and its free exposition. Accordingly, our legal education programs heavily integrate the study of professional legal ethics and excellence in legal writing scholarship, with the pursuit of truth, the discovery of new knowledge through scholarship and research, the study and reasoned criticism of intellectual traditions, and the strengthening of the respect for human rights, fundamental freedoms, peace, the sense of dignity, and the promotion of understanding, tolerance and friendship among all nations and of all racial, ethnic or religious groups. The Aristotle University was founded in November of 2006 in Carlsbad, California, with the express vision of establishing an educational institution which would stand out among the rest for its academic excellence, its commitment to the student, its philosophy of community, and its promotion of understanding. In keeping with tradition, our University was established in a city which is designated as “America’s Finest City,” and we at the Aristotle University Institute of Law and Jurisprudence are committed to providing our students with “America’s finest legal education.” This commitment begins with our promise to provide education excellence in the “classroom,” even when that classroom is a “virtual” classrooms as in our online legal education programs using our unique Aristotle e-Learning management system. In this regard, we are very proud to announce that Aristotle University is the first University in the State of California, and the first law school in the United States, to incorporate Scholar360 as a learning management system. Our Aristotle e-Learning Scholar360 learning management platform provides us the ability to uniquely and effectively address not only the communication needs of our onsite students, but also to address the specific needs of those students who can not attend our onsite programs, as well as permitting us to actively engage our international student population from countries all across the world in the process of legal education. We at Aristotle University Institute of Law and Jurisprudence are dedicated to providing each and every student with the best legal education possible. From distinguished faculty, experts in their respective fields, to our innovative learning and teaching technologies, we provide our students with every possible opportunity for academic success. The nationally and internationally renown scholars that comprise our Faculty and Faculty Advisory Consultants Committee, are first and foremost dedicated professionals who embrace their role as educators and have invaluable knowledge and experience to share with our students. These professors were very carefully selected, not only for their exemplary accomplishments, but also, for their devotion to helping students master the fundamental principles of law. Our Professors actively encourage, and demand, the active participation of all students in order to ensure universal understanding. It is their goal to engage each and every student in a creative and nurturing academic environment – so as to lay the foundation for the student’s success. The expertise of our faculty provides the opportunity for dynamic dialogue and creative approaches in an intellectual, respectful and academically progressive learning environment. At the Aristotle University Institute of Law and Jurisprudence, our students not only receive an excellent education but also are welcomed into the greater law school community, where they are encouraged to freely exchange and advocate their ideas. It is our hope that this dialogue will in turn foster greater understanding and provide the foundation for life-long friendships and meaningful relationships. We, at the Aristotle University Institute of Law and Jurisprudence, are committed to providing a sound, scholarly and ethical legal education. This is accomplished, in part, through the processes of intense and comprehensive study of the principles of law, including both the Socratic dialectic, as well as case-method analysis. Furthermore, our J.D. curriculum emphasizes the practical skills necessary for success in an ethical practice of law. Our students are encouraged to develop their intellectual, analytical and critical thinking abilities. The academic community which we provide, encourages open, honest, intellectual dialogue in a climate of mutual respect. We are also very proud of the diversity in our student population and are strongly committed to continuing to provide opportunities through education to people of all racial, ethnic, religious, and national origins. In the words of Aristotle, “all men by nature desire knowledge;” and we, at the Aristotle University Institute of Law and Jurisprudence, seek to enable all minds to satisfy their desire to seek knowledge in law … the fundamental pillar of society. We are committed to providing our students with every possible advantage to ensure their academic and scholarly success and actively work to eliminate any possible obstacles which might stand in their way. Our extensive scholarship program, the “Aristotle Scholars,” as well as our convenient financial aid options and work-study programs, provide such opportunity for individuals who might otherwise be unable to study law. The curriculum in both our J.D., as well as our LL.M. academic programs, offers an exceptionally broad selection of courses and seminars designed to provide a well-rounded – and stimulating - legal education. We offer unique LL.M. degree programs in the most currently relevant fields of law: Bioethics and Public Health Law; International Law and Global Leadership; Global e-Commerce Law; International Human Rights Law; National Security Law; and Education Law. Many of the courses within these graduate LL.M. programs are open to our upper-class J.D. students as well, in order to further enrich their legal education. The life-changing decision to study law and to subsequently enter the practice of law may be one of the most important decisions that you will make during your entire lifetime. The knowledge that you will gain through this study will surely inspire you, not only to better your own life and that of your family, but the lives of others, especially those who are less able to advocate on their own behalf. We at the Aristotle University Institute of Law and Jurisprudence are committed to the success of our students and look forward to sharing in their academic accomplishments and to reward their growth so that we can guide them toward the wonderful and honorable goal of becoming successful practicing attorneys ... the advocates in society for all that is good. If you are moved by the pursuit of justice, preservation of human rights, and the promotion of human dignity, and if you seek excellence in all that you do, desire to make a difference in the lives of others, and have the wisdom to move forward with your dream, we welcome you to the Aristotle University Institute of Law and Jurisprudence – we are committed to your success and to your lifelong journey of education toward becoming a scholar, a contributor to society, and an attorney advocate for what is just. We look forward to seeing you soon, Thomas A. Gionis, M.D., J.D., LL.M., M.B.A., M.P.H., M.H.A., F.C.L.M., F.I.C.S. President, Aristotle University Dean and Professor of Law, Aristotle University Institute of Law and Jurisprudence Dean and Professor of Law, Aristotle University College of Law United States Fulbright Scholar in Law United States Fulbright Senior Specialist Program Fellow, American College of Legal Medicine