Master of Legal Studies program leaders, including MLS Director Stephanie Peterson, Administration Manager Emily Gonzalez, Coordinator Cassie Safarti, and Marketing Director Henry Randolph, recently presented at the Legal Masters Conference at St. Mary’s University School of Law in San Antonio, Texas, speaking about a pragmatic approach to marketing Utah Law’s MLS program.
“Our group of presenters attracted one of the largest audiences at the conference and made Utah Law proud with the depth of their expertise,” Peterson says. “Without giving our secrets away, Henry, Emily, and Cassie were able to show off their extraordinary marketing, retention, and student service skills, giving the audience a clear picture of the great things their schools can accomplish in recruiting future MLS students and making sure their students feel supported once admitted.”
New MLS course offerings
The MLS program, which recently celebrated its seventh anniversary, continues to grow. A full-time faculty member will join Utah Law July 1 to teach classes within the program, and students will be able to choose a healthcare law emphasis beginning in fall 2025. The emphasis includes three courses about the intersection between law and healthcare:
- Health Law for Non-Lawyers
- Healthcare Fraud and Abuse
- Healthcare Compliance
Additionally, MLS students are currently taking a brand-new class about artificial intelligence (AI) technologies and their practical applications in legal and professional settings.
“Teaching this AI course to our MLS students has been truly eye-opening. Many started the semester with little to no experience using AI tools, and now they’re confidently designing prompts and building custom solutions for complex problems,” says IT Director Lance Finch, who teaches the class. “What’s most satisfying is watching them realize that AI isn’t something to fear, but rather a powerful tool that amplifies their existing expertise.”
Finch teaches the students that while AI won’t replace professionals, professionals who use AI effectively will replace those who don’t.
“Seeing our students embrace this mindset and prepare themselves to thrive in this new technological era is my favorite part of teaching this course,” he says.
Free career coaching
MLS Career Coach Dominic Militello joined Utah Law in 2024, offering career coaching to Master of Legal Studies students both in-person and virtually on Fridays.
“There are so many different positions, like business compliance, human resources, regulatory compliance, healthcare compliance and ethics, and technology and data privacy,” he said in a recent Utah Law profile. “Students get into all kinds of different career paths that are really interesting. I like helping them achieve their career objectives.”
Reconnecting with alumni
Leaders continue to stay in touch with MLS alumni, whether it’s through the annual alumni social at the Utah Law building, profiles about alumni who are continuing to do great things, or emails from Militello about students who’ve achieved career goals after finishing the MLS program.
“I am beyond excited to oversee this program, which is deeply meaningful to me as an alum. My goal is to uphold its values while enhancing and expanding it, with the aim of establishing it as one of the top MLS programs in the country,” Peterson said in a recent MLS article.
Learn more about the Master of Legal Studies program.