Leading Legal Minds: Valarie Grossman

Valarie Grossman thought law school wasn’t an option for her. Then she found the Colleges of Law—and proved that it’s never too late.

It took a different degree, two moves, a career switch, a family, and a new community for Valarie Grossman to find The Santa Barbara & Ventura Colleges of Law and pursue her dream of becoming a lawyer.

She was always interested in law but thought law school was out of reach. As an undergraduate studying marine affairs, Grossman used to attend a friend’s law classes for fun. She even had the opportunity to meet and get coffee with former U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno.

“I found her to be the most incredible, brilliant woman. I realize now the seeds were sown pretty early for me,” Grossman says. “But I had already established a career in a different field. I had other things going on. It really wasn’t until I found the Colleges of Law that I realized I could still do it.”

Upon graduation from undergrad, she worked at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the Office of Compliance and Enforcement. From there, she went to National Geographic Magazine in Washington, D.C., working her way up from executive assistant to finance manager. Wanting to be back by a coast, she moved to California, got married, and started working at the Wishtoyo Foundation as director of finance and administration. It wasn’t until she was celebrating a “significant birthday” that she revisited her dream to become a lawyer.

“I was at a block party talking to my next-door neighbors, and someone called me out, saying, ‘You’re not old and you’re not dying—you need to go out and go to law school if that’s what you want to do,’” Grossman explains. “And my other next-door neighbor started telling me about the Colleges of Law because she’s an alumna. It turns out another neighbor’s brother-in-law also went there. It seemed like everyone I was introduced to in the field was connected in some way.”

She enrolled at the Ventura Campus of the Colleges of Law. During her first year, she was pregnant with her first child, still working at Wishtoyo, and attending school at night. A week before after giving birth, she took her 1L exams. Two weeks later, she was back for the summer session.

Full-time life as a mom and student only pushed her to do and be more for the sake of her daughter and future. Despite only five clerkships counting for her degree, Grossman completed six—wanting to get as much exposure to everything possible before getting out of school.

“The fact that the school was able to work with students and staff and be supportive of women and families was really special to see,” Grossman says. “My daughter benefited too: as a two-year-old in preschool, she’d be really proud and excited and say, ‘My mommy doesn’t go to work. She goes to big school.’”

After graduating from the Colleges of Law, Grossman went to work for one of her professors at a family law firm in Ventura. She had done many of her clerkships in family law and fell in love with the field. Grossman enjoys being able to work with people on a personal level and make a difference in their lives. Having just started her job a week after taking the bar exam, Grossman feels grateful she gets to work for someone who wants her to continue to learn and grow as an attorney.

For her, the transition from student to lawyer—her new identity—is still taking some time to get used to.

“I had a meeting with a client where I was doing some incredible things that I never thought I would do—at least, not as quickly as I did,” Grossman says. “I got home on this natural high and I looked at my husband and said, ‘Oh my God, I was a lawyer today!’”

It really is a dream come true for Grossman.

Learn more about the Colleges of Law

If you would like to learn more about The Santa Barbara & Ventura Colleges of Law fill out the form below to request more information.