» Fowler School of Law - Administration

Chapman University Dale E. Fowler School of Law owes its success in large part to the dedication and hard work of its administrative team. Below is a list of senior administrators working to support the school's mission.

photo of Paul Paton

Paul D. Paton

Dean of the Fowler School of Law
(714) 628-2599
Dean Paul D. Paton is a widely published and noted scholar of law and ethics. He has served as a visiting scholar at the American Bar Foundation, as interim CEO of the Canadian Bar Association, and has served on committees, working groups and boards for the American and Canadian bar associations, Arizona Supreme Court, Law School Admission Council Board of Trustees and Canada-U.S. Fulbright Awards.
Before joining the faculty of Chapman University in 2023, Dean Paton served as both a professor and a university administrator in the United States and Canada and has helped lead legal organizations in both countries, notably as the Thomas W. Lawlor QC Professor of Law & Ethics and Dean of Law for the University of Alberta, as well as professor of law of the University of the Pacific’s McGeorge School of Law in Sacramento, where he also served as the University of the Pacific’s first vice provost.
photo of Jenny Carey

Jenny Carey

Associate Dean for Academic Affairs
(714) 628-2627
Jenny Carey joined the Fowler School of Law as a Legal Research and Writing Professor in 2005, and since 2008, she has served as co-coordinator of the Legal Research and Writing program at Chapman. Dean Carey holds a M.S.W. from UCLA and received her Juris Doctor from UCLA, where she completed the Program in Public Interest Law and Policy. After graduating from law school, Dean Carey joined the law firm of Rutan & Tucker in Costa Mesa as an associate in the Labor & Employment Section.
photo of Richard Redding

Richard E. Redding

Associate Dean for Research and Faculty Development
714-628-2688
Dr. Redding most recently served as the Vice Chancellor for Graduate Education at Chapman University, where he also held the Wang-Fradkin Chair, which is the highest honor Chapman can bestow on a faculty member for exceptional merit in scholarly or creative activity. He previously served as the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Associate Dean for Administration at the Fowler School of Law. Dr. Redding also holds appointments as Professor of Psychology in the Crean College of Health and Behavioral Sciences and Professor of Education in the Attallah College of Educational Studies.
Previously, Dr. Redding was Professor of Law at Villanova University School of Law, Research Professor of Psychology at Drexel University, and Director of the JD/PhD Program in Law and Psychology at Villanova and Drexel Universities. Before that, he was an Assistant Professor and Associate Director of the Institute of Law, Psychiatry, and Public Policy at the University of Virginia School of Law.
photo of Mario Mainero

Mario Mainero

Associate Dean for Academic Achievement and Bar Preparation
(714) 628-2518
Mario Mainero is the Associate Dean for Academic Achievement and Bar Preparation at the Fowler School of Law, where he administers the bar preparation program, which includes a for-credit bar preparation course, Select Topics in American Law, and a free supplemental bar preparation program each winter and summer. Dean Mainero previously served as Associate Dean for Student and Graduate Academic Support at Whittier Law School, where he developed that school's academic support and bar preparation programs.
Mainero received his undergraduate degree in Political Science cum laude from Claremont McKenna College, his Master's Degree in Political Science, including a minor in Research Methodology and Statistics, from the University of New Mexico, and his JD, magna cum laude, from the University of New Mexico.
photo of Justin  Cruz

Justin Cruz

Associate Dean of Admission and Diversity Initiatives
(714) 628-2594
Justin Cruz earned his BS in Industrial and Systems Engineering with Honor from the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Georgia and his JD from Washington University School of Law in St. Louis, Missouri. While in law school, Dean Cruz was Managing Editor of the Washington University Law Review and received the CALI Excellence Award for his work in the Intellectual Property and Business Formation Clinic. After graduating from Washington University, Dean Cruz worked in the area of intellectual property law as in-house counsel for a fortune 500 company. Prior to joining Chapman, he served as Associate Dean of Student Affairs at Barry University School of Law in Orlando, Florida, and as Assistant Director of Admission at Thomas Jefferson School of Law (TJSL) in San Diego, California. In addition, Dean Cruz was an adjunct professor at TJSL where he taught in the Intellectual Property Law Practicum course. Prior to his career in law, Dean Cruz worked as an engineer for Caterpillar, Inc.
He currently serves in various diversity leadership positions, including as a member of the Law School Admission Council (LSAC) Diversity Committee, as a standing executive committee member for the Annual Meeting of Law School Diversity Professionals (AMLSDP), and as a board member of the Thurgood Marshall Bar Association. He also previously served as Vice Chair for the American Bar Association (ABA) Young Lawyer’s Division Minorities in the Profession Committee (MIPC) and Mentorship Chair for the Law School Admissions Minority Network Group.
photo of Susie Park

Susie Park

Assistant Dean for Career Services
(714) 628-2626
A native of Southern California, Dean Park graduated from the University of California, Irvine with a degree in English and then went on to earn her Juris Doctor from the USC Gould School of Law. As a law student, she served as a legal writing fellow and editor of the Southern California Interdisciplinary Law Journal. Following law school, Dean Park worked as a corporate associate at Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP and McDermott Will & Emery LLP, where she focused her work on mergers and acquisitions and finance transactions. She then worked as a freelance attorney in Los Angeles and Orange County.
Prior to joining the Chapman Fowler School of Law, Dean Park served as the Assistant Dean of Career and Professional Development at Whittier Law School. Her current duties as Assistant Dean include overall administration of the Career Services office, counseling students and alumni, maintaining and establishing relationships with employers, and acting as a liaison between students, alumni and employers.
photo of Sarira  Sadeghi

Sarira A. Sadeghi

Sam & Ash Assistant Dean for Academic Achievement
(714) 628-2672
Sarira A. Sadeghi is the Sam & Ash Assistant Dean for Academic Achievement at the Chapman University Fowler School of Law, working to provide academic support and bar preparation services to students. She was previously an Assistant Professor at the University of La Verne College of Law, where she served as Interim Director of the Center for Academic and Bar Readiness. In addition to working with first-year law students on study and exam skills, Professor Sadeghi has developed a foundational skills class for second-year law students, taught bar preparation courses, and worked with doctrinal faculty in developing a skills-based perspective in their course offerings.
A graduate of American University’s Washington College of Law, Professor Sadeghi spent several years as a staff attorney at the Supreme Court of Nevada, where she worked on civil cases, edited opinions for publication, and created and delivered an orientation and training program for incoming attorneys. She is an editor of The Learning Curve and has presented on several occasions to various academic support conferences.
photo of Maryam Isles

Maryam Isles

Assistant Dean for Academic Services and Registration
(714) 628-2522
Dean Isles is responsible for administering the law school's academic operations relating to scheduling and registration, schedule of classes, records maintenance, examinations, grades, academic advising, Bar certifications, forms and letters, and graduation. She earned both her bachelor's and master's degrees from California State University, Fullerton. Prior to joining Chapman, she served as director of student services and as registrar for the Southern California College of Business & Law, where she also taught as part-time faculty for general education courses. Since 1999, she has served as admissions coordinator and counselor for the Fowler School of Law admissions office, becoming registrar in 2001, and more recently the Assistant Dean for Academic Services and Registration. She is a member of the American Association for Collegiate Registrars and Admission Officers (AACRAO) and the Pacific Association of Collegiate Registrars & Admissions Officers (PACRAO), and has presented at AACRAO's and PACRAO’s conferences. She also served as an area representative (2007 – 2008) and board member (2008 – 2011) for the National Network of Law School Officers.
photo of Camille Heenan

Camille Heenan

Assistant Dean for Student Affairs
714-628-2550
Dean Heenan is the law school's liaison between students, administration, and faculty. She counsels and guides students on academic and personal issues and is the primary contact for student organizations.
Originally from Washington, D.C., Dean Heenan graduated from William and Mary Law School and started her legal career in civil litigation as a law firm associate. She later served in the U.S. Department of Justice as an Attorney-Advisor, developing policy for the treatment of victims of federal crimes and training Assistant U.S. Attorneys in their legal responsibilities to victims. Upon relocating to Orange County in 2012, Dean Heenan joined Whittier Law School, where she worked as Director for Student and Alumni Relations. In this role, Dean Heenan provided students with academic advising and personal support throughout law school. She has also worked closely with students on developing their legal careers at the career services offices of Whittier, Chapman, and the University of California, Irvine law schools.