Our Faculty
Committed to helping you Personally
and Professionally.
Taft Law School (Taft) staff members are devoted to giving each student a beneficial and valuable experience during their time in our programs.
We strive to provide the best educational advantage to our students, and to sustain this goal we ensure that our staff members are extensively qualified and committed to the success of each individual.
Our staff retention rate is over 90% and the majority have been with Taft for an extensive amount of years. It is a reflection of our staff’s loyalty and commitment to Taft and our students.
Select individual to learn more.
Postsecondary Education:
- Bachelor of Arts in Political Science & History
- California State University, Long Beach
- Master of Arts in History
- California State University, Long Beach
- Juris Doctor with Concentration in Business Law
- Whitter Law School
Julie Abutal won the CALI Excellence for the Future Award in Comparative/International Legal Systems.
- Member, State Bar of California
- Member, U.S. District Court – Central District of California
Postsecondary Education:
• Bachelor of Arts
• California State University, Fullerton
• Juris Doctor
• Western State University, School of Law
Other Information:
Todd Becker is a senior associate with a large firm in Los Angeles County. His legal knowledge is in the areas of construction defect and general liability. Mr. Becker represents developers, general contractors, subcontractors, materials suppliers and insurance firms.
Mr. Becker was admitted to the State Bar of California in 1990. He is also admitted to practice in the United States District Court, Central District.
In 1990, Mr. Becker received his J.D. from Western State University School of Law, in Fullerton, California, graduating with honors. He previously earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in Accounting from California State University, Fullerton.
Trade and Professional Associations/Credentials:
• State Bar of California
- Bachelor of Science in Psychology
- Brigham Young University
- Juris Doctor
- University of West Los Angeles
Other Information:
Michael Dickerson volunteered for the mentor program in law school for Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure, and Evidence.
- Member, State Bar of California
Postsecondary Education:
• Bachelor of Arts
• California State University, Dominquez Hills
• Juris Doctor
• Whittier Law School
Other Information:
Ms. Gilbertson has been practicing law for over 10 years. Her expertise is in Civil Litigation. She also has extensive experience in the areas of workers compensation, insurance law, and real estate law. Before becoming a licensed attorney, Ms. Gilbertson worked as a paralegal and law clerk.
Trade and Professional Associations/Credentials:
• Member, State Bar of California
Postsecondary Education:
• Bachelor of Arts
• California State University, Fullerton
• Juris Doctor
• Western State University, College of Law
Other Information:
Dr. Jolly both lectures and conducts tutorials in all subjects tested on the California General Bar Examination and has over a decade of experience in the field of legal education. She has also represented Taft Law School at bar examination calibration sessions conducted by the California Committee of Bar Examiners.
Prior to entering the legal education field, she was in private practice. Her main emphasis in her law practice was real estate and family law.
Trade and Professional Associations/Credentials:
• Member of the State Bar of California
Postsecondary Education:
• Bachelor of Science
• York College of Pennsylvania
• Master of Business Administration
• University of Southern California
• Juris Doctor
• William Howard Taft University
Other Information:
Ms. McGovern started her career as a financial analyst. After moving to California she became the controller of a company and completed her MBA at USC. Thereafter, she began to attend William Howard Taft University where she earned her J.D. Ms. McGovern was admitted to the California Bar in 2003. Mc. McGovern teaches part-time for Golden West College. She is the founder and President of Custom Business Results, Inc., a consulting firm providing a variety of services to businesses.
Trade and Professional Associations/Credentials:
• Member of the State Bar of California
- Bachelor of Science in Education
- Culver-Stockton College
- Doctor of Education in Organizational Change and Leadership
- University o Southern California, Rossier School of Education
- Juris Doctor
- Whitter Law School
Other Information:
Melissa Petrofsky, a former Academic Dean and Professor of Law at Irvine College of Law, is currently an Associate Attorney at The Law Offices of Sauda Johnson, PC, specializing in special education law, with extensive experience in litigating employment discrimination cases, advising small businesses, and teaching courses in civil procedure, constitutional law, and other areas of law.
Trade and Professional Associations/Credentials:
• Member, State Bar of California
• Former Member, Orange County Bar Association Board of Directors
• Member, Board of Directors, California Conference of Bar Associations, including services on the Legislative Committee and as Co-Chair of Legislative Day
• Co-Chair, COVID-19 Committee, Orange County Bar Association
• Listed in Super (2018-2024), Super Lawyers Rising Star (2015-2017), Top 50 Women Rising Starts (2017), and Top 100 Rising Starts (2017)
Postsecondary Education:
• Bachelor of Science – Law
• Western State University
• Juris Doctor
• Western State University, College of Law
Other Information:
Ms. Reinmiller is the founding member of Reinmiller Law Firm. Ms. Reinmiller’s practice areas include estate planning, real estate law, transactional law, business formation and bankruptcy. Ms. Reinmiller worked 5 years as a parole revocation panel attorney for the State of California, Board of Prison Terms.
Trade and Professional Associations/Credentials:
• Member of the State Bar of California
• Member of the State Bar of New York
• Member of the District of Columbia Bar
• California Real Estate Broker
• Admitted to practice in U.S. Supreme Court and U.S. District Court, Central District
• Orange County Bar Association
• National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys (NACBA)
• California Association of Realtors
• National Association of Realtors
Postsecondary Education:
• Bachelor of Arts
• University of California, Los Angeles
• Master of Business Administration
• Arizona State University
• Juris Doctor
• Arizona State University
Other Information:
Mr. Scott Resnick currently serves as a financial analyst for Ayco/Goldman Sacs. His legal expertise includes Fraud, liability, and legal research.
Trade and Professional Associations/Credentials:
• Member, State Bar of California
Postsecondary Education:
• Bachelor of Arts
Boston University
• Master of Intellectual Property
Franklin Pierce Law Center
• Juris Doctor
Suffolk University Law School
Other Information:
Mr. Romano graduated from Boston University with a degree in European and American History, graduating Magna Cum Laude. He was elected to the Phi Beta Kappa honor society after his junior year. He was the recipient of several academic scholarships, namely, the Augustus Howe Buck Scholarship, and was the University nominee for a New York City Urban Fellowship. After completing his Juris Doctor from Suffolk University Law School, he attended Franklin Pierce Law Center and earned a Masters in Intellectual Property. Franklin Pierce Law Center is one of the nation’s leading institutions for the study of Intellectual Property. In addition to its renown master’s program, Franklin Pierce Law Center sponsors the Intellectual Property Summer Institute, the Advanced Licensing Institute, and IP programs in China and Ireland.
Mr. Romano is a seasoned civil litigation attorney in the Rhode Island State and Federal Courts. Mr. Romano’s most extensive areas of expertise are in the federal law areas of intellectual property and bankruptcy. He has argued and briefed more than 50 cases in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First and Second Circuits. He has also briefed and argued numerous cases in the Rhode Island Supreme Court and the Massachusetts Appeals Court. Most recently, served as co-counsel in the landmark case of United States vs. Vincent A. Cianci, Jr., et al. (the former Mayor of Providence) in the United States District Court for Rhode Island.
He has teaching experience in Business Law, Government and Business Regulations; he also holds a state Real Estate Brokers license.
Trade and Professional Associations/Credentials:
• State Bar of Rhode Island
• Rhode Island Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
• Justinian Law Society of Rhode Island
• St. Tomas More Society
• Phi Beta Kappa
• Augustus Howe Buck Scholarship
- Bachelor of Arts
- University of Notre Dame
- Juris Doctor
- Pepperdine University School of Law
Other Information:
Tracy Sims served at the New York City Department of Correction from 1990 to 1992, and has been a Deputy District Attorney for Los Angeles County since 1996, while also holding a professorship at Irvine University College of Law from 2014 to 2024.
Trade and Professional Associations/Credentials:
- Member, State Bar of California
- Member, Langston Bar Association
- Member, Long Beach Bar Association
- Member, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.
Postsecondary Education:
• Bachelor of Arts
Mount Mary College
• Juris Doctor
Whittier Law School
Other Information:
Margaret Trester has over 10 years of experience in the field of law. She is well versed in Bankruptcy law as well as litigation. She has worked in private practice as well as for the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
In addition to her work with Taft Law School, Ms. Trester helps prepare students to sit for both the California Bar Exam as well as the California Baby Bar Exam.
Trade and Professional Associations/Credentials:
• Member, State Bar of California
