Alumni Spotlight - Jordan Enright '16
“Solving problems was in my nature,” says Jordan Enright ’16, who grew up in a dynamic household shaped by a strong sense of responsibility and teamwork. Her parents set the tone for service and leadership: her mother, a civil lawyer who ran her own successful civil litigation firm, and her father, a coach at Bellevue High’s nationally recognized football team. Not to mention the fact that Jordan was the eldest of ten children—six biological, two her parents fostered and another two they became legal guardians of. These influences inspired Jordan’s drive to take charge in challenging situations: “I just never wanted to be someone sitting on the sidelines wishing I could help.”
From an early age, Jordan gravitated toward the authority and skills needed to solve problems. Her mother’s law firm became her playground, where she absorbed lessons on advocacy and resilience. “Law was in my blood,” Jordan jokes, recalling how integral she became to the daily rhythms of her mom’s practice. She was such a fixture that the firm’s paralegal was a guest at her wedding, arriving with a box of hole punches as a memento of when Jordan would empty the hole punches throughout the office as a toddler.
When it came time to choose a law school, Jordan sought one that offered more than theory. She chose California Western School of Law for its hands-on programs, its reputation for tackling real-world challenges, and its ties to San Diego’s dynamic legal community. However, the transition wasn’t easy. Like many 1Ls, Jordan struggled during her first semester. She’d just moved to a new state and was sleeping on a friend’s couch, while juggling the demands of law school with limited resources. “I lived in professors’ office hours,” says Jordan of her second semester, when she found her footing, got straight A's, and amjured Contracts.
At California Western, Jordan found mentors who set the tone for a career in practical problem-solving. One of the most impactful was Professor Art Campbell, whose mantra, ATFQ—“Answer the [ ] Question”—became a guiding principle. “It was written all over my papers,” Jordan laughs, but the lesson stuck. Today, she shares that same straightforward approach with her clients and team, emphasizing the importance of clarity and transparency in a profession where honesty can be elusive.
Looking back, Jordan is grateful for the way California Western’s programs helped her lay the groundwork for her career while still in school. Through the Clinical Externship Program, she gained access to the school’s “rolodex of firms” across San Diego, allowing her to explore different specialties and learn from established professionals. As an intern with the Community Law Project (CLP), Jordan got to work with some of the most vulnerable members of the San Diego community and give them life-changing legal counsel. “It was amazing to see the direct impact you could have on someone’s life within minutes,” she says.
After graduating in 2016, Jordan joined her mother’s firm, diving into various areas of civil litigation. But it wasn’t until she transitioned to family law in 2021 that she found her true calling. She worked a divorce case in which she was able to reunite her client with his children. Jordan realized, “This is why I got into law.” In 2023, she founded Enright Law, Family Law For Modern Families, a firm dedicated to helping families navigate the complexities of divorce and custody with empathy and innovation. With offices in San Diego, CA and Bellevue, WA, the firm embraces technology to streamline services and balances “compassion with common sense” for clients navigating family law challenges. And fittingly, Jordan’s mother joined the firm (while serving as a pro-tem judge in Bellevue, WA), marking a full-circle moment in their family’s journey.
Jordan’s connection to California Western has only grown stronger with time. In 2023, she returned to the school as an adjunct professor, teaching a bar prep course. This past winter, she was there as some of her first students were sworn in as attorneys. “That was the coolest moment I didn’t know I needed,” she says.
Her involvement hasn’t stopped there. As President of the CWSL Alumni Association Board this school year, Jordan worked to establish sustainable policies for the Board, and organize an alumni reunion golf tournament to celebrate the school’s Centennial. Currently, she is developing the California Western Leadership Academy, a free one-day workshop for students, made possible by the golf tournament’s proceeds. Designed to prepare students for the realities of legal practice, the Academy will focus on leadership skills, self-awareness, and tackling impostor syndrome—she coins it "the things they don’t teach you in law school.” The Academy is set to take place this spring.
Jordan sees these initiatives as an extension of the values California Western instilled in her. And while she is relishing her leadership role as Board president, she’s excited to pass the torch after her term, “I like knowing that the organizations we partner with throughout the city will continue to see how vast and diverse our alumni leadership is.”
For Jordan, giving back to the community is also a source of personal and professional growth. “In giving back, I’ve learned so much as a lawyer, a leader, and a business woman,” she says. She emphasizes that there’s no perfect time to start contributing—whether by mentoring students, joining the Alumni Board, or taking on other roles. “Engagement in the community changes lives,” she says, “including your own.”