Cal West Side Story

Students discover many things during their time at California Western. They find hidden strengths and talents they never knew they had. They gain transformational mentors and lifelong friends. They discover professional interests that blossom into full-blown passions. Sometimes they even find . . . love.

Just ask 2017 graduates Morgan Thomas and Nicholas Lasso, Las Vegas-based attorneys who will return to San Diego next April to tie the knot. We caught up with them shortly after their last visit to San Diego, during which they staged a pre-wedding photo shoot on the California Western campus.

You might call theirs a Cal West Side Story, but with a happier ending.

It all began early in their first year at law school, in Study Room 410 in the California Western Library. A close friend of Nick’s was in the same study section as Morgan and casually introduced the two of them. Well, maybe not so casually. “My friend thought that we would make a good match,” Nick remembers. “So, he wanted to introduce me.”

Was it love at first sight?

Nick responds with an immediate “Yes! As soon as I walked through the door it was literally love at first sight— 100 percent—I was absolutely obsessed with her.”

And for Morgan?

“It wasn’t,” she says as they both laugh. Then she slightly course-corrects: “I was so focused at the time on law school that [finding love] wasn’t necessarily on my radar. But as soon as I actually met Nick for more than a 30-second conversation—this time at a friend’s birthday party—that’s when I was like, ‘Oh—this might be something!’”

The time interval between Study Room 410 and the birthday party? One week—close enough.

Originally from Las Vegas, Nick says he was fortunate to attend law school with his two best friends. “Cal Western was the only place where all three of us were accepted, and I also received an incredible scholarship,” he says. “Almost nobody has such an amazing opportunity.”

Once Nick met Morgan, who is originally from San Jose, those friends became her friends as well. “Not only did I find Nick, but I also found a great group of friends—and we still all hang out together in Las Vegas,” where Morgan is a prosecutor with the Clark County District Attorney’s Office and Nick has an injury law practice.

Morgan and Nick agree that there are major benefits for a couple going through law school together. Nick says that since he and Morgan were experiencing many of the same pressures and challenges together, they were more empathetic toward one another. By way of example, Morgan notes that they took the bar exam at the same time. “Doing that side by side,” she says, “the support was great. We both had someone to vent to throughout the whole process.”

Reflecting on the transformational role that California Western has played in both their careers and personal lives, Morgan and Nick say the law school will always be more than just their alma mater.

“Cal Western will always have a special place in our hearts, obviously,” says Nick. “It’s the place we fell in love!”

Morgan and Nick are representative of many couples whose relationships sparked and blossomed while attending California Western. We congratulate each and every one of you who have a Cal West Side Story of your own, and we wish you a lifetime of love and good fortune together.