Author: cdtalaw

Preparing For An Online Bar Exam – Technical Considerations

Preparing For An Online Bar Exam – Technical Considerations

In October, California successfully administered its first online bar exam because of the coronavirus pandemic. The results for the October bar examination are expected to be released in the middle of January 2021. California presently plans to administer the February 2021 bar exam online as well. The State Bar hopes to release the February bar exam results in the middle of May 2021. The State Bar is actively seeking to reduce the grading timeline so that applicants may receive their results in an expedited fashion. Several states have already conducted online bar exams and will continue this practice for the February 2021 examination. Taking a bar...

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About Jury Instructions

About Jury Instructions

One of the most important components of a trial is the case’s jury instructions. These instructions or directions help jurors pinpoint a case’s specific issues, as well as those laws that are applicable and determinative of the outcome. The importance of jury instructions to the outcome of a legal matter may not be emphasized or stressed enough. Jury instructions identify those issues that the jury will be required to decide so jurors may understand the legal principles applicable to the case. Jurors may not reach a proper verdict if they do not understand the jury instructions or the instructions fail to adequately...

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The CDTA Is Making A Difference During The Pandemic

The CDTA Is Making A Difference During The Pandemic

As the end of one of the strangest years in modern times approaches, the California Desert Trial Academy College of Law (CDTA) continues to operate close to normal. The CDTA is making a difference during the pandemic, helping its student body weather the storm and continue to move forward towards academic goals and ultimately becoming attorney-advocates. The mission of the CDTA College of Law is to educate, train, and develop extraordinary legal advocates. This is done by educating students on bar-tested academic subjects, skills training, and values reinforcement. Upon completion of the 4-year course of study, students will be fully qualified to...

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Latest On Coronavirus And The LSAT

Latest On Coronavirus And The LSAT

State bar examinations have not been the only institutions affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The LSAT (Law School Admissions Test) has also been affected. Undergraduates have also had to deal with the uncertainty of pursuing a legal education. Because of this continuing uncertainty, the Law School Admissions Council (LSAC) has chosen to deliver all remaining LSAT administrations through April 2021 through an online, remotely proctored test, instead of in-person. As a mechanism to enable candidates to take the LSAT and continue moving forward in their quests for law degrees and becoming lawyers, the LSAC developed an online, remotely proctored application called...

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New Study Reveals Cal Bar Exam Discriminates Against Minorities

New Study Reveals Cal Bar Exam Discriminates Against Minorities

A significant research study shows that the minimum passing score, also known as the cut score, on the California Bar Exam, excludes minorities from admission to the bar at a disproportionately high rate. The study aimed to examine the effect of the bar exam cut score on the racial and ethnic composition of new attorneys joining the legal profession in California. The study examined two vast data sets for reaching its conclusions. The first data set included de-identified scores of 85,727 examinees who sat for 21 administrations of the California Bar Exam from 2009-18 and the race and ethnicity of each examinee....

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California Creates Provisional Licensing Program For Newest Graduates

California Creates Provisional Licensing Program For Newest Graduates

At the end of October, as just about every law student in the state of California knows, the California Supreme Court approved a provisional licensing program for 2020 law school graduates. The Supreme Court ordered the creation of a provisional program last July, citing the effects of the coronavirus pandemic and discussing a delayed, online bar exam on graduates. “The court recognizes that postponement of the bar examination may impact employment prospects, delay incomes, and otherwise impair the livelihoods of persons who recently have graduated from law school,” the court wrote. Meanwhile, states across the country are pushing forward with plans to...

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Best Courtroom Movies – The Verdict

Best Courtroom Movies – The Verdict

Frank Galvin is a Boston attorney struggling with alcoholism and failure. He makes one last stab at respectability and redemption in Sidney Lumet’s 1984 film The Verdict. Played by Paul Newman, Galvin is formerly the member of an elite Boston law firm almost disbarred for jury tampering. He turns to alcohol and taking bad personal injury cases as a sole practitioner. Cast: Paul Newman as Frank Galvin Charlotte Rampling as Laura Fischer Jack Warden as Mickey Morrissey James Mason as Ed Concannon Milo O'Shea as Judge Hoyle Lindsay Crouse as Kaitlin Costello Price Edward Binns as Bishop Brophy Julie Bovasso as Maureen Rooney Roxanne Hart as Sally Doneghy James Handy as...

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Four Tips To Help Lawyers Avoid Email Scams

Four Tips To Help Lawyers Avoid Email Scams

Millions of emails are sent from all parts of the world each day. These emails often promise riches from a Nigerian prince. Of course, these emails are scams with some being more clever and enticing than others. Even attorneys are not exempt from the many email scams that inundate the internet. A common scam involves the following: *An attorney being contacted by a prospective, but unknown, client seeking representation in a dispute with another party. *The prospective client signs the engagement agreement, emails the dispute’s underlying documents, and then confirms them by telephone. *Almost immediately, the matter settles, and the opposing party is quick...

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Key Numbers And Legal Research

Key Numbers And Legal Research

Legal research is generally regarded as an essential skill needed for the practice of law. The American Bar Association requires all accredited law schools to train their students in legal research along with substantive law and other practice skills. A cornerstone of legal research is the key number system, which is a classification system of U.S. law. For over 100 years, these topics and key numbers have allowed lawyers and law students the ability to focus directly on a particular legal issue and quickly find on-point case law. Legal research often involves the search for concepts or principles not easily retrieved...

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Five Tips For Overcoming Online Learning Challenges

Five Tips For Overcoming Online Learning Challenges

As the winter of 2020 approaches, the California Desert Trial Academy College of Law’s (CDTA) remains firmly in touch with the needs of its student body as they are affected by the coronavirus pandemic. Not all students are comfortable with online learning and the CDTA is committed to providing an option for these students by offering both online and in-person learning. Here are five tips to help students deal with the challenges of online learning. Form a virtual learning team Find and enlist other students to join you not necessarily to form a study group but to form a support group. Regularly communicate...

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