Call: 760-342-0900
APPLY NOW
logo
mobile logo
 

Blog

California Desert Trial Academy College Of Law
20 May
0 Comments
Sticky

Handling And Collecting Legal Fees

Posted by cdtalaw
in CDTA, Law Practice, Soft Skills
Handling And Collecting Legal Fees

Not only must lawyers do the hard work that is necessary to earn their fees, but they must also handle and collect them, which are processes that are both time-consuming and detail-laden. Lawyers must not only be attorneys, but they must also be accountants and bill collectors. Lawyers are subject to special ethical rules when handling client funds, which are funds in which the client still has an ownership interest. The rules require all client funds to be maintained in an interest-bearing trust account while they are in the lawyer’s possession. Safekeeping client funds in a trust account improves client-relations since clients...

Continue reading
19 May
0 Comments
Sticky

California Bar Exam Officially Scheduled For September

Posted by cdtalaw
in Bar Exam, CDTA
California Bar Exam Officially Scheduled For September

Any student engaged in online, distance learning at a progressive law school like California Desert Trial Academy College of Law, has the freedom to study whenever and wherever, at their utmost convenience. In these current troubled times, CDTA students are at an advantage based on the online resources available to them on campus and at the CDTA website. On April 27, the Supreme Court of California postponed the July California Bar Exam to September 9-10. Applicants registered for the July exam will automatically be registered for the September exam. However, applicants must still submit all eligibility documents to the State Bar. The California...

Continue reading
19 May
0 Comments
Sticky

About The Different Types Of Attorney’s Fees

Posted by cdtalaw
in CDTA, Law Practice, Soft Skills
About The Different Types Of Attorney’s Fees

This is a quick summary of the common types of fee arrangements used by lawyers. Any fee must be reasonable, and the client must agree to it and all other provisions of the fee arrangement. Consultation: This is a fixed or hourly fee that clients are charged for their first meeting with an attorney where the needs and goals of the clients are discussed and the attorney ascertains whether he or she can satisfy and achieve them on the client’s behalf. Many attorneys, such as bankruptcy and personal injury attorneys offer free, first-time consultations. Contingency: This fee is based on...

Continue reading
18 May
0 Comments
Sticky

About Fee Agreements And Costs

Posted by cdtalaw
in CDTA, Law Practice, Soft Skills
About Fee Agreements And Costs

This week's blogs feature topics related to legal fees. In April 2020, the national average cost of attorney’s fees where an hourly rate is charged is $225 per hour. The minimum cost is $100, and the maximum is $1,000. The average range is from $100 to $300. The type of fee arrangement that an attorney utilizes is often based on the type of legal issues that a client presents for resolution. Attorneys must base their fees on a clearly communicated and memorialized fee agreement negotiated at the beginning of their representation with clients. Regardless of whatever a local state bar’s rules...

Continue reading
15 May
0 Comments
Sticky

Simple, Useful Memorization Techniques For Use In Law School

Posted by cdtalaw
in CDTA, First year law students, Legal Research, Studying, Training
Simple, Useful Memorization Techniques For Use In Law School

Of course, answering an essay question on a law school midterm or a bar exam requires applied knowledge more than rote memorization. Law students must use critical thinking and connect or apply the information they have learned to a set of facts, recognize issues, and solve problems. But before tackling the rigors of a law exam essay question, students must genuinely know the information. Here are some tips for effectively memorizing information: Record notes for later listening When I was in law school, I sat next to a former legal secretary who knew shorthand. She would take all her class notes in shorthand,...

Continue reading
14 May
0 Comments
Sticky

The Typical Life Cycle Of A Client File

Posted by cdtalaw
in CDTA, Law Practice, Training
The Typical Life Cycle Of A Client File

While most of us live in a computerized, digital world, the legal industry revolves primarily around information, notes, and documentation. Attorneys obtain information, then classify and organize it. A client file is how attorneys organize the information related to a client. For every client that retains an attorney or law firm, there is a file. There may even be multiple files within files that contain documentation relevant to each matter concerning the client. The longer the client has been represented by the attorney or firm, the larger the file. Law firms must typically devote a large portion of their office space...

Continue reading
13 May
0 Comments
Sticky

There are Many Paths To A Meaningful Legal Career – Human Resources and Employment

Posted by cdtalaw
in CDTA, Training
There are Many Paths To A Meaningful Legal Career – Human Resources and Employment

Law students must always remember that the unique and vast knowledge that they have gained in law school provides them many options and paths for rewarding and meaningful careers practicing law, as well as working in other traditionally non-legal areas and disciplines. The consideration of pursuing a career outside the traditional practice of law is a notion that most law students and graduates undertake at some point. However, it is not always simple to ascertain clearly how they may use their law degree in areas other than law. Those who are willing to think “outside the box” and expend the necessary time...

Continue reading
12 May
0 Comments
Sticky

Law Practice Tips: Disaster Recovery Planning

Posted by cdtalaw
in CDTA, Law Practice
Law Practice Tips: Disaster Recovery Planning

Every business has had to adapt to the effects of the coronavirus pandemic and quarantine, including businesses that engage in the practice of law. Granted, most business owners, including attorneys, were not prepared for the effects of the coronavirus. But it was those attorneys who were prepared for the pandemic or anything like it, to any extent, that were able to more quickly adapt and keep their law practices operating. Although most attorneys possess the ability to think on their feet and react to a situation analytically in an expedient fashion, it is best to be prepared so that they...

Continue reading
11 May
0 Comments
Sticky

California Bar Exam Postponed Until September

Posted by cdtalaw
in Bar Exam, California law, CDTA, Studying
California Bar Exam Postponed Until September

Any student engaged in online, distance learning at a progressive law school like California Desert Trial Academy College of Law, has the freedom to study whenever and wherever, at their utmost convenience. In these current troubled times, CDTA students are at an advantage based on the online resources available to them on campus and at the CDTA website. This access will prove invaluable when preparing for the bar exam. On April 27, the Supreme Court of California ordered the July California Bar Exam to be postponed to September 9-10 and directed the State Bar to expend every effort to administer the test online...

Continue reading
07 May
0 Comments
Sticky

Ten Tips For Voir Dire

Posted by cdtalaw
in CDTA, Law Practice, Training, Trial Advocacy
Ten Tips For Voir Dire

Generally. voir dire involves the preliminary examination of a juror by counsel. Frankly, voir dire is the mechanism through which attorneys select, or perhaps more appropriately reject, certain jurors to sit and hear a case. It is also a phrase used for a variety of procedures related to jury trials. Here are ten tips for effective voir dire. Adopt the proper orientation. Questioning during voir dire should be “conversational” rather than like an interview. Tell jurors why they are there. Explain the process to jurors requesting, if not cordially demanding, their honesty and candor, while helping them acknowledge their biases. Get jurors...

Continue reading

CONTACT INFORMATION

California Desert Trial Academy College of Law
45-290 Fargo Street
Indio, CA 92201
(760) 342-0900

Call: (760) 342-0900

Facebook

You Tube

Linkedin

Call: (760) 342-0900

Facebook

You Tube

Linkedin

Statement of Nondiscrimination

Consistent with sound educational policy, CDTA College of Law does not discriminate on the basis of sex, race, color, ancestry, religious creed, national origin, disability, medical condition, age, marital status, political affiliation, gender identity, sexual orientation, or veteran status.

California State Bar Standard and Required Disclosure

The method of instruction at this law school for the Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree program is principally in physical classroom facilities.

Students enrolled in the J.D. degree program at this law school who successfully complete the first year of law study must pass the First-Year Law Students Examination required by Business and Professions Code 6060(h) and Rule VIII of the Rules Regulating Admission to Practice Law in California as part of the requirements to qualify to take the California Bar Examination.

A student who passes the First-Year Law Students Examination within three (3) administrations of the examination after first becoming eligible to take it will receive credit for all legal studies completed to the time the examination is passed. A student who does not pass the examination within three (3) administrations of the examination after first becoming eligible to take it must be promptly disqualified from the law school’s J.D. degree program. If the dismissed student subsequently passes the examination, the student is eligible for re-enrollment in this law school’s J.D. degree program, but will receive credit for only one year of legal study.

Study at, or graduation from, this law school may not qualify a student to take the bar examination or to satisfy the requirements for admission to practice in jurisdictions other than California. A student intending to seek admission to practice law in a jurisdiction other than California should contact the admitting authority in that jurisdiction for information regarding the legal education requirements in that jurisdiction for admission to the practice of law.

Copyright CDTA California Desert Trial Academy College of Law. All rights reserved. The Desert’s first and only Law School. Proudly serving all of Southern California; accepting applications from Imperial, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, and San Bernardino Counties.

Font Resize
Accessibility by WAH