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California Desert Trial Academy College Of Law
25 January
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Advice On Trying Your First Case

Posted by cdtalaw
in CDTA, Law Practice, Training, Trial Advocacy
Advice On Trying Your First Case

Here are some tips and advice for any new lawyer about to enter the courtroom and try his or her first case. Do some advance work and scout the courtroom Legal scholars differ as to how an attorney should act while moving around the courtroom during a trial. Some believe that an attorney should always request permission to proceed while others believe that it is acceptable to move around until a judge directs otherwise. Many judges allow attorneys to freely walk around the courtroom provided they do so with purpose. A simple solution is to observe the judge in action when he...

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21 January
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The Best Online Legal Resources

Posted by cdtalaw
in CDTA, Continuing Legal Education, Legal Research, Training
The Best Online Legal Resources

There are many options for conducting legal research online. The ability to do research without any choice but to run over to the law library at the local law school or courthouse is an invaluable tool for saving the time and money of lawyers and law students alike. As law schools, law firms, and sole practitioners move from traditional hard copy written materials to electronic formats, the alternatives are vast with many available at little or no cost. Lexis Web: While this is not a free service, this is always a good starting point for any legal research query. Fastcase:...

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20 January
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Important California Laws To Know – SB 1159

Posted by cdtalaw
in California law, CDTA
Important California Laws To Know – SB 1159

Another issue related to COVID-19 that moved to the forefront of the agenda of California lawmakers in the spring of 2020 was clarifying the qualification and eligibility for workers’ compensation benefits for employees who may have contracted COVID-19 on the job. In May of 2020, less than two months after the outbreak of the coronavirus, Governor Gavin Newsom issued an executive order that created a rebuttable presumption that a COVID-19 infection occurring at work was a work-related illness if an employee received a positive test for COVID-19 or a doctor’s diagnosis of COVID-19 followed by a positive COVID-19 test within 30 days of...

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19 January
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Important California Laws To Know – AB 685 And AB 1867

Posted by cdtalaw
in California law, CDTA
Important California Laws To Know – AB 685 And AB 1867

As the coronavirus pandemic emerged in the spring of 2020, employers throughout California and the nation pondered what course of action, if any, they were required to take once they receive notice that one of their employees was infected with or exposed to COVID-19. AB 685 attempts to solve this dilemma by delineating a California employer’s obligations. To facilitate this, the Act augments the power of the California Division of Occupational Health and Safety to enforce health and safety standards to prevent workplace exposure to and spread of COVID-19. AB 685 remains in effect until January 1, 2023. AB 685 provides...

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18 January
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Stay In Touch With Your Mentors!

Posted by cdtalaw
in CDTA, Continuing Legal Education, First year law students, Internships & Mentors, Training
Stay In Touch With Your Mentors!

The California Desert Trial Academy (CDTA) places great emphasis on the role, contribution, and importance of mentors. The CDTA encourages all members of its student body to seek and find someone to mentor them as they pursue the knowledge and experience to become effective attorney-advocates. Beyond law school, it is important to maintain contact with your mentors and continue to build this valuable relationship. It may be challenging to stay in touch with those professional mentors who have substantially made a difference during a law student’s time at law school. After all, anyone who has the qualifications and attributes to mentor...

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14 January
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Surviving Discovery Disputes

Posted by cdtalaw
in CDTA, Law Practice, Training, Trial Advocacy
Surviving Discovery Disputes

Regardless of the area of law, at some point, every lawyer must endure the challenges caused by a dispute with an opposing lawyer over some aspect of discovery. Unfortunately, for the expedient resolution of litigation, these discovery disputes occur far too often for  most lawyers even though most would do the same if they were in the same situation as opposing counsel. Discovery disputes inherently are like a tug-of-war, ever dynamic, as lawyers push and test each other’s boundaries and patience. It is also not uncommon for clients requesting that an attorney pursue a particular inquiry and avenue of discovery with...

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13 January
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Five Alternative Legal Support Careers

Posted by cdtalaw
in CDTA
Five Alternative Legal Support Careers

Over the last year, this blog has attempted to address alternative legal careers for anyone with a Juris doctorate, typically by the field in which the alternative legal careers may be found. This blog takes a look at five alternative legal careers related to legal support for a law firm engaged in litigation. Legal consultant The demand for specialized legal expertise in recent decades has resulted in an expanded market for legal consultants. A need has arisen for specialized methods such as strategic planning, research, and analysis, training and coaching, as well as other various services based on the context of the litigation. These...

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12 January
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The Components Of Lawyer Competence – Part Two

Posted by cdtalaw
in CDTA, Continuing Legal Education, Curriculum, Hard Skills, Law Practice, Soft Skills, Training
The Components Of Lawyer Competence – Part One

The licensing structures of most, if not all, state bars do not necessarily assess all the various and minimum aspects of lawyer competence. Research suggests that essay and multiple-choice exams with stressful time constraints are neither satisfactory nor effective formats for measuring competence as these tests truly simulate nothing close to the practice of law The components of lawyer competence include both hard and soft skills. The former include the substantive knowledge of the law while the latter represent analytical and interpersonal skills necessary in all walks of life. The following addresses components of minimum competence that are “softer” than “harder”...

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11 January
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The Components Of Lawyer Competence – Part One

Posted by cdtalaw
in CDTA, Continuing Legal Education, Curriculum, Hard Skills, Law Practice, Soft Skills, Training
The Components Of Lawyer Competence – Part Two

Lawyers, especially attorney-advocates, must possess minimum competence to serve clients and the interests of the public-at-large. The following are six components of minimum competence that relate to the more technical side of the practice of law. The ability to communicate orally and in writing Attorneys must possess both the verbal and written skills to communicate with lawyers and clients equally. An attorney who cannot clearly and concisely communicate his or her legal position on behalf of a client, especially when it is viably strong, is like a fisherman with a full boat of fish but no paddle to get back to shore....

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08 January
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Best Courtroom Movies – Miracle On 34th Street

Posted by cdtalaw
in CDTA, Uncategorized
Best Courtroom Movies – Miracle On 34th Street

Most present-day law students are probably unfamiliar with the late actress Natalie Wood who gained success and popularity as a child and adult actress before her untimely death in a drowning accident in 1981. Wood was given a starring role at the age of 8 in 1947’s Miracle on 34th Street which involves a young attorney asserting in court that a Macy’s Department Store Santa Claus is the real Santa Claus. Her assertion that this man, known as Kris Kringle “IS Santa Claus” is just one of the movie’s many highlights. The film, released in May because studio head Daryl F....

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

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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.

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