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Bar Exam

21 August
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The September, Um, October Bar Exam Approaches – Don’t Fear (Bar Exam Moved To October)

Posted by cdtalaw
in Baby Bar Exam, Bar Exam, California law, CDTA, Distance learning, Distance learning law school, High Pressure, Studying
The September, Um, October Bar Exam Approaches – Don’t Fear (Bar Exam Moved To October)

The California Supreme Court first announced preliminary plans for administering the October Bar Exam online in a July 16 letter to the State Bar Board of Trustees. These plans have been confirmed and finalized with the next California Bar Exam scheduled for October 5–6, 2020. Under the direction of the California Supreme Court, the exam will be administered primarily online. The California First-Year Law Students' Exam, also known as the Baby Bar, has been rescheduled to November 17, 2020. In July, California Supreme Court justices held a videoconference with California law school deans, then held a three-hour virtual hearing to receive input from law school graduates registered...

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01 June
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Adapting To The September 2020 California Bar Exam

Posted by cdtalaw
in Bar Exam, CDTA, Studying
Adapting To The September 2020 California Bar Exam

The California Bar Exam has been postponed to September 9th and 10th, 2020. This will result in a delay from the test’s normal administration at the end of July. This allows graduates and other exam-takers to have more time to prepare for the exam. So how should you use it? These dates mean a relatively short six- or seven-week delay for law students, allowing them to study over the summer. These dates also allow test-takers to take the test before starting their jobs in the fall. In 2019, 7,664 took the California Bar Exam, of which 4,938 (63.6%) were first-time applicants. First...

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19 May
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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...

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11 May
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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...

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23 April
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National Movement Working Toward Licensure Through Diploma Privilege

Posted by cdtalaw
in Bar Exam, CDTA
National Movement Working Toward Licensure Through Diploma Privilege

As the coronavirus pandemic sweeps the nation and impacts public gatherings for both social and institutional purposes, one of the institutions affected is the summer bar exam in practically all fifty states. Currently, most courts are closed which has already created an eventual backlog of the American judicial system, both its civil and criminal components. As a response, a coalition of students, scholars, attorneys, and law professors has started a national movement advocating for licensure through diploma privilege rather than examination, since completion of the latter are presently tentative and uncertain at best. United for Diploma Privilege, a national movement of...

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22 April
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Update On The Summer 2020 California Bar & Baby Bar Exams

Posted by cdtalaw
in Baby Bar Exam, Bar Exam, CDTA
Update On The Summer 2020 California Bar & Baby Bar Exams

According to the California State Bar, the current coronavirus pandemic has caused it to consider all possible options for administering the July bar exam. After discussions with the National Conference of Bar Examiners and other jurisdictions, the State bar finally made a formal announcement in the middle of April. It announced that it was presently considering two different scenarios for the Bar Examination and the First-Year Bar Examination. Health experts expect the COVID-19 pandemic to extend into the fall and winter, at least, until a vaccine is made commercially available to the general public. States such as New Jersey, New York,...

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03 March
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Tips On Outlining Essay Answers – Analysis & Conclusion

Posted by cdtalaw
in Baby Bar Exam, Bar Exam, CDTA, First year law students
The California Desert Trial Academy focuses on providing an academic experience that emphasizes a practical approach to becoming a lawyer. We believe this is the most efficient and expedient pathway to a successful and rewarding legal career. At CDTA, we train, educate, and develop students to be exceptional attorneys and trial advocates. It’s obvious that law students want to get the most points out of every essay question on a law exam. They also want to do it as expediently and efficiently as possible. Wasting time on a question reduces any time remaining to review, revise, and correct prior finished questions. Outlining an answer to an essay question is a good way to improve any law student’s test-taking proficiency. Without entirely discounting the conclusion, the analysis is the most important component of a law exam answer since here is where examinees “apply the law to the facts.” An important tip for improving an IRAC-styled answer from average to excellent is to develop the analysis by presenting well-structured arguments on behalf of both sides (i.e., plaintiff-defendant, if applicable) for each issue spotted. Ask the following questions: • “What would the Plaintiff argue?” • “What would the Defendant argue?” This removes an essay answer from the IRAC format since the analysis entails more than just the law’s application to the facts. Rather, the answer is now presented as arguing and analyzing both the plaintiff’s case and the defendant’s case. Next, make every reasonable argument possible and include any reasonable creative arguments. Then make a statement as to which side of the issue has a better argument citing specific facts from the question’s details. Arguments may be shaped using and combining the following strategic formats. • Argue that the facts should be interpreted one way or another • Argue that the law should be interpreted one way or the other • Cite policy reasons for why the case should resolve one way or another • Argue that question should apply the traditional rule instead of the model rule (or vice versa) • Argue that the common law rule should be applied instead of the statute (or vice versa) • Argue that the majority rule should be applied instead of the minority rule (or vice versa) • Argue that the holding in one case should be followed rather than the holding in a different case. Any arguments must consider what the course’s professor emphasized in class, whether contradictory rulings in two different cases or a focus on common law vs. statutory law, majority view vs. minority view, etc. Finally, make a statement as to which party is more likely to prevail with an explanation of the underlying reasoning. The conclusion answers the question, “Who has the better legal argument?” This conclusion is not as crucial as the analysis. A conclusion must not be too inconclusive, i.e. “It depends on the view of the court.” After all, an inconclusive “conclusion” is not a conclusion! Just the same, a conclusion should not be too decisive (i.e. “The plaintiff will definitely prevail” or “The Defendant has no legal argument.”). It is a good strategy to avoid extremely strong words or phrases unless they are factually appropriate. Good usable keywords for a conclusion are “probably” and “most likely.” The key to mastering law exam essay questions is practice. This will improve issue-spotting, analytical, and reasoning skills that should culminate with exceptional readiness for the bar exam. Like traditional law schools, CDTA’s curriculum is designed to teach students the substantive law of core subject areas. Unlike traditional law schools, CDTA emphasizes training and developing students to be capable and competent advocates in any courtroom. The California Desert Trial Academy is a 21st Century law school that moves students toward a successful legal career on the first day of class. We believe that practical experience in tandem with legal knowledge is the best road to a successful, rewarding, and prosperous legal career. Call us today at (760) 342-0900 or find out more online here.

The California Desert Trial Academy focuses on providing an academic experience that emphasizes a practical approach to becoming a lawyer. We believe this is the most efficient and expedient pathway to a successful and rewarding legal career. At CDTA, we train, educate, and develop students to be exceptional attorneys and trial advocates. It’s obvious that law students want to get the most points out of every essay question on a law exam. They also want to do it as expediently and efficiently as possible. Wasting time on a question reduces any time remaining to review, revise, and correct prior finished questions....

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02 March
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Tips On Outlining Essay Answers – IRAC, Issue-Spotting & Relevance

Posted by cdtalaw
in Baby Bar Exam, Bar Exam, CDTA, First year law students
Tips On Outlining Essay Answers – IRAC, Issue-Spotting & Relevance

Whenever the subject of answering legal essays arises, the IRAC technique inevitably rears its ugly head. Why ugly? Because the IRAC method, in its most basic form, is not the optimal way to answer law exam questions. The IRAC method tends toward students devising simplistic and formulaic answers. Nonetheless, for any law student who does not outline his or her answers, IRAC is a good starting point for learning the tools to answer law school exam questions. In fact, practicing and developing it can help students improve their treatment of the analysis section resulting in more sophisticated exam answers. The IRAC method...

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10 February
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Bar Exam Basics: The Week Before

Posted by cdtalaw
in Bar Exam, CDTA, High Pressure, Studying
The February Bar Exam The Week Before

Many law students and bar examinees wonder what to do the week before the bar exam. Do not try to review everything every day during this final week! Reviewing too many subjects will make you feel overwhelmed and not help with retention. Always keep the daily workload manageable. Also, do not try to save time by eliminating sleep, exercise, or a good diet. These things are more important than ever. Here are some other useful tips for the week before. FOCUS Determine the likely primary subtopic areas that will be on the test and focus on them rather than focusing on those rarely...

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19 December
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Bar Exam Basics: What If I Failed?

Posted by cdtalaw
in Bar Exam, CDTA, High Pressure
Bar Exam Basics: What If I Failed?

Every law student is worth more than their ability to pass or fail the bar exam. Let’s get that straight. The bar exam does not define your self-worth. If you failed; it’s over and done. The next course of action after forgetting the past result is planning your preparation for passing the test the next time that you take it. If you dread the fact that you must take it again, then consider that you have the experience of just having experienced it. Remember what you did well and what was problematic. Use this knowledge as an outline to your...

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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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