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03 October
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Going Beyond 20th Century Legal Education: CDTA’s Progressive Approach

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in CDTA
Going Beyond 20th Century Legal Education: CDTA’s Progressive Approach

Traditional law schools prepare students to be lawyers by a rigorous schedule that compresses legal education into three years. CDTA meets the needs of working people by providing a more relaxed “study at your own pace” approach to legal education that considers adult students’ responsibilities away from legal school. A student will take four years of classes at CDTA before graduation. This additional year allows a slower, more reasonable, manageable pace while providing courses and teaching skills that equip graduates to be competent advocates on their first day of practicing law. Discussions with legendary trial attorneys, F. Lee Bailey and Gerry...

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27 August
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Soft Skills: Strong Ethics & Professional Conduct are Key

Posted by cdtalaw
in CDTA, Distance learning law school
soft skills

While some critics today think there should be even greater emphasis on hard skills courses in law school, and less attention to the soft, much of what you learn in your soft skills courses at California Desert Trial Academy, College of Law could be invaluable to your success as a trial attorney. There is no doubt that you must master an enormous amount of information about the law. Additionally, soft skills will help you strengthen many aspects of lawyering that are not taught in the classroom that will be critical to your career. You will take a course in Professional Responsibility...

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22 August
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Law School: How Many Hours a Week Should I Be Studying?

Posted by cdtalaw
in CDTA, Distance learning
studying

How much time will it take to prepare for classes and how much studying should you do for exams in law school? While this question has as many answers as there are law students, there is a formula that many professors advocate using. You will most likely want to plan to study for at least two hours for every hour of class. For example, in your first year, you will study Torts, Contracts and Criminal Law. Each class is 3 ½ hours a week. This means you should plan on studying and preparing for each class about 7 hours per...

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20 August
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Think You Live Too Far Away from CDTA to Go to Law School? Think Again!

Posted by cdtalaw
in CDTA, Distance learning law school
soft skills

At the California Desert Trial Academy, College of Law, our goal is to see you succeed in law school. If you live too far away from our campus in Indio to comfortably drive in three nights a week, you may be eligible to participate in our unique Distance Learning Program. This State Bar approved, hybrid program allows you to attend classes from the comfort of your home by attending remotely through the Zoom platform. You will attend class at the same time as your classmates attending in person by logging into our program on your computer. You will be able to...

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16 August
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Studying Hard Skills—The Difference Between Civil & Criminal Procedure

Posted by cdtalaw
in CDTA, Distance learning
hard skills

Your law school experience will teach you both hard skills such as evidence, contracts, torts, civil and criminal procedure, and soft skills. Soft skills include relationship building, negotiation, and teamwork. As a student at the California Desert Trial Academy, College of Law, you will learn all of the required hard skills during your course work during the week and practice sessions on Saturdays. Soft skills are emphasized during your Saturday Enrichment program where you will network with the local legal community and learn valuable negotiating and practice skills. It is imperative that you develop a strong understanding of both civil and criminal...

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05 August
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Communicating Powerfully in the Legal Arena: Always Write to Your Reader

Posted by cdtalaw
in CDTA, Distance learning law school, legal writing
communicating

Even the most seasoned lawyers and judges enjoy reading clearly written material. While legalese may seem to be the accepted norm, if you want to get your point across to others fully, it’s quite simple: you must be a bold and inspiring communicator with organized and intelligent thoughts. And just as in negotiating or arguing in court, you must know who your reader is. In writing to your reader you can connect in a powerful manner that may be surprisingly effective time and time again. Although legal issues can be rather dry at times, and you may not have a lot...

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02 August
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Should You Seek Out an Attorney Mentor?

Posted by cdtalaw
in CDTA, Distance learning law school

There is a steep learning curve in the legal profession. It can take years as an attorney to really feel you have mastered the art of lawyering. There is a way to dramatically shorten that time so you are ready to practice law fresh out of law school. That is with the assistance of a mentor. At CDTA, Dean John Patrick Dolan founded the law school to develop strong trial attorneys. He envisioned a training program similar to that of a residency program in the medical field. He understood from his own experience the power of working with an attorney mentor...

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31 July
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Don’t Let Stress & Study Burnout Lead to Depression or Other Health Issues

Posted by cdtalaw
in CDTA, Distance learning law school, First year law students

Although your first year of law school can feel overwhelming and you may struggle with study burnout at times, the key is to find a balance between excelling in school and maintaining your health.  If you suspect you may be suffering from burnout—or perhaps you are on your way there—it is time to take a breather, no matter what is going on. Typical symptoms of burnout are escalating anxiety and depression, abnormal exhaustion that cannot be quelled, inability to focus, and feelings of being generally numb or even somewhat regretful about decisions such as attending law school. The truth is that...

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30 July
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Study Fever? Why You Should Avoid Overuse of Caffeine

Posted by cdtalaw
in CDTA, Distance learning law school, First year law students
caffeine

If there was a true secret shortcut to getting ahead in law school, surely it would have been uncovered by now. And while there are many study tips and tricks available to all, the use of mood-altering substances is never a good idea. You may enjoy the taste of a nice hot cup of java in the morning or like a pick-me-up in the afternoon, but overuse of caffeine will work against you--just as alcohol or any drugs will do too. Most of us are familiar with the stereotype of the exhausted law student or attorney, slumped over a desk littered...

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29 July
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The Five Most Common Worries About Your 1L Year

Posted by cdtalaw
in CDTA, Distance learning law school, First year law students
common worries

Finding out that you were accepted into law school was probably one of the most exciting days of your life and now that you are a law student, there are plenty more milestones ahead, and many common worries blended in with the excitement. Law school exams, internships, the state-mandated exams, passing the bar, being sworn in to practice and your first trial are just a few events that you have to look forward to. Law school has a reputation for being extremely rigorous, especially for first-year law students, and with good reason. There is a lot of knowledge to absorb, and...

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CONTACT INFORMATION

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

Call: (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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