First year law students

A Primer On The California Baby Bar

A Primer On The California Baby Bar

CDTA students are required to take the California First-Year Law Students (FYLSX), also known as the California “Baby Bar” Exam. The examination includes both essay and multiple-choice questions and is administered in one day. All law students who have successfully completed one year of legal studies are eligible to apply for the First-Year Law Students' Examination. The California Baby Bar is administered in Los Angeles and San Francisco metropolitan areas in June and October annually. Examinees have four hours to complete four essay questions and three hours to complete one hundred multiple-choice questions. Credit for law study completed after passing the First-Year...

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CDTA Students Support One Another

CDTA Students Support One Another

“We’re all in this together, so let’s help each other achieve common goals.” This a strong tenet of the California Desert Trial Academy (CDTA). The more resources, human or otherwise, that a student has in learning about any subject, the more a student will learn. It really is nothing but basic common sense. The CDTA emphasizes student collaboration and teamwork as an important component of achieving academic and professional goals. It seems every law school student knows the story of a certain fellow student who “misplaced” and unscrupulously concealed books in the law library to prevent his classmates from completing a...

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

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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Study Fever? Why You Should Avoid Overuse of Caffeine

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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The Five Most Common Worries About Your 1L Year

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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Forgot Something in Your Notes? CDTA Offers Ongoing Access to Lectures

lectures

Law school is centered around lectures, reading assignments, and case briefing. The workload can be great, especially in your 1L year as you adjust to a new way of thinking and writing. Your professors will expect you to be able to read voluminous amounts of material for each class, learn and memorize new legal rules and concepts and most importantly, learn how to apply the law to the facts. The volume of classwork can be daunting for even the best and the brightest of  law students entering their first year. You may find yourself in a panic at times, trying to...

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First Year Students: CDTA is Laser Focused on Your Success

Law school begins with a great deal of trepidation for many first year students, and although anxiety levels may run high, this type of intensity often leads to an intense motivation to succeed.  Prior to law school orientation, you will likely be bombarded by well-meaning friends and family members regaling their horror stories of their own cutthroat law school experience. They will direct you to watch films such as The Paper Chase  or One L , depicting first-year law students going to any length to push their fellow classmates “down the curve”.  You will hear about professors hell-bent on seeing...

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