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Hard Skills

09 November
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Important California Laws To Know – Abuse and Domestic Violence

Posted by cdtalaw
in California law, CDTA, Hard Skills, Substantive Law, Training
Important California Laws To Know – Abuse and Domestic Violence

This week will feature a look at important California laws related and applicable to acts, conduct, and events that present an ever-growing problem for society. Some laws are especially relevant in 2020 when digital technology and social media have become entrenched in everyday life. In preparing for a career as a lawyer, law students may consider a career in family law. Family law involves issues related to children such as child support, child custody, and visitation. These issues are usually related to divorce and separation. Another aspect of dealing with families and people in intimate relationships is the body of law...

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05 November
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Five Things To Avoid During A Hearing

Posted by cdtalaw
in CDTA, Hard Skills, High Pressure, Law Practice, Soft Skills, Training, Trial Advocacy
Five Things To Avoid During A Hearing

Whether it is the first time or the hundredth time, it is an exhilarating and nerve-wracking experience to walk into a court hearing. On one hand, an attorney’s attention is directed at asserting and protecting the rights of his or her client. On the other, he or she must act within the decorum required by the court and avoid any mistakes that may be detrimental to a case’s outcome. No lawyer is invulnerable to mistakes but some mistakes are more detrimental than others. The following lists five things that any attorney should avoid when handling a hearing, whether live and in-person...

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02 September
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Motion Practice – Preliminary Considerations

Posted by cdtalaw
in CDTA, Hard Skills, Law Practice, legal writing, Necessary Forms, Training
Motion Practice – Preliminary Considerations

Attorneys file a vast number of motions over their careers. Motion practice is the most common courtroom experience in a legal services practice. The submission of a motion pre- or post-trial enables a party to approach a court directly and request it to perform some specific action, such as a ruling on a legal issue. Motions may be filed at any stage of a criminal, civil, or even an administrative proceeding, and they may request almost anything. At its most basic, a motion is a request for an order. Whether an extensive, detailed, voluminous motion for summary judgment or a paragraph-long...

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20 August
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How To Write A Contract – The Essentials

Posted by cdtalaw
in CDTA, Hard Skills, Law Practice, legal writing, Substantive Law
How To Write A Contract – The Essentials

A 1L’s first contracts class is often an intimidating experience, if not just because the 1L saw “The Paper Chase” a few weeks or months before starting law school. Once we get over the initial realization that our Contracts professor is not as heavy-handed as Professor Kingsfield but just as competent, we wrestle with what a contract is and what a contract is not. At some point, we wonder how these documents, often voluminous with endless provisions of legalese, even get drafted in the first place by mere humans. To be candid, many lawyers never write a contract technically from scratch...

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12 August
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Law School Myths And Reality: Law School is Nothing But Reading

Posted by cdtalaw
in CDTA, First year law students, Hard Skills, High Pressure, Studying
Law School Myths And Reality: Law School is Nothing But Reading

There are many myths perpetuated by law school, whether from the public’s general perception of lawyers or the way that law school is portrayed in television shows and movies. Of course, the latter is limited since there are not that many true portrayals of law school in tv and film since perhaps law school as a setting and subject is not the most compelling. Nevertheless, those who have never attended law school tend to accept and believe the prevailing myths, although the reality is quite different. The image of a typical law student tends to be shrouded in the image of someone who...

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06 April
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There are Many Paths To A Meaningful Legal Career – Energy, Natural Resources, And The Environment

Posted by cdtalaw
in CDTA, Hard Skills, Law Practice
There are Many Paths To A Meaningful Legal Career – Energy, Natural Resources, And The Environment

There are a vast number of non-traditional legal careers that do not require a law degree. Based on data from the Association for Legal Career Professionals (NALP), annually approximately 10-15% of law school graduates find jobs after graduation in non-traditional legal positions. Employment available in alternative fields varies and can depend on a law school graduate’s undergraduate education and prior work experience. Many alternative careers are in compliance and regulatory affairs, management at all levels, policy analysis, strategic planning, labor relations, personnel and benefits, government, education, and nonprofits. There is a large amount of material out there listing alternative and non-traditional...

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02 April
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What Is An Alternative Legal Career?

Posted by cdtalaw
in CDTA, Hard Skills, Law Practice
What Is An Alternative Legal Career?

At some point during their law school tenure, law students ponder and consider career options outside of the traditional practice of law. Students and graduates seek alternative careers for various reasons, such as a high level of personal interest in a sector, company, or job type. Alternative careers may be considered simply to facilitate a desire to work a less rigorous schedule than that required by the traditional practice of law. An alternative career may be any career outside of the law firms, government agencies, public interest organizations, and judiciary at the heart of the current establishment of the legal profession....

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15 January
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Understanding A Law’s Purpose

Posted by cdtalaw
in California law, CDTA, Hard Skills, Soft Skills, Substantive Law, Training
Understanding A Law’s Purpose

Because legislation is the product of a deliberative and informed process, it has discernible purposes and objectives. Lawyers and judges utilize tools to examine a statute’s purpose and establish the legislature’s intent for enacting the statute. Once the legislative intent has been established, it may be used to understand and interpret a statute’s meaning. Many statutes begin with a preamble or purpose clause, which may provide guidance in discerning the intent of the legislature where the statute may be ambiguous. Lawyers faced with choosing between different plausible interpretations may refer to the statute’s purpose to make a final decision. However, where...

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12 December
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The Hard Skills

Posted by cdtalaw
in CDTA, Hard Skills
The Hard Skills

Hard skills are part of a job’s required skill set. These skills consist of the expertise necessary for an individual to successfully perform the job. They are job-specific and are acquired through formal education and training programs. Law students must learn hard skills to succeed as lawyers. In this context, this means learning the law, both substantive and procedural. Modern law firms, like most modern employers, also seek applicants who possess important soft skills. The soft skills include interpersonal skills that facilitate coordination, teamwork, and goal achievement in the workplace. These are skills that are more difficult to quantify, and which receive...

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CONTACT INFORMATION

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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