CDTA’s Fall Semester Moves Forward
As the fall approaches, the California Desert Trial Academy (CDTA) is ready to commence classes on September 8, 2020, both in-person and online in full compliance with government guidelines. The CDTA is dedicated to safeguarding the health and safety of students, faculty, staff, and community while making every effort to continue its Juris doctorate program. While the coronavirus pandemic is making the return to school a much different experience than it has ever been and ever will be for most, if not all, students, the CDTA upgraded its fixed facilities with extensive cleaning and sanitization of the interior facilities.
The pandemic has caused many changes to some regularly scheduled events, including the traditional July Bar Exam. The Committee of Bar Examiners has recently announced that the General Bar Exam will be administered online on October 5 & 6, 2020. In May, the CDTA conducted final exams online for the first time. The CDTA then began preparing the CDTA’s ten participants, who took the FYLSX online. All CDTA exams are administered using ExamSoft, which is the same program used by the State Bar for the Baby Bar and General Bar Exams.
In late August, the CDTA held its 5th Annual Graduation online because of the COVID-19 quarantine. Students, faculty, family, and friends participated through the ZOOM application. Deans John Patrick Dolan, Sue Steding, and Philip Drucker provided their comments and the Gold Coin Awards were presented to the top student in each class.
When Governor Newsom issued the first state stay-at-home order, CDTA was in the unique position to make a seamless transition to having all classes held through video conferencing using ZOOM. The CDTA’s involvement with state-of-the-art online technology and the use of the ZOOM pilot program for the past three years has made the CDTA’s transition to online learning seamless and efficient. CDTA has utilized the ZOOM platform for several years in its hybrid program allowing students who live far from campus the opportunity to participate in all law classes and the Saturday Enrichment Program in real-time.
To assist the law school, the Committee of Bar Examiners has granted CDTA permission to host classes through online synchronous delivery when possible, together with the necessary academic and technical support. All students will be allowed to attend online at their discretion until further notice.
After many hours of preparation including the gathering and compilation of information, as well as executing the required forms, the CDTA has submitted an application to the State Bar for accreditation. The State Bar of California Committee of Bar Examiners will place the CDTA application for accreditation on its October agenda and the initial, informal exchange of correspondence with the State Bar has been very positive.
The California Desert Trial Academy has served the residents of the Inland Empire and Coachella Valley for nine years. It won’t be long before we joyously and proudly celebrate our tenth anniversary! At CDTA, The California Desert Trial Academy (CDTA) is a 21st Century law school tailored to meet the needs of working people. Any lawyer must study and know the law. We believe that practical experience in tandem with legal knowledge is the best road to a successful, rewarding, and prosperous legal career. At CDTA, we train, educate, and develop students to be exceptional attorneys and trial advocates. Call us today at (760) 342-0900 or find out more online here.