California Desert Trial Academy (CDTA) Tag

Bar Exam Basics: The Multistate Bar Exam

The Multistate Bar Exam, aka MBE, is a six-hour standardized test that lasts for an entire day of the California Bar Exam. The MBE consists of 200 multiple-choice questions that apply to hard skill courses such as Constitutional Law, Contracts, Civil Procedure, Criminal Law/Procedure, Evidence, Property, and Torts. The content of exam questions is divided evenly among each of the MBE subjects at 25 questions per subject. The test was originally formulated by the National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE), which continues to administer the test today. Applicants are required to answer a set of 100 questions in the morning session and...

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CDTA: Study On Your Own Time!

CDTA: Study On Your Own Time!

Many people do not have the time to advance their education during the typical morning-through-afternoon school day. Whether they work or care for loved ones, school may not be available when they are. These hopeful students seek an academic program designed for people who need to study at their own pace according to their own schedule. Workers and caregivers find the California Desert Trial Academy (CDTA) fits their schedule perfectly for two reasons. First, CDTA’s winning formula includes a thorough study of California Bar test subject areas, examined regularly. Of course, many California law schools rely on a similar formula. However, CDTA...

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Mentors Are Invaluable

Mentors Are Invaluable

CDTA Founder and Dean John Patrick Dolan started the California Desert Trial Academy (CDTA) to develop not just exceptional attorneys, but outstanding trial attorneys. Dean Dolan realized that a focus on trial advocacy skills would require a different approach to a student’s overall legal education. He conceptualized an educational curriculum that was analogous to a medical school residency program where doctors mentored students and provided them with hands-on, real-world scenarios to apply their new professional skills. Dean Dolan’s own experiences as a law student with an attorney mentor were priceless. These experiences provided invaluable practical skills because they placed him in the...

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The Benefits Of Online Resources

The Benefits Of Online Resources

The California Desert Trial Academy (CDTA) is on the cutting edge of modern, progressive 21st Century legal education. The ability to connect with students in the digital age and supplement classroom learning through the internet is an immensely valuable tool. At the California Desert Trial Academy, we are continuously seeking ways to better utilize online resources for the benefit of CDTA’s growing student body. Educating, training, and developing extraordinary advocates is our mission. The CDTA optimizes the use of online resources to pursue this mission to its fullest. We’ve designed our state-of-the-art technology platform to allow students to stay connected and...

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Did You Know That CDTA Also Offers MCLE Classes?

Did You Know That CDTA Also Offers MCLE Classes?

The California Desert Trial Academy (CDTA) has served the Coachella Valley in a variety of ways since it was founded in 2012. First and foremost, we brought higher legal education to the Inland Empire. We’ve also started charitable legal causes such as Project #180, which kept at-risk teens from committing crimes and entering the California juvenile justice system. CDTA has a direct affiliation with the Desert Center for Legal Education (DCLE), which provides insightful commentary on our justice system while supporting educational commentary on high profile legal issues produced and distributed on radio, television, print, and social media in the Coachella Valley. But...

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Bar Exam Basics: The California Bar Exam

Bar Exam Basics: The California Bar Exam

The California Bar Exam is as daunting as any bar exam in the country. The preparation for an examination of this magnitude is like no other test anyone will likely take in a lifetime. All the California Desert Trial Academy’s (CDTA) California State Bar tested courses are uniquely taught in a real courtroom environment by real lawyers and judges. Our 4-year law school program prepares students to take and pass the California Bar Examination. Most students are used to studying a few days in advance for a test in an undergraduate class. For many tests, the preparation may require only a...

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

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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