Introduction
The California School of Law is an online law school with the goal of providing an educational experience that is as close as possible to that at a traditional residential law school. Students at CSL can see and speak with the professors and classmates by logging into a live Video Conferencing Classroom from their computer at home or work.
State of the art technology is utilized to provide direct, live two-way video/audio communication between faculty and students, creating a virtual classroom. This enables the professors and students to discuss and debate the law using the Socratic Method as if they were physically in the same room.
Class Schedules
The California School of Law publishes the Class Schedule on its website prior to the beginning of each term of study. Students also receive an e-mail informing them of their schedule. California School of Law’s virtual classes meet on Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 6:00 pm – 9:00pmPST or PDT, which is 9:00 – 12:00 EST or EDT on the East Coast. Students take two classes each night, the first class from 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm and the second class from 7:30 pm – 9:00 pm. The California School of Law is on a trimester system, i.e., there are three semesters each year and four years to complete law school.
Each semester is a four-month semester, each class meets 30 times, with a final and mid-terms, such as at traditional residential law schools. Class time is only a portion of the study time required to earn a Juris Doctorate.
Grades
Grades are based primarily on the final examination and two mid-term exams. Instructors may require written papers in addition to examinations. Some instructors give additional examinations or other assignments, including drill questions, which may or may not be counted in the final grade.
Professors may factor in participation, but it is less than 5%. However, a Professor may deduct half a grade at the end of the trimester for non-participation.
The Final is a minimum of 75% of the grade, Midterms and participation complete the remaining 25 percent.
2nd, 3rd, 4th-year classes do not always follow this formula, for example in Legal Research and Writing and Trial Advocacy the student's grade is based on writing assignments and projects.
Letter grades are awarded, and plus and minus grades are given
Graduation
The program takes 4 years to complete, and cannot be accelerated to 3 years (law students attending 3-year law schools programs are not permitted to work when attending).
Every student who graduates from the California School of Law receives a Juris Doctor Degree, creating numerous employment opportunities as an attorney, law professor, business person, or wherever you imagine your career taking you.
Tuition
The anticipated tuition for each trimester is $3,000. For a year, the tuition is $9,000.00. The total anticipated cost of tuition to complete the Juris Doctorate program is $36,000.00.
Application
The next trimester begins on March 24, 2016.
The application deadline for next trimester is July 1, 2016.
