SANTA BARBARA, Calif., March 7, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Founded nearly a half century ago with a mission of providing people of all backgrounds access to an excellent and affordable legal education, The Santa Barbara & Ventura Colleges of Law (COL) is poised to once again help transform what it means to go to law school. Starting in Fall 2018, COL will deliver a pioneering hybrid J.D. degree, the first of its kind in California. Informed by academic thought leaders, entrepreneurs, instructional designers, practicing attorneys, students, and graduates from across the country, the new program represents the next generation of innovation in legal education.
"COL sought to design a J.D. program that responded to the critiques of legal education," said Jackie Gardina, COL's Dean, Chief Academic Officer, and lead architect for the hybrid J.D. "By employing advances in educational research and pedagogy, we seek to provide a solid foundation in the basic skills needed to enter the practice of law as well as succeed on the bar exam."
COL's one-of-a-kind hybrid J.D. is the result of intensive inquiry and development that began more than a year ago when Dean Gardina hosted a "Hack the J.D." weekend at COL's Santa Barbara campus. Delivered 70 percent online and 30 percent on-campus, the program offers an integrated 84-unit curriculum that can be completed in either 32 months or 40 months. Its strategic design features legal writing and research, and the inclusion of four lawyering skill tracks: Practical Skills, Litigation, Transactional and Professional Development and Leadership. The program ends with a required capstone course that includes a project or experience requiring demonstrable mastery of the basic knowledge, skills and values necessary for a first-year associate. The total program cost is also less than half that of a typical law school accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA).
The program was first approved by the Committee of Bar Examiners of the State Bar of California, COL's state accreditor, in October 2017 before earning final approval by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WSCUC), the school's regional accreditor, in February 2018. As a result, the Colleges of Law will be the first accredited law school in California to offer a hybrid J.D. The project was made possible thanks to seed funding and support by TCS Education System, a nonprofit system of colleges advancing student success and community impact of which COL is an affiliate.
The Colleges of Law is currently accepting applications for the inaugural class of the Hybrid J.D. to start in Fall 2018. For more information, visit www.collegesoflaw.edu/hybrid-juris-doctor/ or call 805-765-9719.
About The Santa Barbara & Ventura Colleges of Law:
Established in 1969, The Santa Barbara & Ventura Colleges of Law (COL) was founded to expand opportunities and broaden access to legal education. COL is dedicated to a student-centered approach that affords students of diverse backgrounds the opportunity to pursue careers in law or legal-related fields. The Colleges' faculty advances a real-world perspective and practicality on the application of law and includes practicing attorneys, judges, public servants, and leaders in business and non-profit organizations. An accredited nonprofit institution, COL offers a Juris Doctor (J.D.) and a Master of Legal Studies (M.L.S.) program. COL is regionally accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC) and the Juris Doctor program is accredited by the Committee of Bar Examiners (CBE) of the State Bar of California.
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SOURCE The Santa Barbara & Ventura Colleges of Law
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