A legal education is a professional education. You will use the substantive legal knowledge and practice skills you develop in law school every day of your life as a lawyer and community leader. Your law school experience is the opportunity of your lifetime to build the foundation of your future successful legal career. Accordingly, you must choose the environment in which you personally will learn the most and grow the most.

At SJCL, your personal growth as a legal practitioner is our foremost objective. This is apparent from the small sections and individualized attention students receive in first-year writing courses to the myriad practice skills courses embodied in SJCL’s curriculum. Class sizes are small, averaging 25 people per section, providing you an unparalleled opportunity to interact with your professors and classmates. Faculty have an open-door policy, enabling you regularly to obtain assistance or compare ideas. As grading is not on a curve, faculty and students are all motivated to work as a team for everyone’s success.

Opportunities for real-life experience abound in the San Joaquin Valley area. Internship and clinical placements in federal and state courts, district attorney’s offices, administrative agencies, legal aid, and private firms are readily available. Moreover, employment opportunities in the area have always been available even when scarce in other markets.

The San Joaquin Valley is the growth area for California’s future. Outstanding legal practitioners will be needed. San Joaquin College of Law offers you the opportunity to be a part of that future or any future you choose. 

Sincerely,

Janice Pearson
Dean
San Joaquin College of Law