Antelope Valley College Community College Pathway to Law School
The California Community Colleges and the State Bar of California selected Antelope Valley College to participate in a new initiative that will provide a smoother pathway to six of California’s top law schools. The Community Colleges Pathway to Law School Initiative (CCPLSI) is an unprecedented effort within public higher education to enhance opportunities and advancement in the legal profession for diverse populations, particularly those who have been underrepresented.
The project, sponsored by the State Bar’s Council on Access and Fairness (COAF), established agreements with twenty-four community colleges and six law schools and their respective undergraduate institutions. Students in the program will receive assurances that credits in prescribed courses will transfer. Students should plan on transferring to a four-year institution prior to applying to law school. An AVC designated counselor will work with scholars to develop an educational plan for short-term and long-term goals.
Participating law schools are: University of Southern California Gould School of Law, University of San Francisco School of Law, UC Davis School of Law, UC Irvine School of Law, Santa Clara University School of Law and Loyola Marymount Law School.
The Community Colleges Pathway to Law School Initiative requires students to complete seven courses based on a defined set of “success factors” that help make effective lawyers. The transfer initiative will align criteria from these success factors with community college courses already approved in corresponding Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC) to prepare students for transfer, and eventually for law school.
Student Requirements
• Attend CCPLSI Orientation • Statement of Interest • Work with designated CCPLSI Counselor to develop educational plan(s) • Required Law Scholar Courses: (additional courses needed to satisfy IGETC requirements) a. POLS101 b. POLS 203 c. ENGL 101 d. ENGL 102, 103, PHIL 201 e. COMM 115 f. MATH 115 g. HIST 107 OR HIST 108
Revised: August 10, 2015
h. HD 101 (If assessed below ENGL 101) • Admitted students are expected to participate in all CCPLSI program activities, be active in the Law Club, and seek service learning opportunities.
Support for the Students • Pre-law activities o Mentoring o Debate competitions o Statewide Law Day conference o Legal writing competition o Pre-law club o Law school visits o Advisement from law schools o Internships o LSAT prep o Assistance in the law school admission process o Exposure to legal profession o Waive application fee to participating law schools o Service learning o Additional related law school activities
For additional information on campus you may contact:
Rosa Fuller, Professor/Counselor (661) 722-6300 x 6290 [email protected]
Dr. Nancy Bednar, Associate Professor of Political Science (661) 722-6300 x 6876 [email protected]
Dexter Cummins, Professor of Administration of Justice (661) 722-6300 x 6558 [email protected]
Please visit the following websites for additional information: • Twitter #Pathway2Law • DiscoverLaw.org or www.calbar.ca.gov • https://sites.google.com/site/calbardream/
Please submit the following application to the Counseling Office in Student Services on the Lancaster Campus.
Revised: August 10, 2015
Antelope Valley College Community Colleges Pathway to Law School
Name (Print) ______AVC Student ID ______
Birth Date ______First semester at AVC______Expected graduation/transfer date:______
Address______
Telephone Number______AVC Email ______
Statement of Interest. Please explain your desire to participate in two-three paragraphs. Attachment okay.
I understand in order to be considered as a Council of Access and Fairness (COAF) Scholar by the participating colleges, Loyola Marymount University and Loyola Law School; Santa Clara University and Santa Clara University School of Law; University of San Francisco and University of San Francisco, School of Law; University of Southern California and University of Southern California Gould School of Law; and Twenty-four (24) selected community colleges in California, I must participate in required activities. I also understand that by participating in this program, I will not have guaranteed admission to the universities or the law schools mentioned. However, I will be entering into a special agreement designed to prepare students for admissions into the aforementioned law schools.
Signature______Date______
Revised: August 10, 2015