Learn Juris Doctor | The Colleges of Law

Juris Doctor Degree: On-Campus and Hybrid Options

The Colleges of Law has produced practice-ready attorneys for more than 55 years.

Enter the Legal Field With Confidence

Our accessible J.D. programs combine rigorous academics with hands-on experience. In both the traditional and Hybrid J.D. programs, you have direct access to accomplished academics and local legal professionals, including lawyers, judges, and elected officials. Weekly feedback comes directly from your professors—never delegated to teaching assistants—ensuring instruction is consistently rigorous, personalized, and grounded in professional expertise. You will also benefit from more focused attention and guidance at every stage of your education thanks to our low student-to-faculty ratio.

On-Campus J.D. Program

The traditional J.D. program immerses you in a dynamic on-campus environment that emphasizes discussion, debate, and cultural competence. You’ll gain hands-on experience through an internship with a practicing attorney or judge, bridging classroom theory and professional practice.

Evening classes at our Ventura or Santa Barbara campuses are ideal for working professionals.

Hybrid Online J.D. Program

The Hybrid J.D. program provides a more efficient, accessible, and affordable way to earn your law degree. Purpose-built for the hybrid online environment, our program includes rigorous online coursework, weekly feedback directly from faculty, and in-person residencies in Pasadena once per month.

With 70% online coursework and 30% in-person instruction, this program is ideal for those who prefer learning on their time in a mostly online environment.

Launch your legal career—fill out the form to request more information.

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Your Path to a Purposeful Career

The mission of The Colleges of Law is to provide access to law and law-related professions by emphasizing opportunity, excellence, and community engagement.

QUALITY

Learn from accomplished local judges, attorneys, and elected officials who bring their practical and professional experience into every classroom.

CONVENIENCE

Enroll in a program that suits your schedule—whether you prefer a traditional on-campus experience with evening classes or the mostly online hybrid option with in-person residencies.

AFFORDABILITY

Save money while earning a high-quality legal education. Our Hybrid Juris Doctor program costs less, on average, than half of comparable programs typically offered at traditional private law schools.

PRACTICALITY

Graduate practice-ready and prepared to make an immediate impact on your new professional setting.

Which J.D. Program Is Right for You?

	J.D. Program	Hybrid J.D. Program
Format	100% on-site	70% online / 30% on-site
In-Person Aspects	Three evening courses per week	One weekend residency per month in Pasadena
Flexibility	Fixed synchronous on-site class schedule	Flexible asynchronous coursework with weekly deadlines
Duration	40-48 months	40 months
Ideal Student	Prefers more face-to-face interaction with no online elements	Prefers finishing coursework on their time in a mostly online environment

Required Courses

Contracts I and II (6 units) – Explore the principles that govern the creation, interpretation, enforcement, and termination of agreements. Study the Statute of Frauds, assignment and delegation of contracts, express and implied contracts, and remedies for breach of contract.

Criminal Law (3 units) – Examine the purposes of criminal law and the development of common law crimes. Analyze the elements of major crimes against persons and property, and evaluate defenses, including the insanity defense.

Introduction to Law (1 unit) – Build essential knowledge and skills for success in legal study. Learn the fundamentals of the American legal system, legal education, and the legal profession. Explore strategies for reading and briefing court opinions, taking effective notes, outlining courses, performing legal analysis, and answering essay and multiple-choice exam questions.

Legal Analysis (2 units) – Master the process of legal analysis to determine how legal problems should be resolved. Identify legal issues, apply rules to facts, and predict outcomes. Practice resolving hypothetical problems in Torts and Contracts, reinforcing your understanding of how to study for, and succeed on, Torts and Contracts exams.

Torts I and II (6 units) – Investigate the legal protections against interference with a person, property, or intangible interests. Examine civil liability for intentional and unintentional actions, negligence, strict and vicarious liability, various forms of immunity, damages, and other remedies.

Civil Procedure I and II (6 units) – Learn the procedural rules that govern civil lawsuits, primarily in federal courts. Study the proper court in which to file a lawsuit, joinder of parties and causes of action, discovery, pretrial motions, trial procedures, and conflict between state and federal judicial systems.

Community Property (3 units) – Explore California’s community property system and its impact across the law. Analyze separate vs. community property, liability for debts and torts, management of assets, fiduciary duties between spouses, and property distribution upon dissolution or death.

Real Property I and II (6 units) – Examine fundamental property concepts, including the definition, acquisition, and transfer of real property. Cover the history of land transactions, landlord/tenant relations, land development, public and private land-use controls, non-possessory rights in land, covenants and restrictions, and title searches.

Wills and Trusts (3 units) – Study how property is disposed of during life and after death. Learn the law of wills, intestate succession, trusts, contests of wills, charitable gifts, trust administration, fiduciary duties, future interests, and probate procedures.

Why Study at The Colleges of Law?

Affordable Legal Education

At The Colleges of Law, our reasonable tuition rates and scholarship opportunities reflect a commitment to providing affordable legal education that will lead to a wider range of career opportunities (and less post-graduation stress).

Expert Practitioner Faculty

Our professors are active legal professionals—practicing judges, lawyers, and elected officials—who often come straight from these positions to teach in The Colleges of Law classrooms.

Innovative Programs

As the first law school in California to launch a Hybrid J.D. program, we are committed to advancing the next generation of legal education for our students.

Flexible Learning Models

Our flexible and affordable J.D. programs have allowed parents, full-time workers, and other busy professionals to pursue a first-class legal education.

Accreditation

The Colleges of Law is institutionally accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC).
For more than 30 years, our Juris Doctor program has also been accredited by the Committee of Bar Examiners of the State Bar of California as a single institution with two campuses in Santa Barbara and Ventura.

The Colleges of Law is not accredited by the American Bar Association.

If I were to do everything again, I would do it exactly the same way that I did. I am very satisfied and happy with my entire professional career. I have a lot of admiration for my former professors, who are now colleagues.”

—Kata Kim, Attorney
Graduate, Juris Doctor Program