Taft Law School

Taft Law School

Application for Admission

Juris Doctor Programs

Section I

PERSONAL DATA:

* I am applying for admission to: (choose one)

  Juris Doctor – Attorney Track

 Program   ( JDAT Program)

  Juris Doctor – Executive Track

 Program (JDET Program)

  Juris Doctor – Attorney Track

 Independent Study Program 

  Juris Doctor – Executive Track

 Independent Study Program 

* First Name: 

Middle Initial: 

* Last Name: 

Home Address

* Street Address:

Address (cont.):

* City: 

* State: 

* Country (Please Select): 

* Zip/Postal Code: 

* Daytime Phone Number: 

Evening Phone Number: 

* Do you expect to reside in the United States during your term of enrollment?

Yes   No

* E-mail Address: 

Gender: Male  Female

* Date of Birth (Month/Day/Year):

  /     

  Enter Year: 

* Present Business or Occupation:

* Do you expect your tuition will be reimbursed in whole or part by your employer's tuition reimbursement plan?

Yes   No

* Do you prefer the existence of this application and any subsequent enrollment be kept confidential from your employer?

Yes   No

* Have you ever been convicted of any crime (other than minor traffic violations)?

Yes   No

* Are you currently incarcerated?

Yes   No

Do you hold any professional licenses?

Yes   No

If yes, please list: 

* Do you have regular Internet access and basic E-Mail skills? Yes   No

* Do you have basic skills in Microsoft Windows®? Yes   No

* Do you have basic skills in Microsoft Word®? Yes   No

How did your hear about our law school programs? 

 From a current student

 From a graduate of the Program

 From an attorney

 Wall Street Journal

 Business Week

 USA Today

 American Bar Association Journal

 Airline Magazine: (Please specify):  

 Other Magazine or Newspaper: (Please specify):  

 WWW/Internet Search

 Internet Article/Discussion Group/Chat Room 

 Radio

 Through word of mouth

 California State Bar 

 Other: (Please specify): 

Section II 

EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND

(Other than Previous Law Study)

* Have you graduated from high school?

Yes   No

If yes, please list the high school and the year graduated:

If you did not graduate from high school, did you earn a G.E.D?

Yes   No

If so, what year? 

* Have you earned any of the following degrees from a school or university accredited in the United States?

Yes   No

(IF Yes, check the box to the left of the degree below and fill in the text field below the degree with the information)

(For each, name the institution, city and state of its location, month and year degree awarded, your major, if applicable, and your estimated grade point average.)

Official transcripts of all prior college study must be received by Taft Law School within 45 days after your first class begins.

 Associate in Arts (A.A.) degree

Institution:

Major:

City:

State: 

Month:     

   Year:  

Estimated GPA:  

 Associate in Science (A.S.) degree

Institution:

Major:

City:

State: 

Month:     

   Year:  

Estimated GPA:  

Associate in Applied Science (A.A.S.) degree

Institution:

Major:

City:

State: 

Month:     

   Year:  

Estimated GPA:  

Bachelor's degree

Institution:

Major:

City:

State: 

Month:     

   Year:  

Estimated GPA:  

Master's degree

Institution:

Major:

City:

State: 

Month:     

   Year:  

Estimated GPA:  

 First Professional or Doctorate degree (M.D., DD.S., Ph.D. etc.)

Institution:

Major:

City:

State: 

Month:     

   Year:  

Estimated GPA:  

Other degree (describe)

Institution:

Major:

City:

State: 

Month:     

   Year:  

Estimated GPA:  

* Have you earned a degree from a college or university outside of the United States?

Yes   No

If so, have you had a U.S. Credential Evaluation done for this degree?

Yes   No

If so, please list:

Institution Name:

Major: 

City: 

Country: 

Month:        

         Year: 

Estimated GPA: 

* Are you currently enrolled at another school?

Yes   No

If so, list the name of the school and where it is located:

* Have you taken the Law School Admission Test (LSAT)?

Note: Applicants are not required to take the LSAT.

Yes   No

If yes, when did you take it and what was your score?

Month/Year Taken:    

  Year: 

Score: 

Section III

EXISTING KNOWLEDGE OF THE LAW

(Including Prior Law Study)

* Have you ever enrolled in any resident, distance learning, or correspondence law school in the past?

Yes   No

If yes, are you eligible to return to your law school in good standing?

Yes   No

Please list the names and locations (city and state) of any previous law schools you attended, as well as the number of units completed and the dates you attended each one:

If you are seeking transfer credit you must submit a copy of your transcript to Taft Law School at the time of application.

* Have you ever taken any law courses (graduate or undergraduate - other than law school courses) in the past?

Yes   No

* Have you acquired substantive knowledge of the law through your employment or life experiences?

Yes   No

If you answered "Yes" to any of the four previous questions, please check any subjects below which you believe you have better than average knowledge.

If you answered "No", skip to the next section.

 Legal Research

 Contract Law

 The Law of Torts

 Criminal Law

 Criminal Procedure

 Wills & Trusts

 Civil Procedure

 Constitutional Law

 Real Property Law

 Business Organizations (Corporations, partnerships, etc.)

 Evidence

 Community Property Law

 Legal Remedies

Section IV

APTITUDE FOR NON-CLASSROOM STUDY

* Complete the following quiz by selecting one answer to each question.* There are no "right" or "wrong" answers.

The purpose of the quiz is to help us determine if distance learning instruction is a good option for you.

(Please check the appropriate box for each question)

* 1. Having face-to-face interaction with my instructors and fellow students is:

(a) Not particularly important to me.

(b) Somewhat important to me.

(c) Very important to me.

(a)     (b)    (c)

* 2. I believe the study of law through distance education is:

(a) An "easy” way to become an attorney.

(b) An unproven concept.

(c) A viable alternative method to become an attorney - but not an easy way.

(a)     (b)    (c)

* 3. I would classify myself as someone who:

(a) Is good at prioritizing tasks and often gets things done ahead of time without being reminded by my instructor.

(b) Is sometimes poor at prioritizing, needs to be reminded of assignments once in a while and often does assignments at the last minute.

(c) Is poor at prioritizing and sometimes forgets to complete assignments if I’m not reminded about them frequently.

(a)     (b)    (c)

* 4. Classroom discussions are:

(a) Rarely helpful to me.

(b) Sometimes helpful to me.

(c) Almost always helpful to me.

(a)     (b)    (c)

* 5. When a college professor hands out instructions for an assignment, I prefer:

(a) figuring out the instructions myself.

(b) Trying to follow the directions on my own, then asking for help as needed.

(c) Having the instructions explained to me.

(a)     (b)    (c)

* 6. When it comes to assessing my own progress, I:

(a) Feel as if I can keep tabs on my progress, even without immediate or frequent feedback from my instructor.

(b) Prefer to receive regular feedback from my instructor, but don’t mind if I can’t get that feedback immediately after turning in a test or assignment.

(c) Need feedback from my instructor immediately and often.

(a)     (b)    (c)

* 7. My need to study law through distance education is:

(a) High - It is my only practical alternative.

(b) Moderate - I could enroll in a part-time traditional law school near my home or business.

(c) Low - I have many options available to me to study law.

(a)     (b)    (c)

* 8. Considering my professional and personal schedule, the average amount of time I have to study on a weekly basis is:

(a) Less than 16 hours. 

(b) Approximately 17 to 20 hours.

(c) Over 20 hours.

(a)     (b)    (c)

* 9. When I am asked to use software or technologies that I haven't used before (such as e-mail, chat rooms, electronic classrooms):

(a) I look forward to learning new skills.

(b) I feel apprehensive, but try anyway.

(c) I put it off to try to avoid it.

(a)     (b)    (c)

* 10. If I had to describe my predominant learning style/preference, I would say it is:

(a) Auditory - I learn best when I can listen to an explanation of a concept.

(b) Visual - I learn best when I can read the course materials or view graphics and other visuals.

(c) Tactile -I learn best by "doing" (for instance conducting your own research).

(a)     (b)    (c)

* 11. My personal and professional schedule is:

(a) Predictable, I can generally plan, well in advance, blocks of time to devote to my coursework.

(b) Generally predictable, but sometimes last minute meetings or events come up that I cannot reschedule.

(c) Unpredictable, I rarely know when I'm going to have free time that I can set aside for my coursework.

(a)     (b)    (c)

* 12. My motivation to earn a law degree is:

(a) Very high.

(b) Moderate.

(c) Low

(a)     (b)    (c)

Section V

WRITING SKILLS

* Writing skills are important to success in law school and success as a practicing attorney.

In the box below, please write an essay of not less than 300 and not more than 1,000 words. The essay should describe your personal, professional, and educational goals and how a law degree would further these goals. You may describe relevant experiences in your employment, academic background, and personal history in terms of their impact on your professional and intellectual development. Further, you may wish to describe the personal qualities you possess that will contribute to your success as a distance learning law student.

The writing sample will be used by the Admissions Office to assess your writing ability, your readiness to pursue law study, and your potential for success in the Taft Law School's Juris Doctor Programs.

After completing your writing sample draft, in a word processing program, cut and paste it into the text field below. 

(The text field will expand)

Required Disclosures by Program

Juris Doctor – Attorney Track

 Program

The method of instruction at this law school for the Juris Doctor - Attorney Track (J.D.) degree program is principally by correspondence. Students enrolled in the J.D. degree program at this law school who successfully complete the first year of law study must pass the First-Year Law Students’ Examination required by Business and Professions Code § 6060(h) and Title 4, Division 1 of the Rules of the State Bar of California (Admissions Rules) as part of the requirements to qualify to take the California Bar Examination. A student who passes the First-Year Law Students’ Examination within three (3) administrations of the examination after first becoming eligible to take it will receive credit for all legal studies completed to the time the examination is passed. A student who does not pass the examination within three (3) administrations of the examination after first becoming eligible to take it must be promptly disqualified from the law school’s J.D. degree program. If the dismissed student subsequently passes the examination, the student is eligible for re-enrollment in this law school’s J.D. degree program, but will receive credit for only one year of legal study. 

Study at, or graduation from, this law school may not qualify a student to take the bar examination or to satisfy the requirements for admission to practice in jurisdictions other than California. A student intending to seek admission to practice law in a jurisdiction other than California should contact the admitting authority in that jurisdiction for information regarding the legal education requirements in that jurisdiction for admission to the practice of law. 

Juris Doctor – Executive Track

 Program

The method of instruction at this law school for professional law degree programs other than for the Juris Doctor - Attorney Track degree is principally by correspondence. 

Completion of a professional law degree program at this law school other than for the Juris Doctor - Attorney Track degree does not qualify a student to take the California Bar Examination or to satisfy the requirements for admission to practice law in California. It may not qualify a student to take the bar examination or to satisfy the requirements for admission to the practice of law in any other jurisdiction. A student intending to seek admission to practice law should contact the admitting authority in the jurisdictions where the student intends to seek to qualify to sit for the bar examination or for admission to practice for information regarding the legal education requirements in that jurisdiction for admission to the practice of law.

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BEFORE clicking the Submit Form button.

Thank you.