Oak Book College of Law

The juris doctor degree program consists of four years of legal study. First-year students begin in August. After completing their first year, students must take and pass the First-Year Law Students' Examination given by the State Bar of California pursuant to Title 4, Divison 1 of its Admission Rules (Rule 4.55).

At the beginning of the first year, all accepted and enrolled students starting that year meet at a designated conference center for a one-week  mandatory orientation and Introduction to Law course. During this week, introductory lectures in contracts, torts, criminal law, and legal research are given, plus lectures on the Biblical and historical foundations of the common law courses are presented. An examination on all material presented during the conference is given at the end of the week for a final course grade. Students receive materials during orientation that will supplement their studies, as well as pointers on how to study effectively. Perhaps most importantly, students have the opportunity to meet fellow students and faculty and to make friends who will support them throughout their first year.

When students have completed the orientation and the Introduction to Law course, they return home to continue their studies by correspondence. Students are equipped with a syllabus, which provides detailed lesson plans in each of the first-year subjects (i.e., Torts, Contracts, Criminal Law, and Legal Research & Writing I). Students also receive an audio lecture series created by the College, which corresponds with the lesson plans set forth in the syllabus.

The first year courses are studied concurrently. Halfway through the first year, students take a midterm examination in each subject, administered by a proctor who has been approved by the College. End of year final examinations are administered the same way.

Students who pass their final examinations and are in good standing gather together for a mandatory review course taught by the faculty in preparation for the First-Year Law Students' Examination. This review includes substantive review lectures and several days devoted solely to improving test-taking skills.

The second, third, and fourth years are conducted differently than the first year. Each year is divided into two semesters during which at least two courses are studied concurrently. Final exams are administered at the end of each semester. The College provides a syllabus and an audio or videotape lecture series for the substantive courses required in the second, third, and fourth years.

To earn a juris doctor degree, a student must successfully complete a total of 86 semester credit hours and a minimum of 864 study hours for each year of legal study. The curriculum consists largely of required courses and elective courses are deferred until the third year. The number of credit hours a student takes each year is as follows:

First Year Curriculum: 20 semester credit hours
Second Year Curriculum: 22 semester credit hours
Third Year Curriculum: 23–25 semester credit hours
Fourth Year Curriculum: 19–23 semester credit hours
Practice Requirements and Electives

The Oak Brook College of Law and Government Policy is registered with the Committee of Bar Examiners of the State Bar of California as an unaccredited correspondence law school. 

The method of instruction at this law school for the Juris Doctor (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, Chapter 5, of the Rules of the State Bar of California (Admission 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 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.

A complete copy of the Student Disclosure Statement can be downloaded by clicking here.