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Program Overview

In order to graduate from Oak Brook College's juris doctor degree program, a student must complete the course of study explained below. Candidates for the juris doctor degree must meet the unit, grade, and course requirements in effect at the time of their admission. Students who withdraw and later reenroll in the College will be bound by the requirements in effect at the time of their readmission unless a waiver is granted for good cause shown.

The juris doctor degree program is divided into four years. First-year students may begin in August. At the end of the first year, students must take and pass the First-Year Law Students' Examination, unless they qualify for an exemption given under the Rules Regulating Admission to Practice Law in California, Rule VIII, § 1(c).

At the beginning of the first year, immediately following the enrollment process and acceptance by the College, all students starting that year meet at a designated conference center for a one-week 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 distance-learning. 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 a tape lecture series created by the College, which corresponds with the lesson plans set forth in the syllabus.

Each first-year subject is studied concurrently. This enables students to keep a firm grasp on each subject so that everything is fresh in their minds at the end of the year when they must take the challenging First-Year Law Students' Examination. Halfway through the first year, students take a midterm examination in each subject, administered by a proctor who has been approved by the College.

At the end of their first year, students take final examinations that are proctored like the midterms. Students who pass their final examinations and are in good standing later convene for a review course, which includes substantive review lectures and several days devoted solely to improving test-taking skills in preparation for the First-Year Law Students' Examination. This preparation is given by discussions on exam-taking strategies and by the administration of practice exams.

The second, third, and fourth years are conducted differently. 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 graduate with a juris doctor degree, a student must successfully complete a total of 86 semester credit hours (45 study hours per one semester credit hour). Completion of the following courses is required for each student in the program. The opportunity to take elective courses is deferred until the third year.

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 has been granted approval to operate as a degree-granting institution in the state of California. Institutional approval to provide a juris doctor degree program was conferred upon Oak Brook College by the California Bureau for Private Postsecondary and Vocational Education. Graduates of the Oak Brook College of Law are eligible to take the California Bar Exam. Prospective applicants from other states should contact their own state's board of bar examiners to determine the education prerequisites for admission to that state's bar.