San Joaquin College of Law
Higher EducationCalifornia, United States51-200 Employees
San Joaquin College of Law is a mid-sized higher education institution that provides legal education focused on integrating theoretical study with practical skills to prepare students for legal practice. It was founded in 1969 by judges and attorneys from the San Joaquin Valley who sought to address the absence of an accredited law school in the region, with instruction beginning in fall 1970. It is based in Clovis, California, serving as the central hub of legal study for law students and practitioners in the San Joaquin Valley, with no comparable institution within about 120 miles. Recent outcomes underscore its influence, with California bar passage rates exceeding 80% for 2008–2011 graduates and 86% for the class of 2010. It also shows a strong local footprint, as approximately a quarter of Fresno-area lawyers are SJCL graduates, with about half of the area's women lawyers and roughly one-third of minority lawyers having SJCL credentials. In August 2018 the college announced a partnership with Centro La Familia Advocacy Services to translate printed materials into Spanish and to explore offering the program in Spanish.