San Joaquin College of Law - Clovis, California

Jacqueline Andrade

I graduated from SJCL in May 2023. I sat for the CA BAR July23and passed on my first attempt. As a student, I found the faculty and staff to be very supportive. I recall when I was most nervous in my second year about the requirement to complete Moot Court, I almost dropped out to avoid my anxiety. The Dean’s went above and beyond to accommodate my needs and supported my success. Overall, I am very satisfied with my legal education at San Joaquin College of Law. I am now a practicing Immigration attorney. If you are thinking about becoming an attorney San Joaquin College of Law is an excellent choice.

Ashley Emmersen

San Joaquin College of Law (SJCL) is a great school, and anyone seeking to earn their law degree to practice law in the Central Valley should strongly consider attending SJCL. I was intimidated by law schools when I began my search, afraid that I wouldn’t be given one chance to prove I could make it to the end. SJCL read my personal statement and gave me that chance. I passed the bar the first time I took it because the faculty, the staff, and the administration at SJCL is dedicated to giving students the best opportunity to succeed. I will admit that my time at SJCL came with complaints as well. I felt some of my professors were unfamiliar with the curriculum or less dedicated to the class than they should have been. However, when the students brought this to the school’s attention, the school quickly took action and made sure that the student’s grades would not suffer as a result, and continued to seek more qualified attorneys to fill the role. I was also impressed with how quickly the school responded to the global pandemic. Over the weekend the school held meetings and trainings with professors, and classes resumed Monday morning, uninterrupted. Most of all, this school is a community. SJCL’s fraternity and it’s clubs connected students, professors, and practicing attorneys to foster both professional and personal relationships. I hope that anyone who desires to become a great attorney considers applying to SJCL.

Aimee Perez

Overall, I had a very positive experience at SJCL. I thought the staff and professors were very helpful at answering any questions I had, making me feel comfortable, and were supportive throughout my law school journey. They conduct student survey's routinely to ensure the students are heard and they have always done a great job at hearing our needs. They even took the time to help me out with bar study by reviewing my essay's with me and providing me with advice on how to pass the bar, and I was successful. I'm giving them 4/5 stars because I had about 2 professors that were not the best, and I had to teach myself a lot of the material on my own, and my grade/GPA suffered because of this. However, I would still highly recommend this school to anyone that is interested in becoming a lawyer.

Jessica Jaramillo

When I started attending SJCL I was a young, new mom to a 2 and 1 year old. One of my dreams had always been to become an attorney and SJCL provided me with the opportunity to live out my dream in spite of being a working mom. The professors and staff care about the students and do their best to help each student succeed.I graduated in 2021 and passed the California Bar Exam on my first try. I took law school very seriously and this helped me feel prepared when it came time to take the Bar. I am 6 months into my new career and couldn't be happier! If you are truly committed to becoming an attorney SJCL WILL help you achieve that goal!

Rod Tuisavalalo

I would not change a thing about San Joaquin College of Law. The staff and faculty are good people all around. Thank you, Diane Steel and Francisco Rosas, for your service to the community. So many people’s lives have been changed due to the location of the school and more importantly by the inspiration of the staff and faculty who provide access to a legal education here in the Central Valley. If you are a Veteran like me and are looking for another mission, consider pursuing a legal education with San Joaquin College of Law. Cheers San Joaquin College of Law to many more years of service.

Diana Malcolm

I am a current student at SJCL! As a recent immigrant and a young mother of two children, I initially hesitated to start this significant journey of getting a Juris Doctor Degree. However, I attended one of the 101 forums that the school held, and I met the school faculties and alumni who had encouraged me to give myself a second chance to pursue my dream career. That's how this journey began!

San Joaquin College of Law is the only law school in Central Valley California and is well connected to the legal community. As a law student, I have had quality internship experience through the school recommendation; You will find numerous opportunities to work as a law clerk while earning your degree as a student. Many of my classmates work as law clerks in various private law firms and governments (Public defense, Attorney General Office, US attorney general, working for the judge, DA office, etc.)

The school offers flexible class schedules (both Day and Evening Classes) for full-time working students. Many students work during the day at the law firms or have other careers while attending the classes at night. You can build your career/business while getting Juris Doctor Degree all at the same time!

If you are raising a young child like me, having various options for the class schedule works the best for your family situation. You can choose to graduate within three or four years, depending on how many classes you are willing to take each semester. Law school is hard, but you can manage and balance your family life with the law school curriculum.

Professors are passionate about their work; many are currently working as judges, prosecutors, and attorneys. You will hear their experience in their field during the class, and that's so cool! Professors are very professional and give the students the best instructions and guidance on how to study the materials. Without hesitation, I always contact professors with any questions and meet them during office hours.

The student body is diverse. You will never feel "too old" or "too young" to start law school. I have met amazing classmates with various backgrounds, and they are from their early 20s to their 60s. The classmates become your second family and become life-long best friends! They have positively influenced me to keep motivated and get through tough times at law school.

If you want to pursue Juris Doctor Degree and become a lawyer, I recommend you contact the school and make an appointment to tour the school before you make the decision. I have never regretted my decision to give it a try and start this journey!

Madison Erickson

I know that I was nervous about beginning law school remotely this semester, but through all the outstanding efforts of the faculty and staff at SJCL I honestly felt like I was immediately at-home at the school. Never would I have expected to be so supported by any school, let alone one limited to online classes by the pandemic, but I am so grateful for all the hard work, outreach, and ever-present support I received! Diane Steel, thanks for going above and beyond.
If you are thinking about law school, I highly recommend San Joaquin College of Law. Reach out to Diane Steel, Director of Admissions and she will walk you through the application process.

Kelly Liu

Growing up, I was always the class clown and never wanted to focus on school of out fear of trying and failing to do well. Somehow I found myself becoming accepted to San Joaquin College of Law (SJCL), despite having no background in law.

Thanks to the professors and staff at SJCL, I was able to discover not only a passion for the law, but also one for learning. For the first time in my life, I was not only excelling at school, but also enjoying it.

The professors have high expectations and accept only the best work. This often felt difficult during my studies; however, I've come to realize it was thanks to these professors that I was able to pass the CA Bar exam on my first try.

Furthermore, the administration and staff work tirelessly to ensure the success of every student. There was an incident where I had missed an email from the CA State Bar, which almost caused me to be withdrawn from being able to take the bar exam. The Director of Student Services, Joyce Modoromi, was able to pull some strings which allowed me to stay on as a bar applicant for that exam.

I was hired as an attorney just 5 days after receiving my bar result by an alumni of the school. Not once in my life did I ever think I could become an attorney, but it was SJCL that gave me that opportunity and drive to get here.