University of Northern California, Lorenzo Patiño School of Law
38°34′47″N 121°29′34″W / 38.57972°N 121.49278°W
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| University of Northern California Lorenzo Patiño School of Law | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Motto | Excellence and Affordability in Legal Education |
| Established | 1983 |
| School type | Private Law School |
| Location | Sacramento, CA, US |
| Bar pass rate | 0% (0/3) (July 2011 1st time takers)[1] |
The University of Northern California, Lorenzo Patiño School of Law (UNC) was a private law school located in Sacramento, California. UNC offered a part-time, four-year law program as well as a paralegal program. As of June 30, 2013, the State Bar of California Committee of Bar Examiners did not have UNC listed as a law school; and the University of Northern California's website does not list the Juris Doctor as one of its academic programs.[3]
History
The law school was founded in 1983 by Leonard Padilla, who later renamed it in honor of his friend, late judge Lorenzo Patiño.[4]
The school held its first classes in the spring of 1983. The first instructors were Douglas Nareau, John Ewing, Betty Rocker, Heman Smith and Linda Dankman. Nareau and Ewing were featured in The Sacramento Bee as Valedictorians of their respective law schools. Betty Rocker wasone of Sacramento's premier criminal defense attorneys and Smith had gained praise for successful litigation that challenged redlining as a loan practice. Lorenzo Patino was one of the first Latino judges in the state.
Authorization to operate
The law school did not have professional accreditation from either the American Bar Association Office of the Consultant on Legal Education or the State Bar of California Committee of Bar Examiners.[5]
As an unaccredited educational institution, the UNC had to be authorized to operate by the California Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education. It was approved to confer the Juris Doctor degree and a certificate in paralegal studies.[6] It was registered as an unaccredited law school with the State Bar of California Committee of Bar Examiners.[7]
Because it was not accredited, UNC law students had to take and pass the First-year Law Students' Examination, informally called the "Baby Bar", at the end of their first year to receive credit for their legal study and as one of the qualifications to sit the California Bar Examination after taking the degree.
At its June 2013 meeting, the State Bar of California terminated the school’s registration as an unaccredited, fixed-facility and degree granting authority, effective as of June 30, 2013.[8]
Bar pass rates
From 1997 through February 2011, 134 Lorenzo Patiño graduates took the California Bar Examination as first-time takers; of that number, 12 passed the examination for a 9% pass rate.[9]
See also
References and notes
- ^ "General Statistics Report: July 2011 California Bar Examination". California State Bar. December 28, 2011.
- ^ 2011 Student Faculty Handbook
- ^ The State Bar of California, Committee of Bar Examiners/Office of Admissions: Registered Unaccredited Fixed-Facility Law Schools in California (2013 Master List of Unaccredited Fixed Facilities Schools-R 06/30/2013 Archived November 3, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ The Superior Court for the County of Sacramento Hall of Justice is named in honor of Judge Patiño Archived January 15, 2016, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "ABA-Approved Law Schools by Year". ABA website. Retrieved April 1, 2011.
- ^ CBPPE license info Archived March 18, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Committee of Bar Examiners, Law Schools in California Archived April 23, 2016, at the Wayback Machine Accessed March 12, 2011
- ^ "Public minutes of the Committee of Bar Examiners of the State Bar of California". www.calbar.ca.gov. June 29, 2013. Retrieved 2020-11-10.
- ^ State Bar of California Bar Examination Statistics Archived May 15, 2011, at the Wayback Machine