El Dorado High School, Placentia, CA Law and Justice Academy EDHS HAWKS: #HawkStrongTogether
Practice Areas
ED LAW provides a variety of benefits to enhance the high school experiences and future academic and professional pursuits of our students. We are committed to excellence in our practice, and to offering each of our students a personalized, empowering, and enriching journey through El Dorado.
Academics
The ED LAW curriculum is designed to fit into the framwork of a UC/CSU A-G-aligned four-year plan, to enable students to keep the maximum number of postsecondary options available for their consideration. As well, the ED LAW curriculum is aligned with the California State Bar 2+2+3 Pathway to Law School program, to support our community-college-bound students who choose to attend Santa Ana College or another 2+2+3 Pathway partner institution.
Sample schedules are provided below (click the black box to access them!) to demonstrate how an ED LAW student could satisfy academy requirements and also meet UC/CSU requirements and participate in extracurricular options. None of our academy courses are proscribed. Instead, we offer a "menu" of ED LAW options so that our students may choose those courses that best align with their other interests and passions.
2+2+3 Pathway to Law School
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In May 2014, the California State Bar and California Community Colleges announced a pioneer program to facilitate access to law school for students at participating community colleges. Students who complete a proscribed sequence of courses, designed to later enhance their success in law school, receive access to services and support at six participating California law schools. Santa Ana College, one of the community college partners, has agreed to let ED LAW students begin on that course sequence concurrent to their ED LAW courses.​
Professional Exposure
Thanks to the support of our partners and associates and local legal community, as well as the in-house skill set of the EDHS staff, we will offer a wide variety of professional exposure opportunities to our students, including but not limited to: the chance to interact with professionals from across the legal field, job shadowing opportunities, college and law school visits, Conversational Spanish for Legal Professionals seninars, and Peer Court jury service. ED LAW students will graduate with at least 150 hours of professional exposure to augment their future academic and career choices and opportunities.
Legal Skill Set
All components of ED LAW are and will continued to be developed with a focus on the core competencies valued in the legal community, including but not limited to:
Critical Thinking and Judgment
Collaborating and Leading
Drive for Excellence
Effective Communication
Relationship Building and Management
Service Orientation
Peer Community
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Participation in EDLAW gives students access to a community within a community- the chance to build relationships with and learn alongside like-minded peers who share their interest in the law and their commitment to academic success. Students in our Mock Trial program build lifelong friendships year in and year out and draw upon those relationships in both their personal and professional futures.
Mock Trial
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EDHS is the proud home of one of Orange County's most elite Mock Trial programs. We are even prouder of the students who participate in our program and the extraordinary lives and careers they go on to have. We are thankful to be a part of their lives and journeys and thankful for the positive change they create in our world.​