Law Degree Program & Paralegal Training in Sacramento, CA

UNC, Lorenzo Patino School of Law:
University of Northern California (UNC), Lorenzo Patiño School of Law is located in the heart of downtown Sacramento, and provides a high quality legal education at an affordable cost. We offer two legal programs, the 4-year Juris Doctor Degree in Law, and a 1-year Paralegal Certificate Program. The goal of the law school is to qualify its students for entry into the legal profession. UNC encourages vigorous student-faculty discussion of the law.

Certificate & Degree Law Programs

Doctor of Juris Prudence Law Degree Program:
University of Northern California, Lorenzo Patiño School of Law offers a four-year, evening program leading to the Juris Doctor. Graduates of the program are eligible to take the California State Bar Exam. This program utilizes the traditional "Socratic" method of study to develop the future lawyer's analytical and reasoning skills.

The curriculum consists of required and elective courses. Required courses include all courses recommended by the Committee of Bar Examiners. Each class usually meets one night a week from 6:30pm to 9:30 pm. First-year students attend four nights a week during the Fall and Spring Semester. Second, third and fourth-year students attend three nights a week during the Fall and the Spring semesters. All students usually attend two nights a week during the Summer session.

The following is an outline of our program:

First Year:
- Contracts
- Torts
- Criminal Law
- Legal Skill Development
- Legal Research

Second Year:
- Civil Procedure
- Evidence
- Real Property
- Community Property
- Professional Responsibility

Third Year:
- Business Association
- Constitutional Law
- Wills / Trusts
- Elective
- Moot Court

Fourth Year:
- Remedies
- Advanced Legal Writing
- Trial Advocacy
- Criminal Procedure

Paralegal Certificate Program:
UNC, Lorenzo Patino School of Law offers a one year long vocational training Paralegal Program. Our program consists of 12 subjects totaling 300 hours of instruction and a 60 hour intership, the equivalent of 24 semester units. 

UNC, Lorenzo Patiño School of Law’s Paralegal program was established to provide affordable, vocational training for those students seeking entry into the legal field as legal assistants, and to meet the demand for qualified, legal personnel who are able to effectively assist within the governmental, corporate, and legal communities. 

Small classes (approximately 15 to 25 students) allow more personal interaction between students and instructors. Classroom instruction is conducted in an atmosphere of actual, hands-on-day-to-day law office procedures. The instructors are attorneys and paralegals working in the field daily. UNC's curriculum follows the guidelines of the American Bar Association, which recommends the collegiate training of attorney assistants.