Political Science

Foothill Pathway to Law

At Foothill College, we are members of the Cal Law Pathways network. The video below provdes an overview of the organization.

Foothill's Pathway to Law is your local access point for the Cal Law Scholar's program and certificate. Our program gives you the opportunity to earn the certificate while taking courses focused on your interest and building skills that will improve your success in law school!

As part of our Foothill program, you will engage with other motivated students, have access to advising targeted to the certificate and future enrollment in law school, and participate in unique networking and information sessions facilitated by the Foothill Pathway to Law program.

Participating Law Schools

California Western School of Law
Chapman University, Fowler School of Law
Loyola Law School
McGeorge School of Law
Pepperdine University, Caruso School of Law
Santa Clara University School of Law
Southwestern Law School
UC Law, San Francisco
UC Berkeley School of Law
UC Davis School of Law
UC Irvine School of Law
UCLA School of Law
University of San Diego School of Law
University of San Francisco School of Law
University of Southern California Gould School of Law
Western State College of Law

Requirements for Eligibility

To join the Foothill Pathway to Law program, students must:

Be a currently enrolled Foothill student
Have completed one quarter of credits at Foothill College
Submit an application and pass a review
Attend the required asynchronous orientation and complete the required orientation assessment

Foothill's Pathway to Law Certificate

Using the courses outline below, students at Foothill who wish to obtain the Cal Law Scholar Certificate will fulfill the requirements of the program, as listed on the California Law Pathways Resources for Students website.

Successful completion of the listed coursework will result in the designation of the Cal Law Scholar on a student's transcript.

Cal Law Scholar Certificate Requirement	Foothill Course Satisfying the Requirement
Street Law course, Street Law-based course, or Law and Democracy	SOC 15: Law & Society
English Composition or Equivalent	ENGL C1000: Academic Reading & Writing
Critical Thinking or Equivalent	PHIL 1: Critical Thinking & Writing
Argumentation and Debate or Persuasion or Equivalent	COMM 1B: Argumentation & Persuasion
Statistics or Equivalent	STAT C1000: Introduction to Statistics
U.S. History - any time-period	HIST 17A: History of the United States to 1815
Introduction to American Government or Equivalent	POLS C1000: American Government & Politics

Foothill College's Unique Resources

Foothill College offers pathway students several unique resources. Students participating in the pathway program obtain

Access to a Curated Set of Resources

Career Exploration opportunities
LSAT Prep Advice
Application Support

Targeted Advising

Two faculty members and a dedicated counselor to help ensure all of your questions regarding law school and the certificate are answered!

Special Events

Field trips to the California Supreme Court, the 9th Circuit Court, County and Local courts!
Career panels featuring local attorneys and career discussions
Panels featuring current law students who discuss their experiences in law schools from across the country
LSAT trivia nights featuring food and fun!

LSAT Prep

Free library of resources for check-out
Once/quarter LSAT prep session by faculty member

Orientation

We care about your ability to complete the certificate! As a result, we require that you complete the Foothill Pathway's Orientation module and the required assessment at the end.

The orientation will give you a clear overview of what is required to complete the certificate and connect you with all of the resources available at Foothill College to support your completion and your progress to your eventual goal of gaining admission to law school.

Note: Once you submit your application and it's been reviewed, you will receive information how to access the online orientation.