Empire College School of Law, part of Empire College

Empire College

Empire College, located in Santa Rosa, California, is a private college accredited by the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools. The College began in 1961 with its School of Business, which offers an alternative to the traditional two- or four-year college program...

 and founded in 1973, is a four-year evening law school

Law school in the United States

In the United States, a law school is an institution where students obtain a professional education in law after first obtaining an undergraduate degree.Law schools in the U.S...

 program accredited by the Committee of Bar Examiners of the State Bar of California

State Bar of California

The State Bar of California is California's official bar association. It is responsible for managing the admission of lawyers to the practice of law, investigating complaints of professional misconduct, and prescribing appropriate discipline...

. The School of Law is not approved by the American Bar Association.

Empire graduates comprise approximately 25 percent of the Sonoma County Bar and include members of the judiciary in Sonoma, Napa, Mendocino and Merced counties.

Following a year of construction, the college opened its new campus in January 2000 which includes, as tenants, two California superior courts for the County of Sonoma at which civil cases are conducted. Moot Court and Trial Practice classes are held in the courtrooms.

Bar pass rates

• July 2007 -- 34%
• July 2008 -- 45%
• July 2009 -- 33%
• July 2010 -- 44%
• July 2011 -- 85%