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While most law schools leave it largely up to the student to determine how his or her studies are proceeding, Thomas Jefferson helps encourage ongoing assessment and provides support with our Learning Assistants. Learning Assistants are upper level law students who have excelled in their first year courses and who serve as Learning Assistants and receive training to do so. Learning Assistants are familiar with the course content, and they usually are familiar with the professor teaching the course in which they are assisting. They provide frequent study materials for all students in the course, and they are available for regular office hours to help students determine how well they are doing and where they need help. Learning Assistants to not replace the expertise or guidance of course professors, who are available to meet with students regularly regarding questions or concerns about the courses. Instead, Learning Assistants are an additional resource that helps make up the larger Thomas Jefferson learning community.

Learning Assistants:

• Help students to facilitate the learning process.
• Listen and communicate respectfully as experienced peers.
• Provide tools and strategies to students, understanding that there are many options and multiple ways to brief a case and to understand and practice legal analysis.
• Focus on encouraging students to see the big picture – how rules interact – not just the parts.
• Help students to improve their classroom participation and remain engaged in class.
• Help students to strengthen their skills of organization, including organizing first year materials like class notes, briefs, outlines and study strategies.
• Identify whether students are under an undue amount of stress and make appropriate referrals to professionals.
• Encourage students to consider whether their competitiveness is harmful or motivating.
• Continue to refresh and refine their own skills and develop expertise in particular subject matters.

The Week One orientation experience continues through the first semester with our Learning Skills course, which is required for all first semester students. Learning Skills helps prepare students for success throughout their legal careers by focusing on how to study and learn the law. Through weekly class meetings, students have the opportunity to practice new strategies and approaches for reading and writing for law school and for preparing and studying for law school exams. Learning Skills also gives students the opportunity to reflect on their studies and to receive regular feedback on study materials and simulated exams.

Pre-Orientation Assessment and Support

Your legal education begins before the Week One orientation program with an initial course in grammar for use in the legal context. This online program is geared toward preparing students for legal writing, and it helps students assess their strengths and areas for improvement. For students who discover that they need additional support, we offer grammar instruction and workshops throughout the academic year, which focus on specific areas of writing and grammar usage to strengthen students’ skills.

Week One (Orientation)

Starting before regular law school classes, our innovative Week One orientation program helps prepare students for the demands of law school by introducing basic law school skills. The mandatory Week One program helps bridge the gap between undergraduate studies and the demanding reading, analysis and writing required in law school.

During Week One, students participate in small group and large group sessions to learn strategies for approaching their doctrinal coursework. These sessions are led by Thomas Jefferson professors who are knowledgeable about what it takes to succeed in law school. Students learn how to read case law and write case briefs and how to prepare for law school exams. Students also participate in a doctrinal class session to become familiar with the Socratic method, and they take and grade a simulated law school exam. Because of this intensive introduction to law school, students begin the academic year with confidence in their ability to succeed and with an understanding of the basic skills necessary to do so.

Our robust Academic Success Program (“ASP”) provides guidance and support for all students, from before the first day of classes through the bar exam. There is something for everyone.

One of the key strengths of our Academic Success Program is the instructional methodology we have developed to improve the learning process by providing students with learning strategies on how best to study legal concepts while simultaneously learning legal theory. Our unique program empowers students to develop important study, research, and self-assessment skills that they will use in law school and throughout their professional careers. Through a combination of Lawyering Skills courses, the use of Learning Assistants, and the support of our ASP staff, Thomas Jefferson offers you a legal education that is both innovative and comprehensive—here at Thomas Jefferson, ASP teaches you not only what to study but how to study.

The highest priority outside of the classroom at Thomas Jefferson School of Law is serving the many diverse communities around us. Public service is part of our mission and volunteering benefits the under-represented and often invisible members of our society. We established on-site volunteer opportunities for our students and our alumni to practice what law school preaches every day.

We encourage our students to participate in our Veterans Legal Assistance Clinic and the Small Business Law Center, which encompasses clinics focusing on patents, trademark, non-profit business law. We also offer a lawyer incubator for alums interested in becoming solo practitioners. All of the programs provide valuable legal training and career contacts.

Students volunteer in our pro bono honors program, working with a variety of underserved communities. Dozens of student organizations are involved in a myriad of public service projects. Becoming a member of a student organization is a good way to develop career relationships that last a lifetime.

Public service is also a core value for our world-class faculty who frequently serve on boards of various community organizations. They volunteer throughout the year for speaking engagements locally, nationally and internationally. Our faculty is involved in stimulating and informative programming on campus every semester and invites the public to learn about the latest legal topics and trends from them and other experts in the professional and academic worlds.

LIVE CLIENT CLINICS

The Veterans Legal Assistance Clinic is operated by students under the guidance of licensed practicing attorney and provides limited legal assistance and full-service legal representation, to the residents and alumni of Veterans Village of San Diego, a program that provides housing, substance abuse, mental health, and job training services to formerly homeless veterans.

The Small Business Law Center (SBLC) supports small businesses and non-profits while providing skills development for law students. Thomas Jefferson School of Law students, under the direct supervision of California licensed attorneys, provide legal assistance to micro-entrepreneurs, small businesses and non-profits that do not have the means to hire an attorney to advise them. The SBLC live-client clinics are:

• The Non-Profit and Business Law Clinic provides legal assistance to eligible nonprofit organizations and small businesses that stimulate economic growth in communities of need.

• The Patent Clinic provides free legal services for lower-income individuals and organizations who want to protect a patentable idea with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

• The Trademark Clinic provides free legal services for low-income individuals and organizations who want trademarks from the USPTO.

SELF-HELP LEGAL CLINICS

The Small Claims Workshop provides limited legal assistance for low to moderate income individuals and businesses with small claim issues. Thomas Jefferson School of Law alumni attorneys and law students provide half-hour consultations to litigants who need assistance when being sued, suing another party, or help recovering money for a small claims judgment.

VOLUNTEER INCOME TAX ASSISTANCE PROGRAM

The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program is operated each spring by the law school’s Tax Law Society, a student organization, under the supervision of a faculty tax expert. The VITA program is an IRS program that provides a valuable community service in the form of free income tax return preparation. Student volunteers receive IRS training and certification.  

THE MEDIATION PROGRAM

Our Mediation Program is a great opportunity for students to work with clients in a courtroom setting. Mediation is a growing industry within the legal community and our law school is a community leader in using this clinical program to immerse students in the art of conflict resolution. Our students represent real clients to resolve disputes for San Diego's Small Claims Courts. Alumni often participate in our Probate Court Program, which provides free mediator services for individuals, typically in connection with a Conservatorship or Guardianship before the Probate Court.

STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS

A number of TJSL’s student organizations are deeply committed to community service and are often at the forefront volunteering at underserved community assistance programs, running food, clothing or blood drives, or in raising funds for natural disasters in the United States and around the world. Thomas Jefferson School of Law’s Diversity Committee has established the CLIMB (Crawford Legal Institute & Mentorship Bond) program, a student-run mentoring program for local high school students interested in the law. Our students often come from underserved communities and know the value of giving back.

THE EXTERNSHIP PROGRAM

Thomas Jefferson School of Law’s highly ranked Externship Program offers great opportunities for hands-on legal experience in public interest, government and private sector law. Placement opportunities range from the United States Attorney’s Office to local biotech corporations to law firms to nonprofit organizations. Students who participate in the Judicial Externship Program have a unique opportunity to work for a Federal or California State Judge in their chambers. Students gain experience in the field and earn academic credit.

THE PRO BONO HONORS PROGRAM

Through the Pro Bono Honors Program, our students can volunteer to work with underserved populations in traditional and non-traditional legal settings. Working with national, regional and community-based projects enables our law students to gain valuable legal experience, build practical legal skills and serve a vital function in that community sector. Students can earn certificates and special honor cords to be worn at graduation.

CONFERENCES, PANELS, & SPEAKERS

At Thomas Jefferson School of Law, we offer a rich intellectual environment throughout the academic year. The faculty, the school’s Centers for Academic Excellence, Alumni Association and various student organizations host an impressive slate of conferences, panels and individual speaker presentations that address a wide spectrum of legal interests and issues while featuring highly-regarded experts, practitioners and jurists. Minimum Continuing Legal Education credit is frequently available for California attorneys who attend these events.

For a look at some of these events, please visit:

• Conferences
• Colloquia & Speakers
• Faculty Presentations

The Trademark Clinic is limited to providing services to individuals in San Diego County.

The Trademark Clinic at Thomas Jefferson School of Law provides free legal services for low-income individuals and organizations desiring to obtain Federal trademarks or service marks from the USPTO. Our students, under the supervision of California licensed attorneys, are able to provide legal assistance to people and organizations that can afford the administrative filing fees, but do not have the means to hire an attorney to advise them.

Thomas Jefferson School of Law was the first law school in California with both a Patent and Trademark clinic affiliated with the USPTO's Law School Clinic Certification Program.

The Trademark Clinic is now accepting requests for services from potential clients. The ideal client will have an existing business, one or more goods or services in the stream of commerce, and a willingness to work with law students.

The Trademark Clinic provides legal assistance in the following areas:

• Client counseling
• Trademark clearance searches
• Trademark application
• Trademark prosecution
• Trademark licensing

The Trademark Clinic provides a wide variety of IP-related legal assistance; however, the Trademark Clinic does not represent clients in court or before administrative boards, such as the TTAB. Additionally, the Trademark Clinic cannot file international applications, such as under the Madrid protocol. Finally, the Trademark Clinic is not able to accommodate walk-in requests at this time, so please follow the guidelines below.

In order to qualify for representation, a potential client will be required to make financial disclosures for the Trademark Clinic to determine eligibility. To find out if you are eligible for our services, please complete the Request for Services Form. For more information about our services, please call the phone number listed below.

NOTE: Submission of a completed Request for Services Form does not guarantee that we can or will represent you and does not start our representation of you. You are not yet our client. You become our client only after we satisfactorily determine your eligibility and you sign a formal engagement letter that we provide to you.

Students who participate in the Trademark Clinic will have the opportunity to directly assist clients desiring to obtain federal trademark or service mark registrations from the United States Patent and Trademark Office. The clinical experience will provide students with practical opportunities to develop skills in problem solving, client development, drafting and critical thinking. Go to Trademark Clinic Student Eligibility and Requirements for more information on the student application process.

Trademark Clinic

Small Business Law Center

Thomas Jefferson School of Law

701 B St. Suite 110 San Diego, CA 92101

Phone: 619.961.4382 Fax: 619.961.1382

Email: TrademarkClinic@tjsl.edu

Web: http://www.tjsl.edu/clinics/sblc

Directions to TJSL

Parking Information

Solo inventors and businesses or non-profits with a patentable idea can receive assistance in prosecuting a patent application with the United States Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO) from the Thomas Jefferson School of Law Patent Clinic. Thomas Jefferson School of Law was the first law school in California with both a Patent and Trademark clinic affiliated with the USPTO's Law School Clinic Certification Program.

Thomas Jefferson School of Law students, under the supervision of California licensed patent attorneys, work with lower-income inventors and businesses with a developed idea but without the means to hire a patent attorney to advise them. Patent protection is essential to establishing a thriving business and getting recognition for a successful invention. Students who participate in the Patent Clinic will work directly with clients and gain practical experience in problem solving, client development, drafting and critical thinking skills. For students who wish to apply to work in the Patent Clinic, go to the Patent Clinic Student Eligibility and Requirements webpage.

The Patent Clinic provides patent legal assistance in the following areas:

• Client counseling
• Invention disclosure interview
• Patentability search and opinion
• Patent application preparation
• Patent application filing (administrative fees paid by client)
• Patent application prosecution to issuance (administrative fees paid by client)
• Patent application appeals (limited)
• Patent licensing

Thomas Jefferson School of Law students who work in the Patent Clinic do not represent clients in court. They cannot file international patent applications and cannot manage or administer maintenance fees for issued patents. Although the clinic provides free legal services, clients must pay all applicable USPTO fees.

Potential clients are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the USPTO administrative fee structure for patents. http://www.uspto.gov/learning-and-resources/fees-and-payment/uspto-fee-s...

Interested inventors can apply for clinic services by completing the Request for Services Form. Walk-in services are not available. For more information about our services, please call the phone number listed below.

Students who participate in the Patent Clinic will have the opportunity to directly assist clients desiring to obtain patents from the United States Patent and Trademark Office. The clinical experience will provide students with practical opportunities to develop skills in problem solving, client development, drafting and critical thinking. Go to Patent Clinic Student Eligibility and Requirements for more information on the student application process.

 

Hollie Kucera, '16

Electrical Engineer

“The Patent Program at Thomas Jefferson School of Law provided me with invaluable experience working with clients, drafting patent applications, and handling filings on EFS Web. This experience set me apart from other young professionals in the field of Intellectual Property law and allowed me hit the ground running at my first job without having to go through the typical learning curve that most new hires face.”

Patent Clinic
Small Business Law Center
Thomas Jefferson School of Law

701 B St. Suite 110
San Diego, CA 92101

Phone: 619.961.4382
Fax: 619.961.1382

Email: PatentClinic@tjsl.edu

November 2, 2011

Major Sports Law Conference to be Held at TJSL

October 25, 2011

12 TJSL Students Named to Who's Who

September 22, 2011

Professor Takes On a Dozen Chess Challengers

September 14, 2011

Activist Tom Hayden Appears at TJSL

August 3, 2011

Two TJSL Students Named Peggy Browning Fellows

July 14, 2011

TJSL Students Represent Veterans at Stand Down 2011

June 21, 2011

CLEO Summer Academy Comes to TJSL

 May 12, 2011

Rodney Smith Will Lead New TJSL Sports Law Center

April 29, 2011

TJSL Student Wins Burton Award for Fourth Time in Five Years

April 19, 2011

Prof. Winchester Named Fulbright Scholar

January 14, 2011

TJSL Opens New Downtown Campus

October 12, 2010

Professors Berenson and Greene Promoted

September 21, 2010

Professor Herrera Appointed to State Committee

September 13, 2010

TJSL Donates Law Books to Crawford High

August 6, 2010

TJSL Faculty Among Most Downloaded in California

July 14, 2010

TJSL Students Represent Veterans at Stand Down 2010

June 29, 2010

New Teaching Fellowship Program at TJSL

June 18, 2010

TJSL Professor Cited in Supreme Court Decision

June 11, 2010

New Trustees Elected to TJSL Board

June 11, 2010

Promotion & Tenure for TJSL Faculty Members