Overview

MD Kirk School of Law was established in 2005 to provide quality legal education to people inside and outside of the United States through combined educational methods of both traditional and up-to-date audio-visual and online instruction.

The J.D. program will enable successful students to be admitted to practice law before the California State Courts, the United States Federal Courts and the United States Supreme Court. The J.D. program requires study for the period of four years.

Mission and Objectives

The primary goal and purpose of the MD Kirk School of Law is to provide quality legal education through distance, non-residential learning methods. MD Kirk School of Law is aiming at:

Having students understand the history and basic principles of the Anglo-American legal system;
Providing students with the quality legal education and training essential to their successful law practice;
Providing students who are seeking an academic career with the mental training that is crucial for legal reasoning and basic legal research skills; and
Having students be trained to draft essential legal documents with efficiency and accuracy.

Residence and Study Years

MD Kirk School of Law utilizes non-resident, distance learning methods, so that students do not have to be on-campus for their classes.

California State Authority to Grant Degrees

This institution has received an approval to operate from the State of California and has registered for Distance Learning JD Degree Awarding Program in the State Bar of California.

Housing and Placement Services

MD Kirk School of Law does not provide placement services. Because MD Kirk School of Law is a correspondence law school, it also does not provide student housing services.

Leave of Absence & Dropout Policies

In general, a student will be considered enrolled in a program, as long as the tuition is paid and the student remains in good academic standing.

However, if a student gets more than four weeks behind in their course schedule, they will be dropped from the course, since the Committee of Bar Examiners requires a 48-52 week school year.

State of California Student Tuition Recovery Fund

The Student Tuition Recovery Fund (STRF) was established by the California Legislature to protect California resident students who attend a private postsecondary institution from suffering financial loss by closing of the school.

California Law requires that a fee be assessed on schools regulated by the Bureau of Private Postsecondary and Vocational Education in relation to the cost of tuition and enrolment (Education Code Section 94343). These fees support the Student Tuition Recovery Fund (STRF). Institutional participation is mandatory.

If you are a "California resident" and reside in California at the time the enrolment agreement is signed or if you receive lessons at a California mailing address from an approved institution offering correspondence instruction, you are eligible for the fund. Foreign students, those who reside in California for their education just temporarily, are not considered "California residents." To be reimbursed from the fund, you must file a STRF application within one year of receiving notice from the Council that the school is closed. If you do not receive notice from the Council, you have four years from the date of closure to file a STRF application. If a judgment is obtained you must file a STRF application within two years of the final judgment.

It is important that enrolees keep a copy of any enrolment agreement, contract or application to document enrolment, tuition receipts or cancelled checks to verify the total amount of tuition paid, and records which will show the percentage of the course that has been completed. Such records would substantiate a claim for reimbursement from the STRF which, to be considered, must be filed within 60 days following school closure. For further information or instructions, contact:

Bureau of Private Postsecondary & Vocational Education
1625 North Market Blvd. Suite S 202
Sacramento, CA 95834
(916) 574-7720 / Fax (916) 574-8650 / E-mail: bppve@dca.ca.gov

Time Limitations - Bar Program

The School's J.D. program is regulated by the California State Bar. Students who plan to sit for the California Bar Examination must comply with the rule of the Committee of Bar Examiners. Students must successfully complete the First Year Law Students' Examination after their first year of study. Students must complete four years of law study and the rule requires at least 864 study hours per year to be completed during a period of not less than 48 nor more than 52 consecutive weeks of study.

Library Access

Each student will hold a LexisNexis account. They may access LexisNexis with designated IDs and passwords from any location.

We do not provide students with off-line, traditional type law libraries, but a letter of introduction would be given to the students to help them obtain use privileges at local law libraries nearby their homes and offices.

Response Timing

The number of days that will elapse between MD Kirk School of Law's receipt of students' examination answers and the school's mailing of its evaluation would be 7 to 10 days.

Student Rights

(1) Privacy:

Appropriate federal and state laws will limit the use of private information of the students. The MD Kirk School of Law has some guiding principles on this critical issue as following:

(a) All forms of disclosure of confidential information from student records to any third parties are strictly prohibited without the receipt of written and signed consent from the student. However such entities or individuals that have a legal right of access to the records will be treated as an exception to this rule.

(b) Unless there are justifiable reasons for non-disclosure, upon request student access to their own records will be granted. Such justifiable reasons may include, but are not limited to, the releasing of the information being in direct conflict with the school's own interests.

(2) Non-Discrimination:

The school adheres to the Constitution of the United States and other relevant rules of law in strictly prohibiting the discriminate against a student on the part of the school or another student for reasons of race, ethnicity, color, religion, sex, national origin, age or conditions of handicap, etc.

Student Code of Conduct

The school expects and requires its students to maintain the school's high levels of conduct and ethics, and any and all students found to be in breach of this conduct will be held liable for their actions and we be penalized accordingly. The penalties will be determined via the consideration of the student's individual circumstances and the severity of their breach and may range from, but are not limited to, voiding a grading for a particular assessment, suspension, expulsion and/or legal action. Examples of such breaches are, but not limited to, cheating, plagiarism, misrepresentation of facts, and etc.

Any student/s found to be in possible breach of conduct will be provided with detailed information on the relevant matters of concern. A hearing will be scheduled to review the matter and reasonable notice will be provided to the student to inform him or her of the relevant time and place, and his or her rights to explain his or her actions and circumstances to the reviewing body. If any student believes he or she has been mistreated, or the that school has failed to comply with the amended Family Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 during the course of the processing and finalizing of any such related matters, then he or she may file a complaint with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act Office of the United States Department of Education (FERPA) concerning the alleged failures by the school.

Reservation of Rights

MD Kirk School of Law reserves the right to refuse admission of any applicant, disqualify any student, or discontinue his or her course of studies at the discretion of the school's guiding body. As head of the school's guiding body, any decision relating to these matters may be sanctioned, modified or nullified by the Dean of the school. The school also reserves the right to make changes or amendments to any of its policies without prior notice. Such changes may include, but are not limited to, admission pre-requisites, fees, course structure, subject material, grading policies, course graduation standards and requirements, and etc.

Retention of Student Records

MD Kirk School of Law retains transcripts of a student's academic performance for a minimum of 50 years in order to maintain the ability to provide detailed information on the student's performance to appropriate authorities when required. The information retained is designed to provide evidence of the standards attained by the students. The records contain various types of relevant information, such as all relevant names, addresses and qualifications held and attained by students and the relevant teaching staff, the types of courses offered by the school, the courses undertaken by the students, the dates of completions and graduations, and etc.

Records documenting student academic progress will be kept safely and securely in fireproof file cabinets as well as electronically on confidential folders that can only be accessed by administrative personnel.

Grading

Grades are primarily based upon the examination and assignment results of each individual student. However, faculty members may consider students' academic performances shown during the courses through active participation in the online discussion and promptness of assignment submission.

Grades are generally issued within two weeks of the end of the course. The following grading system is used:

A (90-100) - Grade Point Average 4 - Indicates a strong command and thorough comprehension of the subject material, and an ability to creatively utilize the knowledge gained.

B (80-89) - Grade Point Average 3 - Indicates a good command and comprehension of the subject material and a good ability to utilize the knowledge gained.

C (70-79) - Grade Point Average 2 - Indicates an average command and comprehension of the subject material with evidence of an ability to beneficially utilize the knowledge gained.

D (60-69) - Grade Point Average 1 - Indicates a passing grade but a poor quality of comprehension with some ability to beneficially utilize the knowledge gained.

F (below 60) - Grade Point Average 0 ? Indicates a failing grade

Since a grade point average of 2.0 is required for graduation from any of the school's educational programs, academic dismissal will result from a student's non-compliance with that standard.?

MD Kirk School of Law will employ a rigorous and thorough evaluation system to accurately assess student academic progress in understanding course material and in developing the critical thinking and analytical skills essential for the study of law.

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Students will be graded on multiple format assignments and/or examinations that thoroughly test students understanding of course material and how to apply that understanding to real world situations. These tests will be scrutinized and updated regularly to ensure the verification of student skill acquisitions.

Credits and Honors

Student Grade Point Averages:

Less than 2.00 - Failure to Graduate

2.00 - 3.29 - Graduation

3.30 - 3.59 - Graduation with Honors

3.60 - 3.84 - Graduation with High Honors

3.85 - 4.00 - Graduation with Highest Honors

Transfer Policy

MD Kirk School of Law currently does not accept transfer students, however this policy is currently being reviewed in order to accommodate for those students wishing transfer. This policy change is subject to government approval.

Internet Based Instructional Methods

In addition to the audio/video materials, the school attempts to utilize computer/Internet based educational technologies in order to help students achieve a maximum level of success. The school also attempts to use an Internet based course management system to facilitate students access to the course material and to on-line discussion, and collaboration among students and faculty members. Discussion board and e-mail access is available to students and professors.

Some audio/video materials and written materials are planned to be available to the students online, while all lectures would be available to the students via tapes or CD/DVDs.