Elizabeth G. Macias Legal Studies Academy

  • Vision Statement

    To increase diversity in the field of law by increasing the accessibility to legal professions and promote future opportunities in the justice system for Santa Ana students.

     

    Mission Statement

    Santa Ana High School Law Academy will provide:


    Law-related content embedded in required courses such as English and Social Studies

    Law-specific career technical courses (Criminal Justice and Legal Law).

    Professional Mentoring and internship op-portunities with legal partners.

    Students will participate in the fall mock trial training and the Orange County Mock Trial Competition.

    Students will host and participate in Peer Courts and other restorative justice activities.

    Students will attend relevant field trips to law schools, courts and other civic related sites.

    Students will be given the opportunity to partner with agencies such as Santa Ana College, CSU Fullerton, UC Irvine and law schools at USC, Chapman, UC Berkeley, UCI, UC Davis, Santa Clara University, Loyola Marymount and University of San Francisco. Students will have access to academic programs such as the paralegal certification or the California Law Pathway (The 2+2+3 program: 2 years at SAC, 2years at a university, 3 years at a law school).

     

    Honoring Judge Elizabeth Macias

     

    The Honorable Elizabeth G. Macias is a first generation Mexican-American. She is the first in her family to obtain a high school diploma. Through example her parents instilled in her the importance of a strong work ethic. She is an Orange County Superior Court Judge assigned to the Central Justice Center in Santa Ana, California. Before being appointed to the bench by Governor J. Edmund Brown Jr. in December 2012, she was a Deputy Federal Public Defender with the Central District of California. Judge Macias graduated from California Western School of Law in 1999, and is a 1995 Cal State Fullerton graduate with bachelors degrees in Psychology and Chicano Studies and a minor in Spanish. Since 2009, Judge Macias has taught trial litigation skills to attorneys and judges from Spanish speaking countries through California Western School of Law.
     
    Elizabeth G. Macias Legal Studies Academy
     
    The Elizabeth G. Macias Legal StudiesAcademy of Santa Ana High School provides students with the knowledge and skills to compete in the competitive profession of law,
    whether it be to continue on to law school or to seek a career as a para-legal.
    The Elizabeth G. Macias Legal StudiesAcademy leads students into the California Law Pathway (2+2+3program), which is a partnership betweencommunity colleges, universities, and law schools. It allows for students to engage in 2 years of community college, 2 years of university, and then 3 years of law school.
     
    Courses of Study
    • Criminal Justice- grades 9-12th
    • Foundations of Law/Law and Order - grades 11th-12th
    • World Literature and the Law - 10th Grade
    • World History and the Law - 10th Grade
    • American Literature and American Legal Uses -11th Grade
    • American History and the Law - 11th Grade
    • Government and the Law- 12th grade
    • Economics and the Law- 12th grade
    • Expository, Reading, Writing Curriculum and the Law- 12th Grade

    Benefits

    • Counseling
    • Career Speaker Series
    • Mentoring
    • Law related activities
    • Field Trips
    • Specialized instruction
    • Mock Trial Competition

     

    Participating Law Schools

    • Participating Law Schools
    • UC Berkeley
    • UC Irvine
    • University of Southern California
    • Chapman
    • UC Davis
    • Santa Clara University
    • Loyola Marymount
    • Unisersity of San Francisco