Deputy DA to Teach New Dual-Credit Law Course in Pacific Union College Pilot
The 10-week "Introduction to Law" course, a first for the California Legal Pathways Collaborative at a four-year college, opens to PUC students and local high schoolers.
ANGWIN: A Napa County deputy district attorney will lead a new dual-credit “Introduction to Law” course at Pacific Union College this fall, in a pilot program the California Legal Pathways Collaborative says is the first time it has brought its law-pathway resources to a four-year college.
The collaborative announced Oct. 6 that it has partnered with Pacific Union College, the Napa County Superior Court, Pacific Union College Preparatory School and St. Helena High School on the 10-week course, which is open to college students as well as high school juniors and seniors. The high school students will earn course units they can carry into their undergraduate education.
Deputy District Attorney Shashawnya Worley of the Napa County District Attorney’s Office will lead the course on the PUC campus, alongside attorneys, judges and other legal professionals. Worley, an attorney for close to nine years, also serves as the High School Mock Trial Program Coordinator for Napa and Sonoma counties.
I think it is important, specifically for younger people, to understand how the law affects every day decisions.
PUC announced in July that Intro to Law would be offered starting in the fall 2026 quarter as a 100-level course, open to PUC students and to high school students through the college’s College Early program. The course focuses on criminal law and its constitutional aspects and builds toward a mock trial to be held at the Napa County Courthouse.
This program will offer a gateway to students to help them understand and explore different options and careers focused on the lawMilbert Mariano, dean of PUC’s School of Arts, Humanities, and Professions
Mariano said PUC is known for its pre-med, nursing and dentistry programs but had never offered an Introduction to Law course, and that connecting with the collaborative, the Superior Court and the District Attorney’s Office gave the college’s pre-law program what he described as a needed boost.
The collaborative, founded by attorney Ruthe Ashley, has built law academy programs in high schools and community colleges across California, growing from six high school academies in 2010 to 28 programs. Ashley is recognized as the first Filipina, and only the second Asian Pacific American woman, elected to the State Bar of California Board of Governors. The organization says its pathway programs are aimed particularly at students considered “at-promise,” guiding them through undergraduate and law school toward careers as attorneys and legal professionals.
Napa County Superior Court Executive Officer Bob Fleshman said the court is involved in the pilot from a civics-education perspective, giving students the chance to visit the courthouse and see how the justice system works beyond what they see on television. The 10-week curriculum is designed to cover a broad spectrum of legal and civics-engagement careers, since not everyone with a law degree practices law.
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