Curriculum

The curriculum that follows is required of all law students. All students must complete a total of 90 hours for graduation.

Core J.D. requirements

First-Year Courses – Building a solid foundation (30 credit hours by the end of 1L year)

Fall Semester (14 or 16 hours)  Spring Semester (14 or 16 hours)
  • Civil Procedure 
  • Contracts 
  • Criminal Law
  • Legal Research and Writing I
  • Property 
  • Torts 
  • Civil Procedure 
  • Contracts 
  • Constitutional Law 
  • Legal Research and Writing II
  • Property 
  • Torts 

Required upper-level courses

  • Advanced Legal Writing*
  • Business Organizations
  • Constitutional Law II
  • Criminal Procedure
  • Evidence
  • Experiential Course Requirement
  • Professional Responsibility and Ethics
  • Rigorous Writing Experience Requirement* (Requirement met via Advanced Legal Writing)
  • Sales and Leases
  • Secured Transactions
  • Trial Advocacy
  • Wills and Trusts

Note: Students may enroll in upper-level required courses any time after the first year, subject to prerequisites.

* The RWE Requirement is now met via Advanced Legal Writing.

Experiential Course Requirement (9 credit hours)

Students must take, in addition to the required courses, one of the following simulation courses:
  • Trial Advocacy (4 credit hours)
  • Any elective noted below (2 or 3 credit hours)
  • Any one (or more) of the following elective experiential courses:
    • Externship (3 credit hours), or
    • Clinic (2 or 3 credit hours)
Any of the following simulation courses (2 or 3 credit hours):
  • Advanced Legal Research
  • Advanced Trial Advocacy Part I and II
  • Advising Startup Clients: Formation to Major Transactions
  • Asylum and Refugee Law
  • Business Planning
  • Commercial Real Estate Planning
  • Contract Planning
  • Contract Planning: Structuring  A Deal
  • Corporations: From Formation to Major Transactions I
  • Elder Law Planning
  • Entertainment Law
  • Estate Planning
  • Family Law Planning
  • Federal Criminal Law Planning (formerly Federal Criminal Defense Planning)
  • Homeowners Association Law and Planning
  • Income Taxation
  • Judicial Writing
  • Land Use Regulation
  • Lawyering, Client Advocacy, and Professional Development
  • Negotiation Workshop
  • Non-Profit Organizations
  • Patent Preparation and Prosecution
  • Pretrial Litigation
  • Real Property Planning
  • Trademark Law
  • Workplace Law