Curriculum

All law students must fulfill the curriculum that follows. All students must complete a total of ninety credit hours for graduation.

Core J.D. requirements

First-Year Courses – Building a solid foundation (thirty 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 through 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.

* Students meet the RWE Requirement through Advanced Legal Writing.

Experiential Learning Requirement (nine credit hours)

In addition to the required four-credit Trial Advocacy course, students must complete an additional five credit hours of experiential learning, consisting of: 

  • A Simulation Course (two or three credit hours—see list below)
  • Any one or more of the following experiential courses:
    • Simulation Course (two or three credit hours–see list below, no cap); 
    • Externship (three credit hours, cap of two externships); or
    • Clinic (three or four credit hours, cap of two clinics).

Simulation Courses (two to three credit hours):

  • Advanced Legal Research
  • Advanced Trial Advocacy I and II
  • Business Planning
  • Client Counseling
  • Contract Planning
  • Corporate Finance
  • Estate Administration 
  • Estate Planning
  • Family Law Planning
  • Federal Criminal Law Planning 
  • Homeowners Association Law and Planning
  • Immigration Enforcement and Defense
  • Judicial Writing
  • Land Use Regulation
  • Mediation Advocacy
  • Mergers and Acquisitions
  • Negotiation Workshop
  • NC Prosecution Advocacy I and II
  • NC Criminal Defense Advocacy I and II
  • Patent Preparation and Prosecution
  • Pretrial Litigation
  • Real Property Planning
  • Workers Compensation Law and Practice
  • Workplace Law