Required January Term and Spring Semester First Year Courses:
You must register for Legal Problem Solving and Analysis during the January Term of your first year. In the Spring Semester, you must register for Property 2, Civil Procedure 2, Contracts 2, Legal Research & Writing 2, Public Law and the Legal Process and Criminal Law. If you matriculated in the summer, register for Evidence in lieu of the courses you took during the summer. Make certain to register for the correct section of each of your classes. You must continue each course in your current section
Required Fall Second Year Course:
You must register for one section or the other of Analytical Methods for Lawyers, LAW 1218. This class will meeet during the first eight weeks of the semester and must be taken the Fall of your second year. You may be excused from this curricular requirement if you demonstrate to the Associate Dean that you have successfully completed five or more credit hours of accounting in your prepatory education.
Rcommended Fall Second Year Courses:
In the Fall of your second year consider:
- Business Organizations 1
- Constitutional Law 1
- Taxation: Federal Income Tax
- Evidence
- Elective
These are known as THE BIG FOUR. It is recommended that you take them in your second year to avoid conflicts with third year electives. Taxation is not required for students who matriculated on or after June 1, 2004. However, a knowledge of basis tax law is essential for every lawyer, and the faculty strongly urge you to take the basic Federal Tax course. In addition, Federal Income Tax is a prerequisite to all our tax sequences, and it is important that it be taken in the Fall of your second year to be able to take the Tax Sequences. Business Organizations 1, Evidence and Constitutional Law 1 are required for graduation of all students. Be aware that Evidence is offered in the Spring Semester, also. If you do not take it in the Fall, take it in the Spring. However, if you are interested in the Tax Sequence, it is advisable to take Evidence in the fall.
THE BIG FOUR are difficult courses. If your GPA is below a 2.5, it is recommended that you take only the BIG FOUR. If your GPA is above 2.5, consider taking a skills course so as to begin meeting the skills requirement. If your GPA is above 3.0, consider a substantive course, e.g., a course tested on the bar exam you intend to take. Your faculty advisor can help you identify bar courses.
Elective: Consider Criminal Practice: an Introduction (2 hours) or Civil Practice: an Introduction (2 hours), pre-requisites to third year clinic courses. Both of these are also skills courses.
Recommended Spring Second Year Courses:
In the Spring of your second year consider:
- Business Organizations 2
- Constitutional Law 2
- Evidence (if not taken in Fall)
- Estates Wills & Trusts
- Elective
It is advisable that you take these courses your Second Year to avoid potential conflicts in your third year with other bar courses.
When you meet with your advisor, plan your last two years in law school. Take a course, if possible, in every area of law tested on the Bar in your state. The National Conference of Bar Examiners maintains a useful web site with links to the bar admissions office of every state.
In your planning review the recommended sequence for the follow courses:
- Tax Specialization
- Estate Planning Specialization
- Bankruptcy Specialization
Upper Level Required Courses: Make sure that you take all of the upper-level required courses, in addition to the first year required courses:
- Constitutional Law 1
- Evidence
- Business Organizations 1
- Legal Profession
Seminar Requirement:
- All students must complete an upper division seminar with a grade of "C" or better before graduation. Seminars are limited to 12 students.
Skills Requirement:
- All students must complete at least 10 hours of designated "skills" classes before graduation. In the course listings herein skills courses are identified. All clinic courses are skills courses.
Perspectives Requirement:
- All students who matriculated in 2010 or later must complete a course that examines American law from the perspective of another legal system or discipline. The courses that satisfy this requirement are Comparative Administrative Law, Comparative Constitutional Law, International Comparative Law, International Law, International Comparative Law, International Protection of Human Rights, Legal History Seminar, Jurisprudence Seminar, Law and Economics Seminar, Law and Literature Seminar and Women and the Law Seminar.
Adding and Dropping Classes:
- You may add classes during the first two weeks of the semester. You may drop classes during the first three weeks of the semester. Please see the semester calendar for other important dates.
Check courses with prerequisites. Plan ahead for third year courses by taking the proper prerequisites. Note especially the prerequisites for Business Planning and Estate Planning. Also check the clinic offerings. Some clinics require Civil Practice: An Introduction, or Criminal Practice: An Introduction.
