JD Degree
The first year of law school introduces students to the fundamentals of legal analysis and to the substantive law in several basic subjects. First-year J.D. courses are listed below. Coursework totaling 30 units is prescribed for full-time students. Students in the part-time program take 21 units (deferring Law 114 and 200 to the second year).
- 101. Legal Research and Writing (4 units)
- 102. Contracts (6 units)
- 103. Torts (4 units)
- 104. Property (4 units)
- 106. Criminal Law (3 units)
- 114. Pleading and Civil Procedure (6 units)
- 200. Constitutional Law (3 units)
Selection and Class Size
Most first year courses are taught to sections of 75 - 80 students. One of the full year substantive courses is taught in small sections of between 36 and 40 students each. Legal Analysis, Research, and Writing is also taught in small sections.
Classes for full time students are taught during the day, on a Monday through Friday schedule.
Part-Time
Each part time entering class has about 60 - 70 students in the evening section. There are two evening sections of Legal Analysis, Research and Writing of about 30 - 35 students each.
Part time students are scheduled in the evenings, Monday through Thursday, with the first class at 6:00 p.m.
With few exceptions, all first year courses are taught by full time, tenured (or tenure track) members of the law faculty. Each section of Legal Analysis, Research and Writing is staffed by a full time instructor who is a member of the faculty and who has an office in the law school.
Academic and Professional Development and Academic Success Program
The Academic and Professional Development Department (APD) supports students’ academic and professional needs, from first year orientation through Bar passage. APD provides a wide range of resources, such as skills workshops, classroom instruction, study aids, and individual counseling.
APD’s Academic Success Program (ASP) fosters the integration of first-year students into the law school by helping them develop the academic and analytical skills necessary for success in law school. ASP complements the first-year curriculum by offering additional opportunities for eligible students to practice reading, analysis, and synthesis. These opportunities include classroom, group, and individual guidance by the ASP Director and trained upper division students. The eligibility of incoming first-year students is determined during the admissions process, and is reassessed after fall semester. APD/ASP also offers a wide range of programs and services to all students in the law school, including a series of skills workshops in the first year and essential practice examinations in first year subjects.
Advanced Curriculum
The School of Law offers a wide range of one-semester advanced courses. Required courses are listed below. Students must take Law 105 and 201 in their second year.
More information:
Concentrations-Career Pathways Wiki
Supervised Analytical Writing Requirement
Students must satisfy the Supervised Analytical Writing Requirement as a condition of graduation. The requirement is intended to assure that each student completes a significant piece of legal writing under the supervision of a faculty member following the first year of law school. It is the responsibility of each student to satisfy the requirement before graduation.
The ability to write effectively and persuasively is fundamental to law practice. A lawyer’s service to society and professional satisfaction depends on an ability to communicate through writing. The purpose of the Supervised Analytical Writing Requirement is to further develop and improve that ability in each student beyond the level achieved in the first-year research and writing program and the second-year advocacy course. In addition, the writing experience provides the opportunity for intellectual growth through concentration and analysis in a specialized area of law.
Students must satisfy the Supervised Analytical Writing Requirement by individual work only; joint papers or projects will not qualify. Students may discuss topics, ideas, or other aspects of the project with others, and may exchange drafts for the purpose of seeking feedback on improving the writing, but all research and writing must be the student’s own work exclusively.
More detailed information on satisfying the Supervised Analytical Writing Requirement can be found in the student bulletin.
