Year of study Number of units Courses
First year 21 (for entire year) Criminal Law (3 units), Contracts (6 units), Torts (4 units), Property (4 units), and Legal Analysis, Research, and Writing (4 units)
Second year 8-11 (each semester) Civil Procedure (6 units), Constitutional Law I (3 units),
Constitutional Law II (3 units), and Advocacy (2 units)
Third year 8-11 (each semester) Evidence (4 units), Legal Profession (3 units)
(may be taken any time during the third or fourth year)
Fourth year 8-11 (each semester)

Other requirements

We also have a Supervised Analytical Writing Requirement, which may be satisfied in several ways, including a seminar where a research paper is the basis for evaluation, supervised research, or participation in the Law Review, or the Computer & High Tech Law Journal.

Suggested Upper Division Curriculum

  • Business Organizations this is tested on the California Bar Examination and is a prerequisite to a number of upper division courses.
  • Wills and Trusts this is also tested on the California Bar Examination, and is a prerequisite to a number of upper division courses, such as Estate Planning and Will Drafting.
  • Federal Personal Income Tax this general course is a prerequisite to a number of advanced tax and business courses.
  • Remedies this general course is tested on the California Bar Examination.
  • Community Property this course is key if you are interested in property or estate planning, and it is also tested on the California Bar Examination.
  • Criminal Procedure this course, which focuses on the constitutional rights of the accused, is needed for the criminal law clinic and is also tested on the California Bar Examination.

Electives
You may also choose from our wide array of elective courses in topics as varied as intellectual property and high tech law, estate planning, public interest, environmental law, taxation, and international law..

Summer school
After the first year, many part-time students take one or two classes during the summer. This often allows them to reduce their course load to 3 nights a week during the regular school year.