Juris Doctor (Trial and Evidence Program - 1st STEP), JD

Students must complete 88 units to graduate. In addition to the requirements listed here, students will complete approximately 23 units of electives. Electives include additional units from the lists below and other classes on a variety of subjects listed in the course schedules each term.

Student Learning Outcomes

At graduation, students will understand the legal rules, principles, and theories in core areas of substantive and procedural law in order to pass the bar and provide competent legal representation.
At graduation, students will be able to apply legal analysis and reasoning to resolve legal problems and provide effective client representation.
At graduation, students will be able to clearly and effectively communicate in a professional legal setting.
At graduation, students will be prepared for professional success.

Required Courses - 45 units

The following 45 units are used to calculate a students’ required course GPAs for purposes of academic standing and merit scholarship eligibility:

LAW - 732 Appellate Advocacy 2 unit(s) (Required for students starting with incoming class of Fall 2022.)
LAW - 700A Civil Procedure I 3 unit(s)
LAW - 700B Civil Procedure II 3 unit(s)
LAW - 801A Constitutional Law I 3 unit(s)
LAW - 801B Constitutional Law II 3 unit(s)
LAW - 705A Contracts I 3 unit(s)
LAW - 705B Contracts II 3 unit(s)
LAW - 710 Criminal Law 3 unit(s)
LAW - 803A Criminal Procedure I 3 unit(s)
LAW - 804 Evidence 4 unit(s)
LAW - 725A Legal Writing and Research I 2 unit(s)
LAW - 725B Legal Writing and Research II 3 unit(s)
LAW - 805 Professional Responsibility 2 unit(s)
LAW - 715 Property 4 unit(s)
LAW - 720 Torts 4 unit(s)

Additional Requirements & Elective Courses - 43 units

Complete a minimum of 43 units from LAW or LLM prefix/subject courses, including the units used to satisfy the California Bar Exam Subject, Experiential Learning, and Upper-Division Writing course requirements below. Note: Although students are required to complete the requirements listed below, these units are not included in calculating their required courses GPAs for Academic Standing purposes.

STEP Additional Required Courses

STEP program students are required to complete the following courses during their first summer session in addition to one required course (LAW 804 Evidence ), but they are not included in the calculation of their required courses GPAs. Only the 43 units of required courses that are applicable to all JD students are included in students’ required courses GPAs.

LAW - 804M Effective Brief Writing & Motion Advocacy 2 unit(s)
LAW - 804T Trial Evidence and Advocacy 5 unit(s)

California Bar Subject Courses - At least 8 units

LAW - 802A Business Associations 4 unit(s)
LAW - 808A Community Property 2 unit(s)
LAW - 720G Privacy, Defamation, and Other Relational Torts 2 unit(s)
LAW - 715C Real Estate Transactions 2 unit(s)
LAW - 806 Remedies 3 unit(s)
LAW - 807 Wills and Trusts 3 unit(s)

Upper Division Writing Courses - 2 units

Effective with the 2022-23 incoming class, to satisfy the Upper Division Writing Requirement, students must complete 2 units from a number of upper division courses which have been certified as meeting the requirement. Students admitted in prior years, see the Law School Handbook applicable to the start year of your program for courses that meet the UDW Requirement.

Courses that satisfy the Upper Division Writing Requirement will be identified in the course schedule for each academic period.

Upper Division Experiential Courses - At least 6 units

All students are required to complete at least 6 units of Upper Division Experiential Coursework. Students graduating in the full-time day program must complete at least 3 of these units through a clinic, externship or field placement (“Non-Simulation Courses”) listed below.
Effective with the Fall 2022 incoming class, at least 2 units must be earned through one of the following on-site clinics: LAW 834C Environmental Law & Justice Clinic , LAW 776C Veterans Legal Advocacy Clinic , LAW 885B Women’s Employment Rights Clinic .
Students graduating in the part-time program may complete all 6 units of this requirement with Simulation Courses, but are strongly encouraged to complete at least 3 units through Non-Simulation Courses.

Non-Simulation Courses

LAW - 834C Environmental Law & Justice Clinic 2-3 unit(s)
LLM - 312 Estate Planning Externship 2-3 unit(s)
LAW - 809B HLP Client Representation 2 unit(s)
LLM - 306A Pro Bono Tax Clinic: State Income Tax 1-3 unit(s)
LLM - 306B Pro Bono Tax Clinic: Sales & Use Tax 1-3 unit(s)
LAW - 776C Veterans Legal Advocacy Clinic 2-4 unit(s)
LAW - 885B Women’s Employment Rights Clinic 2-3 unit(s)
Additional externships, clinics, or field placements as identified in the course schedule
Additional Information:
- Students my enroll in a maximum of 13 units of clinic, externship, and Veterans Legal Advocacy Clinic.

Simulation Courses

LAW - 899F Advanced Trial Advocacy 2 unit(s)
LAW - 815 Alternative Dispute Resolution 3 unit(s)
LAW - 897A Civil Litigation - PreTrial Phase 2 unit(s)
LAW - 897K Criminal Litigation - PreTrial Phase 2 unit(s)
LAW - 804M Effective Brief Writing & Motion Advocacy 2 unit(s)
LAW - 837F Family Law Practice 2 unit(s)
LAW - 842A Immigration Law 3 unit(s)
LAW - 897F Introduction to Civil Litigation 1 unit(s)
LAW - 897L Introduction to Criminal Litigation 1 unit(s)
LAW - 897B Introduction to Depositions 1 unit(s)
LAW - 819E Introduction to eDiscovery 1 unit(s)
LAW - 897J Introduction to Jury Selection 1 unit(s)
LAW - 819W Introduction to Written Discovery 1 unit(s)
LAW - 823G IP Practicum: Patent Law 2 unit(s)
LAW - 823P IP Practicum: Trademark & Copyright Transactions 2 unit(s)
LAW - 823S Privacy Law Practicum 2 unit(s)
LLM - 334D Mediating Trust & Estate Disputes 2 unit(s)

Course Schedule and Advising Appointments

Course schedule information may be found on the Law School’s Course Offerings web page. All students are encouraged to schedule academic advising appointments with Law Student Support by emailing lawstudentsupport@ggu.edu or by calling 415-442-6615.