Juris Doctor (JD Flex - Social Justice/Public Interest Track), JD

JD Flex - Core Curriculum

Students must complete 88 units to graduate, 43 of which are derived from required courses. The remaining 45 units are comprised of additional program requirements and elective courses. Students may select from two optional tracks: IP Law or Social Justice & Public Interest Law. Note: The course listings below are subject to change as the program matures.

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 - 43 units

The following 43 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 - 715A Property 3 unit(s)
LAW - 720A Torts 3 unit(s)

Additional Requirements & Elective Courses - 45 units

Complete a minimum of 45 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.

First Year Lawering Elective Course

First year students who have a required course GPA below 2.3 at the end of the first semester may be required to take LAW 801E Legal Analysis in place of the first year Lawyering elective. When space permits, other students may enroll in Legal Analysis with approval of the Associate Dean for Law Student Support.

Additional Flex Program Courses

Flex program students are required to complete the following courses, but they are not included in the calculation of their required courses GPA. Only the 43 units of required courses that are applicable to all JD students are included in students’ required courses GPA.

LAW - 863E Early Bar Prep 2 unit(s)
LAW - 863 Practical Legal Writing 2 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 - 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

Students enrolled in the JD Flex 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

Students enrolled in the JD Flex 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.

LAW - 896B Externship: Advanced 2-8 unit(s)
LAW - 896I Externship: Immigration Clinic 2-3 unit(s)
LAW - 776C Veterans Legal Advocacy Clinic 2-4 unit(s)

Simulation Courses

LAW - 815 Alternative Dispute Resolution 3 unit(s)
LAW - 899J Competition: Advanced Mock Trial 2 unit(s)
LAW - 899G Competition: Mock Trial 2 unit(s)
LAW - 899B Trial Advocacy 3 unit(s)
LAW - 804T Trial Evidence and Advocacy 5 unit(s)
Other course to be determined.

Social Justice/Public Interest Track

Elective Courses - At least 6 units

Any of the following clinics:
LAW - 776C Veterans Legal Advocacy Clinic 2-4 unit(s)
LAW - 834C Environmental Law & Justice Clinic 2-3 unit(s)
LAW - 885B Women’s Employment Rights Clinic 2-3 unit(s)
LAW - 896I Externship: Immigration Clinic 2-3 unit(s)
LAW - 896M Externship: Cannabis Law Clinic 2 unit(s)
Any of the following externship/internship opportunities at legal services organization, non-profit organization, or social justice-oriented firm or entity:
LAW - 896A Externship: Beginning 2-8 unit(s)
LAW - 896B Externship: Advanced 2-8 unit(s)
Independent Study with a focus on social justice or public interest (with prior approval of the directors).
LAW - 884 Independent Study 1-2 unit(s)
Any of the following social justice or public service-oriented elective, non-bar topic courses:
LAW - 707A Rebellious Law 2 unit(s)
LAW - 711 Lawyering for a Cause 2 unit(s)
LAW - 829A Poverty Law 2 unit(s)
LAW - 834F Federal Environmental Law & Policy 3 unit(s)
LAW - 837A Family Law 3 unit(s)
LAW - 837D Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault In Criminal Law Practice 2 unit(s)
LAW - 838 Youth and Justice Law Seminar 2 unit(s)
LAW - 842A Immigration Law 3 unit(s)
LAW - 845 Reimagining Criminal Justice 2 unit(s)
LAW - 851A Children & the Law 2 unit(s)
LLM - 364 International Human Rights Seminar 3 unit(s)
Other social justice or public service-oriented electives (offered at GGU or taken at other ABA institutions) and applied to graduation requirements, with the prior approval of the directors

Capstone Project or Pro Bono/Community Service

Capstone Project:

Must be approved by the track directors and be taken as a 3L or 4L student. Students will submit their Capstone Project to the Program Director by the end of their last term.

Examples of Capstone Project include:

any substantial academic paper on a social justice or public interest topic (for credit or not, but which meets the minimum length requirements of Upper Division Writing Requirement Paper.
participation in the Social Justice Journal (LAW 864A Race, Gender, Sexuality & Social Justice Review Writer ) for at least two years.
written report, prepared testimony, or other substantial assignment on behalf of a social justice organization under the supervision of an attorney or professor (with prior approval of the directors).

Pro Bono/Community Service:

Alternatively, students may complete 25 hours of pro bono/community service work in the area of Social Justice/Public Interest.

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.