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

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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.

First Semester Courses - 15 units

LAW - 700A Civil Procedure I 3 unit(s)
LAW - 705A Contracts I 3 unit(s)
LAW - 710 Criminal Law 3 unit(s)
LAW - 720 Torts 4 unit(s)
LAW - 725A Writing and Research I 2 unit(s)

Second Semester Courses - 15 units

LAW - 700B Civil Procedure II 3 unit(s)
LAW - 705B Contracts II 3 unit(s)
LAW - 715 Property 4 unit(s)
LAW - 725B Writing and Research II 3 unit(s)
LAW - 706Z Lawyering: Introduction to Litigation - 1st STEP 2 unit(s)

First Summer Session Courses - 11 units

LAW - 804M Effective Brief Writing & Motion Advocacy 2 unit(s)
LAW - 804 Evidence 4 unit(s)
LAW - 804T Trial Evidence and Advocacy 5 unit(s)

Second Year Required Courses

Students should take from 12-16 units per semester, including the courses listed below:

LAW - 801A Constitutional Law I 3 unit(s) (Fall semester.)
LAW - 801B Constitutional Law II 3 unit(s) (Spring semester.)

Additional Upper Division Required Courses - 5 units

LAW - 803E Criminal Procedure I 3 unit(s)
LAW - 805A Professional Responsibility 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 - 806 Remedies 3 unit(s)
LAW - 807 Wills and Trusts 3 unit(s)

Upper Division Writing Courses - At least 4 units

To satisfy the Upper Division Writing Requirement, all students entering in or after Fall 2019 must complete at least 4 units from a number of upper division courses which have been certified as meeting the requirement.

Students must complete at least 2 units of their upper division writing requirement from practice-based courses in the Upper Division Legal Writing Program (UDLWP) listed below.

Courses in the UDLWP are those where students engage in practice-based writing involving independent research and an oral presentation, culminating in work product totaling 20 pages (approximately 5,000 words) for which students are assessed through written feedback from a faculty member and where students engage in a rewrite of a draft implementing feedback from at least one conference with a faculty member.

Students may satisfy up to 2 units of their upper division writing requirement through scholarly writing courses listed below.

Practice-Based Courses (Upper Division Legal Writing Program)
LAW - 732 Appellate Advocacy 2 unit(s)
LAW - 885C Transactional Drafting 2 unit(s)
LAW - 875A International Patent Law 2 unit(s)
LAW - 899X Competition: Moot Court Fall 1-2 unit(s)
LAW - 899Y Competition: Moot Court Spring 1-3 unit(s)
Scholarly Writing Courses (no more than 2 units will count towards the requirement)
LAW - 837A Family Law 3 unit(s)
LAW - 885G Gender Based Violence Seminar 2 unit(s)
LAW - 801J Sex, the Supreme Court, and the Constitution 2 unit(s)
LAW - 884 Independent Study 1-2 unit(s)
LAW - 861A Law Review Writer 1-2 unit(s)
LAW - 862A Environmental Law Journal Writer I 2 unit(s)
Additional Information:
- Additional courses as identified in the course schedules for a particular semester or as approved by the Associate Dean or Director for Law Student Support in consultation with the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs.
- Although all students must complete at least 4 units of Upper Division Writing Courses, these units are not included in calculating a student’s required course GPA.

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.
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 Center 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

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)
LLM - 334D Mediating Trust & Estate Disputes 2 unit(s)
LAW - 899B Trial Advocacy 3 unit(s)
Additional simulation courses as identified in the course schedule
Additional Information:
- Additional courses with a significant experiential learning component, as identified in the course schedules or as approved by the Associate Dean or Director for Law Student Support in consultation with the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, may satisfy either category.
- Although all students must complete at least 6 units of Upper Division Experiential Courses, these units are not included in calculating a student’s required course GPA.

Note:

Course information and schedule planners may be found on the Registrar’s Office website and in the Student Handbook available online. All students are encouraged to schedule academic advising appointments by visiting Law Student Support (suite 2333) or calling 415.442.6615.