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The Juris Doctor (J.D.) Degree

About the J.D. program
Students spend their first year on campus learning the foundation of legal analysis, skills, and professionalism.  The program includes traditional first-year courses, such as contracts and criminal law.  It also includes a comprehensive legal methods course, taught by full-time faculty, that instructs students on the fundamentals of legal writing and analysis, as well as a class on interviewing, counseling, and negotiation.

The cooperative education program
The cooperative education program allows second- and third-year students to spend two quarters at a designated placement.  The goal of the program is to provide students with an integrated learning experience that will ensure that they are prepared for the complexities of modern-day practice.

Law school co-op placements average 20 hours per week for two consecutive quarters. Placements include judicial chambers, private law firms, in-house counsel offices, and non-profit organizations. Students are not paid for their work but will instead receive 5 academic credits each quarter for their co-op experiences and 2 credits for a lawyering practice seminar that must be taken in conjunction with the co-op. Students should take at least 4 other academic credits in each quarter in which they are enrolled in the co-op. Co-ops are encouraged as part of the integrated law school experience, but are not required.
Students have their first opportunity for a co-op experience in the fall quarter of their second year.  To ensure the appropriateness of a placement, students must have a cumulative grade point average of 2.500 in order to be placed in a co-op.

Examinations
Grades in many law school courses are based solely on a final examination.  Most final examinations are taken at designated dates and times (e.g., 3 or 4 hours), and others are take-home examinations.  Exam questions are primarily in essay format, but some questions may be in another format (e.g., multiple choice).  Writing and skills classes often include multiple assignments to determine a final grade. 

For additional information, visit the The Earle Mack School of Law website.