Academics
After the first year, students may complete an externship with more than 100 options from public defender, to solicitor, to various judges. Damages, Trial Advocacy, and Advanced Appellate Advocacy seminars are offered. Internships are available through the Public Defender, Solicitor, and Heirs Property Project. Field work consists of externship placement and Historic Preservation Law. Research positions with faculty members and tutorial programs are available. Special lecture series consist of a professionalism series (3 of 6 required per semester). Minority programs are offered through the Office of Student Diversity and Mentoring.
To earn the J.D., candidates must complete 88 total credits, of which 63 are for required courses. They must maintain a minimum GPA of 2.0 in the required courses. The following first-year courses are required of all students: Civil Procedure I and II, Contracts I and II, Legal Writing and Research I and II, Property I and II, and Torts I and II. Required upper-level courses consist of a skills course, Advanced Writing Requirement, Constitutional Law, Insurance and Domestic Relations, Professional Responsibility, and Secured Transactions. All students must take clinical courses. The required orientation program for first-year students lasts 2<1/2> days.
In order to graduate, candidates must have a GPA of 2.0, have completed the upper-division writing requirement, and 30 hours of documented pro bono work.