Academics
Students may take relevant courses in other programs and apply credit toward the J.D.; a maximum of 12 credits may be applied. The following joint degrees may be earned: J.D./M.B.A. (Juris Doctor/Master of Business Administration), J.D./M.Tax (Juris Doctor/Master of Taxation), and J.D/M.P.P.A. (Juris Doctor/Master of Public Policy Administration).
The School of Law offers concentrations in criminal law, litigation, business transactions, administrative law, estate planning, and business litigation. In addition, the 2-quarter Practice Court Program is required in the third year and includes rigorous hands-on training. Students are required to complete at least 4 mini trials and 1 large trial along with several other exercises. There are real-life client opportunities for pro bono divorce cases and other client opportunities for penalty cases. A Supreme Court seminar is available. Internships are available in the District Attorney’s Office, U.S. Attorney’s Office, U.S. District Court, U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Texas Attorney General’s Office-Child Support Division, Legal Services Office, and others for 2 hours of credit, and the Texas Supreme Court and Court of Criminal Appeals for 5 hours of credit. Independent studies for 1 or 2 hours of credit are available for second- and third-year students under faculty supervision. Field work opportunities are available in a number of offices such as General Counsel for Texas Life Insurance Co. Special lecture series include the Frank Wilson Memorial, W.R. White Memorial, R. Matt Dawson Lecture Series, and the John William Minton and Florence Dean Minton Endowed Law School Lecture Series. Students may study in Guadalajara, Mexico and earn up to 5 credits during a 2-week program in August. A faculty-conducted tutorial program is available for students placed on academic probation as well as for other interested students. There is a designated faculty Minority Student Adviser and a Diversity in Law Students Association. There is an Environmental Law program once a year and various speakers throughout the year. The most widely taken electives are Client Counseling, Alternative Dispute Resolution, Advanced Criminal Procedure, Administration of Estates, Appellate Procedure, Trusts and Estates II, and Secured Transactions.
To earn the J.D., candidates must complete 126 total credits, of which 78 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, Contracts I and II, Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure, Introduction to Law and Lawyering, Legal Analysis, Research, and Communication I, II, and III, Legislative, Administrative Process and Procedure, Property I and II, and Torts I and II. Required upper-level courses consist of Business Organization I, Constitutional Law, Consumer Protection, Evidence, Federal Income Taxation, Practice Court I and II, Professional Responsibility, and Trusts and Estates I. All students must take clinical courses. The required orientation program for first-year students is a 2-day program that covers introduction to the legal profession and life as a law student.
In order to graduate, candidates must have a GPA of 2.0 and have completed the upper-division writing requirement.