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Curriculum 404

LMU Law prepares students for a broad range of traditional and non-traditional career paths. We are committed to producing alumni who can help their clients and communities address problems that intersect with the legal system. Our highly structured program is complemented by externships and internships, pro bono requirements, professionalism events, and other student-centered activities that enrich the law school experience and produce well-rounded lawyers who are mindful of their leadership position within society.

At LMU Law, you will be more than just a student. You will be invited to embark on an experience that will prepare you for a career that is both successful and fulfilling. Our curriculum aims to help students become skilled, responsible, and ethical lawyers capable of meeting the demands of an increasingly complex legal system. Our curriculum offers an optimal mix of traditional legal education and innovative teaching methods that helps students develop their knowledge of substantive law as well as their abilities in critical thinking and problem-solving.

PROGRAM DETAILS

Students enrolled in LMU Law’s J.D. Program must successfully complete 90 credit hours. The program of legal education includes 67 credit hours of required courses and 23 hours of elective courses. The elective offerings include three categories of courses: (1) traditional doctrinal subjects such as Employment Law, Federal Income Tax, Immigration Law, and Intellectual Property; (2) courses to fulfill the upper-level writing requirement, such as Human Trafficking, Federal Criminal Law, and First Amendment; and (3) courses to fulfill the six-credit experiential learning requirement, which take the form of either simulation classes like Trial Advocacy, Negotiation, and Law Office Management or the Externship course, in which students obtain substantial lawyering experience under the supervision of a practicing attorney in the field.

Students may complete their degree requirements on either a full-time or flex-time basis. Changing from full-time to flex-time status (or vice versa) is possible, subject to academic qualification and administrative approval. Both courses of study follow a prescribed schedule. Certain required and elective courses may also be offered during the summer term. No student may enroll in coursework during any academic term that, if successfully completed, would exceed 18 credit hours.

FULL-TIME PROGRAM

LMU Law offers a traditional three-year, full-time J.D. program that averages 15 credit hours per semester.

First Year

Fall Semester Spring Semester
Course Name Credit Hours Course Name Credit Hours
Civil Procedure I 3 Civil Procedure II 3
Contracts & Sales I 3 Contracts & Sales II 3
Legal Communication I 2 Legal Communication II 2
Legal Foundations I No Credit Legal Foundations II* No Credit
Legal Research I 1 Legal Research II 1
Property I 3 Property II 3
Torts I 3 Torts II 3
Total Hours 15 Total Hours 15
* Mandatory for students with a cumulative GPA of 2.320 or below and elective for all other students.

Second & Third Years

Fall Semester Spring Semester
Course Name Year Hours Course Name Year Hours
Criminal Law 2L 3 Business Organizations 2L 3
Evidence 2L 3 Constitutional Law 2L 4
Legal Communication III 2L 2 Constitutional  Criminal Procedure 2L or 3L 3
Legal Research III 2L 1 Professional Responsibility 2L or 3L 2
Domestic Relations 2L or 3L 3 Electives (over the course of two years in the spring semester) 2L or 3L 14
Wills, Trusts, & Estates 2L or 3L 3 Multistate Bar Exam Skills 2L or 3L 4
Secured Transactions 2L or 3L 3 Advanced Individual Academic Study* 2L or 3L NC

Electives (over the course of two years in the fall semester)

2L or 3L 9      
Multistate Essay Exam Skills 3L 3      
Total Hours 30 Total Hours 30
* Mandatory for upper-level students with a cumulative GPA of 2.000 or below   entering any semester.

 

FLEX-TIME PROGRAM

Our flex-time program is designed for mid-career students who wish to pursue a legal education while maintaining full-time or part-time employment and/or attending to significant family obligations. Ideally, flex-time program students will complete the program of legal education between four-to-six years. The course of study for the J.D. program must be completed within 84 months (seven years), in accordance with ABA Standard 311(b).

Flex-time students typically take between six-to-twelve credit hours in any given semester. Students must take at least six credit hours in the first two semesters and work with the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs to arrange an appropriate schedule that ensures timely completion of the program of the J.D. program.

A suggested schedule is listed below to provide guidance in completing our program of legal education within four years. Limited summer classes are available to reduce or advance the completion of credits in a given year.

Suggested First Year 

Fall Semester Spring Semester
Course Name Credit Hours Course Name Credit Hours
Civil Procedure I 3 Civil Procedure II 3
Legal Communication I 2 Legal Communication II 2
Legal Foundations I No Credit Legal Foundations II* No Credit
Legal Research I 1 Legal Research II 1
Torts I  3 Torts II 3
Total Hours 9 Total Hours 9
* Mandatory for students with a cumulative GPA of 2.320 or below and elective for all other students.

 Suggested Second, Third, & Fourth Years

Fall Semester Class Options Spring Semester Class Options
Course Name Year Hours Course Name Year Hours
Contracts & Sales I 2L 3 Contracts & Sales II 2L 3
Criminal Law 2L 3 Constitutional  Criminal Procedure 2L or 3L 3
Property I 2L 3 Property II 2L 3
Legal Communication III 2L 2 Constitutional Law 3L 4
Legal Research III 2L 1 Business Organizations 3L 3
Evidence 3L 3 Professional Responsibility 3L or 4L 2
Domestic Relations 3L or 4L 3 Electives  2L/3L/4L 14
Wills, Trusts & Estates 3L or 4L 3 Multistate Bar Exam Skills 4L 4
Secured Transactions 3L or 4L 3 Advanced Individual Academic Study* 2L/3L/4L No Credit
Electives  3L or 4L 9      
Multistate Essay Exam Skills  4L 3      
Total Hours 36 Total Hours 36
* Mandatory for upper-level students with a cumulative GPA of 2.000 or below entering any semester.

Grading Policy

LMU Law grades full-time and part-time students using the traditional four-point system. For example, a “D” converts to one point and an “A” to four points. Both full-time and part-time students must maintain a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 2.000 to remain in good standing academically. In required courses, grade curves are administered in accordance with the law school’s grading policy.