First Year Course Descriptions
The following first year curriculum is prescribed by the American Bar Association, and all full time students will complete each of the following classes in their first year. Part time students will take Civil Procedure, Contracts, Legal Research and Writing, and two of the one semester classes in their first year of law school. Part time students will complete the remaining two first year courses in the first semester of their second year.
Civil Procedure (2 semesters)
Studies each stage of the civil lawsuit, including pleadings, motions, discovery, trial, post-trial motions, appeals, and the finality of judgments; also examines alternatives to litigation.
Contracts (2 semesters)
Focuses on the common law of contracts: formation, performance, and breach of contractual obligations; remedies for breach of contract; and the effect of contract on the legal status of non-parties.
Legal Research and Writing (2 semesters)
Teaches basic legal research, citation, and drafting of legal memoranda and briefs. During the second semester, students participate in oral argument.
Criminal Law (1 semester)
Examines the functions of criminal law as a means of social control, the creation of crimes as a process, and the elements of criminal liability – the criminal act, the criminal state of mind, and the absence of justification or excuse.
Torts (1 semester)
Introduces the development of common law, focusing on civil actions for injury to persons, property, or intangible interests, and on claims of intentional wrongs, negligence, and strict liability.
Property 1 (1 semester)
Studies the concepts of real and personal property in our legal system. Real property is emphasized, with the primary focus on estates in land from historical and modern perspectives.
Constitutional Law (1 semester)
Introduces constitutional interpretation, including doctrines and competing philosophies, and the framework of state and federal government under the Constitution.
