Required Courses SLU

Required Courses

A total of 91 credit hours are required to graduate. Of these, the first-year core curriculum of 31 credit hours is required as well as 8 to 10 credit hours in the upper division as listed below. The remaining credit hours are comprised of elective law courses.

Full-Time Day Course Requirements

First Semester

Civil Procedure I (2 credit hours)
Contracts I (3)
Criminal Law (3)
Introduction to Legal Studies (0.5)
Legal Research and Writing I (3)
Torts (4)

Second Semester

Civil Procedure II (3 credit hours)
Constitutional Law I (3)
Contracts II (2)
Introduction to Legal Studies (0.5)
Legal Research and Writing II (3)
Property (4)

Upper Division Required Courses

Perspectives on Law Course or Seminar*
Legal Profession (Professional Ethics) (3)
Experiential Courses (6 credit hours)
Seminar (2)

After completing the first-year requirements, students can select from a variety of offerings to complete the minimum of 91 hours to graduate. The majority of upper division courses are elective with the exception of the requirements listed below.

Perspectives on Law Requirement*

The Perspectives on Law requirement may be satisfied by enrolling in any course or seminar designated as such. A perspectives on law course or seminar is one devoted to the study of comparative or international legal systems, insights from other academic disciplines (such as history, literature, economics, philosophy, psychology, anthropology or sociology), or approaches by other critical viewpoints on legal concepts or problems. Examples of Perspectives on Law offerings include, but are not limited to:

American Legal History (course and seminar)
Bioethics and the Law
Critical Race Theory seminar
Death Penalty seminar
Disability Law
International Law
Jurisprudence

Seminar Requirement

Seminars involve a small group of students who engage in extensive research, writing, and discussion. Seminars of varying topics are offered every semester. Examples of recent seminars include, but are not limited to:

Access to Health Care
American Presidency
Corporate Social Responsibility
Death Penalty
Education Law & Policy
IP of Creative Businesses
Tax Policy
Trademark
White Collar Crime

Legal Profession

Legal Profession is a required 3 credit hour course that examines the duties of lawyers to the profession, their clients and the larger community.

Experiential Course Requirement

Courses meeting this requirement are designed to provide students with the experience of applying legal theory and skills to simulated or real client matters. Students may satisfy this requirement by representing clients under faculty supervision in the legal clinics or field placements. Client representation courses include:

Civil Advocacy Clinic
Criminal Defense Clinic
Entrepreneurship and Community Development Clinic
Human Rights at Home Clinic
Field Placement

Many professional skills classes are also available that provide students with the opportunity to practice legal skills in a variety of simulated client situations. These include, but are not limited to:

Advanced Legal Research
Anatomy of a Patent
Civil Practice
Client Counseling
Estate Planning
Fraud, Abuse and Health Care Regulation
Law Practice Management
Moot Court
Negotiations
Sports Law
Transactional Health Care Practice
Trial Advocacy I & II

*Perspectives on Law courses are only required for students who entered law school in 2019 and before.

Part-Time Day Course Requirements

There are two options for the Part-Time Day Program: an 11.5-hour schedule (listed below) or an 8.5-hour schedule, which postpones the asterisked courses below until semesters three and four respectively.

First Semester

Introduction to Legal Studies (.5)
Civil Procedure I (2)
Contracts I (3)
Legal Research and Writing I (3)
*Criminal Law (3)

Second Semester

Introduction to Legal Studies (.5)
Civil Procedure II (3)
Contracts II (2)
Legal Research and Writing II (3)
*Constitutional Law I (3)

Third Semester

Torts (4)
Electives (up to 7 hours)

Fourth Semester

Property (4)
Legal Profession (3)
Electives (up to 4 hours)

Upper Division Required Courses

Perspectives on Law Course or Seminar*
Legal Profession (Professional Ethics) (3)
Experiential Courses (6 credit hours)
Seminar (2)

Part-Time Evening Course Requirements

Students in the Part-Time Evening Program complete their required first year core curriculum in two years by taking courses scheduled in the evening. Part-time students both in their first and second year will be in some of the same classes. Course sequencing will be determined based upon your matriculating year (even numbered or odd numbered year). The course sequence is as follows: