LAW-2001: Legal Practice Skills

The primary goal of this course is to strengthen students' legal problem-solving abilities. This course is required for upper-level students with a cumulative GPA that places them at high risk of attrition and failing the bar exam on the first attempt. Students who have a cumulative GPA below 2.200 after Spring of their 1L year are required to complete this course in the Fall of their 2L year. During any semester when this course is offered, any upper-level student who would otherwise be required to take Solving Legal Problems, and who has not satisfactorily completed Legal Practice Skills, must complete this course instead of Solving Legal Problems. Students with cumulative GPAs of 2.200 and above may voluntarily request enrollment in this course and may be enrolled until all available seats are filled. In this course, students will focus on improving how they learn and apply the law so they can draw on their understanding when analyzing the wide variety of legal problems that they are likely to encounter in law school exams, the bar exam, and in legal practice. Students will also further develop lawyering skills that reflect real-world practice and will work on activities that newly licensed lawyers are likely to encounter. Throughout the course, students will be provided with multiple opportunities for hands-on performance to directly and indirectly sharpen the expression of these skills. For example, students may have the opportunity to engage in focused skills exercises, group exercises, and writing activities. This course relies heavily on closed-universe exercises, like the Multistate Performance Test, which are an essential part of the Uniform Bar Examination and of most other state bar examinations. This noncredit course is graded on a scale of A, B, C, D and F and is not subject to the Mandatory Grade Distribution listed in § XXI.A of the Student Handbook. Students receiving a course grade of "D" or below are required to successfully complete Solving Legal Problems. Students enrolled in this course in the Fall of their 2L year must enroll in no more than 12 credit hours during that semester. A student on probation may request an exemption from this requirement and be allowed to take up to 15 credit hours, at the discretion of the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs.