This skills course is designed to enhance students’ foundational competencies in preparation for the performance task and drafting-type integrated question set components of the bar examination. Students will develop and practice issue spotting and analysis skills in the context of those question types. When given a collection of legal sources, students will practice synthesizing legal authorities, using test-taking and writing strategies, and applying legal research principles to formulate an original legal analysis. Further, students will learn to compose exam responses that demonstrate competence in drafting and editing legal documents.
This course is not intended to replace any commercial bar examination preparation course. Only students on track to take the next February or July administration of the bar exam are eligible to enroll. This course is graded on a pass/fail basis and the requirements to pass the course shall be listed in the course syllabus and shall be the same for all sections of the course offered in the same semester. If a student does not meet the stated requirements, then the student presumptively fails the course and must then retake the course in a future semester. In the alternative, some students may be eligible to request a grade of “incomplete” in the course. Assignment of a grade of “incomplete” is contingent on the approval of the professor and the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, who shall set standards for a student to be eligible for an incomplete. A student receiving a grade of “incomplete” is required to fulfill all requirements of a remediation plan, which shall address the student’s skills deficits and shall be approved by the professor and the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs or his or her designee. If a student does not fulfill all requirements of the remediation plan by a date set by the professor and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, the student’s course grade will be converted to an “F.”