Law Programs

The First-Year Curriculum

From your first day at KU Law, you’ll be engaged in broad considerations of the role of law in society and specific training in legal research, writing and advocacy.

All first-year students take Lawyering Skills, a course that focuses on the skills and values of the legal profession. Faculty members with extensive legal experience meet with students in a traditional classroom setting and in small groups. By the end of your first year, you will have prepared a brief and argued a summary judgment motion.

The program includes a core curriculum of doctrinal classes. You’ll learn Contracts, Constitutional Law, Property and other key subjects.

You’ll also take one of your other required first-year courses in a small section of about 25 students. These small class sizes provide an informal learning atmosphere and encourage in-depth discussions and critical analysis.

Clinics and Field Placements

The KU law school was a pioneer in clinical legal education and today offers many clinics and field placements that expose students to the tasks and challenges faced by lawyers in practice. All law students have a chance to participate in at least one of the school’s experiential learning opportunities. Acting under faculty supervision, students learn substantive law, develop legal skills and learn professional values in actual practice settings.

• The Criminal Prosecution Field Placement Program gives students an opportunity to work with prosecutors in Kansas state district attorneys’ offices as well as the office of the U.S. Attorney. They participate in nearly all phases of the criminal process, including trial work.
• In the Elder Law Field Placement Program, students work under the supervision of attorneys from Kansas Legal Services. Students assist seniors with a variety of legal issues, including income maintenance, access to health care, housing and consumer protection. 
• The Field Placement Program provides students an opportunity to perform legal work under the supervision of a practicing attorney at approved governmental agencies, as well as nonprofit legal services organizations and nonprofit public national and international organizations.
• Students in the Judicial Field Placement Program serve as interns for state and federal trial judges. Under the supervision of a judge, law clerk or staff attorney, interns perform research, draft documents and observe courtroom proceedings to expand their knowledge of how our court systems operate.
• Students in the Legal Aid Clinic represent low-income clients under the careful guidance and thoughtful teaching of supervising attorneys. The clinic's caseload is divided into four general areas: a criminal practice for juveniles charged with crimes in Douglas County District Court; a criminal practice for adults charged with crimes and municipal violations in Lawrence Municipal Court; a civil practice to provide legal assistance for individuals seeking name and gender marker changes through the Douglas County District Court; and a civil practice that may focus on school discipline, mental health, race and educational equity, and other emerging matters.
• In the Medical-Legal Partnership Field Placement Program, the School of Law collaborates with two separate health systems — The University of Kansas Health System at KU Medical Center in Kansas City, and LMH Health in Lawrence. Cases may include health law, family law, housing law, elder law, public benefits law, disability law, and immigration law. Students enroll through the Field Placement Program.
• In the Paul E. Wilson Project for Innocence and Post-Conviction Remedies, students counsel and represent state and federal prisoners in appellate and post-conviction litigation in state and federal courts.
• The Public Defense Field Placement Program gives students an opportunity to work with the state and federal public defender offices in Kansas.  Students will participate in all phases of criminal defense work, including investigation, motions practice, plea negotiation, and trial.
• In the Tribal Judicial Support Clinic, students provide research assistance in an array of projects ranging from tribal code development to drafting memoranda and orders.
• In the Veterans Legal Support Clinic, students engage in substantive legal work, including legal research, drafting motions and advocacy materials, and developing case strategies.  

International Study

The law school 2 formal study abroad programs for its students. They include:

1. A summer program in Limerick and Dublin, Ireland, in collaboration with the University of Limerick; and
2. A summer program in Istanbul, Turkey, in collaboration with Bahcesehir University.

In addition, KU law students can spend a semester taking law classes in Scotland at the University of Aberdeen or in Italy at the University of Trento through KU Law's exchange programs.  KU history and law faculty members collaborate to sponsor a summer program in Cambridge, England, focusing on legal history. This program is open to undergraduates and to entering law students before they begin their studies in the fall term of their first year. KU law students also may choose from numerous other ABA-approved summer study abroad programs.

Certificate Programs

J.D. Degree Requirements

The degree Juris Doctor (J.D.) is conferred on candidates who have

• Completed a minimum of 90 credit hours;
• Achieved a minimum cumulative grade-point average of 2.0 (C);
• Taken and completed all required courses;
• Satisfied the “in residence” requirement;
• Satisfied the writing-intensive course requirements;
• Satisfied the experiential course requirements; and
• Completed all requirements within 5 years of initial enrollment (see Withdrawal and Readmission Following Withdrawal in the Regulations section of the law school's website).

Credit-Hour Requirement

Grade-Point Average Requirement

During the semester in which the student attains 90 credit hours, he or she must have achieved a minimum cumulative grade-point average of 2.0 (C) in all law school work. Grades for courses taken in areas other than law are not computed in the School of Law cumulative grade-point average.

Required Courses

To qualify for the J.D. degree, a student must have completed satisfactorily the following:

• All first-year courses listed below
• Three menu courses from the list
• Three writing courses (three professional or two professional, one scholarly writing)
• Six credits of experiential courses

*Courses that can be counted as Professional Writing or Experiential Course credits, not both.

Upper-level required courses should be taken in the second year of law school. Waiting to take these courses until the third year may cause class conflicts between these required courses and courses traditionally taken by third-year law students.

“In Residence” Requirement

The 90 credit hours required for the J.D. degree must be earned during a course of study in residence at the School of Law extending over a period of not less than 24 months. For more details, see Maximum and Minimum Load in the Regulations section.

Upper-Level Writing-Intensive Course Requirements

Each student must satisfy the Professional Writing-Intensive course requirement by successfully completing at least two professional writing courses that require students to submit a written work product directed to the lawyer’s professional role. Such writing includes, but is not limited to, document drafting, written advocacy, correspondence, memoranda, judicial and quasi-judicial opinions, legislation, regulations, and policy analysis.

Each student must satisfy the third required writing course by either taking a third professional writing-intensive course, or by meeting the Scholarly Writing-Intensive course requirement by successfully completing a course that satisfies the Scholarly requirement.

Experiential Skills Requirements

Students must satisfy the experiential course requirement by successfully completing courses from the following list that total at least 6 credit hours.

• Note that not all of these courses are offered every year. Whether they are offered for Experiential, Professional Writing, or Scholarly Writing credit in a given semester is subject to change.
• Additional courses in these categories, beyond those listed below, may also be offered. Students are advised to review what is listed on the website prior to the start of the semester on the degree requirements page. 
• While simulation courses will satisfy the experiential coursework graduation requirement, students are not limited to taking 16 credit hours, such as with clinic and field placement courses.

To satisfy the experiential course requirements, the student must obtain a grade of C or better in graded courses and a grade of CR in courses graded Credit-No Credit.

The law school website includes an updated list of all of the courses that satisfy the professional, scholarly, and experiential course requirements. 

Course Work Outside the School of Law

A student who is not enrolled in a joint degree program may take up to 6 hours of graduate-level courses outside the School of Law for credit toward a law degree, provided the law school's Associate Dean for Academic Affairs approves the coursework in advance of enrollment as relevant to the student's education as a lawyer. A student seeking credit toward a law degree for more than 6 hours of courses outside the School of Law must petition the academic committee for approval. In such instances, the entire group of courses from outside the School of Law must be relevant to the student's education as a lawyer. Grades for courses taken in areas other than law are not computed in the School of Law cumulative grade-point average.

Current Students

A student in good standing may, with the advanced approval of the KU Law’s Associate Dean for Academic Affairs (ADAA), take law courses from another law school accredited by the American Bar Association. If the student successfully completes such courses—earning a grade of C (or equivalent) or better—the credit will be transferred to KU Law and will be counted toward the 90 credit hours required for the J.D. The ADAA shall approve up to 6 such credit hours liberally if the courses are not similar to any courses offered by KU Law. If the courses are similar to courses offered at KU Law, the ADAA shall consider factors such as the frequency with which the KU Law course is offered, and the scheduling conflicts it poses for the student.

The ADAA may approve courses up to 30 hours of credit from another ABA accredited law school only in extraordinary circumstances, including but not limited to a serious health problem, accommodations approved by the Student Access Center, and support measures recommended by the Office of Civil Rights and Title IX. No credit may be transferred for a course that is substantially similar to a course for which the student has received academic credit from KU Law, and no student may enroll in a course at KU Law that is substantially similar to a course for which the student has received transfer credit.

A student whose request is denied by the ADAA may seek review by the Academic Affairs Committee.

Time spent taking courses from another ABA accredited law school will count as study in residence for the purpose of KU Law’s “in residence” requirement, but grades in courses taken at the other institution will not be computed in the KU Law cumulative grade point average.

Credit hours granted from outside of the KU School of Law shall not, individually or in combination, exceed 30 credit hours, which equals one-third of the total credits required for the J.D. degree. Should a student wish to exceed this one-third cap on external credits, they must formally petition the AAC, which may grant permission only in extraordinary circumstances.

Transfer Students

A student at another law school accredited by the American Bar Association may apply for admission with advanced standing. If admitted, such a student may transfer not more than 30 credit hours of law coursework completed successfully—earning a grade of C (or equivalent) or better—at the other law school toward the 90 credit hours required for the J.D. degree. Under no circumstances may a student exceed 30 hours from another institution. Grades for coursework completed at the other law school are not computed in the KU Law cumulative grade point average.