Classes I Took in Law School

One of my most popular blog posts to date is about the classes I took during my four years at Wake Forest.

I thought I would do the same and share the classes I took in law school.

Unlike my Night at the Museum class and French Conversation class in undergrad, most of the classes in law school were pretty dry topics (sorry, just speaking the truth) even though they were super important classes.

Unlike undergrad, the classes for your first year and a half of law school is set for you, even your schedule is set of when you are taking those classes, without any say.

To graduate from an accredited law school there are certain classes you must take. All of these topics will be tested on the Bar Exam. Every law school also mandates some classes that the ABA does not require law students to take, so it might be a little different for you if you are at a different law school. Also, other law schools assign different classes for different semesters, so this was my schedule, but it may be different than yours.  

Below are all the classes that were selected for me and the electives I eventually got to select for myself, with a quick one-liner of each class.

1L: All required classes. I did not get to pick when I took them.

Fall:

Civil Procedure: How to file a case in court, in which court, discovery, how to get to trial and what to do once you are at trial

Criminal Law: All the crimes: homicide, inchoate crimes, crimes against property, you get the idea

Legal Writing: Objective memo, research on Lexis and Westlaw, complaint

Torts: Intentional torts (battery, assault), negligence, strict liability

 

Spring:

Contracts: Offer, acceptance, consideration, statute of frauds, merchants, UCC

Property: Real property, intellectual property, acquired land, interests in land

Constitutional Law 1: From the beginning of the United States

Legal Writing 2: Appellate Brief

2L: Constitutional Law 2 and Foundational Lawyering Skills were required classes, the rest were electives.

Fall:

Business Organizations: Partnerships, corporations, LLCs, Federal Security law, shareholders

Constitutional Law 2: Equal protection, fundamental rights, state action, freedom of religion

Foundational Lawyering Skills: How to take interview witnesses, how to take depositions, how to give closing arguments

Externship + Seminar: Highly recommended! Read more about externships HERE!

Family Court Review Journal + Seminar: I got two credits for being on my journal and working on my student note

 

Spring: Evidence and Ethics were required for graduation, but we could take them anytime in our 2^nd or 3^rd year

Evidence: How to get evidence into (or kept out of ) court: hearsay, impeachment, character evidence

Family Court Review Journal: I got two credits to continue to write my student note

Externship + Seminar

Ethics: Model Rules of Professional Conduct, which sets you up to take the MPRE

3L:
Fall: (My favorite semester of law school)

Wills, Trusts and Estates: How to convey property, rule of perpetuities

Social Media and the Law: Content ownership, social media and hiring, social media service of process, social media discovery, juror use of social media, free speech, advertising/FTC rules

Law and the Role of In-House Counsel: Attorney client privilege in-house, regulations, who is liable, self-reporting, press relations, internal investigations, negotiating deals

Mediation Seminar: Different modes of mediation and alternative dispute resolution

Entertainment Law: Royalty agreements, manager agreements, content licensing, work for hire, negotiations

Family Court Review Journal: Two credits to be an Articles Editor

 

Winter:

Trial Techniques: Read more about this class HERE

 

Spring:

Criminal Procedure 1: Search and seizure, stop and frisk, right to counsel, Miranda rights

National Security Law: Powers of the President, Guantanamo Bay, Drone Strikes

Perspectives: Pre-Bar Exam prep

Intellectual Property Colloquium: Copyrights, trademarks, trade secrets, patents

Family Court Review Journal: Two credits to be an Articles Editor 

 

And that’s it folks! If you have any questions about what professors I had or would recommend (or not) feel free to reach out and we can chat.

 

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