Juris Doctor Degree

The J.D. curriculum provides a strong foundation in those areas that have proven to be fundamental to the actual practice of law in every American jurisdiction, while giving students the opportunity to tailor coursework to particular career aspirations.

Required courses total 34 credit hours of the 90 hours needed for graduation. In addition to the writing that students submit in their first-year legal writing courses, students must also complete an upper-level writing requirement and at least one upper-level skills course during their final two years.

Elective courses available to Notre Dame law students are many and varied. The Law School offers the Concannon Program of International Law, through which students may spend a full year of study at the Notre Dame London Law Centre. A variety of practice-oriented courses, such as those offered through the trial advocacy program and clinic, help students develop practical skills under the guidance of professors, practicing attorneys and judges. Smaller, seminar-style specialty courses allow students to explore areas of specific interest through in-depth research and small-group discussions guided by an expert in the field.

See Article 4 of the Hoynes Code for details about the J.D. Program. See also Choosing Your Curriculum at Notre Dame Law School, prepared by the faculty.

First Year

The curriculum in the first year is required, demanding, and consists of 15 required credits fall semester and 13 required hours supplemented with one elective course in the spring semester. Course and semester hours are as follows:

+ 4 hours for students who enter prior to the fall of 2010; 3 hours for students who enter in the fall of 2010 and thereafter.

++ For students who enter in the fall of 2010 and thereafter, the appropriate associate dean, after consultation with faculty teaching electives, shall publish a list of electives from which first-year students may choose. A student’s grade in the first-year elective course shall not count toward eligibility for journal membership. In addition, students who enter prior to the fall of 2010 must take a 1- hour Ethics course during the first year.

Second and Third Years

4.3.2 Hoynes: In addition to first-year courses, students must successfully complete the courses listed below prior to graduation:
One or more courses totaling at least 3 hours that provide substantial instruction in legal ethics
Jurisprudence (3 hours)
An upper-level skills course
Upper-Level Writing Requirement: Students must complete this requirement before enrolling in their final semester.
Before the start of registration for any semester, the appropriate associate dean shall publish a list that identifies all of the courses that will be offered during that semester that will satisfy the legal ethics requirement and the upper-level skills course requirement.

Students who enter prior to the fall of 2010 must also successfully complete the following courses prior to graduation:
Business Associations (4 hours)
Federal Taxation (4 hours)
One of the following ethics courses (in lieu of the 3-hour legal ethics requirement listed above):
Ethics II;
Legal Aid I and Ethics;
Legal Externship Ethics
Professional Responsibility

Students who enter prior to the fall of 2007 are not subject to the Upper-Level Skills Requirement.
Students who enter prior to the fall of 2003 are not subject to the Upper-Level Writing Requirement.