Full-Time Day J.D.
Students who choose Southwestern's traditional full-time day program are committing to three academic years of full-time study. During this time, they pursue a broad-based legal education with opportunities to focus on a particular area of the law, such as entertainment, criminal, international, commercial, family law, or tax, among others.
All first-year students participate in the designated curriculum. Second- and third-year students combine required courses with a wide range of electives and externships to tailor a program suited to their interests and goals. Students in the traditional full-time day program at Southwestern find that the program is rigorous, the sense of shared purpose is intense - and the rewards are extraordinary.
Students who enroll in the day division should be prepared to devote substantially all of their time to the study of law. Students take the designated curriculum of 31 units during their first year and a load of 10 to 16 units each semester thereafter (see chart below). A minimum of 87 units is required for graduation.
Full-Time J.D. (3 years) 10-16 Units Per Semester
| 1L (31 Units) Fall (15 units) |
|---|
| Civil Procedure I (2 units) |
| Contracts I (3 units) |
| Criminal Law (3 units) |
| Foundations of Law & Practice* |
| LAWS I (3 units) |
| Torts or Property (4 units) |
| Spring (16 units) |
|---|
| Civil Procedure II (3 units) |
| Contracts II (2 units) |
| Elective (3 units) |
| Foundations of Law & Practice* (1 unit) |
| LAWS II (3 units) |
| Torts or Property (4 units) |
| 2L (20-32 units) |
|---|
| Business Associations (4 units) |
| Constitutional Law I & II (6 units) |
| Electives (6-18 units) |
| Evidence (4 units) |
| Additional Requirements |
|---|
| Bar Readiness Curriculum** (11 units) |
| Constitutional Criminal Procedure (3 units) |
| Experiential Requirement (6 units) |
| Legal Profession (3 units) |
| Upper-Division Writing Requirement (2-3 units) |
*Multi-term course
**Includes Bar Skills and Strategies (3 units), Community Property (2 units), Remedies (2 units), and Wills and Trusts (4 units). Subject to change as we monitor changes to the bar exam. Opt-out option based on GPA. See Graduation Requirements Policy.