The Full-Time Juris Doctor (J.D.) program at CUNY School of Law is a rigorous, three-year course of study designed to prepare students for the practice of law with a focus on public interest and social justice. The curriculum combines a strong foundation in legal theory with hands-on clinical training and experiential learning. 

Students are required to complete a minimum of 86 credits, including: 

  • Required Core Courses in Constitutional Law, civil procedure, criminal law, contracts, property, torts, legal writing, and professional responsibility. 
  • Skills-Based Learning, including lawyering seminars and clinics that integrate legal doctrine with practice-based experience. 
  • Upper-Level Electives that allow students to specialize in areas such as immigration, family law, human rights, and criminal defense. 
  • Experiential Requirement, including participation in one of CUNY Law’s nationally recognized clinics or practice-based programs. 

The curriculum is designed to develop practice-ready attorneys committed to advancing justice and serving underserved communities. 

Major Requirements Overall

Type: Completion requirement

Earn a minimum GPA of 2.5

Earn at least 86 credits

Successful participation in a clinic

Passing grades in all required courses

Required First-Year Courses

Required First Year  

1L Fall Semester  1L Spring Semester  
LAW 7004 – Lawyering Seminar I  LAW 7005 – Lawyering Seminar II 
LAW 705 – Legal Research  LAW 702 – Contracts (LME) II 
LAW 701 – Contracts (LME) I  LAW 7692 – Critical Race Theory 
LAW 7131 – Criminal Law  LAW 709 – Civil Procedure 
LAW 7043 – Liberty, Equality, and Due Process  LAW 7141 – Torts 

 

Required Second-Year Courses

2L Required Courses Include: 

  • LAW 738 – Professional Responsibility 
  • LAW 7151 – Property: Law and Market Economy III 
  • LAW 7192 – Constitutional Structures 
  • LAW 7251 – Public Institutions 
  • LAW 7292 – Evidence: Lawyering and the Public Interest  
  • LAW 825 – Lawyering Seminar III 

Upper-Level Elective Courses and Clinics

Students must complete at least 4 of the following courses* 

  • LAW 723 – Real Estate Transactions 
  • LAW 745 – First Amendment 
  • LAW 751 – Wills and Trusts 
  • LAW 780 – Criminal Procedure: Investigation 
  • LAW 811 – Criminal Procedure: Adjudication 
  • LAW 7161 – Law and Family Relations 
  • LAW 7261 – Federal Courts 
  • LAW 7531 – New York Practice 
  • LAW 7554 – UCC: Survey 
  • LAW 7572 – Business Associations 
  • LAW 7893 – New York Domestic Relations Law 
  • LAW 72923 – Advanced Evidence 

 

Students must also complete LAW 779: The Mastery and Application of Core Doctrine* 

 

* Full-time students with a cumulative GPA of 3.3 or higher by the end of their third semester may opt out of the bar elective requirement and take a sufficient number of additional elective credits to satisfy graduation requirements.  Students with a cumulative GPA of 3.3 or higher at the end of their penultimate semester may opt out of The Mastery and Application of Core Doctrine requirement. CUNY School of Law does not round GPAs up or down for this opt-out.