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

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 3 of the following Bar Elective courses:*

  • LAW 723 – Real Estate Transactions
  • LAW 745 – First Amendment
  • LAW 779 – The Mastery and Application of Core Doctrine**
  • LAW 780 – Criminal Procedure: Investigation
  • LAW 811 – Criminal Procedure: Adjudication
  • LAW 7261 – Federal Courts
  • LAW 7554 – UCC: Sales
  • LAW 7572 – Business Associations
  • LAW 7726 – Family Law
  • LAW 72923 – Advanced Evidence

Students may fulfill their credit requirements with bar elective courses along with other electives. Availability of courses offered are based on a semester-by-semester basis.

*Full-time students with a cumulative GPA of 3.3 or higher by the end of their third semester (not including summer sessions) may opt out of the bar elective requirement and take sufficient additional elective credits to satisfy graduation requirements. CUNY School of Law does not round GPAs up or down for this opt-out.

Students must also complete:
Students with a cumulative GPA below 3.3 at the end of their third semester for full-time (FT) or fourth semester for part-time (PT) must complete Core Doctrine and three (3) Bar Electives to graduate.

**Core Doctrine is a required course for all students. Students with a cumulative GPA of 3.3 or higher by the end of their third semester (for full-time students) or fourth semester (for part-time students), excluding the summer, may opt out of this requirement and take enough additional elective credits to meet graduation requirements. CUNY School of Law does not round GPAs up or down for this opt-out. Thus, a full-time student with a GPA of 3.299 at the end of their third semester will be required to take Core Doctrine, whereas a student with a GPA of 3.30 will not. Core Doctrine is a four-credit course and is considered a Bar elective.

Earn at least 12 credits from the following:

  • LAW 814 – Community & Economic Development Clinic ( cr)
  • LAW 861 – Creating Law Enforcement Accountability & Responsibility (CLEAR) Clinic ( cr)
  • LAW 8054 – Defenders Clinic ( cr)
  • LAW 8152 – Disability Rights & Social Justice Clinic ( cr)
  • LAW 8605 – Emerging Needs Clinic ( cr)
  • LAW 8607 – Environment Justice & Health Law Practice Clinic ( cr)
  • LAW 7401 – Equality and Justice Practice Clinic ( cr)
  • LAW 864 – Family Defense Clinic ( cr)
  • LAW 813 – Family Law Practice Clinic ( cr)
  • LAW 816 – Human Rights and Gender Justice Clinic I ( cr)
  • LAW 8161 – Human Rights and Gender Justice Clinic II ( cr)
  • LAW 810 – Immigrant & Non-Citizen Rights Clinic I ( cr)
  • LAW 8102 – Immigrant and Non-Citizen Rights Clinic II ( cr)
  • LAW 7751 – Mediation Clinic ( cr)
  • LAW 854 – Pro Bono Scholars Seminar ( cr)
  • LAW 859 – Pro Bono Scholars Clinic ( cr)
  • LAW 8615 – Family Law In-House Clinic ( cr)

*** Availability of clinics offered is based on a semester-by-semester basis.