The Student Learning Outcomes below are designed to further CUNY School of Law’s dual educational missions of preparing outstanding social justice attorneys and diversifying the legal profession. CUNY School of Law, a leader in progressive legal education, has developed a curriculum that threads doctrine, theory, and practice throughout the curriculum. The outcomes are listed under the categories (in boldface below) set forth in ABA Standard 302.

Standard 302. Learning Outcomes

(a) Knowledge & Understanding of Substantive and Procedural Law

  1. Graduates will be able to identify, explain, synthesize and apply basic rules and principles of law.
  2. Graduates will be familiar with critical perspectives and social context in which legal
    issues arise, including structural racism and other forms of subordination.

(b) Legal analysis and reasoning including legal research, problem solving and written and oral communication in a legal context

  1. Graduates will be able to identify legal issues and key facts, and to develop sound legal and policy arguments to address the issues.
  2. Graduates will be able to create efficient and productive fact-investigation and legal research strategies, to organize their research, to review and alter their strategies as required.
  3. Graduates will be able to draft basic legal and other documents that are accurate, organized, audience-appropriate and responsive to the legal issue presented.
  4. Graduates will be able to orally communicate and listen actively in a professional manner that is audience-appropriate.
  5. Graduates will demonstrate basic competency in conflict resolution skills in litigation and non-litigation-based contexts.

(c) Exercise of proper professional and ethical responsibilities to clients and the legal system

  1. Graduates will be able to identify, articulate, and apply the core ethical and professional responsibilities of attorneys.

(d) Other professional skills needed for competent and ethical participation as a member of the legal profession

  1. Graduates will demonstrate an ability to work across difference.
  2. Graduates will be able to organize and plan their efforts, and to reflect and reassess their work on an ongoing basis.