Overview
The Juris Doctor degree at Miami Law is a full-time program combining a rigorous academic curriculum with professional training in critical lawyering skills. The 88-credit degree program is a full-time program requiring three academic years of study.
Admission Requirements
To be considered for admission to University of Miami School of Law, an applicant must have earned a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited college or university prior to enrolling at the School of Law. The Law School admits first-year J.D. students to commence studies only in the fall semester and reviews applications on a rolling basis throughout the year. Applications are reviewed as soon as all required documents are received.
Curriculum Requirements*
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| 1L Required Courses | 29 | |
| Civil Procedure I | ||
| Contracts | ||
| Elements | ||
| Property | ||
| Torts | ||
| Criminal Procedure | ||
| U.S. Constitutional Law I | ||
| Legal Communication and Research I | ||
| Legal Communication and Research II | ||
| 1L Elective | 3 | |
| 2 Upper Level Writing Requirements (minimum of 2 credits per requirements) | 2-4 | |
| Skills Requirement (minimum of 6 credits from a list of courses designated as skills courses) | 6 | |
| 1 Ethics/Professional Responsibility Course | 2-3 | |
| Professional Responsibility | ||
or LAW 404 | PRO BONO AND PUBLIC INTEREST LAW ETHICS AND LEADERSHIP SEMINAR | |
or LAW 407 | LEGAL MALPRACTICE LAW SEMINAR | |
or LAW 408 | Mindful Ethics: Professional Responsibility for Lawyers in the Digital Age | |
| Electives 1 | 45-53 | |
| Total Credit Hours | 88 | |
- *
No single course may satisfy more than one of the three graduation requirements (skills, writing and professional responsibility).
- *
Some designated courses and clinics may satisfy EITHER the skills or the writing requirement.
- *
Externships Cap: Only 9 externship credits may be counted towards the minimum 88 credits required for graduation.
- *
There are a number of ways to meet the substantial writing course requirement, including through enrolling in designated courses and seminars, and through faculty supervised independent writing credit.
Sample Plan of Study
| Year One | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credit Hours | |
| LAW 11 | Civil Procedure I | 3 |
| LAW 12 | Contracts | 4 |
| LAW 13 | Elements | 3 |
| LAW 15 | Torts | 4 |
| LAW 19 | Legal Communication and Research I | 2 |
| Credit Hours | 16 | |
| Spring | ||
| LAW 14 | Property | 4 |
| LAW 16 | Criminal Procedure | 3 |
| LAW 17 | U.S. Constitutional Law I | 4 |
| LAW 29 | Legal Communication and Research II | 2 |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 16 | |
| Year Two | ||
| Fall | ||
| Upper Level Law Courses | 1-6 | |
| Credit Hours | 14 | |
| Spring | ||
| Upper Level Law Courses | 1-6 | |
| Credit Hours | 14 | |
| Year Three | ||
| Fall | ||
| Upper Level Law Courses | 1-6 | |
| Credit Hours | 14 | |
| Spring | ||
| Upper Level Law Courses | 1-6 | |
| Credit Hours | 14 | |
| Total Credit Hours | 88 | |
Mission
The University of Miami School of Law J.D. program offers graduate training culminating in a Juris Doctor in Law. It is the mission of the School of Law is to use legal training and knowledge to produce lawyer-citizens who understand the perpetually dynamic nature of modern legal practice, and who exercise democratic values, problem-solving skills, and leadership capabilities in whatever positions they assume.
In fulfilling this mission, members of the School of Law are committed to community engagement, intellectual rigor, student development, diversity, and innovation.
Student Learning Outcomes
- Students will demonstrate advanced proficiency in high-level legal reasoning, fact analysis, and critical thinking.
- Students will demonstrate advanced proficiency in written and oral communications as it relates to the discipline.
- Students will demonstrate advanced knowledge of the ethical responsibilities of a lawyer, and demonstrate advanced proficiency in analyzing and applying the rules of professional responsibility.
