Program Overview

J.D. Program – Curriculum & Requirements

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.

Program Requirements

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.

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

Major Requirements - Electives

• Type: Completion requirement
• Bar Electives
• Complete at least 9 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 862 – Advanced Civil Procedure
  • LAW 7092 – Civil Procedure II
  • 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