Program Overview

Law, JD (Online)

Overview

The online Juris Doctor (JD) program at Case Western Reserve University allows students to enroll on a part-time basis and earn a JD degree after 4.5 years of enrollment. The program features remote classroom experiences and optional in-person residencies throughout the program.

Program Requirements

The JD degree requires successful completion of 88 credit hours, including:

• 44 credit hours in specified required courses
• At least 2 credit hours in the writing of a substantial research paper
• At least 12 credit hours of experiential learning experiences (including a required capstone experience completed during the final year)
• At least 34 credit hours of electives

Required Courses

The following courses are required:

• LAWS 1101: Contracts
• LAWS 1102: Criminal Law
• LAWS 1103: Torts
• LAWS 1201: Civil Procedure
• LAWS 1203: Property
• LAWS 1204: Law, Legislation and Regulation
• LAWS 1801: Legal Writing, Leadership, Experiential Learning, Advocacy, and Professionalism 1
• LAWS 1802: Legal Writing, Leadership, Experiential Learning, Advocacy, and Professionalism 2
• LAWS 2001: Professional Responsibility
• LAWS 2002: Constitutional Law I
• LAWS 2803: Legal Writing, Leadership, Experiential Learning, Advocacy, and Professionalism 3: Advanced Skills
• Completion of substantial research paper
• Experiential learning credits (includes experiential capstone project during 3L year)

General Education Electives

Students must choose at least four of the following courses:

• LAWS 4401: Business Associations
• LAWS 4404: Sales
• LAWS 4808: Evidence
• LAWS 4809: Wills, Trusts, and Future Interests
• LAWS 5434: Secured Transactions
• LAWS 5716: Conflict of Laws
• LAWS 5717: Constitutional Law II
• LAWS 5718: Criminal Procedure II
• LAWS 5730: Family Law

Concentration Requirements

Students can choose from the following concentrations:

• Business Law
• Criminal Law
• Civil Litigation and Dispute Resolution
• Health Law
• International Law
• Law, Technology, and the Arts
• Public Interest Law

Concentration Courses

Each concentration has its own set of required and elective courses. For example:

• Business Law:
  • Required Courses:
    • LAWS 4401: Business Associations
    • LAWS 5431: Securities Regulation
  • Elective Courses:
    • LAWS 4404: Sales
    • LAWS 4406: Franchise Law
    • LAWS 5115: International Arbitration
• Criminal Law:
  • Required Courses:
    • LAWS 4807: Criminal Procedure I
    • LAWS 4808: Evidence
    • LAWS 5718: Criminal Procedure II
  • Elective Courses:
    • LAWS 5113: Counterterrorism Law
    • LAWS 5118: International Law Research Lab
    • LAWS 5121: International Criminal Law and Procedure

Sample Plan of Study

A sample plan of study for the online JD program is provided, outlining the courses to be taken each semester for five years.

Total Credit Hours

The total credit hours required for the JD degree is 88.