First year students take the traditional courses required by most law schools including Legal Research & Writing, Torts, Property, Civil Procedure, Criminal Law, and Contracts. Students also take a dedicated course in academic support designed to get new law students familiar with the unique challenges of law school. Additionally, all first year students complete a course in dispute resolution and negotiation skills.
ASL’s Professional Identity Formation program empowers first year students with tools, insights, and reflective practices necessary to develop a strong, principled professional identity aligning with the highest standards of legal practice and societal responsibilities. After completion of two semesters of ASL’s Building a Professional Identity course, all students participate in a credit earning legal externship in the summer following their first full year of law school. The externship provides an early opportunity to gain hands on experience and to increase students’ practical understanding of the law.
Second year students continue the core legal curriculum with a focus on the subjects tested on the bar exam, including Business Associations, Criminal Procedure, Constitutional Law, Evidence, Family Law and Professional Responsibility. Additionally, all second year students take Appellate Advocacy, which provides students with the opportunity to further develop their skills as legal writers and oral advocates.
Students in the second semester of their second year may take elective courses to satisfy additional requirements for graduation, such as choosing a statutory/regulatory interpretation course or a seminar course.
Through ASL’s partnership with BARBRI, all third year students complete bar preparation courses, which include review of subjects and skills tested on the NextGen Bar Exam. These courses include diagnostic and practice examinations with individual scoring and feedback. 3L students also complete the Lawyering Skills course, which is designed to prepare students to effectively make the transition from theory to practice by working on tasks regularly expected of new attorneys.
Additionally, third year students have the opportunity to take electives and seminars in the areas of the law that interest them most and complete their experiential learning requirements. In particular, ASL’s Practicum and Clinic courses are designed to give students practical experience in specific areas of the law. For instance, Trial Advocacy, a popular practicum, gives students a chance to develop and practice real litigation skills and can lead to membership on one of ASL’s award winning Trial Advocacy teams.
ASL is there for its students, even after graduation. Through its partnership with BARBRI, students have access to BARBRI’s 10-week bar preparation program with no extra financial cost.
Furthermore, ASL continues to provide support and encouragement as students prepare to take the bar exam. For instance, our faculty serve as bar mentors, meeting with graduates as they prepare to take the bar exam in states throughout the region. ASL also has a dedicated career services office and alumni network to help students transition to practice after law school.