Classes of May 2016 and May 2017

General Juris Doctor (J.D.) Requirements for the Classes of May 2016 and May 2017

The Law School requires 90 credit hours for graduation and prescribes a core curriculum of 48 required credit hours for members of the Classes of May 2016 and May 2017. Students must pass all required courses in order to graduate. At least 65 of the 90 credit hours required for graduation must be earned by attendance in regularly- scheduled law school class sessions. ¹ This does not include externships, moot court, trial competitions, law review, directed research programs, or courses taken in parts of the University outside the Law School for which credit toward the J.D. degree is granted.

Full-time students are required to take a minimum of 12 credit hours each semester .and are limited to a maximum of 17 credit hours per semester. The Law School’s academic year consists of more than 140 days on which classes are regularly scheduled. The academic year is approximately nine months long, consisting of the Fall Semester and Spring Semester and a Winter Term in January. Most class sessions last 60 minutes, with 13 class sessions required for one credit, exclusive of exams, and 90 credits required for graduation.

To graduate from Elon, students generally must be enrolled as full-time students in residence for a minimum of six semesters. ² A cumulative grade point average of 2.00 or higher is required for graduation.

Program of Study for the Classes of May 2016 and May 2017

The First Year

The required first-year program consists of 31 required credit hours. The first-year class at the Law School is divided into three sections of roughly equal numbers. Each section is split into roughly equal cohorts for the Legal Method & Communication course, with each cohort having approximately 18-20 students. Lawyering, Leadership & Professionalism (a required course in the Winter Term of the first year) is taught, in part, in small break-out groups. Other than the small break out groups for Lawyering, Leadership & Professionalism and some sections of Legal Method & Communication, all first-year courses are taught by full-time faculty.

¹ If approved by the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, these 65 hours may include coursework another law school for which a student receives credit toward the J.D. degree by the Law School

² The Law School’s residency requirement excludes Winter Term and Summer Sessions. Students who transfer to Elon after their first year at another law school are deemed to satisfy this requirement upon completion of four semesters at Elon. An Elon student who visits another law school for a semester with the approval of the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs shall also be deemed to be “in residence” for that semester.

The Second and Third Years

The upper-level curriculum is a combination of required courses and electives. Elon Law recognizes that, to prepare for the effective practice of law, its graduates should acquire foundational knowledge and skills beyond those required in the first year. Therefore, all students are required to complete courses in Business Associations, Constitutional Law, Evidence, and Professional Responsibility. Constitutional Law and Professional Responsibility must be taken during the second year. Business Associations and Evidence may be taken any time during the second or third years. In addition, the Law School requires that all students in the Classes of May 2016 and May 2017 take a 2- credit Leadership & Public Law course during the Winter Term of their second year. This course is a component of Elon Law’s comprehensive leadership program. Elon Law also recognizes that, in order to develop client-ready attorneys, a broader background in other basic courses is important. Therefore, the Law School encourages students to take courses such as Family Law, Sales, Criminal Procedure, Wills and Trusts, and Secured Transactions, though these courses are not required.

The second-year curriculum for the Classes of May 2016 and May 2017 requires the following courses:

* Students are required to take Business Associations (4 credits) and Evidence (4 credits) during their second or third years. These courses are required for graduation and serve as pre-requisites for many other courses.

The third-year curriculum is entirely elective, unless a student has opted not to take Business Associations or Evidence in his or her second year, in which case the student must take the course the student’s third year:

*Any student who has not taken Business Associations or Evidence during his or her second year must take these courses during the third year, as the courses are graduation requirements.

**During the 3L Winter Term, students may elect to take one to three hours of elective course offerings. Elective courses offered during Winter Term differ from year to year.