Programs of Study
The J.D. Program
The rigorous academic program at the College of Law is designed to provide grounding in legal theory, lawyering skills, and ethics - areas critical to the modern practice of law. Successful completion of the J.D. degree at the University of La Verne College of Law requires completion of a total of 88 units.
In order to provide a complete and comprehensive legal education, the College of Law has structured the curriculum so that the general legal education is related to the actual practice of law. Legal research and the writing of legal memoranda are expected in several courses. Required courses and many regularly-offered electives stress the practical application of legal rules. In addition, the Lawyering Skills Practicum and clinical externship programs provide opportunities to counsel clients and effectively represent varied legal positions. As a result, J.D. recipients from the College of Law enter the legal profession not only with a solid comprehension of the law but also with a strong understanding of professional expectations and rules of conduct in the practice of law.
The College of Law offers both full-time and part-time J.D. programs. Learn more to decide which program best fits your needs:
Professional Skills Program
The College of Law believes strongly that students should be well-grounded in professional skills in order for them to transition as easily as possible into the practice of law. In furtherance of one of its Tenets, several components of the curriculum provide skills-based instruction.
Lawyering Skills Practicum (LSP) is divided into two courses: LSP I, a three-unit required course, and LSP II (California Trial Practice), a three-unit elective course. Both LSP courses are designed to allow a student to participate in nearly every aspect of a case in one semester.
In LSP I, the simulated case commences when a student client, who has previously been given a script, describes the client's legal problem. The student client interviews a student law firm. During the interview, the student firm determines the nature of the problem and arranges for representation and fee. The firm is then responsible for the routine presentation of the lawsuit. This routine may vary depending on the facts. It typically begins with research of the problem and the filing of a complaint or petition or, alternatively, an answer or response in either a civil or domestic matter.
Discovery follows and this portion of the student attorney's work takes approximately five weeks. At the conclusion of discovery, the litigant chooses mediation or arbitration as the means or terminating the litigation. Thereafter, a judgment must be prepared and the judge's approval attained. Grades in the course are based upon performance, not on the judgment obtained.
LSP II, which essentially is California Trial Practice, presents students with a new legal problem to address. Students interview "clients," research, plead, discover, and prepare their cases, which culminate in a simulated jury trial. Students are required to make appropriate pre-trial motions, prepare jury instructions and exhibits, and develop trial tactics.
LSP utilizes the law school's moot courtroom, which is ideal for realistic trial advocacy exercises. The practicum teaches and strengthens professional skills so legal theories learned in class become real tools used to solve real problems.
La Verne College of Law offers a clinical externship program which places upper-division students with public agencies or non-profit law firms to provide an opportunity to study the legal process through community-based clinical placements and to apply the knowledge and skills developed in law school in a practical setting. Clinical externships allow students to perform practice-related activities, such as interviewing clients or witnesses, factual investigation, discovery, counseling and negotiating, making court appearances, and legal research and writing.
Dual Degree Programs
The University of La Verne College of Law and the College of Business and Public Management offer combined Juris Doctor/Master of Business Administration (J.D./M.B.A.) and Juris Doctor/Master of Public Administration (J.D./M.P.A.) degree programs. Applicants must meet the admission standards of both degree programs and should check with each College for specific entrance requirements. In most cases, students should have a Bachelor's degree from an accredited school. Law elective units may be earned in courses at the College of Business and Public Management after the student has matriculated in the College of Law. Similarly, an equivalent of six units can be transferred from the College of Law toward the M.B.A. or M.P.A. degree resulting in a total saving of 12 units for both programs.
Learn more about La Verne's College of Business & Public Management