J.D. program
The juris doctor (J.D.) is a professional degree required to practice law in the United States.
At Akron Law, our courses and training in the J.D. program enable you to acquire the knowledge, skills, experience, and professionalism necessary to succeed in a variety of careers including law, government, business, industry, public interest, and other sectors.
Our 88-credit J.D. program is rigorous and innovative. It provides students with the theoretical foundation, experiential experience, and practical tools necessary to succeed professionally in the United States or around the globe.
Full time
Full-time students typically complete their degrees in three years. As a full-time student, you can naturally focus exclusively on your studies. If you would prefer to balance full-time study and work, you can do that too, as courses are offered both during the day and in the evening.
Part time
Part-time law students are able to pursue full-time careers while earning their J.D. in as few as four years. In order to complete the J.D. in four years, in the part-time program, students must take summer classes. Our new Blended Online J.D. program makes it possible for part-time evening students to complete the first two years of the program with only two nights of in-person instruction per week.
J.D. degree requirements
To earn a J.D. from Akron Law, each student must complete all required coursework, must satisfy the General Writing Requirement, and must fulfill the Pro Bono Publico Service requirement.
COURSEWORK
Students must complete 88 credit hours. Of those 88 credit hours, students are required to take the following courses (49 credits):
- Contracts (4 credits)
- Torts (4 credits)
- Property (4 credits)
- Criminal Law (3 credits)
- Legislation & Regulation (2 credits)
- Legal Analysis, Research, & Writing I & II (5 credits)
- Civil Procedure I & II (6 credits)
- Constitutional Law I & II (6 credits)
- Evidence (3 credits)
- Professional Responsibility (3 credits)
- Legal Drafting (2 credits)
- Advanced Legal Research (1 credit)
- Designated Experiential Learning coursework (6 credits)
Students who have a cumulative GPA of 2.6 or below after their first semester will also be required to take Legal Reasoning (0 credit), and any student whose cumulative GPA falls below 2.6 at any point may be subject to additional course requirements. A student must remain in good academic standing. Additional course restrictions may apply during a student's final semester.
The remaining 39 credits hours are elective, although students are encouraged to take courses in bar-tested subjects.
The sequencing for this required coursework is based upon admit term and year. Watch for sequencing sheets here. They're coming soon!
GENERAL WRITING REQUIREMENT
In conjunction with the required coursework, all students must satisfy the General Writing Requirement (GWR). This requirement can be satisfied through participation in Law Review, through required coursework in a GWR-designated course, or through independent study.
PRO BONO PUBLICO SERVICE
Students must complete at least 30 hours of community service. At least 15 of the 30 hours must be in service to people of limited means. At least 10 of the 30 hours must be in law-related service under attorney supervision, and at least 5 of those 10 must be in service to people of limited means.
Pro Bono Publico Service requirement
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University of Akron
School of Law
150 University Avenue
Akron, OH 44325-2901