Law Juris Doctor (JD)

On This Page

Description

The University of Nebraska College of Law has been developing leaders that impact Nebraska and the world since 1891. More than 9,000 alumni serve as public interest lawyers, lawmakers, public defenders and prosecutors, judges, and client-serving attorneys impacting lives and advancing justice. Our committed faculty provide students with a curriculum that provides a traditional foundation in legal analysis and critical reasoning, but also provide numerous experiential learning opportunities that prepares them to lead their communities and serve with integrity.

Nebraska Law students co-create their academic experience. Our students are encouraged to pursue their passions through concentrations and have the flexibility to further customize their coursework through clinics, externships and other electives. This emphasis on individualization alongside our core legal classes makes a Nebraska Law education unlike any other institution.

Admission

Juris Doctor Application Requirements

Applicants must have completed all requirements for a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution before they begin their first year of study in the College of Law. There are no required undergraduate courses or majors as a prerequisite to admission.

All states assess the character and fitness of applicants for admission to the bar. Applicants who believe past conduct might affect their admission to the bar in a state in which they intend to practice should contact the appropriate board of bar examiners. A directory of state bar examiners can be found here.

Applicants must register for Credential Assembly Service (CAS) through the Law School Admissions Council (LSAC). Registering for the CAS should be done prior to application. Once a prospective student applies for admission and completes all necessary components of the CAS, the University of Nebraska College of Law will request an applicant’s law school report from LSAC. This report will include an applicant’s LSAT scores, summary of academic work, copies of all postsecondary transcripts, and letters of recommendation.

To Apply

Go to http://law.unl.edu/apply/ for additional application requirements or to apply to the University of Nebraska College of Law J.D. program.

Admissions Policy

In making admission decisions, the Admissions Committee attempts to identify as best it can those applicants who are able to compete successfully in a rigorous academic environment, to contribute to a diverse intellectual community, and to engage successfully in the career of their choice in an increasingly diverse society. Because these characteristics are not always captured by an applicant’s LSAT score or overall grade point average, the Committee considers any upward or downward trend in the applicant’s academic performance over time, the quality of the applicant’s undergraduate institution, the applicant’s major and activities, letters of recommendation, personal statement, educational or economic disadvantages the applicant has overcome to obtain an undergraduate education, status as the first generation in a family to graduate from college or university or attend law school, commitment of future service to underserved communities, and any other information other than race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin supplied by the applicant.

Neither the Committee nor the College seeks to obtain any particular number or percentage of diverse candidates, but they do seek a diverse mix of students to ensure that the College has a sufficient range of background and experience in its student body to permit a deep, broad, and vigorous intellectual environment. As this description indicates, the admissions process is flexible, no particular factor in itself determines admission or non-admission, and the Committee has sufficient discretion to consider each applicant individually on the basis of the entire file.

ACADEMIC REGULATIONS AND REQUIREMENTS

Juris Doctor Graduation Requirements

The juris doctor program is 93 credits and typically takes 3 years to complete. The 1L curriculum is 30 credit hours taken over 2 semesters – 15 credits in the fall (Contracts (5 credits), Torts (4 credits), Criminal Law (3 credits), and Legal Analysis, Research, and Writing (3 credits)) and 15 credits in the spring (Property (5 credits), Civil Procedure (4 credits), Constitutional Law I (3 credits), and Legal Analysis, Research, and Writing (3 credits.) Students must successfully satisfy two requirements during their second year: LAW 633 Administrative Law (3 cr) and a course that satisfies Standard 303(c) (3 cr). Students may also satisfy Standard 303(c) through a noncredit option. Finally, students must complete 6 credits of professional skills courses, a seminar (3 credits), and Legal Profession (3 credits) sometime during either their 2L or 3L years.

It is possible for a student to satisfy these requirements and graduate in 2 ½ years by attending summer school. A student cannot graduate from the College of Law any earlier than 2 ½ years after starting law school without special faculty permission.

All law students are responsible for six semesters of the Law College fee. Students who graduate in December will pay the sixth semester fee in their last semester at the Law College.

Transfer Students

Transfer students must complete at least 45 graded hours at the College of Law and have a B+ GPA to be eligible for a degree with distinction.

Additional Information

Learn about additional academic regulations and requirements at https://law.unl.edu/academics/

Advising

Advising & Mentoring Programs

Please visit the following website to learn more about advising and mentoring programs https://law.unl.edu/advising-mentoring-programs/

How to Select Courses

There are many more courses offered than students will be able to take over two years as an upperclassman. Some general thoughts on how to decide which courses to select:

1. Take courses which will provide a basic, well-rounded legal education. Such courses include:

  • An alternative dispute resolution course (Advocacy in Mediation, Arbitration or Mediation)
  • Business Associations
  • A commercial law course (Bankruptcy, Secured Transactions, Banking Law, Payments Systems, or Economic Justice)
  • Criminal Procedure
  • Evidence
  • Individual Income Tax I
  • Wills and Trusts

2.  Take a broad range of courses from a variety of faculty.

3.  Take courses because of interest in the subject matter.

4.  Be aware of prerequisites and keep options open by taking prerequisites during the second year of law school. For example Business Associations, Individual Income Tax I and Evidence are prerequisites for other classes. If taken during the second year, you will be able to take classes for which they are prerequisites as a third year. 

5.  Take experiential courses to provide a taste of the practice of law, such as courses involving simulations (trial advocacy, business planning, negotiations, client counseling, etc.) or real client interaction (clinics, externship). Many doctrinal courses also include an experiential component. The faculty member teaching a course is always the best source of information as to course content.

6.  Decide (during the second year) whether to pursue a Program of Concentrated Study and start taking courses required for that program.

7.  Consult with the Assistant Dean of Student Development, the Academic Advisor, or member of the faculty for general advice. Talk to the faculty member who teaches a particular course for information about that course.  

Catalog Rule

Students will follow the catalog year that is in place at the time of their matriculation.

Additional Programs

Combined 3-3 Program

The 3-3 Law Program allows qualified undergraduate students to begin studies at the University of Nebraska College of Law after three years of undergraduate studies. Students admitted to the program will use the credit hours awarded in the first year at the College of Law to complete their undergraduate degree requirements. The 3-3 Law Program allows students to receive their Bachelor’s degree and their Juris Doctor degree in six years rather than the traditional seven years.

For additional information, go to https://law.unl.edu/3-3-program-information/.

Joint Degree Programs

Nebraska Law offers several joint degree programs for students interested in pursuing an additional course of study outside of the law college. Pursuit of a dual degree typically results in a course of study that is shorter than if the degrees were completed separately. Admission criteria and curriculum requirements vary by program.

For additional information, go to https://law.unl.edu/joint-degree-programs/.

Learning Outcomes

Learning outcomes for the Juris Doctor Degree Program:

  1. A Nebraska Law graduate will acquire a broad-based knowledge and understanding of substantive and procedural law along with the legal, analytical reasoning, and complex problem solving skills necessary to apply this knowledge in professional work. 
  2. A Nebraska Law graduate will acquire legal research and oral and written communication skills.
  3. A Nebraska Law graduate will acquire the foundational knowledge and understanding necessary to exercise proper professional and ethical responsibilities to clients and the legal system. 
  4. A Nebraska Law graduate will acquire the foundational knowledge and understanding necessary to represent clients and to organize and perform complex or specialized professional work. 
  5. A Nebraska Law graduate will acquire the foundational knowledge necessary to understand institutional roles, legal structures and how legal processes operate in the United States and the world.
  6. A Nebraska Law graduate will acquire the foundational knowledge and understanding necessary to work successfully with clients from diverse backgrounds and cultures, and to collaborate successfully with other professions and professionals.

In addition to these six learning outcomes that we expect of all Nebraska Law graduates, the College of Law also will provide opportunities for Nebraska Law students to serve the community and to develop the skills necessary to creatively solve complex problems, to resolve conflicts, and to lead others.