LAW SCHOOL Whats law school really like?
It’s a lot like college. Some people really like college, others really hate it. The same with law school. For instance, I loved law school, but while my experience wasn’t unique, I wouldn’t say that it was typical either. As for the law school experience itself, there are some things that are fairly uniform. Law school is a three-year program. Graduates end up with a JD (juris doctor) degree at the end of the three years (some schools still award LLDs — there’s no practical difference). Students take a core curriculum in the first year, typically consisting of the following subjects: torts, contracts, property, constitutional law, criminal law, civil procedure. Many schools also require some form of a legal writing class, and some require a practicum/clinical course and/or a senior seminar. Otherwise, students are largely free to pick and choose among courses in their second and third years. Courses are based on the “case method,” which focuses on study of appellate court decisions.
