degree programs: JD Full-time Program

Classes for the Juris Doctor degree are taught by GGU's exceptional full-time faculty, representing expertise in the practice of law across a broad range of academic fields and areas of legal study.

If you are just beginning to explore your career interests, our curriculum gives you the flexibility to select from a wide variety of electives, clinical programs, and practical training opportunities that are designed to help you shape your professional path.

Program Highlights

View the JD Prospectus

Special Programs

  • Honors Lawyering Program (HLP): In this honors program, students integrate classroom learning with actual legal experience by participating in two full-time, semester-long professional apprenticeships. See JD Student Recommended Schedules for more curriculum information.
  • Joint Degrees: Students may earn a JD/MBA or a JD/PhD in Clinical Psychology.
  • Specialization Certificates: These are awarded in a variety of subject areas.
  • Practical Legal Training: Golden Gate University School of Law offers a variety of programs to provide hands-on legal experience.

Special Areas of Interest

Tuition

View Tuition and Fees for the JD Program.

Curriculum

Entering students matriculate in August each year. The full-time day program usually takes 3 years, but can be completed in 2-1/2 years.

See the JD Student Recommended Schedule for more curriculum information.

First Semester Required Courses – 15 units

  • Civil Procedure I (3)
  • Contracts I (3)
  • Criminal Law (3)
  • Torts (4)
  • Writing & Research I (2)

Second Semester Required Courses – 15 units

  • Civil Procedure II (3)
  • Contracts II (3)
  • Property (4)
  • Writing & Research II (3)
  • 1L Elective (2)

Second Year Required Courses

  • Appellate Advocacy (2) [may be enrolled in fall or spring]
  • Constitutional Law I (3) [must be enrolled in fall]
  • Constitutional Law II (3) [must be enrolled in spring]
  • Minimum of 12 required course units during second year; total of 12-16 units per semester

Additional Upper Division Required Courses – 9 units

  • Criminal Procedure I (3)
  • Evidence (4) [recommended for fall of second year]
  • Professional Responsibility (2)

California Bar Subject Courses – Students must complete at least 8 units

  • Business Associations (4)
  • Community Property (2)
  • Privacy, Defamation, and Relational Torts (2)
  • Real Estate Transactions (2)
  • Remedies (3)
  • Sales (2)
  • Wills & Trusts (4)

Upper Division Writing Courses – Students must complete at least 2 units

  • eSearch: Advanced Legal Research (2)
  • Advanced Legal Writing (1)
  • California Legal Research (2)
  • Environmental Law Journal (3)
  • Independent Study (1-2)
  • Intermediate Legal Writing (1)
  • Law Review (6-8)
  • Practical Legal Writing (2)
  • Special Problems (all sections) (2)
  • Strategies of Legal Writing (2)4
  • Additional courses with a significant writing component, as identified in course schedule (2-3)

Upper Division Experiential Courses – Full-time students must complete at least 3 units

  • Alternative Dispute Resolution (3)
  • Environmental Law & Justice Clinic (1-3)
  • Externship Clinic (GGU offers 10 externship clinic courses.) (2-13)
  • Family Law Practice (3)
  • HLP Lawyering Skills (2)
  • HLP Skills Lab (2)
  • Mediation and Collaborative Lawyering (2)
  • Pro Bono Tax Clinic (1-2)
  • Trial Advocacy (3)
  • Women’s Employment Rights Clinic (1-3)