Juris Doctor (JD)
Western New England University will inspire and support you to become a true student of law and a skilled practitioner. In the JD program, you will learn the science of legal study as a methodology to analyze legal and social issues.
Why Choose Juris Doctor (JD)?
You will develop the ability to perform careful research and write thorough and precise legal memoranda and scholarly papers. You will be prepared to artfully articulate persuasive legal arguments and apply them in a professional context through clinics, externships, and moot court experiences. In small classes, you will be taught by full-time faculty who teach all required day and evening courses. You will graduate prepared to use your law degree to make an impact on your profession and society.
What Will You Study?
The JD program is structured to prepare you for the practice of law in any American jurisdiction. You will begin with several required courses that form the foundation for more advanced legal studies. Lawyering Skills is a required first-year course that teaches the basic techniques of legal research, writing, and analysis. While students are not required to pursue a concentration, you may choose to do so to focus your studies on a specific practice area. The experiential learning requirement provides opportunities to gain real-world legal experience. All students are required to complete 20 hours of pro bono legal work prior to graduation. Study options include full-time, part-time day, or part-time evening.
Admissions Requirements
Get started. Learn the details about applying to the Juris Doctor program and our admissions requirements.
Curriculum
Our curriculum integrates traditional classroom instruction in legal doctrine, analysis, writing, and problem-solving. See a sample schedule for the full-time JD program below or click the link for course schedules and descriptions.
Fall Semester
Lawyering Skills I: Monday and Wednesday 9:30 - 10.25 am
Torts: Monday & Wednesday 10:35 - 11:50 pm, Thursday 11:00 am - 12:15 pm
Criminal Law: Tuesday & Thursday 2:00 - 3:15 pm, Wednesday 1:00 - 2:15 pm,
Civil Procedure: Monday 1:00 - 2:15 pm, Tuesday & Thursday 9:30 - 10:15 am
Academic Success: Tuesday 11:00 - 11:55 am
Spring Semester
Lawyering Skills II: Monday and Wednesday 9:30 - 10.25 am
Contracts: Tuesday & Thursday 2:00 - 3:15 pm, Wednesday 10:35 - 11:50 am
Property: Monday & Wednesday 1:00 - 2:15 pm, Thursday 11:00 am - 12:15 pm
Constitutional Law: Monday, 10:35 - 11:50 am, Tuesday & Thursday 9:30 - 10:45 am
Concentrations
Are you interested in criminal law? Do you want to make an impact on gender, sexual orientation, and gender identity issues? Or do you see great opportunity in estate planning? Concentrations enable you to customize your legal education to gain added depth in practice areas you feel most passionate about. Explore our concentrations.
Part-time Evening Program
Ideal for working professionals, the Part-time Evening program offers all required and elective courses during evening hours and through a convenient combination of online and in-person delivery. The program is designed to be completed in four years.
Bar Preparation
The School offers a for-credit bar prep course. Students can utilize the expertise of the Director of Bar Success Programs to learn more about preparing for the bar exam.
Academic Success
The Law School Academic Success Program provides assistance to students who need additional support in developing their writing, studying, and/or analytical skills. The program is administered by the Director of Academic Success Programs. The Academic Success Program helps students work on skills such as time management, case reading and briefing, case analysis and analytical reasoning, and legal argumentation. It also assists students with study techniques, class preparation, outlining, and exam preparation and exam writing techniques. The Academic Success course covers essential law school skills, such as note-taking, briefing cases, outlining, and exam-taking skills.
The Assistant Dean of Academic and Bar Success meets with students to discuss their plans for academic success.
To learn more about the Academic Success Programs, contact Justin Dion at justin.dion@law.wne.edu or 413-782-1751. Professor Dion's office is located on the first floor of the Blake Law Center in Room 25B.
Class Profile
Our rigorous Juris Doctor program attracts students with both a passion for justice and desire to develop practical lawyering skills before they graduate. Want to know more about our most recent incoming Juris Doctor class? Read about our Class Profile, faculty, affiliations, and more.
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Experiential Learning
The legal principles you learn in your first year will be put into action in your second and third years. You can assist real clients in one of our many clinics, gain experience through an externship, research and write a scholarly note for Law Review, participate in a moot court or other competition team, or receive credit through study abroad.
Experiential Learning -
First Year Practical Lawyering Courses
Your first year includes two dynamic courses: Introduction to Law, which prepares you for the study of law, and Introduction to the Legal Profession, a week-long simulation course where student “law firms” are mentored by practicing lawyer “senior partners.”
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Dual Degree Programs
Become more marketable by adding a second advanced degree to your JD. Through our dual degree programs, your academic credentials will distinguish your résumé and with skills and expertise that prospective employers seek out.
Dual Degrees
