Chapman University - Law - Academic Programs

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Academic Programs

The Juris Doctor at Chapman

The Chapman University School of Law offers a full-time program leading to the Juris Doctor degree. In addition, the School of Law offers a joint JD/MBA degree with Chapman’s AACSB-accredited Argyros School of Business and Economics.

The required curriculum offers a core foundation in legal studies and covers foundational topics such as torts, contracts, criminal law, real property, civil procedure, legal research and writing. The required curriculum also grounds students in corporations and federal income taxation, constitutional law, evidence and professional responsibility.

As a student, you are also required to take part in the lawyering skills curriculum. Skills training is the practical, experiential component of your education, where you begin to acquire the skills essential to the practice of law. In these courses you will have the chance to gain competency in negotiations, client interviewing and counseling, mediation, advanced legal research, advocacy, appellate practices and procedures, legal drafting, and trial practice.

The advanced curriculum will provide you the opportunity to take electives that help integrate your legal knowledge and lawyering skills to solve client problems. Explore the additional clinics, emphases, externships and competitions you can add to your law degree experience.

Through Chapman’s academic externship program, you can augment your classroom experience in real-world legal settings, giving you experience you can take with you into the job market. Learn More...
Chapman offers several emphases and certificates that will reflect your deeper study into a particular area of law. Learn More...
The clinics housed here will offer you the chance to represent actual clients, long before you have passed a bar examination or been licensed to practice. Learn More...
Students participate in lawyering skills competitions that offer them an opportunity to put their skills into practice, in a setting where their sense of pride and healthy competition drives them to excel. Learn More...