Juris Doctor (J.D.) Program

4th Largest Law Curriculum in the U.S.

At University of Miami School of Law your course of study is open to whatever fuels your interest. With an unusually broad law curriculum – 300+ courses and 18 areas of study - you can prepare for success in any field and turn your legal area of interest into practice.

The three-year Juris Doctor degree curriculum gives you a solid foundation in legal analysis, critical thinking, and practical lawyering skills to become an exceptional lawyer for today’s truly, global market while acquiring the professional skills you need no matter where your education takes you.

Miami Law also offers premier practical experience: our students are able to use their abilities to help real clients through clinics, externships, and field placements.

Miami Law offers a mix of qualities no other school can match: a tight-knit community with vast curricular options nestled in Coral Gables, FL right on the 240-acre campus of a nationally acclaimed university; excellent employment outcomes from one of the most global J.D. programs in the country; and the chance to spend your law school years in Miami, one of the most dynamic cities in the U.S.

By the Numbers

7:1

Individual Attention:
With 380+ faculty members, Miami Law offers smaller classes with more opportunities for interaction with faculty and other students.

300+

Flexible Curriculum:
77% of 300+ upper-level courses have fewer than 25 students, allowing for personalization and customization of study to reach goals.

68

Practical Experience:
With 68 experiential courses, students have a multitude of opportunities for hands-on learning.

55+

Supportive Community:
More than 55 student-run organizations draw students together in affinity groups, practice area organizations and more.

The Curriculum

IL Year

U Statue in center of campus

The unique introductory program helps first-year students master the technical aspects of the law as a basis for understanding its theory and substance. Electives are available as soon as the spring of your 1L year.

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  • FIRST SEMESTER (16 credits)

    Contracts or Property (4 Credits)
    Contracts
    Examines the purpose and scope of the legal protection accorded agreements. The course focuses on:

    • Problems of contract formation and interpretation
    • Remedies for breach of contract
    • The offer and acceptance of a contract
    • The effect of changed circumstances, and more complicated questions, such as contracts that are impossible to perform.

    Property
    Focuses on basic principles governing private and public control over tangible and intangible resources, especially land. The course addresses concepts and policies concerning property and special concepts concerning real estate, such as estates in land, future interests, and the rule against perpetuities. The course also studies real estate transactions, recording, methods of title assurance, easements, covenants, and land use controls.

    Torts (4 Credits)
    Considers the issues involved in assessing whether the law should require a person to compensate another for harm intentionally or unintentionally inflicted.

    It analyzes the public policy positions implicit in the legal concepts that courts use in tort cases, as well as the ways in which social problems and the law of torts interact.

    Civil Procedure (3 Credits)

    An introduction to the process of civil litigation, emphasizing questions of jurisdiction, pleadings, discovery, remedies, and appellate review.

    In addition to the above traditional, required first-year courses, all entering students also take:

    Elements of Law (3 Credits)
    Focuses explicitly on legal institutions, the theories underlying them, the process of legal reasoning and the ways in which the law evolves.

    Legal Communication & Research Skills I (2 Credits)

    In the fall, new law students are introduced to foundational lawyering skills. They learn to read judicial opinions, analyze the law, and then apply the law to a set of facts. Students write objective legal memoranda of the type that a junior associate or judicial clerk might be asked to write. They also learn how to communicate with clients. Learn More

  • SECOND SEMESTER (16 Credits)

    Contracts or Property (4 Credits)
    Contracts
    Examines the purpose and scope of the legal protection accorded agreements. The course focuses on:

    • Problems of contract formation and interpretation
    • Remedies for breach of contract
    • The offer and acceptance of a contract
    • The effect of changed circumstances, and more complicated questions, such as contracts that are impossible to perform.

    Property
    Focuses on basic principles governing private and public control over tangible and intangible resources, especially land. The course addresses concepts and policies concerning property and special concepts concerning real estate, such as estates in land, future interests, and the rule against perpetuities. The course also studies real estate transactions, recording, methods of title assurance, easements, covenants, and land use controls.

    Criminal Procedure (3 Credits)

    An introduction to the criminal process with special emphasis on constitutional issues. It covers arrest, interrogation, search and seizure, the right to counsel and related topics.

    U.S. Constitutional Law I (4 Credits)

    A study of the American constitutional system, concentrating on the idea of judicial review, relationships among the three branches of government, and allocations of responsibility between federal and state governments.

    Elective (3 Credits)

    Second-semester students choose an elective from a list of courses for first-year students. These courses deal with regulatory issues, statutory law, international and comparative law, and other matters of law not generally available in the traditional first-year program. The following are representative of the elective course offerings from spring 2023:

    Trusts & Estates
    Systemic Advocacy
    Jurisprudence
    Environmental Law
    Business Associations
    The Future of Law Practice
    International Law
    Substantive Criminal Law

    Legal Communication & Research Skills II
    This course, in the spring, shifts to persuasive writing and advocacy, and students work on a litigation matter from filing to appeal.

2L and 3L Years

Central campus lake at sunset
Miami Law students receive a broad-based legal education, and in their 2L and 3L years have the option to concentrate on special areas of interest through programs, concentrations, joint degrees and experiential learning options. In contrast to the first-year curriculum, there are no required courses during a law student’s second and third years of study but there are requirements that must be met. Accordingly, after the first year, the list of courses, seminars and workshops offered is extensive. and this includes innovative short courses to explore niche areas and stay on the pulse of the latest developments in the law.

Areas and Fields of Study

students on the law courtyard
Concentrations and Joint Degrees

Clinical and Experiential Education

Miami Law has a wealth of options to help students move beyond the classroom into the word of practice.

Clinical Program
Externships
Study Abroad
Pro Bono
Moot Court

See More

Immigration clinic students with client

Start Your Application Journey - Get to Know Us Better

Every law school has its unique culture and personality, and we encourage you to get to know ours a little better:

Meet With Admissions
See Our Recruitment Calendar
Schedule a Visit
View a Prospective J.D. Webinar
Take a Virtual Tour