First-Year Program
First Year: Success from the Start
Washburn Law’s first-year program, staffed by full-time, tenure-track faculty members, gives you a meaningful start on your legal education. Our low student/faculty ratio allows for informal advising, particularly in your first year of study. Your small-section professors in your first year are likely to become your informal advisors throughout law school.
Expert Learning Program
Washburn Law has developed a nationally recognized first-year program, Expert Learning (Ex-L), to help you maximize your potential for success in law school, on the bar exam, and in law practice. Incoming students take advantage of this program by starting law school a week earlier than second- and third-year students.
Ex-L’s rigorous First Week Program teaches strategies to develop the skills needed for academic success. You will work on daily assignments and special projects in small “law firms” – study groups consisting of four to five new students and a carefully trained and closely supervised upper-division law student “partner.” These group sessions help students learn from each other and de-emphasize competition.
Mentor Program
Washburn Law’s actively engaged alumni offer first-year students a meaningful mentoring experience. You will be paired with practicing lawyers who offer an important connection to the community and serve as a resource for issues related to your career. Many mentor relationships extend beyond law school.
First-Year Courses
Students entering in the fall will take the following courses in their first year:
| Fall Term | Spring Term | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Legal Analysis, Research & Writing I | 3 | Legal Analysis, Research & Writing II | 3 |
| Torts | 4 | Civil Procedure I | 3 |
| Property | 3 | Constitutional Law I | 3 |
| Criminal Law | 3 | Criminal Procedure | 3 |
| Contracts I | 2 | Contracts II | 3 |
| Total Hours | 15 | Total Hours | 15 |
| For students who enter in the fall, all first-year required courses must be taken before any electives are taken. | |||
Students entering in the spring (learn more) will take the following courses in their first year:
| Spring Term | Fall Term | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Civil Procedure I | 3 | Contracts I | 2 |
| Constitutional Law I | 3 | Property | 3 |
| Criminal Procedure | 3 | Torts | 4 |
| Legal Analysis, Research & Writing I | 3 | Legal Analysis, Research & Writing II | 3 |
| Criminal Law | 3 | An upper-level course | 3 |
| Total Hours | 15 | Total Hours | 15 |
| Spring starters will take Contracts II (3 hours) in the spring semester of their second year. |
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A student must take a minimum of three courses each fall and spring semester. No student may enroll in more than sixteen hours in one semester without approval. Each summer there are two six-week sessions, allowing for enrollment in one or both sessions for a maximum of six hours per session.
Beyond the 30 hours of course work comprising the first-year program, students must complete an additional 60 hours of course work to graduate.
See also upper-level requirements and electives.