Law, J.D.

Saint Louis University's Juris Doctor program offers extensive courses and personalized interaction with nationally recognized professors. Students in the SLU School of Law will be directly exposed to practicing attorneys and clients through professional skills courses, legal clinics and field placement programs.

Guest speakers who have diverse legal backgrounds and career experience — ranging from federal and state judges to partners, associates and corporate executives — provide students with a real-world approach to learning.

Concentrations

Law students at SLU may also earn a concentration in the following areas.

Employment Law

The employment law concentration prepares students to practice in governmental positions, such as with the National Labor Relations Board, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission or the Human Rights Commission of a state or local government. It is also beneficial in the practice of corporate law and in representing other institutional clients, such as in health care or in higher education. Significant increases in employment discrimination cases filed have made this area an essential component of any litigation department. A wide range of employment opportunities exists in this field.

Health Law

The health law concentration is available to students who meet its rigorous requirements. SLU's Center for Health Law Studies offers a concentration that allows students to use health law skills in research and practical environments. This concentration is evidence of the seriousness with which students approach the field of health law and certifies that graduates are fully prepared to meet the demands of this rapidly changing legal field.

Intellectual Property Law

The intellectual property law concentration emphasizes information, analytical tools and skills lawyers require to represent their clients' intellectual property needs. Students can take specialized courses that expose them to the legal and practical issues that arise in intellectual property law. Students who wish to receive this concentration will complete a minimum of 10 credits of intellectual property law courses with a satisfactory grade (C or higher).

Students will consult with the concentration advisor to tailor course selection to particular interests. Full-time students should be able to complete the concentration requirements without additional time or credits beyond what is required for the J.D. program. Part-time students may also be able to earn the concentration with advanced planning, but may occasionally need to take a course offered before 6 p.m.

International and Comparative Law

Offered through the Center for International and Comparative Law, this concentration can be earned by students who complete both a semester-long study abroad program through the School of Law in France, Ireland or Switzerland and a three-credit international law course. Each student must also complete a substantial research paper on an international or comparative law topic. Students may earn up to six credits from the School of Law’s summer program in Madrid, which counts toward the concentration's requirement of 10 credits of coursework.

Part-time Options

Part-time Day 

Students in the part-time day program take an 11-credit schedule for semesters one and two. Some courses are postponed until semesters three and four. 

Part-time Evening 

Students in the part-time evening program complete their required first-year core curriculum in two years by taking courses scheduled in the evening. Part-time students will be in some of the same classes in their first and second years. Course sequencing will be determined based on whether students matriculate in an even-numbered or odd-numbered year. 

Curriculum Overview

SLU's J.D. program offers students a diverse curriculum designed to prepare them for all legal practice areas. A robust selection of courses and seminars in a variety of legal specialties reflects the commitment to public service and professional ethics.

The goals of the curriculum include:

• Provide quality legal education in the Jesuit tradition of academic excellence and concern for the development of individual students
• Expose students to the interaction of law and other disciplines in the development and application of the law
• Sensitize students to legal ethics and norms, including the obligation to engage in public service

Core Curriculum ("First-year" Courses)

The law school's required core curriculum includes 29 credits of classes designed to allow students to develop foundational analytical and writing skills necessary for law practice. First-year, full-time students must take these courses in the first two semesters. Part-time students complete these courses within the first two years of study. The core curriculum includes:

• Civil Procedure 
• Constitutional Law I
• Contracts
• Criminal Law
• Legal Analysis, Research and Communication I and II
• Professional Identity, Practices and Skills I
• Property
• Torts

Upper-division Options

Nearly two-thirds of the 89 credits required to graduate are elective courses. Students who have completed the core curriculum select classes ranging from foundational bar preparation classes to highly specialized legal topics to supervised clinical practice. This allows students to custom design the majority of their law school education. Students may sample courses from various subject areas or specialize based on their individualized needs and interests.

SLU's School of Law also offers opportunities for students to participate in (and receive credit for) one of three student-run law journals as well as develop critical legal skills in areas such as appellate advocacy, trial practice and client counseling. Students may choose to complete one of four concentration programs.

Admission Requirements

A bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university is required. Exceptions may be made on a case-by-case basis by the Admissions Committee as authorized by ABA Accreditation Standards Section 502.

Register for the Law School Admission Test (LSAT), the LSAC Credential Assembly Service (CAS) and the LSAC Letter of Recommendation Service (LOR). No application is complete without test scores and transcript analysis from LSAC's CAS. The School of Law does accept evaluation forms through the LSAC Evaluations Service, but they are not required. It is highly recommended that applicants take the LSAT the summer or fall before the desired entry year. Only LSAT scores earned within the last three years will be considered.

All transcripts must be forwarded directly to the CAS. The School of Law will request the LSAC CAS Report upon receipt of the application.

Letters of Recommendation

Applicants must use the LSAC Letter of Recommendation Service. A minimum of two letters is required, and up to four letters will be accepted. It is recommended to request letters from individuals who can accurately assess their intellectual ability, motivation, character and academic performance. Value is placed on content that verifies the applicant's qualifications to compete in the law school environment.

Send letters of recommendation to:

Law School Admission Council
662 Penn Street
PO Box 8508
Newtown, PA 19840-8505
Phone: 215-968-1001

Personal Statement

The personal statement allows applicants to communicate information about themselves that is not found in the rest of the application. The personal statement provides the admissions committee with insight into an applicant's writing ability and individual character. Information regarding personal or professional goals, academic performance, and career history are helpful. The admissions committee looks for brevity and clarity of thought and expression. Please limit the personal statement to two pages.

Important

It is the responsibility of each applicant to provide the admissions office with all the necessary documents. The applicant is encouraged to contact the admissions office throughout the admissions process to confirm receipt of application materials at admissions@law.slu.edu or by phone at 314-977-2800. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed. 

Admissions Determination

The admissions committee considers several factors in determining a candidate's eligibility, including academic achievement, the strength of the undergraduate program, application information, LSAT results (the Admissions Committee looks only at the applicant's highest score), personal statement, work experience, degrees earned, motivation, leadership and service.

Tuition 

Additional charges may apply. Other resources are listed below:

Information on Tuition and Fees

Miscellaneous Fees

Information on Summer Tuition

Scholarships and Financial Aid

There are many resources to assist students in financing a legal education, including scholarships, loans and work opportunities.

Financial aid award letters for new students are mailed beginning on March 1 of each year.

Although a FAFSA is not required to receive merit-based aid, it should be completed if you plan to seek eligibility for federal aid programs like federal direct loans or federal work-study. Saint Louis University’s school code is 002506.

Accreditation 

Saint Louis University School of Law has been continuously accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA) since December 1924. The accrediting body is the Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar of the American Bar Association, 321 North Clark Street, Chicago, IL 60654, 312-988-6738.

1. Graduates will be able to demonstrate knowledge of substantive and procedural law and the American legal system.
2. Graduates will be able to demonstrate an effective ability to resolve legal issues.
3. Graduates will be able to communicate effectively, orally and in writing, to clients and other audiences in a variety of legal contexts.
4. Graduates will be able to research effectively and efficiently.
5. Graduates will be able to demonstrate competency in additional skills that are essential for effective lawyering.
6. Graduates will be able to exercise proper professional and ethical judgment in interactions with clients, the profession, and the legal system.
7. Graduates will be able to exemplify SLU LAW’s mission.

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After completing the first-year requirements, students can select from a variety of offerings to complete the minimum of 89 credits to graduate. The majority of upper division courses are elective with the exception of the requirements listed below.

Seminar Courses

• Advanced Corporate Governance
• Animal Law
• American Presidency
• Art Law
• Citizenship, Human Rights & Social Justice
• Climate Change and U.S. Law and Policy
• Colonizing Queerness
• Critical Race Theory
• Death Penalty
• Dismantling DEI
• Drug and Device Regulation
• Health Disparities and Health Justice
• International Sale of Goods
• International Taxation
• Law and Mostly Short Stories
• Law and Religion
• Occupational Safety and Health Law
• Regulating AI? A Challenge or an Impossibility?
• Stigma, Health and the Law
• Taxing Technological Innovation
• White Collar Crime

Experiential Courses

• Advanced Legal Research
• Children's Permanency Clinic I and II
• Civil Advocacy Clinic I and II
• Civil Rights Law
• Civil Practice
• Client Counseling
• Competition-Based Advocacy
• Criminal Defense Clinic 
• Employment and Labor Law Research
• Employment Law Agency Practice
• Employment Law Field Placement in DC
• Entrepreneurship and Community Development Clinic I and II
• Entrepreneurship Law
• Estate Planning
• Federal Criminal Prosecution
• Field Placement I and II
• Health Equity, Policy and Advocacy 
• Health Law Agency Practice
• Health Law Field Placement in DC
• Health Law, Policy and Advocacy I & II
• Human Rights at Home Litigation Clinic I & II
• Insurance Law
• Intellectual Property Licensing
• Judicial Process and Procedure
• Judicial Process Field Placement
• Jury Instructions
• Law Practice Management
• Lawyering Practice
• Mediation
• Moot Court I & II
• Negotiations
• Patent Drafting and Prosecution
• Removal Defense Project
• SEC and Investment Advisors
• Sentencing Mitigation
• Transactional Drafting
• Trial Advocacy I
• Trial Advocacy II - Civil and Criminal
• Urban Issues Symposium

Employment Law 

Course Requirements 

Non-Course Requirements

Professional and Co-Curricular Activities

Attend and participate in at least four activities associated with the Wefel Center for Employment Law and/or the Employment Law Association. This averages one per semester during the second and third years but may be earned at any time during a student's course of study. Participation includes a short reflection paper, but event planners may also require submission of questions for the speaker or speakers in advance. 

Practical Experience

Demonstrate completion of a substantial practical experience or substantial practical exposure to the field of employment law. Students must demonstrate that they:  

• Worked in a position that had a substantial labor or employment law component (such as in the course topics listed above); 
• Attended networking and career events sponsored by the Wefel Center for Employment Law, and attended at least one event every semester during their second and third years; or 
• Joined a professional organization with a focus on labor or employment law and attended at least one event every semester during their second and third years (the two latter options may be combined). 

Writing Requirement

The concentration also includes a requirement that students submit a substantial research paper of publishable quality that will be reviewed and approved by the concentration advisor. Papers completed for a seminar course, a journal, a directed research assignment, or moot court may satisfy this requirement.  

Health Law

Course Requirements 

Non-Course Requirements

Practical Experience

Students must complete supervised experience in a health law practice setting. Normally, this is fulfilled by enrolling in the Field Placement Program or Legal Clinics. Non-credit externships may fulfill the requirement if pre-approved by the Concentration Advisor.

Writing Requirement

Students must submit a paper on a topic in health law to be approved by the Concentration Advisor. Papers
completed for a health law seminar or directed research will fulfill this requirement.  

Colloquia Attendance and Critical Summaries

Students are required to attend and write an analysis of five Distinguished Speakers in the Center's Colloquium Series. A student may submit up to two critical summaries from any health law symposium.

Intellectual Property Law

Course Requirements 

Non-Course Requirements

Professional and Co-Curricular Activities

A student must attend two events or professional activities and submit written reflections about the events.

Practical Experience

Students are required to participate in a course or activity that applies IP theory to practice. This can be completed through a clinic, field placement or experiential course in the area.

Writing Requirement

Students must complete at least one course with a significant writing requirement in an area of IP Law.

International and Comparative Law

Course Requirements 

Non-Course Requirements

Professional and Co-Curricular Activities

Students must attend at least three Center for International and Comparative Law or International Law Student Association speaker events and submit three critical summaries over the course of their law school career. The critical summaries should consist of a two-page evaluation of the information presented by the speaker and the student’s evaluation of the presentation. 

Practical Experience

Students must gain substantial practical experience in an international and/or comparative law practice setting. This requirement may be completed through one semester in the School of Law Legal Clinics or through a field placement in international or comparative law; working in a non-credit internship in a practice setting in the U.S. or abroad; or attending an international conference such as those organized by the American Bar Association Section of International Law, the International Law Student Association, or other applicable organizations. Following the event or conference, the student must submit a two-page reflection paper within 30 days and arrange a follow-up meeting with the CICL associate director.

Writing Requirement

Students must submit a substantial research paper or a publishable international and/or comparative law paper to be reviewed and approved by the CICL associate director. Papers completed for a seminar course, directed research or the Jessup International Law Moot Court Memorandum may satisfy this requirement.

This roadmap is just one example of a semester-by-semester plan of study for this program. There are other plans students can and do take. The plan of study for each particular student is established in consultation with each student’s academic advisor; this roadmap does not replace academic advising appointments.

Roadmap notes:

• This Roadmap assumes full-time enrollment unless otherwise noted.
• Courses/Milestones marked with an “!” are critical and must be completed in the semester listed in the Roadmap to ensure a timely graduation.
• Course availability and sequencing are subject to change.

Full-time Day 

Part-time Evening

Part-time Day (11-credit schedule)

For more information about law programs, please email admissions@law.slu.edu or call 314-977-2800.