How Long is Law School- Important Things to Know as a Student

Pursuing a law degree is a significant, multi-year commitment for individuals who have already completed their undergraduate studies. Unlike some academic programs, law school demands full immersion from the very beginning, with no gradual easing into the intensive coursework.

In a traditional full-time law school program, students earn their Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree over the span of three years. Throughout this period, they engage deeply with various aspects of the law, developing the skills and knowledge necessary for a successful legal career. By the third year, many students are already preparing to graduate, often having secured employment opportunities even before their official commencement. Justin Hansford, a respected law professor at Howard University’s School of Law and the executive director of the school’s Thurgood Marshall Civil Rights Center, observes that at this stage, “students often have one foot out the door, are ready to graduate and typically have a job set.”

Professor Hansford highlights the critical importance of the second year in shaping a student’s professional trajectory. “You really only have one year, the second year, to choose your core identity in terms of what it is you’re going to be taking, finding and demonstrating what your passions are,” he explains. “I encourage students to really try to take courses that they have deep passion in and that they think will really be meaningful for them the second year.”

This second year serves as a pivotal period for law students to identify and cultivate their areas of interest within the vast field of law. By selecting courses that align with their passions and career goals, students can tailor their education to fit their unique aspirations, laying a strong foundation for their future roles in the legal profession. Engaging deeply with subjects that resonate personally not only enhances their academic experience but also prepares them to make meaningful contributions to the legal community upon graduation.

How Long is Law School- Important Things to Know as a Student

The typical full-time law school program is three years. Many schools also offer part-time options, which involve a slightly lighter course load each term and stretch the curriculum over four years. There are also dual degree programs that pair a JD with another graduate degree, which can also extend your timeline.

What to Expect Each Year in Law School

1. First year

The first year of law school , your “1L” year, is quite standardized. No matter which law school you go to, if you’re enrolled in a full-time program, you’ll take the same courses:

• Civil Procedure
• Constitutional Law
• Contracts
• Criminal Law
• Property
• Torts

Not so coincidentally, these are also topics that are featured prominently on the bar exam. Your grades for these classes will depend almost entirely on one comprehensive exam at the end of each course, though some professors may adjust grades based on in-class participation.

If you’ve gotten used to customizing your class schedule to avoid 8 A.M. classes or consolidating all of your classes into two or three days per week in college, your first-year law school schedule might be a little bit of an adjustment. You won’t get to choose your schedule—you’ll be assigned to a “section,” a group of students with whom you’ll share all your first-year classes. Depending on the school, your section may have as few as 20 students or as many as 100.

You will also have a Legal Research & Writing seminar, in which you’ll learn how to conduct legal research and write legal memoranda and briefs. Many first-year programs also include an exercise called Moot Court, an opportunity to pull together the skills from your research and writing course to produce a legal brief and argue your case in front of a judge! At the very end of your 1L year, after your exams, if you want to join the law review or one of your school’s other journals, you’ll participate in a writing competition (though your 1L grades also play a role).

The summer between your first and second years of law school is a great time to start to get some legal experience. Some students work as research assistants for law school professors, some intern for judges or with government agencies, some work for non-profit organizations, and a small number get jobs as summer associates with law firms, though most of those summer associate positions are reserved for students in their second summer.

2. Second year 

In the second year, your “2L” year, you’ll get to choose your own schedule and courses. Many students opt for additional foundational courses such as:

• Criminal Procedure
• Corporation
• Trusts & Estates
• Federal Tax

This year is also a great opportunity to start exploring your interests and potential career paths. It’s a good idea to take your remaining required courses in your 2L year. These include a professional responsibility course and an experiential course of some kind. Not only will the professional responsibility course, which extends over a full semester at some schools and is condensed into a shorter seminar at others, prepare you to be an ethical lawyer, it will also ensure that you’re well-equipped to take the Multistate Professional Responsibility Exam (MPRE), a prerequisite to taking the bar exam in most states. Options for experiential courses include:

• Clinical programs in which you work on real cases under supervision
• Trial advocacy seminars in which you practice arguing in front of a judge (these are often taught by local judges)
• Internships with various entities involved in the legal system, including legislative offices, government agencies, and law firms and offices.

Many students also participate in extracurricular activities to further develop their skills (and bolster their resumes to impress potential employers).

• If you were successful in the first-year writing competition and invited to join the law review or another journal, you will help edit articles written by professors and other legal scholars before they are published. You will also write an article of your own known as a “note,” which fulfills another graduation requirement. Some students even have their notes published!
• If you enjoyed your Moot Court experience in your first year, you may also choose to participate on one of your school’s Moot Court teams, which travel to competitions and compete against other law schools’ teams. Many schools also have Mock Trial, Negotiation, and Dispute Resolution competition teams.
• The fall of your 2L year is also when the recruiting process for post-graduation jobs kicks off in earnest. Law firm representatives will visit your schools for an on-campus interviewing (OCI) process and hire students to be summer associates between their 2L and 3L academic years. If that summer goes well, you’ll likely get a job offer after graduation (contingent on your 3L year going well and you passing the bar exam).

3. Third year 

Your final year, the “3L” year, offers the same scheduling flexibility as your 2L year with the bonus that you now likely have priority over 2L students to get into the more sought-after classes. Many 3Ls fill their calendars with courses that will be useful for the bar exam as well as those that will provide specialized knowledge that will be beneficial to you in your future career. If you’ve secured a job working as a criminal prosecutor or defense attorney, you might take a course focused on the 4th Amendment. If you’re going to be working in-house for a health insurance company, perhaps a course on Managed Care is in order. If a corporate law firm that you were a summer associate at offered you a job, a course on Business Law would serve you well. This year is also the time to do additional experiential courses and any requirements you have not yet fulfilled, other topics that strike your fancy. If you’re on the law review or another journal, you might pursue more responsibility as a member of the Editorial Board. If you have not already secured a post-graduation job, internships and clinical programs can help you gain additional experience and make connections.

Taking the bar exam

If you want to practice law, you have to take the bar exam offered through the Board of Bar Examiners in the state where you want to practice. This usually requires you to apply for and take the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE), apply for and take the state bar exam, and complete the character review process and additional requirements for the state.

Create a goal to study through your degree program. Formal study for the exam generally begins the final semester of your third year of law school, but if you’re working full-time or have other obligations outside of law school, it can begin earlier. Aim to study 400 to 600 hours for the bar exam. This can take 10 to 16 40-hour weeks of studying. Alternatively, if you can only study 10 hours a week for the bar exam, you might need to devote 10 months to a year.

Each state has different requirements for licensing attorneys. Some states accept bar exams from other states, while others (like California and Florida) require all attorneys to take their state exam. Additionally, some states accept the Multistate Bar Exam or the Uniform Bar Exam. You also should be prepared to demonstrate you have good moral character and to consent to a background check.