L AW CU RR I CU LU M A l aw sch oo l g r ad ua t e sho ul d h ave m ast er ed t h e l e ga l p roc e sse s a nd sho ul d t ho r ou gh l y g r a sp t he r ol e o f l a w i n or d er i n g t h e a ff a i rs o f so ci e t y, b o t h h i stor i ca l l y a n d co n t e m p o rar i l y. T h e U n i ver si t y o f A l a b a m a S ch o o l o f L aw st ri ve s t o p r ov i d e it s st u d en t s wit h t h i s u n d e rst a nd i n g a n d w it h a fi r m b a se o f kn o w l e d g e a n d an a l y t i c a l s k i l l s. F ir s t - Y e a r F irst S emes t er ( H ou r s) 600 C o ntr a ct s I ( 2 ) 602 To r t s ( 4 ) 60 3 C ri m i na l La w (4) 608 C i vi l Pr o ce d u re ( 4 ) 610 Leg al W ri t ingan d R esear ch ( 2) SecondS em ester ( H ou rs) 6 0 5 C o ntr a ct s I I ( 3 ) 60 1 P r op e rt y ( 4) 60 9 C o nst i t u t i o n a l L aw ( 4 ) 64 2 E vi de nce ( 3) 64 8 R ese ar ch & W r i t i ng ( M oo t C our t ) ( 2) Seco nd - Year 66 0 T heLe ga l Profession ( 3) S ec on d - o r T h i r d - Y ea r 77 8 T he B usi ne ss of B ei ng a L aw yer ( 1) SEM IN A RA N DP R O FESSION A L SK ILL SR EQ U IREM EN T E a ch stu d e n t m u st t a ke at l e a st o ne se mi n a r as a re q u ir e m e n t f o r g r a d u a ti o n, w i t h t h e exc e p t i o n o f st u d en t s w h o su b m it a publisha b le a rticle t o o n e o f t h e la w sch o o l’s j o urn a ls, if su ch exc e p t ion i s a p p roved b y t h e j o u rn a l s f a cu lt y a dvi se r. ( A n Indepe nd ent S t ud y d oes no t sa tisf y t he se m i na r r e qu ir e m en t .) E a ch stu d e n t i s r e q u i re d t o su cc e ss f u l l y c om p l e t e t h ree cr e d i t h o u r s o f p ro f e ss i o n a l sk i l l s c o u r se s. T h es e cour se s ar e ch os en by t h e st ud en t. T he cour se l isti ng s pr ovi de d b y t he L aw S ch oo l R e co r d s O ffi ce i nd i ca t e w h i ch cl a sse s q u a l i f y a s p r o f e ssi on a l ski l l s c ou r se s. T h e f o l l ow i ng cl a sse s h ave be en a p p rove d b y t h e f a cu l t y a s d e si g n a t e d P r o f e ss i o n a l S ki l l s c l a sse s:
A law school graduate should have mastered the legal processes
and should thoroughly grasp the role of law in ordering the affairs
of society, both historically and contemporarily. The University of
Alabama School of Law strives to provide its students with this
understanding and with a firm base of knowledge and analytical
skills.First-YearFirst Semester(Hours)600 Contracts I (2)602 Torts
(4)603 Criminal Law (4)608 Civil Procedure (4)610 Legal Writing and
Research (2)Second Semester(Hours)605 Contracts II (3)601 Property
(4)609 Constitutional Law (4)642 Evidence (3)648 Research &
Writing (Moot Court) (2)Second-Year660 The Legal Profession
(3)Second- or Third-Year778 The Business of Being a Lawyer
(1)SEMINAR AND PROFESSIONAL SKILLS REQUIREMENTEach student must
take at least one seminar as a requirement for graduation, with the
exception of students who submit a publishable article to one of
the law schools journals, if such exception is approved by the
journal s faculty adviser.(An Independent Study does not satisfy
the seminar requirement.)Each student is required to successfully
complete three credit hours of professional skills courses. These
courses are chosen by the student. The course listings provided by
the Law School Records Office indicate which classes qualify as
professional skills courses. The following classes have been
approved by the faculty as designated Professional Skills
classes:LAW 665 Law ClinicsLAW 688 Law Office PracticeLAW 708 Legal
Counseling and InterviewingLAW 744 Legislative DraftingLAW 636
Litigation DraftingLAW 779 MediationLAW 621 NegotiationLAW 672 Real
Estate Practice WorkshopLAW 816 Transactional DraftingLAW 663 Trial
Advocacy ILAW 673 Trial Advocacy I (Criminal Litigation)LAW 664
Trial Advocacy IILAW 604 Trial Advocacy II (Criminal Litigation)LAW
728 Trial Advocacy Competition ClassSome graduates who initially
enter law practice later become business executives, civic leaders,
government officials, and judges in Alabama and around the nation.
With this fact in view, the curriculum is designed to afford a
comprehensive education in governmental processes and in the
relation of law to a wide variety of contemporary problems.
Whatever career graduates pursue from sole practitioner to
corporate executive they should be well educated in the role of law
in society and in our cultural heritage.The law curriculum has been
expanded particularly in the third year to include more seminars
and elective courses that cut across traditional course lines and
expose students to the complex problems with which lawyers and
lawmakers must deal in modern life and that aim to increase
students understanding of the development of the legal order.The
method of instruction varies somewhat with the instructor and the
subject matter. The case method is generally employed in the basic
courses. Students study concrete cases and disputes in order to
gain an understanding of legal concepts and the legal processes as
they actually operate. Instruction proceeds through the medium of
class discussion, often referred to as the Socratic method; the
principles and techniques of the law are evoked in the
give-and-take between instructors and students.Seminars are classes
with relatively small groups of students; instruction is on a more
informal and advanced basis than in the basic courses. A high
degree of participation in discussion, as well as substantial
research and writing, is required of each student in a seminar. The
drafting of legal instruments and preparation of legal memoranda
constitute part of the work in some skills courses and
seminars.First-year students are required to carry out a closely
supervised program in legal research and writing. They must also
participate in a moot court program in appellate advocacy involving
substantial library research.Trial and appellate advocacy is an
important part of the curriculum; as described elsewhere in this
catalog, Alabama s students have been very successful in advocacy
competitions. Also described elsewhere is the Law Schools
commitment to provide training in clinical offerings.The law
faculty is continuing to review the schools curriculum. It is
possible that some changes will occur, perhaps next fall. Any
changes would always be to improve the offerings, to the students
advantage. Please direct any questions about the curriculum to the
Deans office or Registrars office.
