In addition to the required first year curriculum, you are required to:
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- Successfully complete a course that fulfills the Professional Responsibility requirement by the end of the third year;
- Successfully complete Constitutional Law 220.6 by the end of the third year (it is strongly recommended as a 1L-year Spring elective);
- Successfully complete the Writing Requirement by the end of the first semester of your 3L year;
- Successfully complete six units of coursework designated as Experiential by the end of your third year [please note that two of the six units are fulfilled by the Written and Oral Advocacy class taken during 1L Spring]; and
- Successfully complete two units of Race and the Law coursework by the end of your third year.
See the Schedule of Classes for courses that will satisfy the above requirements.
These requirements are stated in the Academic Rules and we encourage you to check the rules yourself to understand what is needed for the J.D. degree. At the beginning of your third year, use the 3L Degree Worksheet to track your progress; refer to our 3L Requirements FAQ if you have questions.
Also, you can (and should) check your degree audit and Academic Summary in Cal Central to confirm that your understanding of which classes you have taken and what requirements you have satisfied match our records.
How you choose to organize your classes beyond those requirements is largely up to you. Given the number of choices we have at Berkeley Law, deciding how to structure your 2L and 3L years can be daunting. There are a number of resources available to help you when making decisions about your course selection. Please keep these in mind:
- Review the Schedule of Classes and the Two Year Curriculum Plan (Cal Net ID required), so that you can see when classes are offered and how you might organize your schedule to take all the classes that interest you. Click through the Schedule of Classes to read the course description for a particular class.
- You may set up an individual appointment with a J.D. Advisor to discuss your schedule. To schedule an appointment, please see the J.D. Academic Advising webpage.
- Seek out your professors–they are a good source of advice for making decisions about what courses to take and when.
- Speak to practitioners about what courses they felt were valuable during law school.
- Speak to second and third-year students who can share their experiences at Berkeley Law.
- While not required, please keep in mind the second and third-year courses that cover subjects tested on the bar in the state where you plan to practice [California Bar Examination–scroll down to see Bar courses].
- You should review the Academic Rules (which include the J.D. Requirements) and the Honor Code which govern your academic life here at Berkeley Law.
- Talk to Sue Schechter, Field Placement Program Director, about field placement and externship opportunities.
- Talk to the Clinic Directors about the work done in their Clinics. Talk to students who have been in those clinics about the workload.
- If you are planning to do an independent study, complete and submit a JD 297-299 petition form. These units require a faculty supervisor’s signature.
Non-1L Courses Tested on the California State Bar Exam:
- Business Associations
- Constitutional Law
- Criminal Procedure
- Evidence
- Community Property
- Remedies
- Estates and Trusts
- Professional Responsibility*
* Professional Responsibility is tested both on the California Bar examination and through the Multistate Professional Responsibility Exam (MPRE) which can be taken during your second or third year. Professional Responsibility is a required course.
Order of the Coif
To qualify for the Order of the Coif, (1) your GPA must place you in the top 10% of your class, and (2) 64 units must be taken in letter-graded law courses. More information can be found on the Order of the Coif webpage.