The curriculum at Detroit Mercy Law is designed to educate the complete lawyer. Students learn competencies and ethical principles necessary for the practice of law through substantive and procedural law courses that integrate theory, doctrine, and practice.
Required courses vary by program. View the program webpages and student handbook for more information on the requirements by program. US JD Canadian & American Dual JD JD-MBA
Each program allows students to select elective courses. Students may choose to explore areas of law and career paths of interest to them or gain additional exposure to subjects frequently tested on bar exams. View the program webpages and student handbook for more information on the available elective credits by program. US JD Canadian & American Dual JD JD-MBA
At least three credits in Law Firm Program courses are required for graduation. These courses simulate experiences in law firms, government agencies, non-profit organizations, and corporate legal departments. Learn more here.
All students graduate with experience representing real clients through the clinical program requirement. There are many available areas of law to choose from. Learn more here.
Students in the Canadian & American Dual JD program complete at least 6 credits in transnational law courses that include Canadian law instruction. Representative courses include:
Each course includes ethics as a topic as it relates to the substantive area of the law covered in the course. The ethics component may include discussion, writing assignments, or other means.
All students complete legal research and communication courses taught by tenure-track faculty during their first year. Learn more here.
All students further refine their writing skills with an upper-level writing course. Students can choose a seminar course in an area of law of interest to them. Other course options include Advanced Advocacy, Judicial Clerkships, and Transactional Drafting. This requirement can also be fulfilled by the successful completion of a law review note or comment.
If there is an area of law that you are interested in that is not listed above, contact the admissions team (future students) or your faculty advisor or the Academic Success team (current students) to learn more about how you can explore your interests through a personalized course of study plan.
Standard 310(a) of the American Bar Association Standards and Rules of Procedure for Approval of Law Schools requires that: “A law school shall adopt, publish, and adhere to written policies and procedures for determining the credit hours that it awards for coursework.” Because, as the ABA Standards anticipate, the types of academic activities vary, the Law School is adopting the following approaches for the determination of credit hours for coursework. View the Student Handbook for more information.