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Learning Outcomes

Knowledge

To understand core substantive and procedural areas of the law; the structure of federal and state governments; the interplay among levels of government and among branches of government; and the procedures a lawyer must use in various types of practice. In particular, all graduating students should:

  • Understand the basic allocation of power among the different branches of government, among federal and state governments, and between government and individuals.
  • Have a basic familiarity with the functions and processes of federal courts and agencies.
  • Be able to identify and distinguish different types of reasoning courts engage in to reach decisions (for example, statutory interpretation, common law doctrinal development and application, constitutional review, and policy reasoning).
  • Be familiar with basic principles of statutory interpretation.
  • Be familiar with the principles and types of pleading and the burdens of proof in civil and criminal court proceedings.
  • Be familiar with the core concepts and legal skills covered in the first-year curriculum: Civil Procedure, Torts, Criminal Law, Legal Research and Writing I, Lawyering Skills I, Contracts, Property, Constitutional Law, Legal Research and Writing II, and Lawyering Skills II. More specifically, students should develop the following knowledge and capabilities for each first-year course:
    • Civil Procedure: Be able to identify and apply the key rules and doctrines of federal civil procedure — including jurisdiction, pleadings, discovery, dispositive motions, and preclusion — to analyze whether procedural requirements have been satisfied in a given factual scenario.
    • Torts: Be able to identify which tort law doctrines would potentially govern a particular harm and apply the relevant doctrines to determine potential liability; and analyze and evaluate alternative doctrinal mechanisms for addressing similar claims for private law relief, including through application of analytical tools, such as policy considerations or historical analysis.
    • Criminal Law: Be able to understand the foundational principles and doctrines of substantive criminal law; apply common-law doctrine to new hypotheticals; read and interpret criminal statutes; and develop sound legal arguments and solve criminal law problems.
    • Legal Research and Writing I: Be able to demonstrate the critical skills of legal analysis, writing, and research; conduct thorough research using a number of different legal sources; analyze legal rules and precedents to assess the legal position of a client or other party; communicate legal analyses in objective legal memoranda; and use clear and concise language to employ the fundamental principles of effective legal writing. 
    • Lawyering Skills I: Be able to proficiently communicate orally, including by presenting an oral research report to a supervising attorney; understand and demonstrate how to effectively interview and counsel clients; and understand the importance of professional ethics.
    • Contracts: Be able to understand the fundamental doctrines governing contracts; identify applicable doctrines that relate to a given set of facts; formulate legal arguments in favor of and against positions in a case using precedent, doctrine, and policy considerations; recognize the strengths and weaknesses of legal positions; and understand the principles of effective transactional drafting.
    • Property: Be able to interpret and apply legal doctrines governing property relationships; synthesize legal rules from sources such as cases, statutes, and restatements and apply them to novel factual scenarios; identify legally relevant facts and ambiguities in complex property disputes and use applicable legal terminology; and construct predictive legal analyses that weigh competing arguments and identify likely outcomes under conditions of uncertainty.
    • Constitutional Law: Be able to articulate and apply important doctrinal rules, standards, and principles of constitutional law; demonstrate a practical understanding of constitutional law by recognizing commonly encountered issues and applying relevant standards and rules when presented in hypothetical and unfamiliar fact patterns; and construct legal arguments that engage with modern controversies around the U.S. Constitution.
    • Legal Research and Writing II: Be able to demonstrate knowledge of legal sources, databases, and research methods; apply research and writing abilities in a persuasive, rather than simply informative, context; and draft effective legal arguments in pretrial memoranda and other documents.
    • Lawyering Skills II: Be able to demonstrate advocacy skills; research, organize, and present an oral argument while responding to questions from one or more judges; give an oral argument at a pretrial motion hearing; and prepare for and conduct a negotiation.

Critical Reasoning

To analyze legal, policy, and moral questions and positions with rigor, logic, efficiency, and precision, by use of such methods as deductive and inductive reasoning, analogizing, viewing problems from competing perspectives, and identifying strengths and weaknesses in arguments. In particular, all graduating students should:

  • Be able to construct a well-organized and clearly expressed argument for a position by synthesizing relevant source materials and by reasoning deductively from general principles.
  • Be able to identify weaknesses in arguments, including unsupported or unstated assumptions and invalid inferences.
  • Be proficient at using precedents to analogize and distinguish a given factual scenario from other situations.
  • Be able to analyze the legal issues present in complicated and novel factual situations under time constraints that simulate legal practice.

Problem Solving

To anticipate and identify issues that could affect a client’s interests, assess potential outcomes, and provide detailed advice to clients, sometimes in situations marked by time and cost constraints. In particular, all graduating students should demonstrate the ability to:

  • Identify and explore clients’ goals.
  • Critically read applicable authority, including identifying key rules within each authority.
  • Synthesize relevant rules of law into a logical framework for analysis.
  • Identify and apply relevant rules to facts, including evaluating potential counterarguments, to determine the likely outcome of a dispute.
  • Generate and evaluate potential legal and non-legal solutions.
  • Develop and implement plans of action to advance clients’ goals.
  • Manage a complex workload and handle difficult legal questions diligently, reliably and ethically.
  • Use technology to address legal problems and client needs effectively and efficiently, with attention to relevant constraints imposed by standards of professional responsibility.

Research

To find, interpret, and synthesize the many types of source materials lawyers commonly use, including particularly judicial opinions and statutes. All graduating students should demonstrate the ability to:

  • Devise and implement a logical research plan that reflects an understanding of the limitations created by time and financial constraints.
  • Conduct effective fact-based and legal research in an iterative manner that reflects an ability to reevaluate the research as additional facts and authorities come to light.
  • Determine which authorities support and which contradict a client’s position.
  • Distinguish binding from persuasive authorities and assess the weight of authorities.

Writing

To write clearly, logically, and effectively in a manner appropriate to the audience and purpose. In particular, all graduating students should demonstrate the ability to:

  • Draft clear, concise, and well-organized memoranda that predict how the law applies to a client’s circumstances. 
  • Draft clear, effective, and well-organized briefs and other persuasive documents that advocate for a client’s position.

Oral Communications

To speak clearly, logically, and effectively in a manner appropriate to the audience and purpose. In particular, all graduating students should demonstrate the ability to:

  • Deliver clear, effective, and persuasive oral arguments.
  • Make clear, effective, and well-organized presentations.
  • Present information both inside and outside of litigation contexts.
  • Interview witnesses and clients to gather appropriate information.
  • Participate effectively in the classroom, including by means of dialogic engagement, and answer questions about the assigned reading or other course content so as to simulate courtroom interaction with judges and other professional interactions.

Interpersonal Skills

To interact effectively and professionally with people in a variety of settings, using skills such as motivating others, influencing others, working as a team, productively resolving conflicts, and relating to people whose background differs from one’s own. In particular, all graduating students should be able to:

  • Listen respectfully and treat conflicting viewpoints as an opportunity for improving understanding.
  • Work cooperatively with colleagues toward shared goals.
  • Exhibit civility and treat others with respect.
  • Communicate in a manner that effectively bridges differences among participants in a conversation.
  • Negotiate in dispute, transactional, and regulatory contexts.
  • Give and receive constructive criticism effectively.

Professionalism

To know the formal rules of legal ethics and act so as to uphold the dignity of the profession and make the law and our legal system deserving of public respect. In particular, all currently enrolled and graduating students should:

  • Successfully complete a course in professional responsibility.
  • Consistently adhere to the Law School Honor Code.
  • Fulfill their responsibilities as students, including those connected with extracurricular Law School activities, such as journal commitments and Law School–related employment.
  • Attend class consistently, on time, and in compliance with each professor’s attendance policy.
  • Demonstrate time management skills by completing classroom assignments and administrative tasks within the assigned timeframe and by keeping scheduled appointments or effectively communicating when conflicting obligations arise.

Citizen Lawyers

To understand the responsibility a lawyer bears to be a leader in their community and to strive to make the legal system more just for all. In particular, all graduating students should:

  • Be able to articulate reasons for believing lawyers bear the responsibilities of serving as civic leaders and striving to make the legal system more just for all.
  • Be able to explain obstacles some people face to securing protection of their rights and interests from the political process or the courts.
  • Learn the value of performing significant pro bono service or other contributions of time and talent that improve legal systems.