Academics

The Learning Outcomes adopted by the Law School as mandated by ABA Rule 302 are as follows:

1. Graduates will demonstrate competency in their knowledge and understanding of the law.
   Competency in knowledge and understanding of the law includes:
   1. the ability to articulate and apply basic rules of substantive law, including constitutional law, statutory law, and common law;
   2. the ability to articulate and apply basic rules of procedural law, including those applicable in the criminal and civil contexts.
2. Graduates will demonstrate competency in legal analysis and reasoning.
   Competency in legal analysis and reasoning includes:
   1. the ability to identify the legal issues implicated by a novel situation;
   2. the ability to identify and use factual information pertinent to a legal analysis;
   3. depending on the assignment, the ability to craft a persuasive legal argument in a favor of a particular outcome, or to arrive at a reasonable and adequately-explained conclusion in a neutral analysis.
3. Graduates will demonstrate competency in legal research.
   Competency in legal research includes:
   1. the ability to identify pertinent legal authority;
   2. the ability to use effectively the resources for legal research generally employed by attorneys, including electronic resources.
4. Graduates will demonstrate competency in written communication in a legal context.
   Competency in written communication includes:
   1. the ability to prepare a written legal document that is clear, concise, complete, well-organized, professional in tone, and appropriate to its audience.
   2. the ability to include in a written document, where they are needed, legal citations that are pertinent to the subject matter and correctly formatted.
5. Graduates will demonstrate competency in oral communication in a legal context.
   Competency in oral communication includes:
   1. the ability to speak in a manner that is clear, concise, complete, well-organized, professional in tone, and appropriate to the audience.
   2. the ability to respond effectively to questions or comments.
6. Graduates will demonstrate competency in problem solving in a legal context.
   Competency in problem solving includes:
   1. the ability to identify the goals of a client, opponent, or third party;
   2. the ability to identify ways of meeting those goals, either within the context of the legal system or within a broader context;
   3. the ability to provide effective assistance to clients toward meeting their goals.
7. Graduates will demonstrate competency in the proper exercise of their professional and ethical responsibilities to clients and the legal system.
   Competency in the exercise of professional and ethical responsibilities includes:
   1. the ability to articulate the ethical and professional responsibilities applicable to the practice of law;
   2. the ability to represent clients in a manner consistent with the ethical and professional responsibilities of attorneys toward their clients;
   3. the ability to represent clients in a manner consistent with the ethical and professional responsibilities of attorneys toward the legal system.

With respect to learning outcomes 1-6, ability should be measured in comparison to the ability one would expect of a competent attorney, facing similar constraints of time and similarly limited information, in a practice situation.

With respect to learning outcome 7, ability should be measured in comparison to the knowledge and exercise of professional and ethical standards expected of all practicing attorneys.