The Learning Outcomes adopted by the Law School as mandated by ABA Rule 302 are as follows:
Competency in knowledge and understanding of the law includes:
(A) the ability to articulate and apply basic rules of substantive law, including constitutional law, statutory law, and common law;
(B) the ability to articulate and apply basic rules of procedural law, including those applicable in the criminal and civil contexts.
Competency in legal analysis and reasoning includes:
(A) the ability to identify the legal issues implicated by a novel situation;
(B) the ability to identify and use factual information pertinent to a legal analysis;
(C) 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.
Competency in legal research includes:
(A) the ability to identify pertinent legal authority;
(B) the ability to use effectively the resources for legal research generally employed by attorneys, including electronic resources.
Competency in written communication includes:
(A) the ability to prepare a written legal document that is clear, concise, complete, well-organized, professional in tone, and appropriate to its audience.
(B) the ability to include in a written document, where they are needed, legal citations that are pertinent to the subject matter and correctly formatted.
Competency in oral communication includes:
(A) the ability to speak in a manner that is clear, concise, complete, well-organized, professional in tone, and appropriate to the audience.
(B) the ability to respond effectively to questions or comments.
Competency in problem solving includes:
(A) the ability to identify the goals of a client, opponent, or third party;
(B) the ability to identify ways of meeting those goals, either within the context of the legal system or within a broader context;
(C) the ability to provide effective assistance to clients toward meeting their goals.
Competency in the exercise of professional and ethical responsibilities includes:
(A) the ability to articulate the ethical and professional responsibilities applicable to the practice of law;
(B) the ability to represent clients in a manner consistent with the ethical and professional responsibilities of attorneys toward their clients;
(C) 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.
