Flex JD Scheduling Option

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Q. What are the specific times of the evening/weekend required classes?

A. The classes are offered on Tuesdays from 6:30 to 9:30, Thursdays from 6:30-9:30, and Saturdays from 9:30-12:30.  The typical schedule of required classes is as follows:

PLEASE NOTE: All of the above 4-credit classes include an additional hour per week of distance education. Students who choose the FLEX scheduling option should plan to graduate in four years. Any part-time student who wants to graduate sooner should expect to enroll in one or more daytime classes at some point during their time in law school.

Q. What is Legal Methods?

Legal Methods is a required program as part of Legal Skills I & II for all first-year students. This program gives students the tools needed to succeed in law school and practice, including briefing cases, notetaking, outlining, and exam writing. The program consists of class meetings with associated assignments during the Fall and Spring semesters. For FLEX students, these hourlong classes are presented as asyncrhonous recordings, each of which must be watched within a designated week (as noted in the syllabus). Students will need to register for this program as if it were a separate class, along with their first-year courses for the Fall and Spring semesters.

Attendance at Legal Methods classes and completion of assignments during the Fall semester are factored into the participation points of the Legal Skills I final grade. Attendance at Legal Methods classes during both the Fall and Spring semesters and completion of assignments during both the Fall and Spring semesters count towards 1 credit of the Legal Skills II final grade.

Q. What happens after I have completed the above schedule?  Can I continue to take only evening and weekend classes for the rest of my time in law school?

A. Yes, you can.  Each semester, additional upper-level electives will be offered during the above Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday slots so that you can complete your entire JD on this schedule, if you so prefer.  However, you will also have full access to all other regularly-scheduled courses, so that you can create your own schedule each semester to fit your needs.

Q. What if I want to mix and match even within the first-year curriculum?  For example, could I take Civil Procedure during the day, but take Torts on Thursday nights and Legal Skills on Saturday morning?

A. Yes.  You can put together the combination that works best for you.  Every class that is offered during the evening/weekend is also offered during the daytime (sometimes with multiple options).

Q. How do I apply for the part-time program?

A. On your application, indicate whether you are applying for the Full-Time Day Program or the Part-Time Program.  If you are applying for the Part-Time Program, you then check off whether you would like to take your required courses exclusively during the day, exclusively during the evening/weekend, or in some combination of the two.  The application standards are the same.

Q. What if I start out as a part-time student, but later want to become a full-time student?

A. After your first year, you can change from the part-time division to the full-time division (or vice versa) by requesting permission from the Academic Dean, which is typically granted absent extenuating circumstances.

Q. If I solely take classes on the evenings and weekends, will all of the certificates, concentrations, and clinics be available to me?

A. No, because certain classes and clinics are only offered during the day.  All part-time students are welcome to enroll in those courses, but will need to arrange their schedules so that they can be on campus during the relevant daytime hours in order to participate in them.  Part-time students who can only take classes in the evenings and weekends will indeed be able to complete their JD in four years, but will have a more limited selection of courses.

Q. If I solely take classes on the evenings and weekends, will student services (i.e., financial aid, registrar, career services, and academic success) be available to me at those times, or will I need to come to campus during the day to use them?

A. All student services will have weekly evening hours so that students who only come to campus in the evenings and weekends can still fully access them.

Q. If I solely take classes on the evenings and weekends, can I still participate in a law review?

A.  Yes.  Part-time students are fully eligible to participate in the Law Review competition, and, for students who are selected to participate, the work can be done in the evenings and weekends.

Q. Can I get credit toward my law degree for work I am already doing in my paid law-related job?

A. Students cannot get credit for paid work but can get credit for certain types of approved unpaid work through our externship program.