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New UDM Curriculum

University of Detroit Mercy School of Law is changing the way lawyers are educated with a revolutionary new curriculum.  The curriculum complements traditional theory- and doctrine-based course work with practical learning, providing a solid transition between law school and a legal career.  The entire curriculum not only addresses the third and critical transition year in law school, but enhances the first and second years with more legal theory, intensive legal writing, required clinical experience, and an international perspective.  UDM has transformed its curriculum to address the challenges you will face in the profession.

Solving Legal Problems 
UDM has created a new first-year required course, Core Concepts.  This course focuses on statutory analysis and interpretation, tasks often missing in the traditional first-year legal education program.  Very often students in their first year move on to their second year with the impression that all that lawyers do is study and deal with appellate cases.  The reality is quite different.  The Core Concepts course introduces students to a wide range of theoretical approaches and analytical techniques for approaching legal problems.  Students then apply these theories and techniques to a set of problems that cut across torts, contracts, property, and civil procedure.  This problem solving experience is a better way to teach students theory by having them apply it and to show them that most legal issues do not fit neatly within boxes labeled “torts,” “property,” “contracts,” etc.

Building a Bridge to Practice
After the first year, UDM helps students make the transition from school to practice, from a theoretical approach to a practical approach.  Students continue to hone their legal research and writing skills, with legal writing assignments in all required courses.  Since these assignments are coordinated among the required courses, students undertake a wide range of writing projects about key issues in Evidence, Criminal Law, Taxation, Professional Responsibility, and Constitutional Law.  Students also participate in a required clinic or externship, bringing them face-to-face with real clients with real problems, and select an international or comparative law course to become familiar with other legal systems.

Working in the Law Firm Program
In the third or final year, UDM law students are required to work on complex transactions in the Law Firm Program.  As in a law firm, they work with their colleagues in "departments," so that different groups of students work on the different aspects of the transaction.  These students then see how the environmental piece, and the tax piece, and the employment law piece, and the intellectual property piece, and others, all come together in this transaction.  These department modules introduce them to "large firm" issues and to"smaller" or "boutique" firm issues.  Students draft documents, complete due diligence, receive instruction from "clients" and much more.  While all students in their third or last year are required to take at least two separate "modules" or courses related to the transaction, students may spend much of their final year in UDM School of Law applying their knowledge to different aspects of this simulated transaction by taking additional modules. more...