UNT Dallas College of Law: Programs, Curriculum, and Mission

The UNT Dallas College of Law is a public law school located in downtown Dallas, Texas. As the only public law school in Dallas, it holds a unique position in the city's legal education landscape. Established in 2014, the college aims to educate lawyers as public servants, emphasizing practical skills and accessible education.

J.D. Program Overview

The UNT Dallas College of Law offers a Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree program with both full-time day and part-time evening options. The program is designed to ensure graduates possess practice-ready competencies, explore a range of legal interests, and develop specialized knowledge in their chosen areas.

Credit Hour Requirements

The J.D. program requires a minimum of 88 credit hours for students who began their studies between 2014 and 2016. For students entering in 2017 and beyond, the requirement is 90 credit hours. These credit hours encompass:

First-year required courses
Other required courses
Completion of the writing requirement
Completion of the research requirement
Completion of the skills requirement
Completion of the experiential requirement
Completion of the practice-ready technology requirement

Curriculum Design

The curriculum at UNT Dallas College of Law is structured around three main goals:

Practice-Ready Competencies: Ensuring students graduate with the knowledge, understanding, and skills essential for practicing law.
Exploration of Interests: Providing opportunities to explore various legal fields through electives and practical experiences.
Specialized Knowledge: Enabling students to develop in-depth expertise in areas of particular interest.

The J.D. curriculum is divided into three categories:

Required Courses: Some courses must be taken in specific semesters, while others offer flexibility in timing.
Requirements: These are fulfilled through specific coursework sequences or non-credit activities.
Electives: Allowing students to tailor their education to their interests.

First-Year Curriculum

The first year of the J.D. program is comprised of required courses for both day and evening students. These courses include:

Legal Methods: A 1-hour course focused on the core methods of reading, synthesis, and analysis used in law school and legal practice.
Traditional Core Subjects: Contracts, Torts, Civil Procedure, and Property. These foundational areas are critical for legal practice, serve as building blocks for advanced courses, and provide context for developing legal reasoning and analysis skills.
Legal Writing and Legal Research: A two-semester sequence emphasizing the importance of strong writing and research skills. These courses are integrated with the core doctrinal subjects to reinforce basic knowledge and skills, such as reading cases and statutes and synthesizing legal rules.
Client Interviewing and Counseling: Introduced in the third semester for evening students, this course focuses on essential client interaction skills.

Upper-Level Requirements

In the second year (semester 3 for day students and semester 4 for evening students), students are required to take:

Constitutional Law
Negotiation and Conflict Resolution
Property and Legal Writing III

Additional required courses taken later in the curriculum include:

Federal Criminal Procedure
Bar Exam Skills and Strategies I and II (Legal Analysis and Bar Readiness)
Legal Writing III

Other required courses, not taken in sequence are:

Evidence or Evidence Practicum
Professional Responsibility

Additional Required Courses

The J.D. degree also includes required courses in areas considered essential for competent attorneys. These courses cover topics tested on the bar examination and introduce students to various practice areas:

Business Associations (3 hours)
Federal Criminal Procedure (3 hours)
Evidence (3 hours) or Evidence Practicum (4 hours)
UBE Family Law (3 hours)
Professional Responsibility (3 hours)
UBE Sale and Secure Transactions “Commercial Law” (3 hours)
UBE Wills, Trusts, and Estates (3 hours)
Bar Exam Skills and Strategies I and II (3 hours each)
Conflicts of Law or Remedies (2 hours each)
Legal Writing III

Additional Requirements

In addition to required courses, the J.D. program includes requirements designed to ensure students attain essential skills, experiences, and proficiencies. These requirements are met through credit-bearing courses, non-credit courses or experiences, or demonstrated proficiency.

Writing Requirement
Research Requirement
Skills Requirement
Advocacy Requirement
Experiential Requirement
Practice-Related Technology Requirement

Detailed Breakdown of Requirements

The Major Writing Requirement: This involves multiple original writings or a single, lengthy writing project that entails significant synthesis and analysis, totaling at least 25 pages. It includes the submission and assessment of at least two drafts, supervised by full-time faculty or other qualified faculty. The requirement is satisfied by completing two writing segments, each correlating in scope and complexity with work products that lawyers prepare.
The Research Requirement: This is satisfied by completing four to five research segments. Each segment requires completing at least one significant research assignment, including a research plan, a research trail, and a research bibliography. The segments ensure proficiency in foundational information and research abilities required in practice, addressing knowledge of sources, research plan creation, use of multiple research platforms, maintenance of a research trail, and information storage.
The Skills Requirement: This is satisfied by completing two to three skills segments in addition to the skills provided in the required classes of Client Interviewing and Counseling and Negotiation and Conflict Resolution. A skills segment involves a performance or activity in which students are assessed and requires students to engage in professional skills such as interviewing, counseling, negotiation, fact development and analysis, trial practice, document drafting, conflict resolution, organization and management of legal work, collaboration, cultural competency, and self-evaluation.
The Experiential Requirement: To satisfy this requirement, a student must complete both Client Interviewing & Counseling and Negotiations & Conflict Resolution and complete either Clinic or an Externship.
The Practice-Related Technology Requirement: Students must demonstrate basic proficiency in practice-related technologies, including case management and time-keeping software, trial and litigation software, word processing, and databases. This can be satisfied through an elective or by completing designated modules on technology training software licensed by the College of Law. This requirement ensures graduates are competent in technologies essential for effective law practice.

Accreditation and Bar Exam Goals

The UNT Dallas College of Law received provisional accreditation from the American Bar Association (ABA) in 2017 and full approval in later years. Provisional accreditation granted the law school and its graduates all the rights and recognition of a fully accredited law school.

A key goal for the College of Law is to increase its bar exam pass rate. The ABA requires a pass rate of at least 75 percent, or a rate within 15 points of the state average. The school is actively working to improve its bar preparation resources and curriculum to help students succeed.

Tuition and Location

The UNT Dallas College of Law is committed to providing an affordable legal education. Its tuition rate is among the lowest in Texas, making it an attractive option for students seeking a cost-effective path to a law degree.

The College of Law is located in downtown Dallas, providing students with convenient access to courthouses and legal professionals. The school has expanded to the historic Dallas Municipal Court building, creating a two-campus environment.

Mission and Philosophy

The UNT Dallas College of Law distinguishes itself by focusing on educating lawyers as public servants. It emphasizes practical skills, accessible education, and a commitment to serving the community. The school considers life experiences of the applicants. This approach reflects a commitment to providing opportunities for a diverse student population and preparing them for successful legal careers.

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