Curriculum for First Year J.D. Students

The first-year curriculum is a pre-set curriculum designed to give incoming law students the conceptual building blocks essential for their professional training.

During fall semester, first-year students take the following courses:

  • Contracts
  • Criminal Law
  • Torts
  • Elements of Legal Argumentation I
  • Lab

During spring semester, first-year students take:

  • Civil Procedure I
  • Property I
  • Introduction to Constitutional Law
  • Elements of Legal Argumentation II
  • Introduction to Legal Research
  • Elective (optional)

Registration Steps for Fall Classes

Create a Net ID (see "fall semester to-do checklist" of Admitted Students Webpage)

  1. A student’s Net ID is the name in which he or she will be known to UNM’s main campus computer and email system. For example, if a Net ID is jgarcia, that person’s UNM email address will be jgarcia@unm.edu. For more information on accessing and using a UNM e-mail account go to http://it.unm.edu/email/#access
  2. By July 30, students should send an e-mail from their UNM account to the School of Law at Registrar’s Office, indicating you are an incoming 1L student. By sending this e-mail, the Registrar’s office will know a student has (1) created a NET ID, and (2) set up an UNM email account.
  3. During the first week of August, the UNM School of Law Registrar will email incoming students an assigned fall class schedule and registration instructions. Please note: this email will go only to each student’s UNM email account. It will not go to any other email account provided to the law school previously. Students are responsible for checking their UNM email accounts to receive information and register for classes.
  4. During orientation, students will receive a UNM School of Law email account and be provided with instructions on how to forward their main UNM email account to their law school account.

Flex-Time Status

Students who wanted to be considered for this program made this indication on their law school application.

Students enrolled with flex-time status are required to take 9-11 credit hours (3-4 classes) per semester.

During fall semester of their first year, flex-time students take the following courses:

  • Contracts I
  • Torts I
  • Elements of Legal Argumentation I

During spring semester of their first year, flex-time students take:

  • Property I
  • Introduction to Constitutional Law
  • Elements of Legal Argumentation II
  • Introduction to Legal Research

During fall semester of their second year, flex-time students take the following courses:

  • Criminal Law
  • Lab
  • Constitutional Rights
  • Upper-Division Courses

During spring semester of the second year, flex-time students take:

  • Civil Procedure I
  • Upper-Division Courses

Enrolled flex-time students are not bound by the "work rules" for those semesters in which they are registered for less than 12 credits.

For first-year law students enrolled as flex-time students, curriculum and registration will vary somewhat from the information listed above. Since this is such a small group (fewer than 10 individuals), students will be contacted individually during the summer months pertaining to course scheduling and selection.