Pathway: Solo and Law Firm Practice

The Solo and Law Firm Practice Pathway is designed as a guided curriculum that will prepare you for a career as a solo or law firm practitioner. A student who seeks to practice solo or work in a law firm will likely serve clients in a broad array of legal areas. Possible areas include corporate and commercial transactions, contracts, criminal law, disability, employment or veterans’ claims, criminal matters, family law and personal injury. In addition to honing your core legal analysis, research and writing skills, you should develop a basic knowledge about business.

Faculty Advisors

Professors Stephanie Brown, Debra Cohen, Quo Judkins, Masai McDougall, Yvette Pappoe, and Sakinah Tillman

Curriculum

Stage 1: Foundational Courses

  • Administrative Law
  • Business Organizations REQ.
  • Civil Procedure I and II REQ.
  • Constitutional Law I and II REQ.
  • Contracts I and II REQ.
  • Criminal Law REQ.
  • Criminal Procedure REQ.
  • Evidence REQ.
  • Family Law
  • Property REQ.
  • Remedies
  • Torts REQ.

Stage 2: Electives

  • Conflict of Laws
  • Education Law
  • Employment Discrimination Seminar
  • Entertainment Law Seminar
  • Immigration Law Seminar
  • Negotiations
  • Non-Profit Law
  • Taxation I
  • Trial Advocacy
  • Uniform Commercial Code I
  • Wills and Estates

Stage 3: Experiential Opportunities

REQ. = Required course for all students | Course descriptions can be found in the Course Catalog

Community Service/Summer Fellowships/Externships

UDC Law has extensive connections with non-profit organizations and governmental agencies in the DC metropolitan region that provide students with the opportunity to spend a semester actually working in their chosen fields. For students who are planning to go into solo or law firm practice, placements at one of the many legal services organizations in the area provide a wealth of experience in housing, family law, public entitlements, wills and estates, criminal law, employment law, consumer law and other areas of general practice. The following are some examples of relevant placements students have obtained with legal services organizations: