The requirements for the degree of Doctor of Jurisprudence are:

• For students who entered law school before 2019, successful completion of all first-year required courses plus an additional 82 quarter units of elective coursework (111 total units);
• For students who entered law school in 2019 or later, successful completion of all first-year required courses plus an additional 78 quarter units of elective coursework (111 total units);
• Satisfaction of the experiential learning requirement;
• Satisfaction of the ethics requirement;
• Satisfaction of the writing requirement;
• Satisfaction of the learning outcomes requirement;
• Nine quarters of residency;
• Timely filing of an application for graduation.

In accordance with ABA accreditation standards, JD students may not count toward the JD graduation requirement more than thirty-one (31) quarter units of the following types of coursework: externship, directed research, directed writing, senior thesis, research track, courses taken outside the Law School, and moot court (Kirkwood competition).

Additionally, students must make satisfactory academic progress (see the section on ‘Satisfactory Academic Performance.’)

Students who entered law school before 2019 must complete all first-year required courses plus an additional 82 approved quarter units of elective coursework to obtain a JD (a total of 111 units). Students who entered law school in 2019 or later must complete all first-year required courses plus an additional 78) approved quarter units of elective coursework to obtain a JD (a total of 111 units).

During the Autumn Quarter, a first-year student may take only those courses on the required list.

First-year JD students may take no more than 5 units of electives in the Winter Quarter, and they must take at least 3 units but no more than 8 units of electives in the Spring Quarter. Elective courses are limited to those within the Law School, with the exception that first-year JD students may take a physical education course or music lessons each quarter but those courses will not count toward residency or graduation.

Primary Experiential Learning Curricular Planning Form (Rising 2Ls)

All rising 2L students must submit a Primary Experiential Learning Curricular Planning Form by the deadline set by the Registrar’s office before the start of the student’s second year. This form will indicate whether the student intends to satisfy the EL graduation requirement through one of Stanford’s full-time clinics (Pathway A) or through Self-Design (Pathway B). Students who do not meet this deadline will have a hold placed on their course registration until they submit the form.

Pathway A:

Students planning to satisfy the EL requirement via clinic must indicate whether they have applied and been accepted to a clinic for the 2L year and/or intend to enroll during the 3L year. Stanford has capacity for 100 percent of our students to take a full-time clinic, but admission to a particular clinic in a particular quarter is not guaranteed. Students electing Pathway A should ordinarily plan to apply to more than one clinic, and will be required to apply to multiple clinics (the number will be set by the Associate Dean for the Clinics) if they need to gain admission into a clinic during the third year to satisfy the graduation requirement.

Pathway B:

If the student plans to elect Pathway B, the student must complete the portion of the form calling for the student’s Self-Design Plan. Self-design plans will be reviewed and approved by the Associate Dean for Student Affairs and the Associate Dean for Curriculum. The plan should demonstrate how the student will complete at least 50% of their EL credits (4 units) by the end of their second year.

Plans in which fewer than 4 units will be completed by the end of the 2L year will be approved only upon a showing of good cause necessitating the completion of more than half of the credits in the third year. Students whose plans are initially rejected may resubmit the form to address any identified deficiencies by the deadline, or may elect to move to Pathway A. If the resubmitted form is rejected, the student will be moved to Pathway A.

In some circumstances, an externship may satisfy the Experiential Learning Requirement. Ordinarily, an externship that otherwise meets the criteria will be approved for EL credit when the field placement provides specialized experience complementary to a student’s intended career path and comparable benefits cannot be obtained through other EL coursework at Stanford. Students who plan to satisfy the experiential learning requirement through an externship should consult with the law school’s Externship Director regarding the externship proposal as early in the process as possible and must secure approval for the externship no later than the deadline for rising 3Ls to file Pathway B curriculum plans. (These Secondary Curricular Planning forms are described below).

If, during the second year, the student finds that they are deviating from the submitted and approved Self-Design Plan (because, for example, the student did not gain admission to a limited-enrollment EL offering the student had planned to take), the student must, as soon as practicable, consult with the Associate Dean for Student Affairs concerning the deviation.

Secondary Experiential Learning Curricular Planning Form (Rising 3Ls)

Students who have not completed a clinic by the end of their second year must also submit a Secondary Experiential Learning Curricular Planning Form by the deadline set by the Registrar’s office at the start of the student’s third year. Students who do not meet this deadline will have a hold placed on their course registration until they submit the form.

Pathway A:

Students who indicate on the Secondary Experiential Learning Curricular Planning Form that they plan to satisfy the EL requirement via a clinic in their 3L year must, in the spring of their 2L year, apply to multiple  clinics (the number will be set by the Associate Dean of the Clinics) in the clinic application process or, if they apply to fewer clinics, have a clearly articulated and feasible back-up plan in Pathway B.

Pathway B:

If the student had previously elected Pathway A on the Primary Experiential Learning CurricularPlanning Form as a rising 2L but has decided to switch to Pathway B, the student must demonstrate good cause for the switch.

For students who had previously elected Pathway B on the Primary Experiential Learning Curricular Planning Form, the Secondary Experiential Learning Curricular Planning Form must indicate whether the student did in fact complete at least 4 units towards the EL requirement prior to the start of their 3L year or, if they failed to do so (and did not have an approved plan for doing so), why extraordinary circumstances excuse their failure to complete the units on schedule and how they realistically plan to complete the 8 units before graduation.

The Associate Dean for Students Affairs and the Associate Dean of Curriculum will review the forms containing the Self-Design Plans to ensure that each student has a coherent and feasible plan for completing the graduation requirements that takes into account, among other things, the fact that some classes may not be offered every year or have limited enrollment. Students whose plans are rejected may resubmit to address any identified deficiencies by the deadline, or may elect to move to Pathway A.

If the submitted form is rejected, students will be moved to Pathway A. If, during the third year, the student finds that he or she is deviating from the submitted and approved Self-Design Plan (because, for example, the student did not gain admission to a limited-enrollment EL offering, the student had been planning to take), the student must, as soon as practicable, consult with the Associate Dean for Student Affairs concerning the deviation.

Students who plan to satisfy the EL requirement through an externship should consult with the Law School’s Externship Director regarding the externship proposal as early in the process as possible and must secure approval for the externship from the law school’s Externship Director no later than the deadline for rising 3Ls to file Pathway B curriculum plans.

In addition to first-year Legal Writing and Federal Litigation, all students must complete another course of at least two units in which a principal part of the assigned work is a paper or other written product (an “R” paper). Only courses approved by the Curriculum Committee and explicitly classified as an R course before the term begins can satisfy this requirement.

• A course designated as an “R” course is defined as one in which the written product is substantial and is based on open-ended research by the student.
• A Directed Research paper may count as the equivalent of an “R” course with the approval of the supervising faculty member.
• Satisfactory completion of a Senior Thesis or Research Track counts as the equivalent of an “R” course.

The ABA requires each law school to “establish and publish learning outcomes” designed to “prepare its students, upon graduation, for admission to the bar and for effective, ethical, and responsible participation as members of the profession.” ABA Standards 301 (a) & (b). The syllabus for each course may either set forth the course’s particular Learning Outcomes or direct students to the online course description, where Learning Outcomes are provided. By completing your degree, Stanford Law School certifies that you have satisfied the ABA’s Learning Outcome requirements listed below.

• LO1: Exhibit knowledge and understanding of key concepts in substantive law, procedural law, and legal thought.
• LO2: Demonstrate facility with legal analysis and reasoning. This may include, but will not necessarily include, a combination of skills such as synthesizing cases, identifying and applying relevant principles, and mastering modes of inquiry (whether scientific, social scientific, or humanistic) that inform and contextualize legal analysis and reasoning.
• LO3: Demonstrate the ability to conduct legal research.
• LO4: Demonstrate the ability to communicate effectively in writing.
• LO5: Demonstrate the ability to communicate orally (such as in group or individual presentations, while delivering advice to a client, or in the course of oral advocacy).
• LO6: Display familiarity with the law governing lawyers and exhibit an understanding of a lawyer’s distinctive ethical responsibilities to clients, the legal system, and the broader public.
• LO7: Display other professional skills needed for effective and responsible participation in the legal profession (such as, interviewing; counseling; negotiation; fact development and analysis; trial practice; contract review and drafting; conflict resolution; leadership behaviors, attitudes, and styles; collaboration and teamwork; execution; and cultural competency).

Students should consult the University’s online Academic Calendar for the Graduation Application deadline dates for each term. The Academic Calendar is available through the Office of the University Registrar.