JD/MDR Courses
JD Courses
First-year law students follow a rigorous course of study that covers the following subjects: Civil Procedure, Constitutional Law, Contracts, Criminal Law, Introduction to Ethical Lawyering, Legal Research and Writing, Property, and Torts.
After the first year, students are required to complete 18-21 units of additional required courses (depending on the units offered for certain courses), including: Corporations, Criminal Procedure, Evidence, Federal Income Taxation, Remedies, and Wills and Trusts.
Students also have the opportunity to select from a broad range of elective courses, clinics, externships, and student-edited journals.
MDR Courses
Required Courses
The Master of Dispute Resolution is a 32-unit degree program offered to those who possess a bachelor's degree. Law students are required to complete 12 units of core courses, and 16 units of elective courses. Other students are required to take 16 units of core courses, and 12 units of elective courses. Students are also required to complete an externship. The joint degree consists of the following requirements:
- One Arbitration Course:
- Arbitration Law+, Arbitration Practice and Advocacy or International Commercial Arbitration
- Cross-Cultural Conflict and Dispute Resolution
- Introduction to U.S. Law (for non-lawyers and non-law students)
- Mediation Clinic, Special Education Advocacy Clinic or Investor Advocacy Clinic
- Mediation Theory and Practice
- Negotiation Theory and Practice
- Psychology of Conflict Communication
- Legal Research and Writing I (for non-lawyers and non-law students)
* If this course was not taken to fulfill the arbitration requirement, it can be taken
as an elective.
+ This course is only available to law students, law school graduates or LLM candidates.
Elective Courses
A minimum of 12 units of elective courses is required for the Master of Dispute Resolution Degree, and 16 units is required for lawyers and law students.
- Advanced Mediation Seminar
- Advanced Trial Practice+
- Appellate Advocacy+
- Arbitration Law*+
- Arbitration Practice and Advocacy*
- Current Issues in International Dispute Resolution: London/Geneva
- Current Issues in International Dispute Resolution: Hong Kong/Beijing
- Dispute Resolution in Education
- Dispute Resolution and Religion
- Dispute Resolution Law Journal (up to 4 units)
- Divorce and Family Mediation
- Environmental and Public Policy Dispute Resolution
- Faith-Based Diplomacy and International Peacemaking
- Honors Appellate Advocacy (JD Students only)
- Honors Negotiation Advocacy (JD Students only)
- Honors Mediation Advocacy (JD Students only)
- Honors Trial Practice (JD Students only)
- International Commercial Arbitration Procedure and Practice*
- International Commercial Arbitration Theory and Doctrine*
- International Commercial Arbitration+**
- International Investment Disputes
- International Litigation+
- Interviewing, Counseling and Planning
- Investor Advocacy Clinic (JD Students only)
Lawyering Process+
- Moot Court- International (JD Students only)
- Moot Court- Interschool Competition (JD Students only)
- Restorative Justice
- Selected Issues in Dispute Resolution:
- Apology, Forgiveness and Reconciliation
- Dispute Resolution Systems Design
- Employment Disputes
- Entertainment Industry Disputes
- Ethical Practices in Negotiation
- Facilitating Dynamic Groups
- Healthcare Dispute Resolution
- Intellectual Property
- Labor Disputes
- Managing Litigation and Conflict for Corporations and Organizations
- Mass Torts
- Ombuds
- Online Dispute Resolution
- Special Education Advocacy Clinic+
- Trial Practice+
- Trial Preparation and Settlement+
- Trial Practice Competition (JD Students only)
- or a Doctrinal Law Class with Institute Approval (non-law students only)
* If this course was not taken to fulfill the arbitration requirement, it can be taken
as an elective.
+ This course is only available to law students, law school graduates or LLM candidates.
**Student cannot enroll in this class if they have already taken ICA Theory and Doctrine or ICA Procedure and Practice without faculty approval
Externship Requirement
Students are required to complete 4 units of a dispute resolution Externship.