Beyond the required and first and second year core instructional offerings, each student is required to complete a series of additional instructional offerings designed to prepare the student for Bar passage, and instill the necessary skill sets for general or specialized practice upon graduation. These offerings are listed here in six categories. For full information on prerequisites and co-requisites, please consult the Course Descriptions.
NSU Law Graduation Review Form
1. Menu Requirement
2. Approved Upper Level Writing Requirement
3. Experiential Learning
4. Professional Responsibility
5. Multistate Bar Exam Lab and Florid Bar Exam Lab
6. Mandatory Service Graduation Requirement
1. Menu Requirement:
You must select one of the following offerings:
Family Law (3 Credits) LAW 0635
Wills and Trusts (4 Credits) LAW 0655
Option: You may take Wills and Trusts separately if offered in that format in any given academic year, but you must complete both to satisfy the menu requirement. There is no guarantee that both courses will be offered in any particular format in any given semester.
If available, these courses would be listed as:
Trusts (2 Credits) LAW 0956
Wills (2 Credits) LAW 0955
2. Approved Upper Level Writing Requirement
You must complete an upper-level writing requirement (satisfied through any approved writing requirement courses, or through approval of a Law Review/Journal paper. You must earn a C+ or better for the writing requirement course, which can be completed any time after the first year). You should consult the Code of Academic Regulations for the exact specifications of this requirement. Not all of these courses will be offered every academic year.
3. Experiential Learning
You must complete six credits of experiential learning courses as defined in the Code of Academic Regulation. You should consult the Code for the exact specifications of this requirement. Not all of these courses will be offered every academic year.
4. Professional Responsibility
LAW 0649 (3 Credits)
All students are required to take the course Professional Responsibility during any semester after their first year. This is a fundamental, foundational course that examines the lawyer’s professional role and ethical responsibilities; and analyzes the Model Rules of Professional Conduct. Topics include disclosure and confidentiality, conflicts of interest, fees, advertising, group legal services, corporate counsel, and pro bono representation. The course also introduces students to the Code of Judicial Conduct, and impacts every area of study.
The course is in part designed to prepare you to pass the national Multi-state Professional Responsibility Exam (MPRE), and students should plan to take that exam as soon as possible AFTER they finish the course. The exam is offered in August, November, and March. It is important to note that students must obtain a valid, passing score on the MPRE within 25 months of passing the Florida Bar Examination. Therefore, you should plan accordingly as to when to take the course and the subsequent test. If you finish passing the remainder of the bar exam requirements for Florida Bar Admission (the MBE and Florida Portion of the Exam) after that 25-month period from passing the MPRE will need to sit for the MPRE again. Therefore, you should not plan to take Professional Responsibility and the national exam too early in their studies. If you will be sitting for a bar exam in another jurisdiction must check their local bar rules for the time period in which a passing MPRE score may be obtained.
5. Multistate Bar Exam Lab and Florida Bar Exam Lab:
In the last two semesters of law school, you are required to take the Multistate Bar Exam Lab and Florida Bar Exam Lab for a total of five credits. NSU Law requires two mandatory courses to give you the skills needed to prepare for the bar exam. One course focuses on the subjects tested on the Multistate portion of the bar exam, while the second required course focuses on the subjects tested on the Florida portion of the bar exam. If you are registered to sit for a bar exam in a state other than Florida may be exempt from taking the Florida Bar Exam Lab upon the approval in writing of the Assistant Dean for the Academic Success and Professionalism Program.
MBE Lab (3 Credit) LAW 1831
FBE Lab (2 Credit) LAW 1833
6. Mandatory Service Graduation Requirement
NSU Shepard Broad College of Law’s mission is to ensure that you develop the knowledge, skills, and values that are at the heart of becoming trusted, highly adept, professional lawyers who are respected for serving clients, their communities, and justice. NSU Law is committed to instilling the ethics of pro bono service, community engagement, and public service in its graduates, and as such has instituted a mandatory service requirement for graduation
Each J.D. candidate entering NSU Law in fall 2018 and thereafter is required to perform a minimum of thirty (30) hours of qualifying service as a requirement for graduation. Eligible service options include both legal (pro bono) and non-legal (community) related placements. You may not receive pay nor academic credit for their service. You are required to complete the minimum thirty (30) hours of qualifying service prior to the start of their final semester before being scheduled to graduate. More Information Public Interest Law Center