Overview

During the first year, evening students earn 19 credit and attend classes on four evenings. Classes meet from 5:45 p.m. until 7:45 p.m. on two or three evenings and until 8:50 p.m. on the other evening(s). First-year classes are not scheduled on Friday evenings.

Curriculum

Students in our evening section, like four of our five full-time sections, are instructed under “Curriculum A”, the traditional first-year curriculum which parallels those at all major law schools.

The first-year classroom instruction is complemented by “1L 101”, a series of programs led by faculty and administrators on topics including reading and briefing cases, synthesizing the material, and preparing for exams. These programs are offered in both afternoon and evening times.

First-Year Courses

In the first year, evening students take Civil Procedure, Constitutional Law I: The Federal System, Contracts, Legal Practice: Writing and Analysis, and Torts. In addition to this required program of 19 credits, they may take up to 4 additional credits from the following:

• 1 credit for the elective Week One course (an optional simulation course which takes place in early January)
• 3 credits for a course designated as meeting the first-year elective requirement
• 4 credits for a day section of Criminal Justice or Property

In their upperclass years, evening students take the remaining first-year courses (Criminal Justice, Property, and a course designated as meeting the First-Year Elective requirement). For course descriptions and the current schedule, see the first-year schedules in our Curriculum Guide.

Week One Simulations

All first-year students have the opportunity to request a seat in the optional one-week, 1-credit course “First-Year Week One Simulations,” which meets in January. In these Week One courses, students engage in scenarios that have been developed by Georgetown Law faculty to mirror situations that lawyers face in the real world, allowing students to practice critical legal skills such as conflict resolution, trial skills, interviewing, client counseling, legal document drafting, strategic planning, problem solving, teambuilding, stress management, presentation skills, professionalism, and emotional intelligence. Simulation courses are structured to permit for mistakes and provide opportunities for immediate feedback and reflection, giving students the supportive space to hone these legal skills before they need to rely on them in practice. For first-year students, the Week One courses are not only an introduction to experiential learning and the Law Center’s experiential education programming, but a first-hand view into lawyering competencies and law in practice.