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- The degree of Doctor of Law (J.D.) will be conferred upon all candidates who have complied with the following conditions:
- The candidate, in the judgment of the faculty, possesses satisfactory legal attainments.
- The
candidate has completed courses totaling not less than 90 credits,
including all the required courses, with a weighted final average of
not less than 77 (on the 65-95 scale) or 2.0 (on the 4.3 scale).
For purposes of this section and for students who commenced law studies
prior to 2005, a student's final average is based upon all the courses
for which the student has received final numerical grades at this Law
School, including grades recorded in accordance with Rule 4.03. For
purposes of this section and for students who commenced law studies in
2005 and thereafter, a student's final average is based upon all the
courses for which the student has received final letter grades at this
Law School on the 4.3 scale.
- The candidate has completed a course of study in residence of not less than 1200 class hours extending over a period of not less than 90 weeks. The residence shall include at least five regular semesters in an accredited law school in which the student earns a minimum of 10 credits per semester. A minimum of 50 credits must be earned as a J.D. candidate in this Law School for a student to be entitled to receive a J.D. from Wisconsin.
- The following presumptions apply in administering the residence requirements of this section:
- Each credit earned is the equivalent of 16 hours in residence.
- Each semester is the equivalent of 16 weeks of residence, provided the student satisfactorily completes not less than 10 credits in that semester. If fewer than 10 credits are earned in a semester, proportionate residence will be allowed.
- In summer sessions, residence is earned in accordance with the stated length of the term if the student satisfactorily completes not less than the following number of credits: 2 credits in the 3-week Inter-session, 3 credits in a 4-week or 5-week session; 6 credits in an 8-week or 10-week session. Proportionate residence will be allowed for completion of fewer credits.
- With the prior approval of the Dean, students may be granted up to 30 credits toward the Wisconsin J.D. degree for work done at another ABA accredited law school. Advanced standing credits granted by the Dean to students transferring from another law school count against the 30 credits allowed by this section (so that a student transferring to Wisconsin from another law school who is granted 30 or more credits of advanced standing has no further right to credits from another law school). In granting or denying requests for credit, the Dean shall consider the reasons the student wishes to earn credits at the other law school, the number of credits requested, the number of non-Wisconsin credits already approved, the quality of the student's program at the other law school, and the student's academic record at this Law School.
9.02 Bar Admission Certificate.
For the purpose
of admission to the Wisconsin Bar, the Dean will issue a Certification
of Completion of the Required Courses to the holder of a law degree
from the University of Wisconsin who has satisfactorily completed
the requirements for admission to the bar under the diploma privilege.
