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  1. 2.1 First-Year Courses: Introduction
    1. 2.1.1 First-Year Part-Time Schedules
  2. 2.2 Second and Third-Year Courses
    1. 2.3.1 Registering for Fall Semester of the First Year
    2. 2.3.2 Registering for Spring Semester of the First Year
    3. 2.3.3 Registering for the Fall Semester of the Second and Third Years
    4. 2.3.4 Wait-Lists & Courses that are “Full”
    5. 2.3.5 Determining if Seats are Still Available
    6. 2.3.6 Second and Third-Year Students in 1L-only Electives
    7. 2.3.7 Registering for the Spring Semester of the Second and Third Years
    8. 2.3.8 Registering for "Consent of Instructor" Courses
    9. 2.3.9 Registering for Clinical Programs
    10. 2.3.10 Summer Law Courses
    11. 2.3.11 Directed Reading & Directed Research
    12. 2.3.12 UW Law Registration while Studying Abroad or Visiting another US Law School
    13. 2.3.13 Registering for Abnormally High Course Loads
  3. 2.3 Registering
  4. 2.4 The Online Course Schedule
  5. 2.5 Non-Law Courses
  6. 2.6 Withdrawing from Law School
  7. 2.7 Auditing a Law School class

  8. 2.8 Retaking a Course

  9. Table of Contents

2.1  First-Year Courses: Introduction

The First-Year Program at the University of Wisconsin Law School is designed to teach the fundamentals of legal analysis and reasoning and to introduce foundational substantive material.

For students matriculating in fall 2023 and thereafter, all full-time students take the same four courses (totaling 15 credits). These courses are:

For students who matriculated prior to fall 2023,  all full-time students took the same four courses (totaling 15 credits) each fall semester. These courses are:

Three of the above courses will normally be taught in a larger lecture format; Legal Research and Writing I will be taught in sections of approximately 20-25 students each. Generally, the students from your Legal Research and Writing I section are also in your larger classes; a side-benefit of the smaller legal writing sections is that it helps you more easily meet your classmates and form study groups. To learn how to register for the first-year fall semester courses discussed above, please follow closely the instructions provided by email from the Law School during the summer prior to your arrival at the Law School. Also, see the UW Registrar's "How To" for Enrollment & Academic Records to learn how to enroll in your courses and for other helpful guides.

For students matriculating in fall 2023 and thereafter, all full-time students in the spring semester take the same four courses (totaling 15 credits). These courses are:

For students who matriculated prior to fall 2023, all full-time students in the spring semester took the following three courses (totaling 11 credits):

Full-time students also took one elective course.  In recent years, first-year electives included:

A student whose weighted average is less than 2.0 (on the 4.3 scale) on completion of the first two semesters is ineligible to continue unless the student petitions the Retentions Committee for permission to continue and the Retentions Committee permits continuation. See Chapter 7 of the Law School Rules.

2.1.1  First-Year Part-Time Schedules

If, because of personal or employment requirements, you need to attend the Law School part-time, you must complete the First-Year Program courses discussed above within two years from the date of matriculation (see Law School Rule 3.02 and Law School Rule 7.06(1)).

It follows that if you take a part-time schedule in the fall semester of your first year, you will have to complete the remaining first-year fall semester courses in the following fall semester. The same is true for the first-year spring semester courses.

If you intend to be part-time at any point while you are completing the First-Year Program, please note the following:

2.2  Second and Third-Year Courses

In your second and third years at the Law School, you will have time to explore the curriculum both to determine your interests and to develop the lawyering skills you will need when you graduate. Although you will need to keep in mind the Juris Doctor (JD) degree requirements and Diploma Privilege requirements (see sections 4.2 and 4.6, respectively), you will be free to choose from a wide range of courses, clinical programs, journals and other credit-earning experiences, such as externships, moot court, mock trial, directed research and directed reading. For helpful information on how to make Law School curricular decisions, view “Planning Your Academic Program.”

If you plan to practice law in a state other than Wisconsin, you will most likely need to take a bar exam after graduation. Many students find that it is useful to consider and plan for the bar exam when selecting second and third-year courses. Students frequently find that they have an easier time studying for the bar exam if they have had some exposure to the bar exam subjects through basic law school courses (for example, Business Organizations I & II, Conflict of Laws, Federal Jurisdiction, Tax, Secured Transactions, and Family Law) and if they have developed strong writing skills. Students who intend to take a bar exam should also be aware that certain courses may be prerequisites to taking some states' bar examinations. Finally, some jurisdictions may limit the number of clinical credits that can be applied toward a law degree. Information about these and other bar admission requirements is available at NCBE.

2.2.1  Second-Year and Third-Year Status

The official distinction between a second and third-year law student is based on the number of completed credits. Once a student has completed 56 credits, that student is viewed by the University as a third-year law student, regardless of how long it has been since the student matriculated (i.e., first enrolled) at the Law School.

As stated above in section 2.1.1 above, any student who has yet to complete the First-Year Program must first consult with the Law School’s Assistant Dean for Student Affairs before registering for any upper-level law course.

2.2.2  Planning Your Second-Year Curriculum

In the spring semester of your first year, you will choose your courses for fall semester of your second year (for a discussion of the registration process for “rising 2Ls,” see 2.3.3 below). As a general matter, in the fall semester of the second year, you should be mindful of courses that are sequential as you begin to think more intentionally about your interests and goals. For example: Trusts & Estates I is a required course for Diploma Privilege and preliminary to advanced estate-planning courses; Business Organizations I and/or Business Organizations II are preliminary to other advanced business law offerings such as  Securities Regulation; Federal Income Taxation (“Tax I”) is a useful preliminary to many course offerings, such as Tax II; Evidence is a required course for Diploma Privilege as well as a prerequisite, e.g., for Trial Advocacy; Constitutional Law II (or an equivalent) is a required Diploma Privilege course and is also useful as a preliminary for many courses and a prerequisite for others.

In addition to being aware of course prerequisites and the sequential aspect of certain courses, it is also necessary to understand which courses are required for the JD degree (see 4.2) and for Diploma Privilege (see 4.6). You should also try to anticipate when you would like to take required and non-required courses (see 2.2.4 below). Thus, you can begin to develop a curricular plan for yourself and continue to implement it in spring semester of your second year and on into your third year.

For more information on course sequencing, view Planning Your Academic Program. This site also contains Curriculum Guides for various areas of law practice.

2.2.3  Planning Your Third-Year Curriculum

Most law students, upon reaching the third year, will still have a few JD degree and Diploma Privilege requirements yet to fulfill. It is a good practice to try to complete these requirements in the fall semester of your third year, or at least leave as few required courses as possible for spring semester of the third year. Doing so will reduce your anxiety over the need to get into a required course in the final semester. It will also allow you greater flexibility in taking non-required courses that interest you.

For more curricular planning information, view Planning Your Academic Program. This site also contains Curriculum Guides for various areas of law practice.

2.2.4  Upper-Level Course Offerings By Semester

For planning purposes, you will find below a basic list of when courses are typically offered, broken down by semester.

The Law School endeavors not to deviate too often from this scheduling regimen, but you need to remember that this list constitutes a prediction, not a promise.

Upper-level courses typically offered in both fall and spring:

Upper-level courses typically offered in fall only:  (Note: some of these courses are only offered in alternate years)

Upper-level courses typically offered in spring only: (Note: some of these courses are only offered in alternate years.)

Some courses taught at the Law School from time to time are not included on the above lists. With such courses—usually smaller, seminar-like courses—it is often difficult to predict if and when they will be offered again. Some courses are offered only every other year or so; sometimes faculty themselves do not know what they intend to teach in the succeeding year. Thus, if a course not listed above (and therefore perhaps irregularly offered) is of particular interest to you and is being offered in an upcoming semester, you might want to consider taking it, if your schedule allows.

For a brief discussion of Clinical Programs, see section 2.3.9 below, as well as Chapter 13 (“13. Clinical and Other Experiential Learning Programs at the Law School"); for a discussion of directed reading/directed research, see section 2.3.11, below.

2.2.5 Curricular Concentrations

The Law School faculty has established Curricular Concentrations in seven areas of studies:

Qualifying students are awarded a certificate reflecting this curricular achievement if they have satisfied the requirements for the concentration upon graduation. View Certificate Programs & Curricular Concentration options.

2.3 Registering

2.3.1  Registering for Fall Semester of the First Year

To learn how to register for the first-year fall semester courses discussed in section 2.1 above, please follow closely the instructions provided by the Law School during the summer prior to your arrival in Madison. If you have trouble, see the UW Registrar's "How To" for Enrollment & Academic Records to learn how to enroll in your courses and for other helpful guides. 

2.3.2  Registering for Spring Semester of the First Year 

Important Note: In early November, first-years may receive an email from the University assigning a registration time for your spring semester courses. Please disregard the registration date on the email, as you will not be able to register until the Law School sets your schedule. As with fall course enrollment, the Law School will let you know about when and how to register for your spring semester courses.

If you have trouble managing the online enrollment system, see the UW Registrar's "How To" for Enrollment & Academic Records to learn how to enroll in your courses and for other helpful guides. 

[First year students matriculating prior to 2023 will select one elective for the spring semester. The one mandatory elective will be taken in addition to the required first-year spring semester courses (discussed above in section 2.1). Students matriculating prior to 2023 will receive a scheduling form by email asking them to indicate their elective preference - in recent years, all students have received their first elective choice.  On this scheduling form, students will also have the opportunity to indicate whether you have any extraordinary scheduling needs. Based on these forms, the Law School will determine second semester schedules and will advise you on when and how to register for your first-year Spring Semester courses.]

2.3.3  Registering for the Fall Semester of the Second and Third Years

In mid-spring, the fall semester schedule for the next academic year will be available on the Courses & Schedules page. (The online course schedule is discussed below in section 2.4). Any new course that may be added subsequent to registration will be announced by email. Prior to registration for the fall semester, all law students will receive an email from the University Registrar (typically in late March or early April) informing them when their earliest registration time will be. Registration for rising 3Ls (that is, 2Ls who will soon become 3Ls) generally commences on a given date in early April.

If you have trouble with the online registration, see the UW Registrar's "How To" for Enrollment & Academic Records to learn how to manage your enrollment and how to use the Course Guide.

A discussion of how to register for “Consent of Instructor” courses and Clinical Programs follows below in section 2.3.8 and section 2.3.9, respectively.

2.3.4  Wait Lists & Courses that are “Full”

The number of students who can enroll in a particular course is governed by two factors:

  1. The classroom’s seating capacity, and/or
  2. Any particular enrollment cap requested by the instructor.

The Law School creates wait lists for courses that it believes will be particularly popular. If a course is full for either reason when a student attempts to register, and a wait list has been enabled, then a student may put his or her name on the wait list for the course. For more information, view the UW Registrar's KB Article on Wait Lists.

The Law School monitors enrollment in courses with wait lists on a daily basis, and if and when a seat becomes available, if you are first on the wait list you will receive an email message from the Academic Advisor notifying you that you have 48 hours to enroll in the course. If you do not register for the class within the 48 hour period, we delete your name from the wait list and offer the seat to the next student on the wait list.

If an open-enrollment course (i.e., one that does not require consent of instructor) that does not have a wait list becomes full, the best way to get into it is to continue to try to register for the course. As students add and drop courses, seats will often become available. Persistence frequently pays off!

Of course, an instructor whose course is “consent of instructor” (see section 2.3.8 below) may certainly add interested students to the list of those the instructor has already approved for the course (as long as there are enough seats in the classroom). This is possible because it is the faculty member who is effectively controlling the enrollment. Similarly, an instructor whose class is full because of an instructor-set enrollment limit can ask the Law School to lift the enrollment cap (again, as long as there are enough seats in the classroom) to let in more students.

2.3.5  Determining if Seats are Still Available

To determine if seats are still available in certain courses, go to the enrollment module on your My UW page, select the "class search" function, select the department ("Law"), then select "show open courses."

2.3.6  Second-Year and Third-Year Students in 1L-only Electives

Students with 2L or 3L standing may not take courses that are identified as 1L-only electives. In the spring term there may be special sections of certain courses available for 1Ls only to take as electives. These courses are specifically designed and offered for the first-year law students. These are not open-enrollment sections; 2Ls and 3Ls may not register for them.

2.3.7  Registering for the Spring Semester of the Second and Third Years

In mid-to-late fall, the spring semester schedule for the next academic year will be available on the Courses & Schedules page. (The online course schedule is discussed below in section 2.4). All law students will receive an email from the University Registrar (typically in early November) informing them when their earliest registration time will be. Any new course that may be added subsequent to registration will be announced by email.

Registration for 3Ls generally commences on a given date in mid-November. Important Note: Any 3L who does not register on that precise date will be competing for courses with the 2Ls, whose registration generally begins one day after that of the 3Ls. Registration for 2Ls, likewise, typically commences one day after the 3L registration on a date in mid-November. Just as in the case of registering for the fall semester, it is in your best interest to register for courses at your earliest available opportunity. Similarly, as with the fall semester, do NOT register for courses whose times overlap. Instructors are free to forbid students from leaving class early or arriving late in order to attend overlapping courses; moreover, overlapping courses sometimes have conflicting final exam times and an exam rescheduling accommodation will not be granted on the grounds that a student has two final exams at the same time.

A discussion of how to register for “Consent of Instructor” courses and Clinical Programs follows below at section 2.3.8 and section 2.3.9, respectively.

2.3.8  Registering for "Consent of Instructor" Courses

The online course schedule (see section 2.4 below) will indicate which courses require "Consent of Instructor" in the Notes column. If you want to take one or more of these courses, contact the instructor(s) concerned. Instructors offering "consent" courses will create a list of approved students and forward it to Law School Academic Affairs staff.  Approved students will be contacted by email and informed that they may register for the course. The process will normally take a few days, depending on how quickly the faculty member produces the list.

2.3.9  Registering for Clinical Programs

Students interested in any clinical program must apply to that program by contacting the clinical supervisor. Clinical courses are not open-enrollment courses; rather, they are the functional equivalent of “Consent of Instructor” courses —that is, you will need the permission of the clinical supervisor in order to register.

After Law School Academic Affairs staff receive a clinical supervisor’s list of approved students, students will be contacted by email and informed that they may register for the clinical.

Students should be aware, when determining how many credits to take in a particular clinical, that Law School Rule 3.14 mandates that a student should work “no less than 45 hours per semester” for each credit earned. Also, please note that students are not free to “construct their own” clinical program or receive academic credit for any internship or externship that has not been approved by the Law School.

Note, however, that students can apply to set up and receive academic credit for a broad array of externship opportunities. See section 13.3 ("Externships").

2.3.10  Summer Law Courses

Each summer a few courses from the law curriculum may be offered. The courses offered depend on faculty availability in any given summer, although typically required courses (both for the JD degree and for Diploma Privilege) are offered. Courses that form part of the first-year program are not offered during the summer.

Additional Note: It may be technically possible for a full-time student starting in September to complete degree requirements by August two years later (i.e., precisely 24 months later--and no earlier); this would entail taking, after the first year, approximately 18 credits in each of the 2L semesters, plus approximately 22 summer credits over two summers. Be advised, however, that:

  1. Sufficient variation in summer course offerings in subsequent summers is not guaranteed; and
  2. Completing JD degree work in 24 months is difficult and not necessarily advisable for most students

2.3.11  Directed Reading & Directed Research

Directed reading and directed research are governed by Law School Rule 3.13. Note that no more than eight credits of directed reading and six credits of directed research can be applied to the 90 credits required for the JD degree. Letter grades are not authorized for directed research or directed reading; grading will be simply “satisfactory/unsatisfactory.”

Directed research will result in the production of a research paper; a student’s directed reading will be tested by some form of written work. To register, you must find a faculty member who will agree to supervise your work, obtain and complete a Directed Reading or Directed Research form (available at Forms for Current UW Law Students), obtain the supervising faculty's signature, and return the form to academicaffairs@law.wisc.edu or Room 5110A.

2.3.12  UW Law Registration while Studying Abroad or Visiting another US Law School

Preliminary note: UW Law students who will be studying abroad should see generally Chapter 12 (“Dual Degrees, Study Abroad, and Certificate Programs”), as well as section 9.5.1. Law students who will be visiting at another US law school should also see section 10.2.

UW Law students who are not in their last semester of law studies and who are currently studying abroad or visiting at another US law school may face special difficulties in registering for their return semester at the UW Law School. If you are on a UW-Madison approved study abroad program, you may still be technically enrolled in the Law School in the current semester and thus eligible to web-enroll for the following semester (and may have a registration time assigned by the University Registrar). If you are able to web-enroll, you should do so at the appointed time. 

If your study abroad or visiting-student status means you are not able to web-enroll for the following semester at the same time as your classmates, you may contact the Academic Advisor in advance of the date your classmates can first register; on the registration date itself, they will attempt to “reserve” seats (if available) for you in your preferred classes until such time as you can web-enroll (which is typically after you have submitted a “Re-entry Form”). Note that this service is provided merely as a courtesy to students studying abroad/visiting elsewhere who are without the ability to web-enroll; such students are not guaranteed seats in their preferred classes and seats will not be set aside in advance.

2.3.13  Registering for Abnormally High Course Loads

Students are prohibited, by American Bar Association (ABA) rules, from taking more than 18 credits per term. (See ABA Standard for Approval of Law Schools 311(c)). For more information, see “Credit Limitations” at section 4.3 infra. (Note that Law School Rule 3.09, which states that the applicable limit is 19 credits, pre-dates the ABA's limitation; the University’s registration technology has the limit set at 18 credits as discussed above).

Students who have questions concerning their credit-load or related concerns should see the Academic Advisor.

2.4  The Online Course Schedule

An online course schedule for current and, at times, prospective semesters is available through the Courses & Schedules page. In viewing the online schedule, you will note that it is divided into a number of columns. The purpose of some of these columns is self-evident; however, a few (listed below) merit some elaboration.

2.5  Non-Law Courses

Of the 90 credits required for the JD degree, law students are allowed to apply up to six credits of graduate level or foreign language course work completed at other schools at the University (Law School Rule 3.08). Before any non-law credits can be applied toward the JD degree, however, the requirements of Law School Rule 3.08 must be strictly observed, with the single exception that language courses (the only undergraduate courses allowed under the rule) need not necessarily be “conversational Spanish.” Study of other languages within the University will also be acceptable. Note that Rule 3.08(1)(d) requires a “B” or better (on the University’s 4.0 scale) for the credit to be counted toward the JD degree. Grades of BC (campus grading scale) or lower do not qualify.

Grades earned in non-law courses do not factor into one’s Law School 4.3-scale GPA. Non-law courses do not count toward the 64-credit rule or the 60-credit rule for diploma privilege.

To take a non-law course for Law School credit, complete and submit the Permission To Take a Graduate Level Non-Law Academic Course for Law Credit form that may be found on the Forms for Current Students page.

Note: Among other non-qualifying courses, "enrichment courses" (such as ballroom dance, yoga, golf, etc.) will not count toward the 90 credits needed for the JD degree.

2.6  Withdrawing from Law School

If you are cancelling your enrollment or plan to withdraw from Law School, either temporarily or permanently, please contact the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs. Find more information on the deadlines for withdrawals on the UW-Madison Registrar's page.

2.7  Auditing a Law School Class

UW Law students are not permitted to formally audit law courses. (A formal audit involves enrolling in a course on an audit basis; the course appears on the transcript.) Law School policy prohibits matriculated students from enrolling in law courses on an audit basis. However, students wishing to "sit in" on a course (that is, informally 'audit' a course) may, in all courses except first-year courses, seek the instructor's permission to do so. Informal auditors do not take examinations or receive course credit, and are expected to comply with any participation/attendance ground-rules set by the instructor agreeing to the informal audit arrangement.

2.8  Retaking a Course

Retaking a course is considered in the Law School Rules as rewriting an examination. See Section 7.4, Law School Rule 6.04, Law School Rule 6.05 and Law School Rule 6.09 for specific information.

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