Academic Success Course Information

University of Arizona Law, courses are part of the overarching Academic and Bar Success curriculum that starts with Preparing to Practice in the first year of law school. Use this document to see the graduation checklist.

After your first year, these courses are designed to supplement your academic success skills and prepare you for success on the bar exam. The courses are not designed to be remedial, but to provide you with easy access to the tools you need to be successful, while giving you credit for the time spent on developing skills that you may not otherwise prioritize.

 

LAW 679(A) Professional Skills & Knowledge

ASYNCHRONOUS ONLINE, Professor Jessica Findley

679A is intended to be offered each semester with rotating subjects.

 

LAW 679(A) | 1 Credit | Pass/Fail Grading

This course will prepare students for success on the bar exam by developing metacognitive strategies, bar exam writing and multiple-choice skills while reviewing MBE topics in the context of the UBE and other bar exams. Engaging in review of MBE topics in anticipation of the bar exam should help to reduce overwhelm and stress at bar exam time while taking advantage of learning science and spaced repetition. This course rotates the use of MBE topics each semester. Students can take this course for up to four credits over the course of several semesters. This course is distinct from LAW 698(A) required for February bar takers.

 

Full-term vs. 7 Weeks Option:

Whether you take the full-term course, or the 7-week courses is personal. If you take the two 7-week classes, it amounts to two credits, whereas the full term is 1. Technically, you could take it for 3 units in one semester. It's up to you and what subjects you want to review/how much time you want to dedicate. Expect to spend 3 hours per week in the full-term course and 6 hours per week for the 7-week courses.

 

Question:

I am taking your semester long Pre-Bar class, and was told that it was two credit hours. It is only showing up as one in UAccess. I am trying to finalize my spring schedule, so was just curious about the credit hours?

This class is only 1 credit. However, if you would like to take 2 credits, there are three sections so you can take two of them. The registration is a little messed up this semester, we are going to renumber the sections, so just let me know which classes you want to take and I will make sure you get enrolled properly.

  1. Full term (1-credit)- Contracts/Property MPT

  2. 1st 7 weeks (1-credit)- Evidence

  3. 2nd 7 weeks (1-credit)- Con Law

 

Reviews

"The course gives you a great taste of how the bar is going to work. You get to simulate portions of the bar and get a low-stress but focused introduction to what your summer after graduation will be like and most importantly, what it will be like to sit at the bar exam. More than just "learning the bar," you'll learn study strategies and understand where strengths and weaknesses are. It was a million times easier to start the 8-week timer on bar prep knowing I'd already learned what I was supposed to be doing months in advance!"

-Brian Fullmer, Class of 2020, First-time bar passer; Completed LAW679A PROFESSIONAL SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE, Spring 2020.

 

"The program helped me map out exactly how to best focus my energy and time when bar prep started. The course taught us skills to coach ourselves through the bar prep process towards success. Most importantly, I think the class gave me confidence that I knew what my next steps needed to be and that if I followed my plan that I could pass. Despite a family emergency the week before, I was able to pass, and the Professional Skills and Knowledge course played a huge part in making that possible."

-Lori Bable, Class of 2019, First-time Bar Passer; Completed LAW679A PROFESSIONAL SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE, Fall 2019.

 

LAW 679(C) Legal Analysis

Tuesdays 3:00-4:50, Professor Chris Gast

LAW 679(C) | 2 Credits | Pass/Fail Grading

RESTRICTED TO SECOND-YEAR STUDENTS

This course is designed to help students build strategies for success in classes and the bar exam. The course helps students transfer skills learned in the first year to understand and master bar exam essay writing, learning strategy, study techniques, and analytical skills. Students will complete multiple-choice questions, performance tests, and other test-taking strategies.

 

Reviews

"I highly recommend this course regardless of your class ranking. Bar essay time limits seem to ensure that even the most proficient issue spotter, CREAC master will "run out of time." This course taught me how to strategize and prioritize my legal analysis under these unreasonable time constraints. More importantly, I learned techniques to help ensure that the way I study the bar subjects will give my essay writing a head start, for any topic."

-Nancy Sjostrom, Class of 2021; Completed LAW679(C) LEGAL ANALYSIS, Spring 2020.

 

"I took 679C this semester and it was almost the best class of law school. I am able to apply what I learned with Professor Gast to all other law classes with the possible exception of legal writing."

-Omar Gramse, Class of 2021; Completed LAW679(C) LEGAL ANALYSIS, Fall 2020.

 

Recommended Upper-Level Courses

  • Advanced Legal Writing, LAW 653A
  • Bus Orgs, LAW 616
  • Trusts & Estates, LAW 619
  • Criminal Law, LAW 650
  • UCC Sales, LAW 633A
  • UCC Secured Transactions, LAW 633C
  • Contract Drafting, LAW 654D
  • Pretrial Litigation, LAW 668
  • Family Law, LAW 612
  • Community Property, LAW 639
  • Con Law II, Law 615
  • First Amendment, LAW 655K
  • Freedom of Speech and Expression, LAW 615B
  • Equal Protection, LAW 615D