Academic Success Requirements

After 1L Spring Semester: Students in approximately the bottom 10% of their class at the end of 1L year will be required, during their 2L fall semester, to:

  • Enroll in LAW 6901 Legal Method

Students in approximately the bottom 20% of their class at the end of 1L year will be required, by graduation, to:

  • Enroll in one bar exam skills course and two bar substantive law courses.

Bar Exam Skills Courses

  • LAW 6902 Core Writing Skills and Concepts (3L Spring)- Recommended for UBE takers (not VBE)
  • LAW 6903 Clear and Concise Essay Writing: Virginia Law Topics- Recommended for Virginia Bar Exam takers (not Uniform Bar Exam takers)
  • LAW 6904 Core Multiple Choice Skills and Concepts (3L Fall)- Recommended for all students

​Bar Exam Substantive Law Courses

  • LAW 7015 Virginia Law and Procedure (3L Spring)- Recommended for VBE takers (not UBE)
  • LAW 7103 Business Associations- Recommended for UBE takers (not VBE)
  • LAW 7356 Criminal Procedure: Investigation- Recommended for all students
  • LAW 7376 Family Law- Recommended for all students
  • LAW 7378 Decedents' Estates and Trusts- Recommended for VBE takers (not UBE)

​Advising Note
Students who anticipate taking a state-specific bar exam (VA, CA, DE, FL, GA, LA, NV, or WI) should schedule a meeting with the Director of Academic Excellence and the Director of Bar Success to create an individualized bar preparation plan.

Students who anticipate taking the Virginia Bar Exam are highly encouraged, but not required, to take:

  • LAW 7201 Sales
  • LAW 7202 Secured Transactions

(updated 3/12/2026)