Because the law is changing rapidly, and because a majority of lawyers will change jobs and careers over time, today’s law student needs both the skills and the knowledge necessary for lifelong learning and professional development. You will get both at SIU. With a wide range of courses from which to choose, students at the School of Law enjoy a number of opportunities to achieve the proper balance in their legal education.

For a list of courses available at the School of Law, click here.

To view the first-year class schedule as well as the schedule for second and third year law students, click here.

While most law schools offer a conventional course in Legal Research and Writing in the first year, SIU is part of a small group of standard setting and forward-looking law schools which train first-year students in a wide range of skills required for legal practice. In the Lawyering Skills Program, first-year students learn about legal analysis and reasoning, legal writing, legal research, client interviewing, client counseling, advocacy, and negotiation.

In addition to the development of excellent individual skills, students also learn to work cooperatively in teams. The feature that sets SIU’s approach to skills-based learning apart, however, is its understanding of the complex interrelationships between legal doctrine, legal theory, and legal skills.

Did you know?

 In 2005, the Lawyering Skills Program was ranked 16th in the nation among legal writing programs by U.S. News and World Report.

Interdisciplinary study is an important part of SIU School of Law’s role as a graduate school, and interprofessional work is equally important in its role as a professional school. Our faculty is involved in nationally recognized interdisciplinary research. Courses in such fields as health law, environmental law, and international law draw upon the intersection between law and other disciplines. Recognizing the increasing complexity of the law, SIU also offers a variety of concurrent degree programs that allow students to receive M.D., Ph.D., or Masters degrees while also pursuing a law degree. Students are able to pursue the Master of Laws (LL.M) program.