选择高级课程

After the required courses in the first year, 你有很大的自由选择更高水平的课程和活动，帮助你实现你的个人和职业目标. 这是一个探索课程的绝佳机会，既可以确定你的兴趣，又可以发展必要的实质性知识和律师技能. 下面的信息是为了帮助你创建一个连贯的学术项目.

As you will see, it will be helpful to plan ahead. 有些课程是专业课程或诊所的先决条件，你应该早点上. Some courses are offered either every other semester or every other year, while others are offered every semester. Other courses may be offered during the summer. 通过提前想清楚, 你可以最大限度地利用你的机会来定制你的法学院经历，为你的客户和社区做好准备.

选择高级课程没有精确的规则——你会发现你的教授, 导师, and classmates will disagree about what considerations are the most important. 这里有一些因素，你可以综合使用，以帮助你确定你的学术经历的更广泛的轮廓.

Choose basic courses that provide a broad education, 帮助你确定你的兴趣, and prepare you for advanced courses.

A broad understanding of the law is essential to practice, 接受法律教育是很重要的，它能向你介绍构成我们法律体系的法律概念. Clients will have concerns that are not confined to a single legal subject, and competent lawyers must recognize issues that are outside their specialties. 超出必修课程, 有许多课程是你全面理解法律的重要基石.

构建模块课程可以大致分为以下几个方面:(1)商业, 企业 and 商业; (2) Family Rights and Relationships; (3) U.S. Legal Institutions and Government Regulation; (4) Legal Processes; (5) Comparative and 国际 Law; and (6) Perspectives. In choosing electives, think about taking courses from each of these basic areas. 列出的课程只是示例-请务必调查完整的课程列表以获得可用的选项. You will also notice that there are courses that fit into more than one category.

业务, 公司法和商法:合同法和财产法是商法和商法学习的基础课程. 在上层, this group starts off with 业务 Enterprise, the fundamental overview of the state and federal law of business organizations. Take this course as soon as you are able, preferably in your second year. 除了, you should consider taking courses in commercial law (Sales, 支付系统, 及担保交易), Real Property (房地产 Transactions), 税务(所得税), 企业税收), 反托拉斯法, 知识产权, 破产(债权).

Family Rights and Relationships: Individuals and families are also important in the U.S. 法律体系. 一些法学院的基础课程提供了关于他们的权利和责任的信息, including issues of wealth distribution. 这些课程包括信托 & Estates, 家庭法, and Texas Matrimonial Property. Taxation issues affect individuals as well.

U.S. Legal Institutions and Government Regulation: As an attorney, you need to understand the fundamentals of how the 法律体系 works. 这需要理解美国是如何做到的.S. 宪法的结构，以及政府的基本组成部分如何相互作用，以及如何与其他个人和实体互动. You begin your study of this subject in the required Constitutional Law courses. Other courses in this group include: Administrative Law, 立法, 联邦法院, 移民法, 环境法律, 就业歧视, 民权法, 卫生法律, and Constitutional 刑事 Procedure.

法律程序:律师还应该熟悉我们的法律体系解决纠纷和执行法律规范的手段. You begin this process by taking the required first year courses in Civil Procedure. 该领域的选修课可以提供对诉讼程序和机构(德克萨斯州程序)更复杂的理解, 复杂的诉讼, 证据, 联邦法院, 及国际诉讼 & Arbitration) and alternative systems for resolving disputes.

比较法和国际法:跨境和条约问题出现在许多实践领域, particularly in a border state like Texas. 一个训练有素的律师应该熟悉国际法的基本原则(包括公法和私法)。, 比较法的方法论, the mechanism of effective dispute resolution in an international setting, 国际和区域组织在全球经济环境中的作用以及在法律实践的各个领域中出现的国际问题的方式, in economic development and in legal reform. 该组的基础课程包括:国际法、比较法I、国际诉讼 & 仲裁，国际经济法，法律冲突，国际人权.

观点:一个受过良好训练的律师博览群书，对法律运作的更广泛的社会背景有了解. Courses in this group attempt to provide this context. Such courses include: Legal History; Critical Race Theory; Jurisprudence; 比较法; Economic Analysis of Law; Law & Science; Theories of Legal Interpretation; Women and the Law.

Choose a concentration of courses in one or more areas of law.

你可能想要在你特别感兴趣的领域发展更深入的知识，你想在实践中专攻. Advanced courses teach advanced skills and deal with complex problems that aren’t taught in survey courses; this can make these classes particularly interesting and intellectually challenging. The next section of this guide describes academic components of some areas of expertise. Beware, however, of excessive specialization. Even specialists need to be familiar with a full range of legal issues, and the law will continue to change over time. It is impossible to foresee the changing patterns in the job market, and too much focus can limit your career flexibility.

Identify skills that you want to improve.

另一种选择课程的方法是确定你在法律实践中需要的技能. 实体法不断变化，但你学到的技能将持续你的整个职业生涯. Skills can be developed in courses that simulate legal practice (Trial Advocacy), in clinical experiences with real clients (Civil Clinic, 儿童权益诊所, 刑事诊所, 商标的诊所, 专利的诊所, 税收诊所, 小企业诊所), 在校外实习期, 并在公共服务或其他志愿者的经验-结合学习和社区服务. Consider courses that provide a wide range of practice skills such as advocacy, 客户咨询服务, 书面及口头沟通, 起草, 谈判, 中介, 以及法律研究.

Choose courses required for graduation and that will help you pass the bar examination. 

记住,, 即使在第一年之后, there are requirements for graduation; plan them into your remaining semesters. 参加多少律师资格考试的问题因学生而异，这在很大程度上取决于你通过律师资格考试课程快速学习大量信息的能力, 你对考试的适应程度, 还有一些个人因素. For some students, bar preparation should be a smaller factor in selecting courses. 另一方面, 如果你在法学院期间接触过一些材料，你可以更有信心地应对律师资格考试. 除了, 那些在法学院考试中成绩低于平均水平的学生会发现，参加律师学科的基础课程对他们在这些领域打下坚实的基础是有益的. 这段时间可以很好地利用, as many bar exam topics are fundamental components of the general practice of law. 学生 whose Grade Point Averages are 2.7 or less must consult with the Assistant Dean for 学生事务 before registration, 他可能会要求这些学生在德克萨斯州律师考试中学习多达三门课程. 了解更多 about law school courses that cover bar exam-related material. 

Develop an academic relationship with a faculty member through coursework.

考虑利用你的一些课程来帮助你与一个或多个老师建立关系，他们会了解你和你的工作, 我能给你建议吗, and can give you meaningful recommendations. You can get to know faculty by being an active participant in and outside of class, enrolling in smaller more specialized courses and seminars, visiting professors during office hours, or writing a directed research paper under a professor’s supervision.

If you design your curriculum with these principles in mind, in combination with your required courses, you should have a fairly rich and structured legal education. 你应该明智地利用你在法学院的时间，以获得尽可能复杂的法律主题，以便培养你最终在法律学位中所需要的技能和信息.