Skip to Main Content

J.D. Course Selection FAQ

URL: https://libguides.law.ucla.edu/JDCourseSelection

a. What bar classes should I take?

You are not required to take any specific amount of bar classes to graduate from law school, but it’s a good idea to take some. We recommend taking at least three or four bar courses, but that decision is completely up to you. Some students take as many as possible, other students take only a few. Some students prefer to take one bar class each semester, while others prefer to take more bar classes during their final year of law school.

Determine in which state you’re going to take the bar exam and check the topics that are tested:

  • California: In addition to all first-year doctrinal courses (Torts, Contracts, etc.), the topics tested on the California Bar Exam are Business Associations, California Civil Procedure, Community Property, Evidence (Federal and California), Criminal Procedure, Constitutional Law II, Professional Responsibility, Remedies, and Wills and Trusts.

We recommend that you DO NOT take Evidence and Business Associations in the same semester since they are both big, broad subjects. Most students take them during different semesters. Both courses are offered every semester, although you may want to take either class in your 2L year if they fulfill prerequisites that you will need for other classes later.