OUR INNOVATIVE J.D. PROGRAM

Training the 21st Century Lawyer

Professor Newman teaches a course at Texas A&M LawThe 21st century lawyer has to do more than just try cases in court. You’ll need the ability to negotiate agreements, draft contracts, craft settlements and mediate disputes. At Texas A&M University School of Law, we’ve got you covered. Our innovative J.D. program emphasizes the importance of real-world legal skills that will fully prepare you for all aspects of a global career.

Take the first step toward discovering your passion for the law. Learn more about our innovative program below.

First Year: Building a Solid Foundation

In addition to the core 1L courses required by most law schools, we offer three innovative support programs to give you a solid foundation for your 2L and 3L years and beyond.

  • We assign you a student mentor. An upper-class student will show you the ropes and help you navigate your first year of law school.


  • We give you access to our Professionalism and Leadership Program, which includes opportunities to:

    • attend a Professionalism Retreat with experienced lawyers and judges discussing the ethical and service dimensions of being a lawyer;
    • work with drama coaches to ensure your speaking skills are engaging and persuasive;
    • attend workshops on effective interviewing, networking and communicating; and
    • join the law school’s Toastmasters Club and practice public speaking in a non-threatening environment with supportive feedback.

Second Year: A Flexible Curriculum for Developing Advanced Skills

The 2L year offers you choices. You can pursue a broad legal education, or you can concentrate on particular areas of interest. Either way, you’ll develop advanced skills such as client counseling, negotiation and mediation. Here are some of your options.

  • Pursue a general course of study, or follow any of our three paths to success, which train you to be a business lawyer, a regulatory lawyer or an expert in litigation and dispute resolution.

  • Concentrate on a particular practice area with a curriculum tailored to focus on your interests, or obtain one of our many concentrations.

  • Participate in our award-winning Advocacy Program. Develop litigation skills in moot court and mock trial competitions, or learn to negotiate agreements and mediate or arbitrate disputes on one of our alternative dispute resolution teams.

  • Take one of our many innovative alternative dispute resolution courses. Examples include our Labor Negotiations Workshop and The Business Negotiator, where you will use simulated role-playing exercises to hone your negotiation skills.

  • Improve your writing and learn to draft legal documents in upper-level courses like Contract Drafting and Family Law Drafting.

Third Year: The Capstone Experience – Putting Your Skills into Practice

In the 3L year, you’ll put your knowledge and skills to use representing both real and simulated clients. Here are some of the opportunities you can choose from. 

  • Represent real clients in matters ranging from family law and estate planning to intellectual property, employment and business in one of our many clinics.

  • Work on real cases supervised by judges, practicing lawyers​ or policy-makers in one of our Externship Programs.

  • Provide much-needed legal services to underserved communities through our Equal Justice Program, where you will represent actual clients.

  • Participate in Startup Aggieland and advise student entrepreneurs on legal issues associated with starting up a new business through our Center for Law and Intellectual Property.

  • Represent simulated clients and draft the legal documents that serve their needs in capstone courses like How the Deals Get Done and Estate Planning & Drafting.