A law degree can help improve your employment prospects later on down the road. You can become a lawyer defending clients in court or pursue a career in academia. Law schools often require that applicants hold a college degree and pass the Law School Admission Test, or LSAT. Candidates must also take specific courses, including contracts and the common law.

Introduction to Law

This course gives students the social context that gave rise to laws. It touches on biblical and historical foundations of the common law. Students familiarize themselves with legal terminology, basic legal analysis and core concepts of counseling.

Torts

A tort is any wrongdoing for which a person may bring an action for damages. If you take this type of course, you learn about legal remedies the U.S. Congress put into place to ease the moral or financial pain of people who suffer damages.

Criminal Law

As a law student, you study criminal law and procedures necessary to collect and present criminal evidence in court. Also called penal law, this legal discipline deals with crimes and their punishment.

Contracts

If you plan to study law, academic programs usually require that you take courses about contracts and understand their importance in the business environment. Contracts are binding agreements — enforceable in a court of law — between two or more persons or organizations.

Legal Research and Writing

This course teaches students the art of legal evidence-seeking, which combines detail orientation with analytical dexterity, among other skills. Students also learn how to write effective, focused legal briefs.

Business Organizations

If you take a legal course about business organizations, you learn how companies operate in modern-day economies, as well as laws and regulations to which they must conform. This course also teaches you how to form and dissolve a company.

Securities Law

Securities law deals with the rights and duties of investment-product issuers. A security is a financial product sold on a physical or electronic exchange. Examples include stocks and bonds.

Evidence

This course instructs future attorneys on specific criteria that judges consider before admitting or excluding testimonial or documentary evidence in civil or criminal cases. For example, judges check a piece of evidence to make sure it's sufficient and relevant, depending on the case.

Uniform Commercial Code

Also called UCC, the Uniform Commercial Code is legislation that all states adopted to simplify and modernize consumer credit laws. The code also protects consumers against unfair practices and oversees commercial transactions in the United States.

Professional Responsibility

This course draws students' attention to the demands of an attorney job, as well as what it takes to execute legal tasks satisfactorily. It also elaborates on the responsibilities of advocates, mediators and counselors.