Regardless of your career plans, success in law school is the foundation on which your future will be built. The Academic Support Program helps you to develop the critical skills necessary to become an effective law student, and ultimately, a top-flight lawyer.
COURSE-BASED ACADEMIC SUPPORT
The School of Law is committed to student success. To that end, day students whose cumulative GPAs are below 2.80 after the completion of their second semester will be required to take in their third semester a designated course (LAW 615 Rules and Reasoning) that focuses on legal analysis and writing in connection with a specific doctrinal subject. It is fully intended that such students will be required to take the designated course in their third semester; however, the School of Law reserves the right to require that some students take the course in their fourth semester instead, should this be necessary in light of available spaces in the third semester offerings of the course. Evening students whose cumulative GPAs are below 2.80 after the completion of their second semester will be required to take in their fourth semester a designated course that focuses on legal analysis and writing in connection with a specific doctrinal subject.
SERVICES OFFERED
Skills Workshops: Workshops offered during Continuing Orientation and throughout the year address such topics as reading and briefing cases, outlining, multiple-choice test taking, and essay exam writing. Additional topics pertaining to life as a law student are also offered.
Asynchronous Lecture Series: Students can view interactive asynchronous lectures on a variety of topics related to academic success: case reading and briefing; notetaking and post-class review; participating in a Socratic classroom; writing a legal analysis; etc. Lectures will be uploaded to the ASP Sakai site throughout the 2021-2022 academic year.
One-on-one meetings: Individual meetings enable students to gain insights into their academic strengths and weaknesses as well as explore in confidence in a non-judgmental setting any concerns that may be affecting learning.
Schedule a meeting here.
Feedback on Practice Exams
The Academic Support Program can substantively critique written responses to practice problems offered in class or provided to students by this office. An assessment of test preparation methods can also be done.
Schedule a meeting here.
Peer Support: The Law Scholar Program
Working with faculty, upper-level law students with proven academic skills assist students in first-year foundational courses by working through legal problems, passing along insights regarding coursework and improving study habits. Law Scholar sessions are offered weekly and are open to every first-year student.
Current list and schedule of weekly sessions.
RESOURCE LIBRARY & LAW LIBRARY
We have supplemental materials for inspiration and enlightenment, including books on exam performance and balancing life and legal studies, as well as commercial supplements like study aids and sample exam questions. The materials cover first-year and upper-level courses. The Academic Support Resource Library, located on the 5th floor near Room 544, is available to any current law student. A few of the materials currently on the shelves are Examples & Explanations, the Nutshell Series, High Court Case Summaries, and assorted law school success and bar preparation books. Relying on the honor system, students are welcome to check out any book for a period of a few days.
Because you attend UBalt law school, you also have online access to West's vast library of study aids.
And don't forget that UBalt's Law Library can also be a valuable resource. The Law Library has an extensive collection of current study aids in the Reading Room on the 7th floor. In addition, there is a guide by subject to study aids here.
WRITING ASSISTANCE
If permitted by instructor, students can seek guidance in the writing process from the Legal Writing Center. Forty-five minute sessions focus on organization, research strategies, grammar, editing and consistency.
