Single Photo Page

Upper Level Writing Requirement

In the second and third years, students complete an upper level writing requirement. This requirement allows students to develop advanced lawyering skills in a field that is of particular interest. The requirement may be satisfied by taking a doctrinal seminar course or a professional skills course, by working on a Moot Court brief or law review note, or by completing an independent study project.

In addition, students may further develop their lawyering skills by taking an advanced legal research course or a course designed to improve rhetorical skills such as Law and Literature or Appellate Advocacy.

Advanced Property Topics

Appellate Advocacy

Bioethics

Copyright Law

Entertainment Law

International Intellectual Property

Law & Literature

Sexuality, Gender & the Law

Women & International Human Rights Law

World Trade Organization Law

Legal Reasoning, Research, & Writing

Recognizing that language is a lawyer's most important tool, the first year of the legal writing curriculum helps students begin to become experts in working with the language of law. Recognizing that lawyers rank skills in oral and written communication, legal analysis, and legal reasoning as the most important components in the successful practice of the law, the first-year curriculum helps students acquire and develop those skills. Students learn to research, read, analyze, and apply the law. They practice with the methods needed to effectively communicate and persuade: how to create and test arguments, how to organize a legal document, how to draft and revise for an audience.

Students are assigned to small sections of about 25 students each for the two legal writing courses in the first-year curriculum. Professors who teach the curriculum work closely with students throughout the writing process, providing individual feedback on drafts and outlines through written comments and writing conferences.

The required legal writing curriculum at Thomas Jefferson totals seven units in the first year plus completion of an upper-level writing requirement. The core writing course, Legal Writing I, is taught by tenured and tenure-track professors augmented as needed by highly qualified visting professors or TJSL Faculty Fellows. The first-year advocacy course, Legal Writing II, is taught by a combination of full-time faculty and experienced practitioners. After the first year, students continue to develop lawyering skills and methods through advanced work in specific areas of the students' interest.

Legal Writing I

In Legal Writing I, students are introduced to the basic lawyering skills used by practicing attorneys. All first-year students take Legal Writing I, a four-unit course, in their first semester. Students are assigned to small sections of about 25 students each. In this course, students learn to read, brief, and analyze different sources of the rules of law, particularly case law made by judges and statutory law made by legislatures. Students learn how to research in primary and secondary sources, both through print and online sources. Students learn how to effectively organize a typical written document, most often an interoffice memo, and how to develop and evaluate the arguments that could be made about the application of a particular rule to a client's legal problem. They learn to draft and revise an interoffice memo predicting the outcome or answering a supervisor's questions.

Second- or third-year teaching assistants are available to first-year students through Legal Writing I. The teaching assistants are available to help guide students through their early assignments, particularly in research, but they also can provide advice and assistance with other challenges of the first year.

Legal Writing II

The second required course in the legal writing curriculum is Legal Writing II, usually taken in the second semester. In Legal Writing II, a three-unit course, students deepen their understanding and practice their use of the basic lawyering skills acquired in the first semester. They apply those skills to the task of persuasive written and oral advocacy, following a client's lawsuit from the trial court to the appellate court. In this course, students work with experienced faculty, including active practitioners, to conduct research, craft thoughtful arguments, draft and revise trial court and appellate briefs, and prepare to present a case in oral argument before a panel of moot court judges. Following a client's legal problem from trial to appellate court helps students grasp procedural as well as substantive issues, learn to research more broadly and more thoroughly, and experiment with different persuasive methods as the lawsuit progresses.

Legal Research

In the first year, legal research is incorporated within the curriculum of both Legal Writing I and Legal Writing II. Students learn to use legal research sources, both print and online. Emphasis is placed on learning efficient techniques and effective strategies for legal research within the context of a particular assignment.

Because the legal writing faculty at Thomas Jefferson includes teachers who have become expert in a number of fields through their practice, their teaching, and their scholarship, they are especially qualified to help students begin to construct a foundation for their own practice of law.

Leah Christensen, who practiced medical malpractice and school law, focuses her scholarship on cognition, goal orientation and legal reading. She also writes in the area of education law.

Ilene Durst, who has extensive litigation and immigration law experience, focuses her scholarship on language and narrative theory and their applications to advocacy, immigration, and literary representations of the legal culture.

Linda Keller, who served as a Fellow at the University of Miami Center for the Study of Human Rights, publishes in the area of international human rights and criminal law.

Sandy Rierson, formerly a partner practicing intellectual property law with Quinn Emanuel Urquhart Oliver & Hedges, pursues scholarship in legal history and women's history, intellectual property, and civil procedure.

Jeff Slattery draws on his years in the music business and his experience as a practitioner in art and entertainment law to study the protection of cultural property.

Priscilla Vargas Wrosh has practice experience in the areas of corporate restructuring and securities fraud litigation.

Amy Day, who worked in political communications prior to attending law school, has experience in corporate litigation and family law.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is Legal Writing?

Although "legal writing" sounds as if it concerns only writing, the course is an introduction to a range of basic lawyering skills that are essential to producing legal documents. The legal writing classes cover research, analysis, organization, reasoning, and oral presentation skills as well as the process of drafting and redrafting documents. In addition, they include discussion about ethical and other issues that come up in the practice of law.

2. How does the legal writing curriculum prepare me for law practice?

The legal writing courses focus on the kinds of documents you will be expected to produce as a practicing lawyer. The first year curriculum includes writing objective interoffice memos and persuasive trial and appellate court briefs and delivering appellate oral arguments.

3. Is Legal Writing a required course?

You are required to take seven units of legal writing in your first year -- four units in the first-semester and three units in the second semester. After that, you are required to complete an upper-level writing requirement, which may be satisfied in a course or in a variety of other settings.

4. How is Legal Writing graded?

Legal Writing is graded the same as all your other classes at Thomas Jefferson -- anonymously and using the same grading curve.

5. What should I look for in a legal writing curriculum?

A good legal writing program should be taught primarily by professors with a long-term commitment to teaching the class as well as extensive practice and teaching experience. Legal writing sections should have low student to professor ratios to allow for the kinds of one-on-one conferences, small group collaboration, and practical hands-on learning that should occur when you learn a new skill. A comprehensive legal writing curriculum fits together well and allows students to advance in their own interest areas.

6. How does Legal Writing fit in with the rest of my law school courses?

The first-year legal writing courses at Thomas Jefferson focus on the same analysis, reasoning, organization and writing skills that are needed in your other classes. Legal writing gives you many opportunities to practice and get feedback on those skills during your first year.

Nice, France

Thomas Jefferson’s study abroad program is open to TJSL students, who are in good academic standing and have completed at least one semester of residential classes. The study abroad program provides in-depth study of specific issues in international and comparative and law.

Thomas Jefferson School of Law, in cooperation with the La Faculté de Droit de l'Université de Nice presents Summer Study Abroad Program in Nice, France. Students may earn 4 summer credits in 3 weeks while studying on the French Riviera. The courses have an international focus and compare American and European approaches to law. Classes are held mornings only and are taught in English. 

• Download the 2022 Nice Program Application
• Visit the  2018 Nice Study Abroad Program

Where: France: French Riviera, Nice

When: Summer

Curriculum Highlights: The courses are International Human Rights; Comparative Antitrust Law; International Sports Law; and International Business Transactions. Classes are in the morning, Monday through Friday and taught in English.

Overview: The Thomas Jefferson Law Nice Program runs from Monday, May 16, 2022 and ends on Friday, June 3, 2022.  On-campus summer classes begins Monday, June 6^th.

Setting Description: The University of Nice School of Law offers an ideal environment for learning international and comparative law in a city that is both beautiful and rich in European culture and history.

Program Value: The Nice Program is designed to encourage students to experience international law in an international setting, to exchange ideas with students from a different land, and to explore cultural differences that influence international business and legal transactions. All eligible students are encouraged to apply for this unforgettable experience.

Program Cost: Tuition $4,400.00

Application Deadline: February 11, 2022

Subjects: International Studies, Legal Studies

The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program is operated each spring by the law school’s Tax Law Society, a student organization. The TJSL VITA program is an IRS program that provides a valuable community service in the form of free income tax return preparation.

Clients who come to the Thomas Jefferson VITA clinic include students, low-income families, senior citizens and others who can’t afford professional tax services or are unable to complete their own tax forms.

The students who volunteer for this clinic receive training to become IRS-certified, learn how to operate the TaxWise software, how to interview clients effectively and how to assemble a proper tax return.

Items you need to bring to the VITA/TCE Sites to have your tax returns prepared

• Proof of identification

• Social Security Cards for you, your spouse and dependents and/or a Social Security Number verification letter issued by the Social Security Administration

• Birth dates for you, your spouse and dependents on the tax return

• Wage and earning statement(s) Form W-2, W-2G, 1099-R, from all employers

• Interest and dividend statements from banks (Forms 1099)

• A copy of last year's Federal and State returns if available

• Bank Routing Numbers and Account Numbers for Direct Deposit

• Total paid for day care provider and the day care provider's tax identifying number (the provider's Social Security Number or the provider's business Employer Identification Number) 
• To file taxes electronically on a married filing joint tax return, both spouses must be present to sign the required forms. 
• If you rented your home, the name and address of your landlord or property management company and their phone number. 

Externship Program

Thomas Jefferson School of Law’s Externship program offers great opportunities for hands-on legal experience and academic credit at the same time. In fact, our externship program is ranked 18th in the nation based on the ratio of externships the school has placed and the number of full-time students. For total enrollment based on full-time and part-time students, Thomas Jefferson is 5th in the nation. These rankings are based on data from the Official Guide to ABA-Approved Law Schools, 2013 edition. In all, 441 Thomas Jefferson students, representing 61 percent of the student body, participated in externships in 2012.

Placement opportunities are plentiful and varied, ranging from traditional settings such as the United States Attorney’s Office to local biotech corporations to international settings like The Hague. We have externship placement opportunities in law firms of all sizes and practice areas and a number of opportunities at nonprofit, issue-focused organizations.

Students who have successfully completed the Evidence course, or are concurrently enrolled, can become certified law clerks and, thus, be able to make court appearances. Externships provide students an opportunity to develop and hone their research and writing skills. They also work closely with practicing attorneys, and have interactions with clients.

Externship areas of practice include civil litigation, corporate transactions, criminal prosecutions, criminal defense, tax, estate planning, immigration, family law, intellectual property and child welfare and custody.

Students also attend Externship classes and receive individual mentoring.

The Judicial Externship Program

Students participating in the Thomas Jefferson School of Law’s Judicial Externship Program have a unique opportunity to work in a judge’s chamber during their law school careers. Students can earn academic credit as they work for a Federal or California State Court Judge.

Students participate in judicial seminars, receive individual mentoring, have the opportunity to research, write and advise the court on a wide variety of legal issues, and observe courtroom proceedings. Students often have the chance to draft judicial opinions and to play a very special role within the judges’ chambers.

Thomas Jefferson students have been placed with federal judges, justices from the California Court of Appeal, the State Superior Court, the Probate Court, and the Family Court.

For more information on externships, students should contact the Externship and Pro Bono Programs Office.

Judybeth Tropp, Esq. jtropp@tjsl.edu, Director of Externships and Pro Bono Programs

The Pro Bono Honors Program gives student the opportunity to work with underserved populations both in traditional and non-traditional legal settings. Projects and non-profit organizations are in need of law students to help meet their missions. These projects enable law students to gain valuable experience, as well as serve a vital function within the community. All lawyers should be committed to using their unique education and skills to help these underserved populations.

This program is designed for Thomas Jefferson School of Law students to encourage community-based volunteer legal service projects.  The program offers students an opportunity to become involved in the community, enhance their law school experience, and build practical legal skills.

TJSL partners with non-profit organizations, law firms, the San Diego County Bar Association, dozens of legal agencies and other interested entities to accomplish this goal.  We desire to cultivate communal involvement within our own TJSL community by engaging faculty, administration, staff and alumni in our efforts to work within our own region.

These opportunities allow any student who devotes at least 50 hours (not for credit or compensation) of volunteer legal service, specifically to underserved populations, to qualify for TJSL’s Pro Bono Honors Program.  Students receiving Pro Bono Honors will obtain an honors certificate and an honors cord that can be worn at graduation that reflects their commitment to the community.

You may work towards your 50 hours of Pro Bono service throughout you tenure as a law student at TJSL.  You do not have to complete all 50 hours with a single employer.

What type of work is acceptable for the purposes of this program?

• Work directly related to the delivery of legal services to under-resourced individuals by attorneys of organizations (e. g.  Legal Aid Society, San Diego Volunteer Lawyer Program);
• Work for an attorney or attorneys on behalf of non-profit organizations, donations to which qualify as deductions under state or federal tax laws (e. g.  San Diego Coastkeeper, environmental Health Coalition, National Wildlife Federation);
• Work for federal, state, or local government agencies that provide legal services to low-income individuals (e. g.  Public Defender’s Office, Family Law Facilitator);
• Work for pre-approved student-initiated projects (e. g.  TJSL Clinics, Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program, holocaust litigation, death penalty appeals, etc. )

For more information, please contact the Director of Externships and Pro Bono Programs: Judybeth Tropp, Esq. jtropp@tjsl.edu

The Thomas Jefferson School of Law Veterans Legal Assistance Clinic provides limited legal assistance, as well as full service legal representation, to the residents and alumni of Veterans Village of San Diego. Veterans Village is a highly successful, residential program that provides housing, substance abuse, mental health, and job training services to formerly homeless veterans who are struggling to regain full participation in society. Areas of concentration include family, consumer and administrative law. Clinic students have primary responsibility for the cases they handle and the clients they represent.

Students are guided in such representation by a faculty member. In addition to their casework, students participate in a weekly class meeting. These classes focus on the substantive law relevant to the students’ cases, the lawyering skills necessary to represent their clients effectively, and the ethical and professional issues that confront lawyers engaged in this type of practice.

View the Veterans Legal Assistance Clinic Brochure

For more information, contact Professor Nicole Heffel, Director of the Veterans Legal Assistance Clinic, at ndambrogi@tjsl.edu.

Mediation is a growing industry within the legal profession and Thomas Jefferson School of Law is a community leader in immersing students in the art of conflict resolution. Students receive intensive training in mediation and then have the opportunity to gain experience working with real clients and cases in an actual courtroom setting.

Thomas Jefferson has partnered with the San Diego Small Claims Court to create a clinical opportunity that allows students to see "up close and personal" the benefits of alternative approaches to dispute resolution. As mediators in the Small Claims Mediation Program, the students apply the communication, listening and facilitation skills they have acquired in class to assist clients in settling their cases.

More advanced students may be selected to serve in other programs, including the Probate Court Mediation Program, which mediates cases involving guardianships and conservatorships. Following referrals from the Probate Court, participants in this program mediate cases right on the TJSL campus.

The Mediation Program helps students envision novel approaches in which attorneys can help clients move beyond their disputes in creative, constructive and immensely satisfying ways.

Interested students are afforded the opportunity to work with Alternate Dispute Resolution (ADR) mentors so they can learn from lawyers who work in the mediation field.

The Mediation Program is under the direction of Professor Ellen Waldman.

For more information about TJSL’s Mediation Program, please contact us at mediation@tjsl.edu.

Mediation Program

Thomas Jefferson School of Law

701 B St. Suite 1150

San Diego, CA 92101

Phone: 619.961.4368

Fax: 619.961.1368

Directions to TJSL

Parking Information