The first-year curriculum is similar among all law schools, since they all have the same goal ultimately. Students are introduced to the case-method approach during their first year of study, which teaches students to focus on the reasons that the law interprets certain situations. The professor asks questions that make students think about the law and how each side of the issue defend their position. Classroom discussion is an area of focus and participation is crucial. The first year is also where students determine which part of law interests them the most.
Some law schools allow students to work towards both their law school education and graduate degrees at the same time. Although most schools offer pre-determined programs, others may also allow students to combine any mixture of degrees for a program. The most common joint-degree programs are JD/MBA and JD/MA in fields such as political science and economics.
Although classroom education is one of the focuses of law school, practicing the skills is even more important. Both second- and third-year students get the opportunity to apply the skills they learned through legislative drafting, court trials or legal counseling under supervision of an expert.
The law school environment contains extra curricular activities to integrate students together outside of the classroom. These can include sports along with groups that target special interests, such as women or Hispanic students in law. Other groups may focus on special areas of law such as the environmental or international law.
A career services office at a law school informs students about career opportunities in law firms, government offices or public law facilities. Benefits include presentations and meetings with lawyers from different fields and areas. Schools may also offer to conduct interviews on campus for internships or part-time and full-time positions.