JD Program Overview

The University of Cincinnati Donald P. Klekamp College of Law’s Juris Doctor (JD) program features nine professional pathways, real-world learning, externship programs, and numerous opportunities for student involvement. Every year, we welcome a diverse group of students—students like you—who are focused on making their mark on the world. Their interests span the public and private sectors, and our courses and guaranteed experiential opportunities deliver an unrivaled law education.

This multi-year Juris Doctor program employs a holistic curriculum to prepare students for a diverse array of career opportunities post-graduation. In addition to a specialized approach with our nine professional pathways, our JD professors teach a rich mix of elective courses in areas of study related to students’ professional interests. By engaging in these studies, our law students develop the breadth of knowledge to organize and classify their clients’ legal problems and the knowledge to help their clients achieve their objectives.

First-year law students learn a comprehensive foundation of our legal system. This includes reading and analyzing cases, interpreting statutes, and developing legal reasoning. With the help of our renowned faculty, students in the JD program develop oral and written skills crucial to academic and professional success. Each first-year student has at least two courses in the first semester in a small section of approximately 20 students. These learning communities provide students the opportunity to be mentored by their small-section professors and form study groups.

With a Juris Doctor degree, you’ll not only possess the skills necessary to practice law but also the leadership and communication skills you need to be successful in all of your work endeavors. At UC Klekamp College of Law, we make sure you are well prepared to pass the bar. Even more than that, we help you prepare for—and then land—your dream job.

Graduates of UC Klekamp College of Law's JD degree program are prepared for an exciting and broad range of professional careers all over the world. Most UC Klekamp Law graduates find jobs as counselors, litigators, negotiators, drafters, advocates, and decision-makers. Others work in business management, consulting, media, politics, teaching, and other areas where having a law degree gives them a competitive advantage in their work. 

Through our externship program, UC Klekamp Law students have gained valuable experience with organizations such as Legal Aid of Greater Cincinnati, Ohio Justice and Policy Center, Children’s Law Center, and many more. There are also judicial extern programs where students gain both firsthand experience and academic credit. These real-world learning experiences help students build professional skills and develop a professional identity. With the city of Cincinnati’s numerous Fortune 500 companies, 800 law firms, and the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, the opportunities for experiential learning and postgraduate employment are always close by.