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Charleston School of Law Juris Doctor Program Catalog and Student Handbook 2024-2025

Academic Catalog and Handbook

Overview

The Charleston School of Law complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act and provides assistance and guidance to students with a disability to ensure equal access to the educational program at the School of Law. 

Reasonable accommodations, supported by documentation of the disability, are available to qualified students on a case-by-case basis..  These accommodations are developed through the review of the student’s disability documentation and consideration of each student’s strengths, needs, and the academic program.  Reasonable accommodations are intended to remove barriers to equal access to the education program; however, accommodations will not be granted that fundamentally alter the requirements of the course of study at the School of Law (please see below for information about the Reasonable Accommodations and Standards of Study at the School of Law) or that create an undue advantage to the recipient of the accommodations. 

It is important for students to recognize that the School of Law may not necessarily agree to grant the particular accommodations that a student has received in the past or that a student is requesting. 

Students seeking accommodations should review the policies, procedures and guidelines located in this section.

Students should be aware that requests for accommodations must be made no later than two weeks before any scheduled test. In addition, accommodations are not retroactive and will not take effect until the date they are granted by the ADA Coordinator.

For any questions or for more information, please contact the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, Margaret Lawton, who is also the ADA Coordinator, at 843.377.2423 or Cristy Lorente, Assistant Director of Student Wellness and Success, at 619.750.3586.

Reasonable Accommodations and Standards for Study at the Law School 

The program of legal education at the Charleston School of Law is rigorous and requires that students have minimum essential skills and abilities for successful completion of the program.  All students, including students with disabilities, must be able to meet the same program qualifications and maintain essential institutional standards. 

The faculty has adopted graduation requirements and academic policies, including Learning Outcomes and Objectives, that each student must be able to comply with in order to be successful in the program.

The faculty developed these standards and requirements after careful consideration of among others, the responsibilities and skills needed for the practice of law as well as the requirements for law study pursuant to the American Bar Association’s Standards for Approval of Law Schools.  An important feature of the legal program is that students are assessed and graded in comparison with other students in situations that are time-sensitive and often stressful.

  • Intellectual and Communication Skills: Students must be able to engage in legal research, reasoning and analysis, and to engage in problem solving of complex fact patterns and laws. Students must be able to effectively communicate both orally and in writing.
  • Course Requirements: Students must possess the ability to comply with all deadlines and time constraints, and to prioritize and manage multiple tasks, as lawyers do in the practice of law.
  • Class Attendance: The ABA Standards for Approval of Law Schools requires that all law schools have an attendance requirement. Students must be able to have regular and punctual class attendance, pursuant to the Charleston School of Law’s attendance requirement.
  • Ethical and Professional Skills:  Students must be able to comply with the School of Law’s codes and policies, including the Honor Code and the Disciplinary Code, as well as the general ethical principles and rules that govern the legal profession. Students are reminded of the principles of the Civility Oath that they take during Orientation.

Service Animal Policy

Please read the below document regarding the Law School's Service Animal Policy.

Accommodations for the Bar Exam

Students who are granted accommodations at the School of Law are encouraged to apply for accommodations on any state bar exam they expect to take upon graduation. Upon student request, the Office of Academic Affairs will assist with providing documentation regarding accommodations a student has received while at the law school 

The receipt of accommodations at the School of Law does not guarantee the receipt of accommodations on a bar exam or other type of exam.

For additional information, please see the links below: