08/25/2026
UC Irvine Law is introducing an innovative pilot program that will give first-year students the novel opportunity to tailor a required core course to their individual career interests while continuing to build foundational skills through our signature Lawyering Skills program.
UC Irvine Law’s Lawyering Skills program already goes beyond the traditional legal research and writing curriculum by integrating predictive and persuasive writing, client counseling, client interviewing, negotiation, oral advocacy, drafting, and simulation-based learning throughout the first year. This latest innovation is another way the Lawyering Skills program continues to distinguish itself.
Beginning in the Spring 2027 semester, students enrolled in the required three-credit Lawyering Skills II course will choose from one of three specialized tracks: Pre-Trial Litigation, Transactional and Legislative Drafting and Advocacy, or Lawyering for Change, allowing them to develop core legal skills through a different legal practice lens. The Law School will then do its best to have students join their preferred track during the spring semester.
“The practice of law is more varied than ever, and legal education should reflect that reality,” said Professor Rachel Croskery-Roberts, Associate Dean for Lawyering Skills. “This pilot gives students the opportunity to see themselves in different professional roles from the very beginning of law school while ensuring they develop the outstanding research, writing, analytical, and advocacy skills that define a UC Irvine Law education. New tracks will permit students to expand their conception of the role of the lawyer beyond that of a litigator interpreting or arguing about the law to include lawyers’ roles as dealmakers, problem solvers, negotiators, and change agents.”
Read more: https://news.law.uci.edu/2026/08/25/uc-irvine-school-of-law-launches-innovative-lawyering-skills-pilot-empowering-first-year-students-to-shape-their-legal-education/
