Be prepared for law school success with Zero-L
Zero-L was designed to ensure that all incoming law students, whatever their backgrounds and previous areas of study, start with the foundational knowledge to enable them to thrive in law school. The online program is also ideal for people who want to deepen their knowledge of the legal system in the U.S., both for personal and professional enrichment.
Learn about the law in compact lessons in an engaging format, get continuing access to course content for one year, and evaluate your progress with checks throughout the duration.
Apply to the upcoming cohort of Zero-L beginning Tuesday, January 6
The application deadline is Friday, January 2.
Go To Application Form
Testimonials
“My Zero-L experience was immensely valuable. It laid a strong foundation for my legal education and future career in law. It demystified many aspects of the law school journey, making the future transition to the study of law smoother and less daunting.”
– Kevin-Dale Martin
“For me, the class reignited my love of the law, that it can be a positive force to achieve change.”
– Diana Staley
“It’s given me more than I expected in understanding the levels of law, from reading a brief to understanding [contract] terms.”
– Eileen Harvey
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Introduction to Zero-L
A brief introduction to Zero-L’s structure and goals.
This module includes:
- Overview of Zero-L content
- Introduction to the learning experience
- Introduction to the faculty leaders
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Introduction to Law and the Court Systems
Students are introduced to the set-up of the U.S. legal system and the lawyer’s role in it. They’ll learn about the structures of the federal and state court systems, the order of authorities in each system, and key distinctions in types and sources of law in the U.S.
Lessons include:
- Kinds of law
- The federal court system
- The state court systems
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How to Read a Case and Understand Precedent
Students prepare to read a case (an essential tool in law school from day one) and understand the precedential effect of prior cases. This module also includes an introduction to typical kinds of common law arguments.
Lessons include:
- How to read a case
- Common kinds of law arguments
- Precedent: what does the decision mean for future cases?
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Working with Statutes
Students are introduced to the statutes, learn the many steps for a bill to become a law, and receive an introduction to how judges interpret statutes.
Lessons include:
- How a bill becomes law
- How to read a statute: introduction
- How to read a statute: tools of interpretation
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A Preview of 1L Courses
Students get a preview of the most commonly taught first-year courses so they are ready to excel in class starting from day one.
Lessons include:
- The stages of civil litigation
- Introduction to criminal law
- Introduction to tort law
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Introduction to the Legal Profession
Students are introduced to their career options, the impact they can make as a lawyer, and how the profession continues to change and evolve.
Lessons include:
- Lawyers: who are they and what do they do?
- The skills involved in giving legal advice
- Kinds of lawyering
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Legal Theory and Scholarship
Students are introduced to some of the larger theoretical questions raised by law, such as rules versus standards, ex ante versus post perspectives, and how legal scholarship connects the study of law to the methods of other disciplines.
Lessons include:
- Rules vs. Standards
- Ex ante vs. Ex post
- Using economics to analyze legal questions
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Test Drive: Applying Learning
Students apply their learning by analyzing a brand new case and trying their hand at “briefing” it. They practice writing out the four things that students most commonly cover in a case brief: the facts, procedural history, holding, and rationale. They then get to compare their work to a sample brief for the case and go deeper into the case.
This exercise includes:
- A practice case
- A briefing exercise and sample case brief
- A case deep dive
