General Practice

The KU Law curriculum is designed to allow breadth and depth of study, meaning a student can choose their own path to prepare for a career as a general practitioner.

Overview

A general practitioner is an attorney who practices in many areas of the law, typically in a small law firm or as a solo practitioner. Students who want to pursue a career in solo or small-firm practice usually want to be exposed to several areas of the law that they expect to encounter in practice. KU Law’s curriculum includes classroom and hands-on learning experiences in relevant areas including property law, tort law, family law, criminal law, litigation and appellate work. 

Students can gain experience in live-client clinics, including the Legal Aid Clinic and the Project for Innocence & Post-Conviction Remedies. Field placement programs offer students the chance to work with judges, gain courtroom experience or represent elderly individuals in consumer, housing or public benefits litigation. 

General Practice Curriculum Guide

Students who plan to become general practitioners may benefit from taking courses in these subjects:

Property:

  • Property (required)

Tort Law:

  • Product Liability
  • Torts (required)

Family Law:

  • Family Law
  • Juvenile Law

Criminal Law:

  • Advanced Criminal Procedure
  • Criminal Law (required)
  • Criminal Procedure
  • Criminal Prosecution Field Placement
  • Project for Innocence & Post-Conviction Remedies

Business Law:

  • Bankruptcy
  • Business Organizations
  • Business Planning Seminar
  • Commercial Law: Secured Transactions
  • Contracts (required)
  • Federal Income Taxation
  • Taxation of Business Enterprises

Estate Planning:

  • Estate Planning: Practice
  • Estate Planning: Principles
  • Trusts and Estates

Administrative Law:

  • Administrative Law
  • Water Law

Litigation, Appellate Work and Alternative Dispute Resolution:

  • Advanced Litigation
  • Alternative Dispute Resolution
  • Civil Procedure (required)
  • Evidence
  • Lawyering Skills I and II (required)
  • Pretrial Advocacy
  • Trial Advocacy

Other Courses:

  • Advanced Legal Research
  • American Legal History
  • Comparative Law
  • Complex Litigation
  • Conflict of Laws
  • Employment Law
  • Employment Discrimination Law
  • Environmental Law
  • Jurisprudence
  • Local Government Law
  • Oil and Gas

Course descriptions

Many students interested in this career path choose to gain practical experience through summer clerkships or part-time work during the school year in general practice firms. Starting in their first year, law students can serve as prosecutors or defense lawyers in the university’s Traffic Court. The court handles appeals for on-campus traffic citations.

KU Law students regularly participate in moot court and mock trial competitions at the on-campus, regional and national level. Getting involved in the Student Bar Association and other student organizations helps prepare students for active membership in the ABA and state and local bar associations.

Students pursuing a career as a general practitioner learn from a faculty with diverse scholarship interests and professional backgrounds. For questions about how to develop your course plan, contact Melanie Daily, clinical associate professor, at melaniedaily@ku.edu.

Full faculty list

Questions?

Melanie Daily
Clinical Associate Professor
Director, Legal Aid Clinic
melaniedaily@ku.edu
785-864-5302