Second and Third Year (2Ls & 3Ls)

Upper-Level Writing Courses

In your second or third year, you can take upper-level courses to build on the practical writing skills you learned in your 1L year.

Writing for the Bar prepares students to write for the Uniform Bar Exam (UBE) or any bar exam with a performance test. The course emphasizes the Multistate Performance Test (MPT), which in UBE jurisdictions like North Carolina is worth 20% of the total test score. The MPT consists of two 90-minute writing tasks. Per the National Conference of Bar Examiners, the MPT “is designed to test an examinee’s ability to use fundamental lawyering skills in a realistic situation and complete a task that a beginning lawyer should be able to accomplish.” Students review commonly tested document types (such as memos, briefs, and client letters) and foundational research skills for assessing legal authorities and litigation documents, learn how the MPT is assessed, and write multiple MPTs throughout the semester. Students practice writing UBE essays and receive individual, formative feedback from the professor on their practice exams. Students also learn how to self-assess their practice exams.

Writing for Practice prepares students for the kinds of writing junior attorneys do in a variety of legal practice settings. This course uses the instruction-writing-feedback cycle to help students hone their writing processes. Students explore writing for new genres like blog posts and emails, and new audiences like the public, peers, and subordinates. Beyond simply drafting documents, the course focuses on developing effective revision strategies and providing constructive feedback on others’ writing.

We also offer the following services to 2Ls and 3Ls:

  • Individual counseling sessions with WLRC faculty to help students identify their goals and take logical steps to reach them
  • Course selection and academic advising
  • A study aid lending library for some 2L and 3L doctrinal courses.

Bar Success Program

Carolina Law is committed to making sure all our graduates equip themselves with the tools necessary to pass the bar exam of their choosing. Toward that end, our nationally recognized Bar Success Program offers 3L students:

  • An online forum where students can learn more about the bar exam and use bar preparation resources
  • Workshops on critical preparation topics, such as bar study strategies, essay exam writing, time management and stress management
  • Individualized practice essay feedback and tutoring
  • One-on-one and small-group bar coaching

Applied Legal Concepts (“ALC”) identifies select core legal concepts tested on the MBE portion of the bar exam, and it develops strategies for applying these concepts effectively—particularly in a high-stakes testing environment. Some of the legal concepts may have been introduced in other courses, but the emphasis in ALC is on a review of the select legal concepts from the MBE subjects and the development of skills essential for success on the multiple choice and essay portions of the bar examination. 

The ALC courses are reserved for 3Ls, and course materials for both courses include access to an online early bar preparation portal that contains materials similar to those materials that students will use when they are studying for the bar examination after graduation. Students have access to substantive outlines, lecture handouts, video lectures, MBE and essay questions, and a pre-test that covers the most commonly tested subjects.