Coverage

Law School & Bar Exam Subjects

Plain-English guides to 20+ subjects and 150+ topics, from 1L through bar prep. Each guide explains what the subject covers and how to practice it with feedback.

Administrative LawAdministrative Law is the body of law that governs how administrative agencies exercise their delegated power, covering how agencies make rules, decide individual cases, and how courts review their actions. At the federal level it is structured largely by the Administrative Procedure Act (APA) and by constitutional limits on the delegation and exercise of agency authority.
Agency and PartnershipAgency and Partnership is the area of law that governs how one person (an agent) can act on behalf of another (a principal), and how two or more people who carry on a business for profit form a partnership and share its duties, profits, and liabilities. It is tested on the bar exam as one subject because partnership liability rests on agency principles.
Business AssociationsBusiness Associations is the area of law that governs how people form, run, and are held accountable in agency relationships and business entities such as partnerships, corporations, and limited liability companies. It covers who has authority to bind a business, the fiduciary duties owners and managers owe, and how creditors secure and enforce claims against business assets.
Civil ProcedureCivil Procedure is the area of law that governs how civil lawsuits move through the courts, from filing and jurisdiction through pleading, discovery, trial, and post-trial review. On the bar exam it is tested under federal practice, primarily the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and constitutional limits on a court's power to hear a case.
Conflicts of LawConflicts of Law is the area of law that governs which jurisdiction's substantive law applies, which court may hear a case, and when one court must recognize and enforce another court's judgment. It supplies the rules courts use to resolve disputes that touch more than one state or sovereign.
Constitutional LawConstitutional Law is the area of law that governs the structure and powers of the federal government and the individual rights protected against governmental action under the U.S. Constitution. It covers how power is allocated among the branches and between the federal government and the states, and the limits the Constitution places on what government may do to people.
ContractsContracts is the area of law that governs legally enforceable promises: how agreements are formed, when they are enforceable, what duties they create, and what remedies follow when a party fails to perform. It draws on common-law rules for most agreements and on UCC Article 2 for the sale of goods.
Criminal LawCriminal Law is the area of law that defines conduct society prohibits and punishes, setting out the elements of crimes (an unlawful act and a culpable mental state), the defenses that excuse or justify conduct, and the rules for liability that attach when a person commits, attempts, or assists an offense.
Criminal ProcedureCriminal Procedure is the area of constitutional law that governs how the government investigates, charges, and tries people suspected of crimes, enforcing limits drawn mainly from the Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Amendments. It defines the rules for searches, seizures, interrogations, the right to counsel, and a fair trial.
Employment LawEmployment Law is the area of law that governs the relationship between employers and workers, including how that relationship is formed, the rights and duties that arise during it, and how it ends. It draws on federal antidiscrimination statutes, wage-and-hour and leave laws, and common-law contract and tort principles.
EvidenceEvidence is the area of law that governs what information a party may present to a jury or judge, how it must be presented, and what a fact-finder may consider when deciding a case. On exams it is tested primarily through the Federal Rules of Evidence (FRE).
Family LawFamily Law is the area of law that governs the formation and dissolution of family relationships, including marriage, divorce, property division, child custody, support obligations, adoption, and parentage. It blends domestic relations doctrine with equitable principles and the best-interests-of-the-child standard.
Immigration LawImmigration Law is the area of federal law that governs how non-citizens enter, remain in, are removed from, and obtain status in the United States. It is administered primarily under the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) and federal agency regulations, with the federal government holding broad authority over admission and removal.
Intellectual PropertyIntellectual Property is the area of law that governs rights in creations of the mind, including copyrights, trademarks, patents, and trade secrets, defining who may make, use, sell, or copy a protected work. It allocates exclusive rights to creators while balancing competition, public access, and innovation.
International LawInternational Law is the body of rules that governs the legal relationships among sovereign states and other international actors, drawing primarily on treaties, customary international law, and general principles recognized by nations. It defines how states form binding obligations, exercise jurisdiction, bear responsibility for wrongful acts, and protect individuals through human rights and dispute-resolution mechanisms.
Labor LawLabor Law is the area of law that governs the collective relationship between employers, employees, and unions, primarily through the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). It protects workers' rights to organize, bargain collectively, and engage in concerted activity, and it regulates the conduct of both employers and unions.
Mental Health and Disability LawMental Health and Disability Law is the area of law that governs the rights of people with disabilities and mental health conditions, including protection from discrimination, the duty to provide reasonable accommodations, the standards for legal capacity and civil commitment, and equal access to education and healthcare. It draws on federal antidiscrimination statutes, constitutional due process, and common-law capacity doctrine to balance individual autonomy against safety and institutional interests.
Professional ResponsibilityProfessional Responsibility is the area of law that governs the ethical duties lawyers owe to their clients, the courts, and the public, drawn primarily from the ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct. It defines the standards for competence, confidentiality, loyalty, candor, and the proper handling of fees and client funds.
Real PropertyReal Property is the area of law that governs the ownership, possession, use, and transfer of land and the interests attached to it. It covers how rights in land are created, divided across owners and time, protected against competing claims, and conveyed or burdened by agreements.
Tax LawTax Law is the body of rules governing how governments impose, calculate, and collect taxes, and on exams it centers on federal income tax under the Internal Revenue Code. It tests what counts as income, what may be deducted, how gains and losses are characterized and taxed, how taxpayers and the government resolve disputes, and how transfers of wealth are taxed. Because federal tax doctrine is national, the rules are the same across jurisdictions.
TortsTorts is the area of law that governs civil wrongs—conduct that injures a person or their property—and determines when the wrongdoer must compensate the victim. It covers negligence, intentional harms, and liability imposed without fault, awarding damages to restore the injured party.
Wills, Trusts and EstatesWills, Trusts and Estates is the area of law that governs how a person's property passes at death and how property is held and managed for the benefit of others. It covers intestate succession, the creation and validity of wills, the formation and administration of trusts, and the future interests those instruments create.