Doshisha Law School seeks to train lawyers, judges, prosecutors and other legal professionals who will practice law in good conscience and have a rich sense of humanity and appreciation of human rights. We also seek to cultivate a high level of skill, including international expertise and good judgment so that these professionals can be specialists who are responsive to a wide variety of social needs in the 21st century. These basic goals are reflected in a number of features of the Doshisha Law School Program.
Doshisha Law School has a faculty roster of 67 academic and professional teaching staff, including 25 full time faculty members and 42 adjunct legal staff from other faculties or universities, as well as practicing professionals. Our experienced faculty helps to ensure that insightful lectures and seminars are always on offer at Doshisha. For seminars in many core courses, a number of full-time professors and practitioners engage in educational teamwork so that students learn about all aspects of law through animated discussions that bridge theory and practice.
In addition to a basic curriculum that covers the mandatory and optional subjects tested on the new bar exam, Doshisha Law School also offers a distinctive range of elective courses aimed at allowing our students to develop competency in specialized areas, such as foreign law or contemporary legal issues. Students may choose courses that suit their career goals, be it: a corporate lawyer with a full command of wide-ranging theories and a knowledge of business laws; an international lawyer with the necessary language skills and global legal knowledge; or a criminal justice specialist, who has honed his knowledge of legal theories under the guidance of former judges and prosecutors.
Doshisha Law School limits the size of its seminar classes to 20 students. Using small classes to teach key concepts ensures that students develop an understanding of legal theories through interactive and multi-faceted discussions, and trains them to understand the application of theories in practice. Students who need extra time outside of lectures and seminars to develop a full understanding are provided with opportunities to question the teaching staff, or to consult with our young lawyer academic advisers. Financial support for students includes scholarships that cover half or full tuition, and interest-free loans that are generally available to all students.
Each student has around-the-clock access to an exclusive carrel in one of the Law School’s study halls. The Law School’s library is adjacent to one of these study halls, and is convenient for students wishing to conduct research. Students may make use of an abundance of online databases from their PCs at their carrel, or in the Law School’s Information Research Room. Kambai-kan, the Law School building, features barrier-free access and high security. It is a one minute walk from Imadegawa subway station, which is a ten minute ride from Kyoto Station, making it easily accessible both locally and regionally.
