SANTA CLARA, Calif., Oct. 8, 2025—Santa Clara Law students will have the opportunity to “roll for their professional initiative” in a creative new course built around the popular role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons. The course, titled “D&D and the Law,” will be offered for the first time in spring 2026.

In the one-unit course, students will go on D&D “quests” led by professional dungeon masters who will design and run the quests. The quests will simulate the experiences and tasks performed by lawyers, including how to:

• develop their professional skills and strengths
• assemble a diverse team
• communicate with and collaborate with other team members
• anticipate and solve problems
• craft and tell stories
• interpret the rules of the game and persuade an adjudicator (the dungeon master) to agree with their interpretations

For years, legal publications and blogs have expounded on the uncanny applicability of skills learned in Dungeons & Dragons to those needed to be a self-aware and effective lawyer, including imaginative problem-solving, soft-skill building, and collaboration, persuasion, and creativity.

The class will be taught by adjunct instructor Chris Ridder, an intellectual-property partner at Ridder, Costa & Johnstone LLP and a longtime D&D enthusiast.

“D&D’s fantasy world offers students a unique outlet for creative risk-taking and a fresh perspective on key lawyering skills,” said Ridder. “Great lawyers—and great D&D players—are storytellers who think on their feet, leverage complex rules, and succeed as a team.”

“For over a century, Santa Clara Law has been constantly innovating how to train lawyers who lead,” said Eric Goldman, associate dean for research and faculty sponsor of the course. “This course’s unique approach will provide students with a fun and pedagogically rich way to challenge their legal problem-solving and persuasion skills, and position themselves for career-long professional success.”

About Santa Clara University School of Law

Santa Clara University School of Law is dedicated to educating lawyers who lead with a commitment to excellence, ethics, and social justice. Santa Clara Law offers students an academically rigorous program including certificates in high-tech, international, public-interest and social-justice, privacy, and sports law, as well as numerous graduate and joint degree options. Located in the heart of Silicon Valley, Santa Clara Law is nationally distinguished for its faculty engagement, preparation for practice, and top-ranked programs in intellectual property and international law. For more information, see law.scu.edu.

Media Contact

Deborah Lohse | SCU Media Communications | dlohse@scu.edu | 408-554-5121