Academics
In addition to the J.D., the law school offers the LL.M. and S.J.D. Students may take relevant courses in other programs and apply credit toward the J.D.; a maximum of 10 credits may be applied. The following joint degrees may be earned: J.D./L.L.B. (Juris Doctor/Bachelor of Laws with Osgoode Hall Law School), J.D./LL.M. (Juris Doctor/Master of Laws in taxation), J.D./M.A. (Juris Doctor/ Master of Arts in economics, philosophy, etc.), J.D./M.B.A. (Juris Doctor/Master of Business Administration), J.D./M.P.A. (Juris Doctor/Master of Public Administration with PrincetonUniversity and Harvard University), J.D./M.P.P. (Juris Doctor/Master of Public Policy with Harvard University), J.D./M.S.W. (Juris Doctor/Master of Social Work), J.D./M.U.P. (Juris Doctor/Master of Urban Planning), and J.D.M.A., Ph.D. (Juris Doctor/Master of Arts).
The School of Law offers concentrations in corporate law, criminal law, entertainment law, environmental law, family law, intellectual property law, international law, juvenile law, labor law, litigation, securities law, tax law, torts and insurance, global law, public interest law, and real estate law. In addition, clinics provide simulated and actual trial experience; clinics include the Equal Justice and Capital Defender Clinic, Civil Rights Clinic, and International Human Rights Clinic. There are 22 clinics offered. Seminars are offered in areas such as constitutional law, corporate and commercial law, and criminal justice. The law school provides guaranteed summer funding to first-and second-year students who take public interest law. These summer internships are with public interest organizations worldwide. Additionally, Root-Tilden-Kern Scholars participate in a 10-week internship in public interest law. Students may arrange with faculty to conduct research; the Directed Writing Project requires a substantial paper that may fulfill part of the upper-level writing requirement. Research is also part of the Hays Civil Liberties Program, open to selected third-year students; there is also the junior and graduate fellowships in international law, the Criminal Justice Fellowships, and the International Law and Human Rights Fellowships. Among others, special lecture series include the Root-Tilden-Kern Speakers Program; the National Center on Philanthropy and the Law; the Globalization and Its Discontents Colloquium; the Jean Monnet Center Speaker Series, and the Environmental Law Society Speaker Series. Study abroad is possible through a 1-semester exchange program with Universities of Paris, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, and others. Tutorial assistance is available through the Office of Student Affairs. The law school’s 20 centers and institutes, as well as its more than 55 student organizations, present programs throughout the year. The most widely taken electives are Colloquia (faculty-student discussions); all clinical program and advocacy courses; and seminars.
To earn the J.D., candidates must complete 83 total credits, of which 45 are for required courses. The following first-year courses are required of all students: Civil Procedure I and II, Contracts I and II, Criminal Law, Lawyering, Property, The Administrative and Regulatory State, and Torts. Required upper-level courses consist of 2 upper-level writing requirements, Constitutional Law, and Professional Responsibility. Clinics and advocacy courses are electives.The required orientation program for first-year students is a 2-day academic and social orientation period before the start of classes, followed by a series of optional weekly programs during the first term.
In order to graduate, candidates must have completed the upper-division writing requirement and attend 6 semesters of classes.