Academics
In addition to the J.D., the law school offers the LL.M. The following joint degrees may be earned: J.D./LL.M. (Juris Doctor/Master of Law in Taxation) and J.D./M.B.A. (Juris Doctor/Master of Business Administration).
The law school does not have concentrations but suggests curricula for a broad range of specialties. In addition, clinics, open to second- and third- year students, include Farm workers Legal Aid (6 credits), Federal Tax (4 credits), Civil Justice (6 credits), Asylum, Refugee, and Emigrant Services (8 credits), and Advance Advocacy (2-4 credits). Seminars, also open to second- and third- year students, give students 2 credits of intensive learning, research, and writing, working closely with a faculty member. Internships/externships include the U.S. Attorney’s Office (Philadelphia, Delaware), EPA, IRS, NLRB, various District Attorney’s and judge’s offices, University Counsel’s Office, Legal Aid, the U.S. Department of Justice (Antitrust Division), Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts, in-house counsel and Defenders. Research assistantships are available. Two practicum’s are offered: a Capital Defense Practicum, in which students work representing death row inmates, and a Mediation Practicum, in which students are trained for and then handle, mediations for the courts and public interest agencies. Special lecture series include Donald A. Giannella Memorial Lecture, Law Review Symposium, Environmental Law Symposium, Sports and Entertainment Law Symposium, Law and Psychology lecture series, BLSA Symposium, Symposium on Law and Catholic Thought, and Martin Luther King lectures. Villanova offers a summer program in Rome, Italy. The school also accepts up to 6 credits from an accredited American Law summer program abroad, provided it meets the standards of the school. Academic support is provided after the first semester to students at risk and to upper level students with identified learning issues or who are at risk of failing the bar exam. In support of its minority students and diversity, the law school offers a summer pre-orientation program, an active Minority Alumni Society, a minority mentoring program, several affinity groups including BLSA, LALSA, and APALSA, and a joint student/faculty/staff committee charged with fostering inclusiveness. The most widely taken electives are Corporations, Evidence, and Trial Practice.
To earn the J.D., candidates must complete 88 total credits, of which 44 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/Criminal Procedure, Legal Research, Legal Writing, Analysis, and Oral Advocacy, Property I and II, and Torts I and II. Required upper-level courses consist of a practical skills writing course, a research paper course, Appellate Advocacy, Constitutional Law I and II, and Legal Profession. A wide variety of clinics, practicum’s, and externships is available. Students are encouraged, but not required, to take advantage of these opportunities. The required orientation program for first-year students is a 2 1/2 day course, Introduction to Legal Analysis and Legal Studies and an introduction to law school with an emphasis on public service.
In order to graduate, candidates must have a GPA of 1.75, have completed the upper-division writing requirement, and Constitutional Law I and II, and upper level Appellate Advocacy and Legal Professional. The upper-division writing requirement consists of a research paper course and a practical writing course.