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 12 credits may be applied. The following joint degrees may be earned: J.D./M.A. (Juris Doctor/Master of Arts in 9 areas), J.D./M.B.A. (Juris Doctor/Master of Business Administration), J.D./M.P.A. (Juris Doctor/Master of Public Affairs), J.D./M.P.H. (Juris Doctor/Master of Public Health), J.D./M.S. (Juris Doctor/Master in Science in accounting), and J.D./M.U.E.P. (Juris Doctor/Master of Urban and Environmental Planning).
The School of Law offers concentrations in corporate law, criminal law, environmental law, family law, intellectual property law, international law, labor law, litigation, media law, securities law, tax law, administrative law and regulations, business organizations and finance, commercial, constitutional, health, human rights and civil liberties, intellectual property, legal history, jurisprudence, and comparative law. In addition, clinical offerings include employment, human rights, patents, criminal practice, housing environment, child advocacy, and others. More than 175 seminar offerings are available each year, two-thirds taught by full-time faculty. A special program of seminars in ethical values is also offered. Students may work with local judges in the surrounding jurisdictions, in commonwealth attorneys’ offices, and with public defenders. Students may also work with individual faculty on independent research projects and may also assist faculty in research and publication projects. There are numerous special lecture series held throughout the year, including the Contemporary Legal Thought series. Study abroad programs are available at University of Auckland, New Zealand; Tel Aviv University, Israel; Bucerius Law School, Hamburg, Germany; University of Nottingham, England; and Melbourne Law School, Australia. Students may also gain experience through the University of Virginia’s Legal Assistance Society; the Post-Conviction Assistance Project; the John M. Olin Program in Law and Economics; the Center for Oceans Law and Policy; the Institute of Law Psychiatry, and Public Policy; the Center for Environmental Studies; the Center for National Security Law; and the Human Rights Study Project. The most widely taken electives are Corporations, Evidence, and Federal Income Tax I.
To earn the J.D., candidates must complete 86 total credits, of which 27 are for required courses. They must maintain a minimum GPA of 2.3 in the required courses. The following first-year courses are required of all students: Civil Procedure, Constitutional Law, Contracts, Criminal Law, Legal Research and Writing, Property, and Torts. Required upper-level courses consist of a skills instruction course, a writing requirement, and Professional Responsibility. The required orientation program for first-year students is one day, scheduled the week classes begin.
In order to graduate, candidates must have a GPA of 2.3, have completed the upper-division writing requirement, Professional responsibility, and a skills instruction course.