2024-2025 Student Handbook

VIII.

ACADEMIC CONCENTRATIONS

A.

Designation of an Academic Concentration

The Law Faculty, upon the recommendation of the Curriculum Committee, may designate a particular grouping of courses with other academic requirements as an “academic concentration.” In making such a designation, the Law School Faculty will require that the proposed “academic concentration” comply substantially with the following description guidelines.

B.

Purpose

Such designations are to be made in order to provide:

1. Focus of school resources and faculty effort in areas of the law likely to benefit students, the reputation of the Law School and the outside legal community.

2. Guidance in course selection and career development for students interested in pursuing a particular area of law practice.

3. An opportunity for students to distinguish themselves in a competitive job market.

Enhanced quality to the entire JD program.

4.

C.

Components of an Academic Concentration

An academic concentration shall consist of the following requirements:

An introductory academic course or sequence of academic courses.

1.

2. Additional academic courses such that the total number of academic credits under (1) and (2) in each participating student’s program equals a minimum set for the academic concentration, which shall not be less than 14 credits, as determined by the faculty proposing the concentration and approved by the Law faculty.

3. A Skills course or externship in an agency or law firm that has been designated by a concentration Faculty Director as providing practical experience related to the concentration.

4. Successful completion of either a concentration thesis of publishable quality or the Law School’s legal writing requirement in a concentration course. A concentration Faculty Director must approve, in writing, the topic and supervisory arrangements for all students writing a thesis. All these must be written under the supervision of a full time faculty member. If a student wishes to have an adjunct faculty member supervise a paper written in satisfaction of a concentration’s legal writing req uirement, the student must obtain prior approval by a concentration faculty director and an Associate Dean. [as amended 11/30/00] In order to qualify for completion of the concentration requirements, a student must (i) attain upon graduation a minimum cumulative average of 3.250 in concentration courses and must not have received a grade less than 2.000 in any such course; (ii) satisfy the concentration writing requirement; and (iii) in the case of the civil litigation concentration, complete an externship or clinical program approved by the concentration Faculty Director.

D.

Procedure for Student Enrollment in a Concentration

Any student who is in good academic standing and has successfully completed the first year of the Day program or of the Evening program may file with the Law School Assistant Dean for Academic Services a Notice of Enrollment in a particular academic concentration. A student may be enrolled in only one such concentration at any time but may change enrollment to another concentration. The Law School Assistant Dean for Academic

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