Registration Guide 2024-2025

Registration Guide 2024-2025

Provided by: Office of Academic Services

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The Guide has been compiled by the Office of Academic Services and is accurate as of the time of original publication. Please refer to www.suffolk.edu/law

INDEX

PAGES

Registration Rules How to Register Course Selection

4-7

8-17

18-29 30-53

Areas of Focus

Bankruptcy

30 31

Civil Litigation

Civil Rights and Human Rights Law Corporate Finance and Business

32-33 34-35

Criminal Law

36 37 38 39

Dispute Resolution Diversity and Justice

Environmental and Energy Law Health and Biomedical Law

40-41 42-43

Immigration Law Intellectual Property International Law

44

45-46

Juvenile and Family Law Labor and Employment Law

47 48 49 50 51 52 53

Law and Public Service

Patent Law

Real Estate and Land Use

Taxation

Torts and Personal Injury Law

Concentrations

54-72 55-58 59-61 62-64 65-66 67-69 70-72 73-88 73-74 75-76 77-78 79-80

Business Law and Financial Services

Health and Biomedical Law

Intellectual Property International Law

Legal Innovation and Technology Trial and Appellate Advocacy

Programs of Study

Day Students

Evening Students

Accelerated JD (Day) Accelerated JD (Evening) Hybrid Online JD (HJD) Summer Study Application Guided Curriculum Academic Warning Division Transfers Non-Suffolk Programs

81 82 83 84 85

86-87

LLM

88

2

Clinics and Externships

89-115

Clinical Programs

90 91 92

Clinical Application Procedure Clinical Enrollment Policies In-House Clinical Programs Environmental Law Clinic

93-94

95 96

Family Advocacy Clinic

Health Law Clinic

96-97 97-98 98-99

Human Rights and Indigenous Peoples Clinic

Immigration Clinic Innocence Clinic

99-100

Intellectual Property & Entrepreneurship Clinic

100 101

Juvenile Defenders Clinic

Prosecutors Program Suffolk Defenders Transactional Clinic

101-103 103-104 104-105

Legal Innovation & Tech Fellows

105

Withdrawal Policies Experiential Programs

106-107

108 109 110 111

Accelerator-To-Practice Program Civil and Judicial Externship Galway Summer Externship

International & Comparative Law & Legal Practice Fellowship

111-112

Ireland Public Interest Externship

112 113

Summer Global Externship

Domestic Semester in Practice Program International Semester in Practice Program

113-114 114-115 116-121

Dual Degrees

Dual Degree Programs

116

JD/Tax LLM

117-118

JD/MBA JD/MSLL

119

120-121 122-125 126-136 137-138

Bar Registration and Information

Degree and Requirements

Dates and Deadlines

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REGISTRATION RULES

Registration Rules and Regulations The Law School offers courses with limited enrollment, seminars and open enrollment courses. Students may not enroll in courses that overlap in time. Please note: Not all courses are offered every semester. Check both the Fall and Spring semester elective listing when making course selections. Elective Section – Restricted Classes offered in the evening division that are also offered in the day division are not available for registration by day students until after all evening students are registered. This includes intersession courses.

Trial Practice Rule Students may enroll in only 1 Trial Practice/Trial Advocacy course during their law school career.

HJD – WEB – Courses for which all instruction is online.

HYB Hybrid Course – Courses for which more than one-third of the instruction is online.

WEB Web Course - Courses for which all instruction is online.

Legal Writing Requirement

Legal Writing Requirement notations on elective list:

x Paper required for course which may qualify for writing requirement x+ Paper required for course which may qualify for writing requirement with permission from the instructor x++ Paper required for course which may qualify for writing requirement with permission from an Associate Dean and Adjunct Faculty Member

2022 JD Entrants – New Requirement

All students who entered in 2022 or later must complete one course from the Race, Equity, and Law (REAL) menu in order to be eligible for graduation. The courses on the REAL menu teach students to appreciate law’s relationship to past and present conditions of social justice and equality. These courses also foster recognition of how a person's own position shapes understanding of the law and its impact on those with different positions. The REAL menu requirement helps ensure that all graduates are prepared to represent their clients and fulfill their responsibilities in a professional and culturally informed manner. Courses that qualify are noted on the elective list “fulfills REAL requirement” Some bar authorities place additional restrictions on distance education credits. As stated in the Law School’s Rules and Regulations: “Some jurisdictions place limits on the amount of dis tance education credits a bar applicant can take in law school. Students are responsible for complying with the Distance Education limits, if any, of their intended bar admission jurisdiction.” For example, the NY Bar only accepts 15 credits of distance learning. At this time Massachusetts does not have a JD distance learning restriction.

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REGISTRATION RULES

Credit Requirements – Day Students

Day students are required to enroll in a minimum of 27 credits per year, and may enroll in 12-16 credits each semester. Enrollment in more than 27 credits in year two will not reduce the 27 credit requirement of year three. Only credits earned in summer sessions may be applied to the final semester.

Year 1

Year 2

Year 3

29

27 or 28

27 or 28

Credit Requirements – Evening Students

Evening students are required to enroll in a minimum of 21 credits per year, and may enroll in 9-12 credits each semester. Enrollment in more than 21 credits in year two and/or year three will not reduce the 21 credit minimum required in year four . Only credits earned in summer sessions may be applied to the final semester.

Year 4

Year 1

Year 2

Year 3

21

21

21

21

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REGISTRATION RULES

JD Dual Degree Students

Students enrolled in dual degree programs are held to the same standard as a day or evening student in regard to credits, whether enrolled in the Graduate School, Law School or both schools in a semester (see above).

LL.M.

• Full-time LL.M. students must enroll in a minimum of 9 (and a maximum of 14) credits per semester. With the approval of the assistant dean, up to 6 credits earned in summer school may be applied to reduce these semester requirements. A Full-time LL.M. student may not register for more than 14 credits in a semester without the prior approval of the assistant dean and the associate deans. • Part-time LLM students must enroll in a minimum of 4 (and a maximum of 8) credits per semester. With the approval of the assistant dean, up to 6 credits earned in summer school may be applied to reduce these semester requirements. Part time LL.M. students may not register for less than 4 credits per semester without the prior approval of the assistant dean.

Credit Overload

Students requesting overload credits are cautioned that additional credits may not be used to reduce credits in a subsequent semester nor as credit to satisfy degree requirements. Any day or evening student requesting to overload by enrolling in more than 12 credits as an evening student or in more than 16 credits as a day student must create a request on Workday to file a petition. Students on Academic Warning may not request an overload.

ABA Standard 304 (e) precludes a student from enrolling in more than 20% of total course work in a semester.

• Day students may not request to overload for more than 17 credits.

• Evening students may not request to overload for more than 13 credits.

Credit Underload

Any day or evening student needing to reduce the minimum credit requirement for the fall or spring semester, to less than 12 credits for day students, or less than 9 credits for evening students must create a request on Workday to file a petition. Students are cautioned that a reduced course load may require enrollment in a Summer Sessionor an additional semester to make up the reduced credits.

Please note: Students on an F1 or J1 visa may not drop below full time status (minimum standard) as determined by his/her academic program.

Full Time

Part Time

12 Credits

9 Credits

JD:

9 Credits

4 Credits

LL.M.:

MSLL

• A Full-time MSLL student may not register for fewer than 12 credits per semester or more than 15 credits in a semester without the approval of the Faculty Director and an Associate Dean. • A Prat-time MSLL student may not register for less than 6 credits or for more than 9 credits per semester without the approval of the Faculty Director.

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REGISTRATION RULES

Credit for Clinical, Externship Field Placements, and Other Non-Classroom Activities

1. Cumulative limit on credits for non-classroom work and clinical fieldwork. A student may count no more than 16 credits of non-classroom work, clinical casework, and externship field placements toward the degree. A student may not count more than 12 credits of clinical casework and externship field placements toward the degree. These limits do not apply to the seminar component of an in-house clinic or an externship.

Student takes a ten-credit in-house clinic, of which four credits are assigned to the seminar component and six to the casework. Only six credits count toward the credit restrictions in this subsection.

Example: Student takes an externship that includes a two-credit seminar and three credits for fieldwork. Only the three credits of fieldwork count toward the credit restrictions in this subsection.

2. Limit on non-classroom activities in one semester. A student may not receive more than two units of credit in any semester for non-classroom ungraded activities, as opposed to regular course work. Non-classroom ungraded activities which count toward the two-credit-per-semester limit include directed study, moot court and trial advocacy teams, Moot Court Honor Board, Research Assistantship, Concentration Thesis credits, Teaching Assistantship and law journal work (including Law Review, Transnational Law Review, Journal of Health and Biomedical Law, Journal of High Technology Law, and Journal of Trial and Appellate Advocacy). This limit does not apply to the fieldwork components of an externship or the casework component of a clinic.

Example: Student takes an externship which includes a two-credit seminar and three credits for fieldwork. The student may still receive two credits in that semester for other non-classroom activities.

Example: Student receives two credits for work on a law school journal. The student may not receive additional credits in the same semester for a directed study, research assistantship or concentration thesis. The student may receive credits for the fieldwork component of an externship or clinic in that semester.

Disclaimer: The Law School reserves the right to cancel a course due to low enrollment or for other reasons. Should this occur, students will be notified by Email. The Law Faculty reserves the right to change the schedule of classes, the program of instruction, the requirements for credits or degrees, and any rule or regulation established for the government of the student body in the school. Any such change may be made applicable to students already enrolled in the Law School.

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HOW TO REGISTER

HOW TO REGISTER FOR CLASSES – WORKDAY

To register for classes at Suffolk University Law School, you will need to log into Workday. Workday Registration • To log into Workday, enter your Login ID and Password which is the same as your email login/password. If you need assistance logging in, contact the Suffolk University Service Desk at 617-557-2000 or by email. • Prior to registering for classes, it is advised that you review your Academic Progress which is located in Workday.

There are a number of Quick Guides and videos located on the Academics Hub section on Workday relating to registration.

Students should plan to create a Saved Schedule on Workday to select the courses for registration.

Once logged into Workday go to the Academics Hub and select Planning and Registration

Click on Find Course Sections: Start Date: Standard Calendar > 2024-2025 > Click Fall 2024 Law or enter Fall 2024 Law Academic Level: Click on Law or enter Law

Enter a course name in the search bar or use the Current Search to filter course selections.

Once you locate the course click on it. Additional information about the course will display.

Click on Add to Saved Schedule and create a saved schedule name.

Select Choose Times.

Your Saved Schedule will appear with additional information about the course(s) including course eligibility.

Click OK.

You can continue to add, edit or remove courses to your Saved Schedule. Multiple Saved Schedules can be created.

On your assigned registration day, an additional tab “Start Registration” will appear.

Detailed descriptions on how to CREATE A SAVED SCHEDULE and REGISTER FROM A SAVED SCHEDULE appear on the following pages.

Videos:

Create a Saved Schedule for Registration How to Register on Workday.

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HOW TO REGISTER

9

HOW TO REGISTER

10

HOW TO REGISTER

11

HOW TO REGISTER

12

HOW TO REGISTER

13

HOW TO REGISTER

14

HOW TO REGISTER

15

HOW TO REGISTER

16

HOW TO REGISTER

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COURSE SELECTION

Popular Courses 2023 - 2024

Day

Evening

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COURSE SELECTION

Areas of Focus Students who are no longer required to complete the Base Menu but still want guidance as to which upper level courses they should consider in light of their own study and practice interests are encouraged to review Suffolk Law's Areas of Focus.

Bankruptcy Law

Intellectual Property

Civil Litigation

International Law

Civil Rights and Human Rights Law

Juvenile and Family Law

Labor and Employment Law

Corporate Finance and Business

Criminal Law

Law and Public Service

Dispute Resolution

Patent Law

Diversity and Social Justice

Real Estate and Land Use

Environmental and Energy Law

Taxation

Health and Biomedical Law

Torts and Personal Injury Law

Immigration Law

Each Area of Focus lists courses that students interested in a particular area might want to take as preparation for or to learn more about practice in that specialty. Each of the sections has been developed and prepared by faculty members teaching in the practice area, and is aimed at providing guidance and direction to students as they select courses, externships and pursue other related activities. Areas of Focus can be reviewed online, and in the Areas of Focus section of this Guide. The lists of courses are not intended to be all-inclusive, and there can be significant diversity in the programmatic elements chosen by particular students. Please note that not all courses listed for each category will be offered every semester or every year.

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COURSE SELECTION

Concentrations Several academic concentrations enhance the curriculum at Suffolk University Law School, offering law students an opportunity to obtain advanced training in a substantive field. The Law School was one of the first schools in the country to develop academic concentrations and it continues to be innovative in its commitment to inclusion of the concentrations in its legal education program. Suffolk's academic concentrations were created and approved by the faculty to complement and build upon the Law School's broad and basic legal curriculum. Students enrolled in the concentrations sharpen their legal reasoning skills by pursuing a cumulative program of specialized courses. The concentrations provide students planning to enter a particular area of the law with the opportunity to focus their academic preparation and potentially enhance their legal careers.

While it’s not required to declare a concentration, specialization can be an advantage in today’s competitive job landscape.

Suffolk University Law School offers the following concentrations:

Business Law and Financial Services

Health and Biomedical Law

Intellectual Property

International Law

Legal Innovation and Technology

Trial and Appellate Advocacy

Students can review required courses for each concentration online, and in the Concentrations section of this Guide.

All concentrations at Suffolk have an open admissions policy. Any interested students are welcome and encouraged to enroll. Students who wish to enroll in a concentration should Create a Request on Workday. Concentration enrollment may occur as soon as a student completes the first year in law school in good standing. Participation in a concentration is only noted on a student's Law School transcript if the student is able to satisfy the concentration's requirements by the time of graduation. No adverse notation is made on a graduating student's Law School transcript if the student opts not to complete the concentration or does not meet the concentration's requirements.

Concentration or Area of Focus?

If Concentrations do not quite fit a student's needs, we highly recommend they review Suffolk Law's Areas of Focus, which students can declare to lay out long-term career goals.

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COURSE SELECTION

Perspectives

Recommended not Required

All students should take at least one of the Perspectives courses listed below before graduation. The purpose of the recommendation is to help students develop an analytical perspective on our legal system, by viewing it through the lens of another discipline, probing the foundations, values or assumptions underlying our legal institutions, or studying alternatives to our own doctrinal approach to legal problem.

Justice, Morality and Film

Advanced Constitutional Law

Cannabis Law

Landlord/Tenant: Residential

Character and Fitness for Professional Success

Law and Economics

Diversity/Inclusion in the Legal Profession

Law and Literature

Education, Equality & the Law

Law and Philosophy

Laws of War

Employment Discrimination

Federal Indian Law and the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in the U.S

Legal History Seminar

Mass Incarceration

Government Lawyer: Legislation

Mental Health Law

Housing Discrimination

Human Rights Protection in Europe

Military Law

Human Rights Survey

Positive Psychology

Immigration Law

Race and the Law

International Law

Religion and the Law

Islamic Law

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COURSE SELECTION

Bar Related Courses

Preparing for the bar exam begins with choosing courses that are regularly tested on the state bar exam.

Multistate Bar Exam

Subject Matter Tested:

Suffolk Law School Related Courses

Civil Procedure

Civil Procedure, Federal Courts, Adv Svy: Civ, Crim Prop

Constitutional Law

Constitutional Law, Adv Const Law

Contracts

Contracts, Advanced Svy: Cont, Evid, Torts

Criminal Law and Procedure

Criminal Law

Evidence

Evidence, Advanced Survey of Core Legal Principles

Real Property

Property, Land Use, Conveyancing, Adv Svy: Civ, Crim, Prop

Torts

Torts, Advanced Svy: Cont, Evid, Torts

Multistate Essay Exam

Subject Matter Tested:

Suffolk Law School Related Courses

Business Associations

Business Entity Fundamentals, Torts

Civil Procedure, Federal Courts, Advanced Civil Procedure, Adv Svy: Civ, Crim, Property

Civil Procedure

Conflict of Laws

Conflict of Laws

Constitutional Law

Constitutional Law, Criminal Procedure, Adv Const Law

Contracts (including Article 2 [Sales] of the UCC)

Contracts. Commercial Law Sales and Leases

Criminal Law and Procedure

Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure,

Evidence

Evidence, Adv Svy: Cont, Evid, Torts

Family Law

Family Law

Real Property

Property, Conveyancing, Adv Svy: Civ, Crim, Property

Torts

Torts, Advanced Torts, Adv Svy: Cont, Evid, Torts

Trusts and Estates

Drafting Wills & Trusts, Trusts & Estates, Estate Admin

Uniform Commercial Code

Commercial Law Survey, Secured Transactions

Multistate Performance Test

Subject Matter Tested:

Suffolk Law School Related Courses

Adv Svy: Civ, Crim, Prop, Adv Svy: Cont, Evid,Torts

Substantive MBE Topics, Essays and MPTs

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COURSE SELECTION

Research Assistantship A student who has completed the first year of legal study may serve as a Faculty Research Assistant. This position offers a student the opportunity to work with a full-time faculty member or adjunct faculty member (with approval of an associate dean) on a supervised project relating to the faculty member's course offerings or scholarly activities. Such a project is intended to provide the student with supervised research and writing instruction, in addition to an opportunity for the student to engage in analytical discourse with the faculty supervisor. The project may result in a paper or detailed memorandum prepared by the student. A student should expect to devote a minimum of 90 hours as a Research Assistant. A time log of hours worked must be submitted at the end of the term, and certified by the faculty member. Students must create a request on Workday to register for a Research Assistantship. At your Academic Hub >Select Create Request >Enter “Research Assistant,” complete the form and submit. Once approval has been received you will be notified. The student and faculty member should meet regularly to discuss all aspects of the student's project. The student's work as a Research Assistant is graded on a Credit/No Credit basis. Although the student is awarded two credits for completion of the Research Assistantship, the grade is not included in the calculation of the student's grade point average. Depending on the nature and scope of a student's work, a student's written project may be submitted to the faculty supervisor for satisfaction of the law school's legal writing requirement. All written work must be completed in accordance with the provisions of the law school's Academic Integrity regulations (Rule II-F). A student may not receive more than two units of credit in any semester for non-classroom ungraded activities, as opposed to regular course work. Non-classroom ungraded activities which count toward the two-credit-per-semester limit include directed study; law journal work (including Law Review, Transnational Law Review, Journal of Health & Biomedical Law , Journal of High Technology Law ); Moot Court, including Moot Court teams and Journal of Trial and Appellate Advocacy; research assistantships; and concentration thesis credits.

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COURSE SELECTION

Directed Study A student who has completed the first year of legal study may undertake a Directed Study, completing a substantial project of research and writing on a topic of academic interest under the guidance of a member of the full-time faculty or other faculty (with approval of an Associate Dean). To undertake supervised research, a student must first identify a faculty member willing to supervise the project. After agreeing upon a topic. The student must file a request in Workday. At your Academic Hub>Select “Create Request” >Enter “Directed Study – JD (Law),” complete the form and submit. Once approval is received you will be notified . Directed Study is considered a new course requiring a unique course number for which we need to register you. The student must submit an outline and complete draft to the faculty supervisor for review and comment, prior to the submission of the completed paper. The final paper must be submitted to the faculty supervisor by the date set in the approved proposal, which may be no later than the end of the examination period for the semester in which the paper is completed. The faculty supervisor will grade the paper on a Credit/No Credit basis. Although the student is awarded two credits for completion of the project, the grade is not included in the calculation of the student's grade point average. You may also submit the paper to the faculty supervisor for satisfaction of the law school's legal writing requirement. All written work must be completed in accordance with the provisions of the law school's Academic Integrity regulations (Rule II-F). A student may not receive more than two units of credit in any semester for non-classroom ungraded activities, as opposed to regular course work. Non-classroom ungraded activities which count toward the two-credit-per-semester limit include directed study; law journal work (including Law Review, Transnational Law Review, Journal of Health & Biomedical Law , Journal of High Technology Law ); Moot Court, including Moot Court teams and Journal of Trial and Appellate Advocacy; research assistantships; and concentration thesis credits. You should expect to devote a minimum of 90 hours to the project. A time log of hours worked must be submitted at the end of the term, and certified by the faculty member.

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COURSE SELECTION

Teaching Assistantship A student who has completed the first year of legal study may serve as a Teaching Assistant. Teaching assistants (TA) work under the direct supervision of an individual member of the faculty to support and enhance student learning. A TA’s particular duties and responsibilities will depend on the needs of the supervising faculty member. Because faculty members rely on TA ’ s to interact with students and respond correctly to their inquiries, only students who have demonstrated a high level of understanding in the relevant subject matter will be qualified to serve as a TA. Selected students will be required to complete up to 2 hours of training regarding their responsibilities under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (“FERPA”) prior to starting their work as a TA. TAs are required to sign a statement acknowledging their obligations and responsibilities under FERPA. Enrollment is limited to students selected by a supervising faculty member. Students must create a request on Workday to register for a Teaching Assistantship. At your Academic Hub >Select Create Request >Enter “Teaching Assistant Registration (Law),” complete the form and submit. Once approval is received you will be notified. Students who serve as a TA for course credit are not eligible to work as a paid TA or Research Assistant in the same semester. In order for students to receive 2 credits, they must work a minimum of 90 hours as a TA. A time log of hours worked must be submitted at the end of the term , and certified by the faculty member. Work as a TA is graded on a Credit/No Credit basis. This grade is not included in the calculation of the student's grade point average. Students receiving credits for their work as a TA are subject to law school regulation II-G: Credits for Clinical and Other Non-Classroom Activities.

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COURSE SELECTION

Summer Boston Suffolk University Law School offers a summer program open to students who have completed the first year of law school in good standing at an American Bar Association-accredited law school. Suffolk students may register online.

Key Details

6-week or 12-week sessions

•

• All classes start at 5:30 p.m. or 7:35 p.m. • Classes in Summer will be offered online • Available to current law students in good standing at any ABA-accredited law school (including Suffolk Law)

Any Suffolk student may take up to 6 credits (12 classroom hours per week) without special permission. Evening students may take up to 6 credits without special permission. Any Suffolk student wishing to enroll in more than 6 credits must file a petition for approval.

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COURSE SELECTION

Study at NUI Galway, Ireland Located on the scenic west coast of Ireland, the National University of Ireland at Galway (NUI Galway) is a prestigious research university and an integral part of the Irish national university system. Through a partnership with Suffolk University Law School and NUI Galway, Suffolk law students are able to study international and comparative law in Galway earning three law school credits. The courses run from late May through early June.

Students have the opportunity to visit institutions of local legal culture, and interact with their Irish peers. Galway is a thriving college town, with great vitality in music and performing arts. Students can contact Professor Sara Dillon with any questions, or find more information on the Suffolk Law School website.

Eligibility

First and second year JD day students and second and third-year evening JD students with a GPA of 2.67 and in academic good standing. Students with a lower GPA may submit a petition to participate in the program. As the academic program will be over by early to mid-June, participants are strongly urged to pursue externships or other legal work for the rest of the summer. Students interested in externship placement in Ireland or other international locations should contact Christy Fujio, Director of International Externship Programs, at Christy.Fujio@suffolk.edu early in the process. All such externships can be completed for credit.

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COURSE SELECTION

January 2025 Intersession

Intersession courses provide an opportunity for students to enroll in an intensive one week session of learning critical skills necessary in the practice of law.

Intersession courses will begin on January 6, 2025 and end on January 10, 2025 in both the day and evening divisions. A Make-Up day will be held on Saturday, January 11 should any Intersession class day need to be canceled due to inclement weather. All other courses will begin on January 13, 2025.

Eligibility:

• Courses are available to upper class JD students and LLM students

• Students are not permitted to enroll in an Intersession unless the student is also enrolled in other courses in the spring semester. Suffolk students who enroll in Intersession January 2025 classes must also be registered for courses in the Spring 2025 semester. • There is no additional tuition charge beyond the Spring 2025 semester for those students who through the use of Intersession and the Spring 2025 semester enroll in no more than 16 credits as a day student and in no more than 12 credits as an evening student. • Financial Aid is not available for the Intersession course alone and must be combined with regular Spring 2025 classes for financial aid eligibility. Refunds will NOT be available until after Spring 2025 classes begin. Please plan accordingly.

•

All classes are limited

• Only one January Intersession course may be taken. Registration for January 2025 Intersession courses will occur in November 2024 during the Spring 2025 registration.

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COURSE SELECTION

Exam Schedule – Tentative

The complete Fall 2024 Exam Schedule will be posted on the Suffolk Law School website.

Students should ensure that they have reviewed all examination rules and regulations and laptop examination rules.

Students who require accommodations based on a permanent or temporary disability should review the Accommodations for Exams Policy. All students seeking exam accommodations should request accommodations no later than 60 days prior to the exam period to allow adequate time for scheduling the logistics involved with these requests. Any student who has three examinations in 53 hours may request that one be rescheduled. Such requests are handled by the Assistant Dean for Academic Services. It is expected that students will sit for all examinations as scheduled. Examinations are rescheduled by the Dean of Students Office only in extremely limited circumstances, such as requests that relate to the health of the student, or close family member, or death of a family member. Any rescheduled examination will be administered on a date no earlier than the date originally set. Please note that ExamSoft may not be available for rescheduled examinations. Tentative examination schedules are available to students at the time of course pre- registration. Students are therefore expected to have reviewed and considered the examination schedule for all courses in which they enroll.

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AREAS OF FOCUS

Areas of Focus Bankruptcy

The practice of Bankruptcy law focuses the rights and obligations of debtor/creditor and related parties under the Bankruptcy Code.

The bankruptcy lawyer must use both transactional and litigation skills in practice. Bankruptcy is a dispute resolution process, governed by the federal bankruptcy code, by which a debtor reorganizes or dissolves debts according to priority established by law. A bankruptcy lawyer represents the debtor or creditors in the process. Reorganized or dissolved debts implicate many types of financial instruments, contracts, employment relations, property and family law. Practice in this area is circumscribed by the federal procedural rules and also by many focused Bankruptcy rules, both local and nationwide. Within a single bankruptcy, there may be many disputes that require independent resolution through litigation or settlement. Bankruptcy lawyers can work for large or small firms, in-house or state and federal government and public interest organizations.

Recommended Courses

Bankruptcy Introduction

Federal Courts

Bankruptcy Reorganizations

Secured Transactions

Commercial Law Survey

Other Relevant Courses

Accounting for Lawyers

Commercial Law Sales and Leases

Administrative Law

Conflict of Laws

Banking Law

Evidence

Bankruptcy Moot Court Team

Mediation

Basic Federal Income Taxation

Negotiation

Business Entity Fundamentals

Pre-Trial Civil Litigation

Recommended Extracurricular Activities

Competition Teams: The Bankruptcy Law Moot Court Team competes in the Duberstein Moot Court Competition held in New York City. Other opportunities for students include the Moot Court Honor Board, Negotiation Team, National Trial Team, and National Moot Court Team.

Suffolk Business Law Association : A student organization for students interested in practicing business law in a variety of contexts.

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AREAS OF FOCUS

Civil Litigation Many of our graduates are among the most successful trial lawyers in New England. They practice in large firms and in small offices, serve as in-house counsel, and handle all types of cases from corporate disputes to civil rights claims. Many have gone on to become highly respected judges. One of the principal advantages of a litigation career is that it presents a rare opportunity in today's world to be a generalist. Your clients and their issues will provide you with a series of windows onto the world that most specialists will never have a chance to peer through. The successful trial lawyer must have sufficient intellectual curiosity and a mind agile enough to move from one field to the next, as the demands of the cases require. A litigator must possess strong legal writing skills. But she must also have a strong affinity for other people, the sensitivity to understand their stories and their problems, the ability to communicate those stories to judges and jurors, and a desire to serve as her clients' champion in the courtroom. The life of a courtroom advocate is often highly stressful, but also exhilarating and rewarding.

Recommended Courses

Bankruptcy Introduction

Negotiation

E-Discovery Law

Trial Advocacy

Evidence

Trial Advocacy: Intensive

Mediation

Other Relevant Courses

Advanced Civil Procedure

Federal Courts

Advanced Legal Writing

Interviewing and Counseling

Advanced Torts

Massachusetts Practice

Appellate Practice

Medical Malpractice

Conflict of Laws

Police Misconduct Litigation

Employment Discrimination Law

Pre-Trial Civil Litigation

It is highly recommended that you participate in one of the clinics, or participate in an externship in a litigation-related placement. The clinics provide an invaluable opportunity to learn hands-on legal skills working directly with clients under the supervision of experienced clinical professors. Finally, Suffolk provides an abundance of opportunities, through the Moot Court Board and otherwise, to participate in mock trial competitions and appellate advocacy competitions, either as an individual or as a member of a team. Students interested in litigation practice should consider taking part in one of these extracurricular activities.

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AREAS OF FOCUS

Civil Rights and Human Rights Law Today there is a wide variety of opportunity to practice civil rights and human rights law, both within the United States and internationally. Civil rights and human rights lawyers may work in private practice, for non-profit institutions, for advocacy organizations, for government agencies, international bodies, or in other specialized environments. They may become involved in problems of discrimination on the basis of race, gender, religion, sexual preference, age, or disability, police misconduct, freedom of expression, issues of genocide or "ethnic cleansing," children's rights, slavery, international trafficking that exploits vulnerable populations, war crimes, and a myriad of other issues addressed by the Bill of Rights to the United States Constitution and the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Civil rights and human rights litigation is often highly stressful and frequently enormously frustrating. It seldom leads to great material rewards. It is, however, extremely rewarding. Significant civil rights and human rights cases demand consideration of a complex matrix of political, policy, humanitarian and legal factors. Not only persistence and passion, but also creativity and imagination are required. This work provides an unparalleled opportunity to be of service and to employ one's talents and skills on behalf of clients whose legal needs are not met in the marketplace. Students who intend to seek employment in the civil rights and human rights arena are strongly advised to seek opportunities while in law school for part-time employment or volunteer work in this area. Employers generally place a high premium on a demonstrated commitment to civil rights and human rights in hiring. Because civil rights and human rights involve such a broad range of problems, there is no standard menu of courses to prepare for a career in this area. Everyone headed toward a career in civil rights and human rights should probably take one or more upper level constitutional law courses, one or more survey courses in human rights and a course in international law. Beyond that, one's interests will determine which specialized courses to take.

Recommended Courses

Advanced Civil Procedure

Human Rights Survey

Advanced Topics in Constitutional Law

Immigration Law

Children and Disability Law

International Environmental Law

Children & the Law

International Law

Civil Disobedience

Laws of War

Criminal Procedure

Mass Incarceration

Education, Equality and the Law

Massachusetts Housing Law

Employment Discrimination Law

Military Law

Federal Courts

Police Misconduct Litigation

Federal Indian Law

Privacy Law

First Amendment: Media Law

Race and the Law

Human Rights Project

Religion and the Law

Human Rights Protection in Europe

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AREAS OF FOCUS

Clinics

Health Law Clinic

Juvenile Defenders Clinic

Human Rights and Indigenous Peoples Clinic

Suffolk Defenders Program

Innocence Clinic

Summer Programs and Externships

Domestic Externships

International Externships

Suffolk offers multiple opportunities to participate in summer programs and externships, both in the United States and abroad, that provide valuable experience in this area. For further information on U.S.- based summer externships, students should contact Mary Sawicki. For information on internationally- focused summer externships, students should contact Christy Fujio. In addition, professors who teach civil rights and human rights courses, or who teach international law, can be another great resource for advice with respect to such programs. There are also a number of moot court teams that participate in constitutional law and international law problems that provide extracurricular opportunities to gain experience in this area.

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AREAS OF FOCUS

Corporate Finance and Business Anyone who expects to work as a lawyer, whether in a law firm or in-house, representing for-profit or non-profit business organizations, should have a grounding in the core business courses: Business Entity Fundamentals; Basic Federal Income Tax; Taxation of Business Entities; and Accounting for Lawyers. This kind of work is divided in to five sub-categories and include several suggested courses that may be helpful for each of them. Large corporations . Law firm and in-house lawyers practicing corporate and finance law deal in almost every kind of business issue, from drafting and reviewing purchase and supply contracts, to structuring, negotiating, and drafting documents in mergers and acquisitions, to advising corporate directors on governance issues, to doing securities offerings, or organizing hedge funds. Helpful courses include: Commercial Paper, Secured Transactions; Corporate Finance; Securities Regulation; Negotiation; Antitrust. Financial Institutions . Lawyers for financial institutions may find themselves engaged in the regulation of the business, or in the documentation, administration, or workout of loans. Helpful courses include: Bankruptcy; Commercial Paper; Secured Transactions; Commercial Lending/Finance Practicum; Banking Law; Investment Management Regulation; Private Placements/Venture Capital. Emerging and Small Businesses . A business law practice may be geared to smaller or family-owned businesses, or start-up businesses, particularly those requiring venture financing. These businesses are more likely to be organized in non-corporate forms. Counseling these businesses is often going to require some passing familiarity (whether to perform the work or to spot issues that need to be referredto specialists) with estate planning, bankruptcy, accounting, and real estate, among others. Small company lawyers are also frequently called upon for business and strategic advice. Helpful courses include Business Planning; Conveyancing; Trusts and Estates; Negotiation; and Private Placement/Venture Capital. Non-Profits . Many businesses and other private sector organizations are organized as non-profit or other eleemosynary corporations. Hospitals, education institutions, cultural organizations, foundations, charitable societies, and non-governmental organizations can be large and complex, and involve legal issues much like those facing profit-based corporations. They are often funded by charitable contributions or other fund-raising activities. Helpful courses include: Corporate Finance; Estate and Gift Tax; Administrative Law; Education Law; Medicare and Medicaid. Insurance Industry . Representing insurance companies, apart from what is known as "insurance defense" litigation, presents particular issues of regulation and organization. The insurance industry is highly complex, and legal work can involve, among other things, traditional corporate governance work, traditional finance industry issues, drafting policy provisions, dealing with agency networks and distributions issues, negotiating and drafting reinsurance treaties, licensing and other regulatory issues, litigation with policy-holders over coverage issues, rate-making in state administrative agencies, and insurance company insolvency (which is regulated by the individual states). Helpful courses include: Insurance Law; Administrative Law; Securities Regulation; Admiralty Law. Extra-curricular activities include the Suffolk Business Law Association; Sports and Entertainment Law Association; Tax Moot Court; Securities Moot Court. The Business Law and Financial Services Concentration also facilitates placement in business law related externships.

Recommended Courses

Basic Federal Income Taxation

Business Entity Fundamentals

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AREAS OF FOCUS

Other Relevant Courses

Accounting for Lawyers

Estate and Gift Taxation

Administrative Law

Inside Job: In-House Counsel

Admiralty Law

International Investment Law

Antitrust

Investment Management Regulation

Banking Law

Medicare and Medicaid Law and Policy

Bankruptcy Introduction

Negotiation

Bankruptcy Reorganizations

Real Estate Transactions/Conveyancing

Business Planning

Secured Transactions

Commercial Law Sales

Securities Regulation

Commercial Law Survey

Taxation of Business Entities

Corporate Finance

Taxation of Exempt Organizations

Corporate Taxation

Trusts and Estates

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AREAS OF FOCUS

Criminal Law From the theories of punishment which inform the creation of laws that define crime, through the procedures and rules which regulate the courts through the prosecution and defense of those statutes, into the theory and politics of punishments, the study of criminal law touches every aspect of legal education. Unlike most other areas of legal study, criminal law is public law, meaning that the state is both the accuser and the victim; the state manages the courts and often supplies the attorneys of the accused. Therefore, the good of the generalized population is the touchstone of criminal law, rather than the vindication of the harm against an individual. To that end, criminal law starts with the creation of statutes defining crimes, procedural rules enacted by legislatures or courts, and administrative laws regulating the punishment and incarceration of wrongdoers. Add on top of all of this the state and federal constitutional provision that ensure that the awesome power of the state, once turned toward a citizen, is restrained and applied equally and fairly. In some cases, international laws and treaties will also act as a check on the ill use of power against an accused. Increasing the complexity of the modern study of criminal law is the fact that what was once primarily a local or state created and run system has been increasingly federalized so that single acts might be the subject of multiple state and federal prosecutions. Criminal punishments are no longer focused exclusively on street level actions but include punishments to aid in regulation of contracts, financial institutions, production and sale of goods, environmental protections, taxation and a whole host of other legal relationships once regulated by civil law alone. Because of these interwoven legal structures, and because each criminally charged act is intensely fact bound, criminal law is still the area of law where the most litigation -- pre-trial, trial, and appeal --- occurs. Therefore, a rich understanding of lawyering skills is critical to the practice of criminal law. Just as the study of criminal law touches all aspects of law, so too does the practice of criminal law. Historically, many of Suffolk's graduates have found careers as prosecutors and defense attorneys. Equally important is our graduates’ work in legislatures crafting laws and as Judges in state and federal courts hearing criminal cases. Additionally, a solid understanding of criminal laws in specific regulated areas (finance, the environment, product export, intellectual property etc.) is critical to success as a lawyer in those fields.

Recommended Courses Criminal Law

Evidence

Criminal Procedure

Professional Responsibility

Other Relevant Courses Federal Courts

Military Law

Federal Criminal Practice Seminar

State Criminal Practice

Forensics

Trial Advocacy

Immigration Law

Trial Advocacy: Intensive

International Criminal Law

Clinics and Externships

Innocence Clinic

Suffolk Defenders Program

Juvenile Defenders Clinic

Suffolk Prosecutors Program

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