Curriculum Guide

First Year Program
Second and Third Year Program
Professional Responsibility Requirement
Upper Level Writing Requirement
Lawyering Skills Requirement
Perspectives on Law and Justice Requirement
Graduation Requirements

   See also:
Principles of Course Selection
Course Descriptions & Registration

FIRST YEAR PROGRAM   
First year students are required to take Civil Procedure, Constitutional Law, Contracts, Property, Torts, Criminal Law and Legal Reasoning, Research and Writing. These include both traditional courses as well as those emphasizing the sources of law, professional responsibility issues, and lawyering skills. 

In the spring semester, first year students choose a three credit elective from a menu of classes that are also available to upper level students.  For the 2009-10 academic year these include Evidence, Corporations, Jurisprudence, Legal Interviewing and Counseling, and Advanced Contracts, Sales in Practice.

Civil Procedure
Using the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, this course introduces rules governing the conduct of litigation. After an overview of the entire sequence of events from commencement to final disposition of a lawsuit, specific topics are considered in detail.

Constitutional Law
Constitutional Law introduces the concept of judicial review of legislation and executive action. The course also focuses on the express and implied powers of the federal government and the effect of the interstate commerce clause on federal and state power.

Contracts
The concept of what constitutes a contract is followed by detailed study of the various principles that govern the enforcement of contracts. Common law rules are emphasized, but attention is also given to the statutory changes imposed by the Uniform Commercial Code.

Criminal Law
This course examines the elements of crimes, defenses that the accused may assert, and the methods and rationales for punishing criminal conduct. Attention is given to the common law of crime as well as to the Model Penal Code.

Legal Reasoning, Research, and Writing
Written expression of legal analysis as well as traditional and computer-assisted legal research techniques are addressed in this course. Assignments include drafts and rewrites of inter-office and advocacy memoranda, which receive intensive faculty feedback. The course is taught in small sections to facilitate teacher-student interaction.

Property
This course examines concepts of property rights as well as principles of personal and real property. The rapidly changing area of landlord/tenant law is reviewed extensively, and conveyancing practices also are studied. During the second semester, the course focuses on the sources of law and the legal process, including legislative and administrative bodies and their relationships to the courts in creating, interpreting, and enforcing the law.

Torts
This course examines non-consensual relations among individuals and emphasizes negligence law, the measure of damages, and newer developments such as products liability.

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SECOND AND THIRD YEAR PROGRAM   
With the following exceptions, all upper-level courses are electives.  All students are required to take Constitutional Law II.  All Students must meet an upper level writing requirement.

In addition

Students in the Class of 2010 are required to take a second course in professional responsibility in order to graduate (in addition to their first year ILPR course).  It can be taken at any time during the second or third year.

Students in the Class of 2011 and forward, must take the survey class in Professional Responsibility (LL955), a course satisfying the "Perspectives on Law and Justice" requirement, and a course satisfying the Lawyering Skills requirement.

More than 70 courses, are offered each semester. Multiple courses in one or more areas broadens students' knowledge, judgment, and technical skills, ultimately strengthening their abilities as lawyers.

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PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITY REQUIREMENT   
In addition to their first year ILPR course, Students in the Class of 2010 are required to take a second course in professional responsibility in order to graduate. The courses that fulfill the second Professional Responsibility requirement are listed below.

Advanced Immigration Law Clinic
Attorney General Program
Civil Litigation Clinic
Community Enterprise Clinic
Criminal Justice Clinic
Housing Law Clinic
Immigration Clinic
Judge and Community Courts
Judicial Process
Juvenile Rights Advocacy
Legal Ethics Seminar
Moral Responsibility of Lawyers
Professional Responsibility (all sections)
Professional Responsibility: Prosecutorial Ethics
Semester in Practice
Women and the Law Clinic

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   ABA UPPER LEVEL WRITING REQUIREMENT
2009-2010 Courses that satisfy the ABA Upper Level Writing Requirement

All Boston College Law School students are required to take an upper level course with a significant writing experience in order to graduate. It can be taken at anytime during the second or third year. The courses, competitions and publications that fulfill this upper level writing requirement are listed below.

Courses denoted with an asterisk are listed with a 2/3 or 3/4 credit option. Students who opt for the higher number of credits will fulfill the upper level writing requirement. Students who register for any of the asterisked courses at the higher number of credit must complete additional paperwork. Please see Theresa Kachmar, Student Records, Stuart M301.

LL48502  Advanced Legal Writing (Spencer Spring)
LL48503  Advanced Legal Writing and Analysis (Juel Spring)
LL48501  Advanced Legal Writing: Judicial Opinions (Connor Spring)
LL48504  Advanced Legal Writing: Employment Law (Connor Fall)
LL31001  Advising the Business Planner (Yen/Gennari Fall)
LL61001  American Indian Law (Witten Spring)*
LL73501  American Jury (Brassard Spring)
LL34401  American Legal Education (Coquillette Spring)
LL47102  Appellate Advocacy (Daly Spring)
LL47102  Appellate Advocacy (Carey Fall/Spring)
LL39001  Art Law Seminar (Anzalone Spring)
LL85801  Attorney General Clinical Program Seminar (Barnico Fall/Spring)
LL70801  Business Law and Health Care Enterprises (Hashimoto Spring)
LL93201  Comparative Constitutional Law (Perju Spring)*
LL69701  Complex Litigation (Spiegel Fall)
LL82401  Corporate Governance (Jones Spring)
LL39301  Death Penalty Seminar (Dowden Fall)
LL96901  Environmental Law (Plater Fall:4 cr.) **
LL94201  Family Court Practice (Ginsburg Spring)*
LL68401  Family Law Seminar: Child, Parent and State (Katz Spring)
LL68401  Family Law Seminar: Parenting, Custody, Adoption (Katz Fall)
LL40001  Feminist Jurisprudence (Wells Spring)
LL96601  Globalization and International Economic Law Seminar (Garcia Spring)
LL74901  Immigration Law (Kanstroom Fall)*
LL75201  International Aspects U.S. Income Tax (Ault Fall)*
LL62101  International Criminal Tribunals (ICT): Research Project (Kanstroom Fall/Hupper Spring)
LL43601  International Human Rights (Kanstroom Fall)*
LL49601  Judge and Community Courts Seminar (Cratsley/Connors Fall)
LL83801  Judicial Process (Bloom Spring)
LL38801  Juvenile Justice Seminar (Sherman Spring)*
LL67301  Law of War, War Crimes and Genocide (Ryan Spring)
LL51001  London Program Externship (Spiegel Spring)
LL91001  Media Law (Papandrea Spring)
LL92501  Mediation (Gray Fall)
LL92502  Mediation (Gray Spring)
LL63501  National Security Law (Brown Fall)
LL95503  Professional Responsibility (Tremblay Spring)*
LL95801  Regulatory Reform Seminar (Foote Fall)*
LL45901  Semester in Practice Seminar (Wylie/McMorrow- with paper app'd by instructor)
LL80501  Sexuality and the Law (Stowe Fall)
LL78801  Tax III (Advanced Corporate Tax) (Wethly Spring)
LL78001  Tax Policy Workshop (Repetti Spring)
LL41301  The Philadelphia Convention (Bilder Spring)* (CANCELLED)
LL73301  Theory and Practice in Business Decisionmaking (Greenfield Fall)
LL92101  Understanding Urban Ecosystems (Lord Spring)

Competitions  (Selection process required)
LL69001  The Conrad B. Duberstein National Bankruptcy Moot Court (Hillinger)
LL69101  Frederick Douglass Moot Court (Beckman)
LL51501  Gibbons Criminal Procedure Moot Court (Bloom)
LL50001  J. Braxton Craven Moot Court (Barnico)
LL98101  Jessup International Moot Court (Carey)
LL61801  National Environmental Law Moot Court (Plater)
LL98201  National Moot Court (Herrmann)
LL44701  Saul Lefkowitz IP Moot Court (Liu)

LAWYERING SKILLS REQUIREMENT   
2009-2010 Courses that satisfy the Lawyering Skills Requirement

Students may also satisfy this requirement by competing in their third year on an intramural Moot Court Team or the National Mock Trial Team.

PERSPECTIVES ON LAW AND JUSTICE REQUIREMENT   
2009-2010 Courses that satisfy the Perspectives on Law and Justice Requirement

American Legal History (Bilder)
Anglo-American Legal History (Coquillette)
American Legal Theory (Wells)
Authority and Leadership in Professional Life (Sarda)
Beyond National Borders: Globalization, Law and Legal Practice (Wirth/Garcia)
Comparative Constitutional Law (Perju)
Comparative Law (Garcia)
Feminist Jurisprudence (Wells)
Foundations of Western Law (Kohler)
Globalization and International Economic Law (Garcia)
Jurisprudence (FitzGibbon)
International Human Rights (Kanstroom)
Law and Religion (Garvey)
Sexuality and the Law (Stowe)
Tax Policy Workshop (Repetti)
Women and the Law (Karmely)
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   GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS

Students may enroll in any of the courses listed and described in the course description material, subject to prerequisite requirements for certain upper level courses and some limited enrollment courses.

In the first year, all candidates for the J.D. degree must follow the prescribed course schedule. Students must take 52 credit hours during their second and third years. Each student must take no fewer than 12 and not more than 17 hours each semester. In unusual circumstances, exceptions may be allowed with permission in writing from the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs or his/her designee.

To graduate, students must be in residence, full-time, for 6 semesters and must successfully complete a minimum of 85 credit hours. To be considered a full-time student in residence, a student must register for a minimum of 12 credit hours per semester. After the first year, students are strongly advised to take 26 credit hours per year. This will allow completion of the remaining 52 credits while maintaining a manageable course load in the last two years.

With the following exceptions, all upper-level courses are electives.  All students are required to take Constitutional Law II.  All Students must meet an upper level writing requirement.

In addition

Students in the Class of 2010 are required to take a second course in professional responsibility in order to graduate (in addition to their first year ILPR course).  It can be taken at any time during the second or third year.

Students in the Class of 2011 and forward, must take the survey class in Professional Responsibility (LL955), a course satisfying the "Perspectives on Law and Justice" requirement, and a course satisfying the Lawyering Skills requirement.

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