Course Offerings, Requirements
and Programs

Degree Requirements
Course Offerings
Dual or Advanced Degrees
Concentrations
Semester Abroad
Real-World Practice

You can design your curriculum around courses that prepare you for work in specific areas of interest—here or abroad.

You can choose from more than 150 classes, seminars and clinics, including classes in our Graduate Program in Banking & Financial Law and our Graduate Tax Program.

You can concentrate in any of five important fields: International Law, Intellectual Property Law, Health Law, Business Organizations and Finance Law, or Litigation and Dispute Resolution.

You can get involved in a wide range of educational, clinical and pro bono activities, which enable you to develop and use your legal skills in the public interest.

You can study abroad in any of BU Law's 13 foreign study programs in Europe, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East—among the most expansive set of international options at any U.S. law school.

You can pursue a dual degree, earning a J.D. and master's degree, by combining law study with other BU graduate programs.

You can pursue a combined J.D./LL.M. degree in either tax or banking and financial law on an accelerated seven-semester basis.

And you can pursue your own interests by cross-registering for any of the hundreds of classes Boston University's other schools and graduate programs have to offer.

Degree Requirements

The J.D. program is a full-time day curriculum requiring three academic years of study. All first-year students begin in the fall semester. A total of 84 semester credits must be completed with a final weighted average of at least 2.3 (C+). Students may earn up to 12 semester credits toward the J.D. degree by taking courses in other graduate or professional schools at Boston University.

An entering first-year class has approximately 275 members divided into three sections of about 90 students who take most of their courses together. First-year students are also assigned to at least one smaller class of approximately 45 students for one of their substantive classes (torts, contracts, property, etc.). They also take a research and writing seminar with about 15 students.

The first year at BU Law forms the core of a legal education, conveying not only the basics of legal doctrines and rules, but also building the skills and confidence that allow you to frame, interpret and apply those rules effectively. Required courses are:

• Civil Procedure

• Legislation

• Constitutional Law

• Property

• Contracts

• Torts

• Criminal Law

• Research and Writing Seminar

“While many students come to law school with good writing skills, writing for the law is different,” explains Professor Robert Volk, who directs BU Law’s First-Year Writing Program. “Even if students are good writers, they need to learn to write in the specific style that effectively communicates legal thinking.”

Another essential skill is legal research. “It’s a world unto itself that requires specific tools and skills to use those tools,” he says. “It’s more art than science, and it’s a fundamental component of the program.”

In small classes, students receive close instruction in analyzing complex legal questions. “Although most people believe attorneys spend all their time in court,” says Professor Volk, “the vast majority, especially new attorneys, spend most of their time researching and writing. Developing these skills early in your education makes you more attractive to prospective employers, who are hungry for associates who can write.”

The second component of the research and writing requirement is the J. Newton Esdaile Appellate Moot Court Program in the spring semester. Students conduct research, draft a brief and present a case in oral argument before a panel of judges made up of faculty, lawyers and students.

BU Law’s community of support includes student advisors, alumni mentors and first-year faculty advisors, as well as Assistant Dean for Student Affairs Christine Marx and her staff. Each of these resources is on call to help students adjust to life in law school—from learning how to organize their studies to having fun in the city.

The Student Affairs Office sponsors workshops throughout the year on topics such as time and stress management, strategies for taking exams and how to balance work and family life.

Our philosophy is to provide students with advanced training in the most important and rapidly emerging fields of law, preparing them for the inevitability of change in their careers, in the law and in the world around them. The second- and third-year programs offer tremendous choice in a wide range of subject areas, in courses, seminars and clinical-program formats. We urge students to take full advantage of both the diversity of subject matter and the variety of formats. Advanced seminars offer ample opportunity for small-group study and frequent contact with faculty, as do the clinical programs that take the student into the world of practice.

Course Offerings

(*) indicates a Seminar

BUSINESS, TAXATION, EMPLOYMENT LAW + REGULATION

Administrative Law

Admiralty & Maritime Law

Advanced Environmental Law*

Antitrust Law

Bankruptcy and Creditors’ Rights

Bankruptcy Practice

Business of Law*

Commercial Code

Commercial Law: Payments

Commercial Law: Sales

Commercial Law: Secured Transactions

Communication Law

Corporate Finance

Corporations

Current Issues in Employment Law*

Deals: Economic Structure of Transactions & Contracting

E-commerce, Intellectual Property and the Business Lawyer*

Employee Benefit Plans

Entertainment Law*

Environmental Law

Fiduciary Law

Food and Drug Law*

Government Regulation of Financial Services

Historic Preservation*

Insurance Law

International Business Agreements: Negotiating, Structuring and Drafting

International Business Arbitration*

International Business Transactions

International Project Finance*

International Trade Regulation*

Introduction to Federal Income Taxation

Labor Law

Land Use

Law and Economics Workshop*

Law and Sports*

Local Government Law

Mergers and Acquisitions

Mutual Funds (Investment Companies)*

Nonprofit Organizations*

Principles of Accounting

Real Estate Finance and Tax*

Remedies

Securities Regulation

Securitization

Tax Aspects of Charity and Charitable Organizations*

Tax Aspects of International Finance

Taxation of Corporations and Shareholders

Taxation of Financial Assets*

Taxation of Partnerships

Tax Policy*

Trust & Honesty in the Law and Business

Unfair Trade and Trademark Law

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Affordable Housing Law*

Children & the Law

Domestic Violence*

Family Law

Forensic Mental Health Issues for Lawyers

Gender and Citizenship*

Globalization & Health*

Health Insurance, Managed Care and the Law*

Health Law

Health Law, Bioethics and Human Rights*

Juvenile Court

Juvenile Delinquency*

Law and Sexual Minorities*

Law, Work and Poverty*

Legal Rights of Individuals with Disabilities*

Litigating Mental Health Issues*

Tax and Governance Issues Confronting the Tax-Exempt Health Care Industry*

Trusts, Wills and Basic Estate Planning

Welfare & Poverty Law*

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Biotechnology Law and Ethics*

Copyright Law

Energy Law & Policy*

Intellectual Property

International Intellectual Property*

Internet Law*

Medical Research and the Law*

Patent Law

Patent Prosecution*

Representing Life Sciences Companies

Software and the Law*

Technology Licensing*

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Advanced Trial Practice*

Criminal Procedure: Adjudicatory

Criminal Procedure: Comprehensive

Criminal Procedure: The Investigatory Process

Criminal Sentencing

Homicide Investigations and Trials: Theory and Practice*

Supreme Court Term*

War on Drugs: 25 Years of U.S. Drug Policy*

White Collar Crime*

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INTERNATIONAL + FOREIGN LAW

Advanced Administrative Law*

Comparative Law

European Union Law

Global Climate Change*

International Human Rights*

International & Interethnic Conflict Resolution

International Law as Federal Law

International Law/Origins & Development

International Tax I—Trade, Investment and Finance

Introduction to International Law

Islamic Law*

Jewish Law*

Law and Development*

National Security Law*

Transnational Criminal Law

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American Constitutional History*

American Legal History

Civil Liberties & National Security*

Conflict of Laws

Constitutional Theory*

Democracy and Equality

Employment Discrimination and Employment Law

English Legal History

Equitable Remedies in a Federal System

Federal Courts

Federal Habeas Corpus*

Housing Law*

Historical Perspectives on Law, Constitutions and Culture

Immigration Law and Policy*

Judging in the American Legal System*

Law & Democratic Process

Law & Religion

Local Government Law

Philosophic Problems Related to Copyright and Patent Law*

Philosophical and Policy Perspectives on Tort Law*

Philosophy of Law

Political and Civil Liberties

Political Resistance & Responsibility*

Race, Nation and the Development of American Law

The Constitution and Foreign Affairs*

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Advanced Alternative Dispute Resolution*

Advanced Federal Civil Litigation

Advanced Legal Research*

Advanced Legal Writing and Editing Workshop*

Alternative Dispute Resolution

Appellate Advocacy

Attorney-Client Privilege, Work Product and Lawyer-Client Confidentiality*

Civil Rights Litigation

Effective and Ethical Depositions*

Evidence

Lawyering in the 21st Century

Mediation: Theory and Practice*

Negotiation and Theory

Pretrial Advocacy: Civil and Criminal

Professional Responsibility

Trial Advocacy

Trial Advocacy (Advanced)

Trial Planning, Strategy & Technology

Note: Classes are subject to change and may not be taught each semester. Please consult BU Law's course handbook for updated class offerings.

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Dual or Advanced Degrees

A dual or advanced degree can enrich your studies and enhance your professional qualifications. Our dual degree programs dovetail with the offerings of other Boston University graduate schools—enabling you to earn two advanced degrees in less time than it would take to pursue them separately. In addition, the BU Law Graduate Tax Program and Graduate Program in Banking and Financial Law allow qualified students to pursue a Master of Laws degree (LL.M.) at an accelerated pace, usually in just one additional semester.

Law and Management (J.D./M.B.A.)

The worlds of law and business have become increasingly intertwined. BU Law and Boston University Graduate School of Management offer a combined J.D./M.B.A. that provides the legal and analytical tools for results-oriented decision-making. Students can complete both degrees in as little as four years.

Law and Health Care Management (J.D./M.B.A.)

If your interest is health care, the J.D./M.B.A. dual degree program in Law and Health Care Management, offered in conjunction with the Boston University School of Management, can enable you to earn both the J.D. and the M.B.A. degrees in an accelerated program of four years rather than the usual five.

Law and International Relations (J.D./M.A.)

The dual degree program in Law and International Relations provides an essential background for positions in national governments or international agencies, and gives the international lawyer a perspective on the global environment. Students can complete this dual degree program in three-and-a-half years.

Law and Mass Communication (J.D./M.S.)

If you’re aiming for a career in telecommunications or the media, you can acquire your law degree plus a master’s degree in mass communication in only three and a half years, rather than four and a half. This is offered in partnership with the Boston University College of Communication.

Law and Philosophy (J.D./M.A.)

Public life in constitutional democracies depends on a theoretical understanding of the nature and application of law—the focus of the dual degree in Law and Philosophy offered by BU Law and the Boston University Graduate School of Arts & Sciences, Department of Philosophy. Students take at least four seminars in the Philosophy Department. Credit from these courses applies to both the J.D. and M.A. degrees. You can receive both degrees in as little as four years.

Law and Historic Preservation Studies (J.D./M.A.)

If your interests include historic preservation or real estate, you may want to pursue this dual degree program. In an interdisciplinary program involving both BU Law and the American & New England Studies Program of the Boston University Graduate School of Arts & Sciences, you’ll complete both programs in seven semesters, instead of the nine semesters it would take if you pursued the two degrees independently.

Law and Public Health (J.D./M.P.H.)

BU Law and the Boston University School of Public Health offer a dual degree program that reflects the interrelationship between the legal system and the delivery of health care services. Successful candidates receive the J.D. degree followed by the M.P.H.—a three-and-a-half- to four-year sequence that otherwise would take at least one-and-a-half
more years.

Accelerated J.D./LL.M. in European Law

Through this program abroad, students have the opportunity to receive both the J.D. degree from BU School of Law and an LL.M. in European Law from Université Panthéon-Assas in Paris, France. Students in the program complete a full year of study at the Université Panthéon-Assas (Paris II), one of the world’s foremost legal institutions. Originally part of the Sorbonne Law School, Paris II is renowned for its excellence in international and comparative law. This program is available to qualified 3L students, and instruction is offered entirely in English.

Accelerated LL.M. in Banking and Financial Law

If you have strong interest in both law and financial services, you may apply for the accelerated LL.M. in Banking and Financial Law. By taking qualifying courses during the second and third years of the J.D. program, you can graduate from the J.D. program with sufficient advanced standing to complete the LL.M. in Banking and Financial Law in just one additional semester.

Accelerated LL.M. in Taxation

A limited number of students who demonstrate a strong aptitude in the area of taxation may apply for the accelerated LL.M. in Taxation at BU Law. Employers seeking help in the tax area are increasingly citing the degree as a prerequisite, and students often find that the broad range of tax issues explored in the Graduate Tax Program cannot be learned on the job. The Graduate Tax Program admits qualified J.D. students during their second or third year of law school.

Graduate Programs

BU Law offers four Master of Laws (LL.M.) programs for domestic- and foreign-trained lawyers:

• LL.M. in American Law (for non-U.S. lawyers)

• LL.M. in Banking and Financial Law

• LL.M. in Intellectual Property Law

• LL.M. in Taxation

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Concentrations

As the practice of law becomes increasingly specialized, lawyers need advanced skills to stay ahead of rapidly changing laws and regulations. BU Law offers concentrations in five key areas of practice. A concentration enables you to develop specialized skills through in-depth study with leading scholars and practitioners without having to pursue an advanced degree. Upon completing a concentration’s course and writing requirements, you’ll receive a certificate of completion for the concentration at graduation.

Health Law

Our health law curriculum is ranked #4 in the country by U.S. News & World Report, with courses taught by highly respected scholars in the field who are ranked as “excellent” by The Leiter Report. Topics include access to computerized health records, public health and environmental risks, the ethics and intellectual property rights involved with gene therapy, complex contracts among insurers, patients and providers under managed care, and countless others. If you elect the health law concentration, you may also cross-register for courses at Boston University School of Public Health and the Program in Health Care Management at the School of Management.

Intellectual Property Law

BU Law is among the top schools in the nation for intellectual property studies—in fact, the program is ranked #10 in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. In the intellectual property concentration, you will be studying with internationally known scholars with backgrounds in high technology, engineering, biotechnology, publishing, and arts and entertainment. They can equip you with the skills to address complex intellectual property issues at an advanced level. In addition, BU Law’s strong relationships with the legal community and high-technology industry in greater Boston give students exposure to top practitioners in the field.

Litigation and Dispute Resolution

If you choose the litigation concentration, you’ll learn legal theory and “black-letter” law in the classroom and gain practical experience as well. This concentration capitalizes on the highly regarded teaching and curricular strengths of our clinical programs. You’ll be representing real clients in real cases and working with local lawyers and judges. A key component of this concentration is Alternative Dispute Resolution.

International Law

If you plan to work in the international arena, you’ll need to understand the political, economic, business and legal environments of foreign countries, as well as those of the United States. In the international law concentration, you’ll explore issues at an advanced level, acquiring sophisticated knowledge of international transactions and of American law as it works in the global environment. The expertise of our full-time faculty is augmented by our broad range of semester-abroad opportunities in Europe, Asia, Latin American and the Middle East.

Business Organizations and Finance Law

In corporate law firms, attorneys must be as knowledgeable about the business world as the law. In this concentration, you’ll study with nationally known scholars who present a thorough theoretical and analytical background to corporate and finance law and teach you critical practical skills essential to the business world. BU Law’s graduate programs in taxation and banking and financial law offer more opportunities. And many interdisciplinary courses are available through the BU School of Management and the Department of Economics in the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences.

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Semester Abroad

In a BU Law semester abroad program, you’ll study with the host school’s regular faculty—not with an American professor running a summer program abroad. Expect to expand your horizons, prepare for global work and make personal and professional connections that can lead to opportunities with foreign or American firms or international organizations.

Buenos Aires, Argentina: University of Buenos Aires

Students fluent in Spanish study international and comparative law and the laws of Latin America at Argentina’s oldest law faculty. Each student develops a 12-credit individualized study plan from UBA’s vast array of offerings.

Beijing, China: Tsinghua Law School

You’ll take a fall-semester English-language program on Chinese law and China’s legal system at one of China’s elite law faculties. If you return within a year for a second semester, you’ll receive an LL.M. in Chinese Law from Tsinghua.

Hong Kong, China: University of Hong Kong

You’ll take classes (taught in English) in such areas as Chinese commercial law, human rights law and international corporate law. And you’ll learn the ways of Hong Kong, an increasingly important business venue.

Oxford, England: University of Oxford

During a spring semester, you’ll study international and comparative law in one-on-one tutorials with Oxford “dons” and take an introductory course on the British legal system.

Lyon, France: Université Jean Moulin (Lyon III)

French-speaking students take an introductory class in French public and private law and the law of obligations and select electives from a range of European and comparative law topics.

Paris, France: Université Panthéon-Assas (Paris II)

In a fall semester in Paris, French-speaking students study at one of France’s most prestigious law schools, renowned for its excellence in international and comparative law. Students take an introductory class in French law and a broad range of electives.

Hamburg, Germany: Bucerius Law School

You’ll take Introduction to German Law and electives such as Comparative Intellectual Property, Comparative Corporate Governance and Corporate Finance, and The Law of the European Union—all taught in English.

Tel Aviv, Israel: Tel Aviv University

Study international and comparative law, Israeli law and politics, and Jewish law at the Buchmann Faculty of Law. Classes are taught in English and Hebrew.

Florence, Italy: University of Florence

Students fluent in Italian can immerse themselves in international and comparative law at one of Italy’s preeminent law faculties. Students develop individualized study plans from Florence’s comparative and EU law classes.

Leiden, The Netherlands: University of Leiden

Spend a semester in one of Europe’s oldest universities. Learn from scholars and practitioners intimately connected with the development of the European Union. Classes are taught in English.

Singapore, Republic of Singapore: National University of Singapore

Study the laws of Asian and Pacific Rim countries at Asia’s leading global law school and be immersed in the hub of Southeast Asia’s business and legal world. Classes are taught in English.

Madrid, Spain: Universidad Pontificia Comillas (ICADE)

At ICADE, famous for its rich traditions in teaching, you’ll choose courses in areas such as private law, public international law, information technology and communications law. Classes are taught in Spanish.

Geneva, Switzerland: Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies

Students will focus on international human rights and humanitarian law with courses taught in both English and French. Take advantage of Geneva, home to over 200 international organizations, such as the World Health Organization and the U.N. High Commission on Refugees.

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Real-World Practice—BU Law Clinics

In BU Law clinical programs, you’ll apply legal theories from the classroom to real-life lawyering. You’ll represent clients in real cases from the initial interview to the final courtroom summation. And you’ll hone your legal skills with close supervision and support from a BU Law faculty member—with no more than eight students to a teacher.

Clinical Programs in Criminal Law

As a 2L, you may enroll in Introductory Trial Advocacy and Introduction to Criminal Practice, which combine classroom instruction in interviewing, counseling, investigation and case structuring with work in Boston courts. The coursework continues in the fall of the third year, when you’ll spend the entire semester immersed in the practice of criminal law. You’ll conduct investigations, formulate trial strategy, file pretrial motions, participate in plea bargaining, try cases before a judge and make sentencing arguments, all under faculty guidance and support.

If you’d prefer a less-intensive exposure to criminal law, without devoting as many credits, you may enroll in the clinic in the third year. Students on this track take Introduction to Criminal Practice in the fall. In the spring, they try cases in court as members of the Defender Program or the Prosecutor Program.

Civil Litigation Program

If you elect the two-semester Civil Litigation Program, you’ll represent indigent clients in civil matters. Working out of the offices of Greater Boston Legal Services in downtown Boston, students are assigned cases concerning such issues as housing, disability and social security benefits, immigration, divorce and child custody, and unemployment.

Students engage in all phases of legal work and appear in courts of all levels, from state trial and housing courts to the state Supreme Judicial Court and the federal courts.

Legal Externship Program

If you’re interested in experiencing the realities of legal practice, choose the Legal Externship Program (available to upper-class students). Externships may include working in the judiciary or in offices handling civil and criminal litigation, civil rights, health care, securities law, environmental law, immigration law, domestic violence and children’s law.

Judicial Internship Program

The Judicial Internship Program gives upper-class students the unique opportunity to observe and interact with trial judges of the Massachusetts Superior Court. Students attend court proceedings at the judge’s side, listen to private bench and chamber discussions and gain insight from counsel and their judges into the effectiveness of litigation techniques, the reactions of juries and the practical impact of legal rules.

Legislation Programs

If running for office or working in a legislature is part of your career plan, BU Law’s Legislation Clinics offer hands-on training in legislative design and drafting. Students focus on general legislation, intellectual property or health and environmental legislation. Second- and third-year BU Law students are matched with senators and representatives at the Massachusetts State House and may draft legislation for legislators, public interest groups and government agencies.

BU Law offers three clinical options in studying legislation:

• Legislative Drafting & Policy Clinic

• Legislative Internship Program

• Legislative Counsel Clinic

Moot Court Programs

As a 1L, you’ll begin honing your advocacy skills by participating in the J. Newton Esdaile Appellate Moot Court Program. Second-year students may pursue more rigorous advocacy training through two intramural competitions: the Edward C. Stone Appellate Competition (open to all second-year students) and the Homer Albers Prize Moot Court Competition (open to the top qualifiers of the Stone Competition). Final arguments for the Albers competition have been held before such respected jurists as Supreme Court Chief Justice William Rehnquist and Associate Justices Antonin Scalia, Byron R. White, Stephen Breyer, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and David Souter. BU Law sponsors intramural moot court teams that in recent years have won regional and national victories in many competitions.

Trial Advocacy

The Trial Advocacy Program provides an introduction to the trial process as well as training in trial skills. Small class sections are taught by leading New England judges and practitioners, who use simulated cases to teach the realities of the courtroom. Students may take a course focusing on pretrial motions and discovery in criminal and civil cases. After completing a basic trial advocacy class, students may opt for an advanced class that immerses them in the trial of a complicated, multi-party case. At the end of the semester, each student performs as counsel in a simulated trial.

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