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The academic program leading to the Juris Doctor (JD) degree is designed to allow students to develop special skills in public law, business and commercial law, international law, property and land use, and related fields. In addition to the JD program, Washington College of Law offers the Master of Laws (LLM) in International Legal Studies, Law and Government, and Advocacy, as well as the Doctor of Juridical Science (SJD) The LLM program in International Legal Studies permits specialization in one of eight areas: international business law, international environmental law, international human rights law, gender and the law, international commercial arbitration, free trade agreements and regional integration, international organizations, and international and comparative protection of intellectual property. The LLM program in Law and Government allows graduate studies in the broad areas of civil and constitutional rights, business and financial regulation (including banking, trade, securities, tax, and antitrust law and policy), and administrative law and regulatory practice (including health law and policy, labor and employment law and policy, intellectual property and information policy, environmental law and policy, and immigration law and policy). The LLM program in Advocacy provides opportunities for law graduates to enhance their legal advocacy skills in and out of the courtroom and combines a rigorous academic component and a breadth of practical litigation training.
WCL also participates in dual degree programs with other American University schools, which offer students the opportunity to receive both a JD from the Washington College of Law and a master’s degree in International Affairs with the School of International Service; Justice, Law and Criminology, Public Administration (MPA), or Public Policy (MPP) with the School of Public Affairs; or Business Administration (MBA) with the Kogod School of Business. Dual degree LLM programs are also available with the MBA, MPA, or MPP.
American University’s law school has a strong national and international substantive focus, offering a broad range of courses in addition to the basic program necessary for state bar examinations. Clinical programs involve students in providing representation, under close faculty supervision, of clients with pending legal problems. Students have responsibility for every phase of cases, from the initial client interview through the trial or appeal. The Clinics include Community and Economic Development Law, Criminal Justice, DC Law Students in Court, Disability Rights Law, Domestic Violence, Civil Advocacy, Glushko-Samuelson Intellectual Property Law, Janet R. Spragens Federal Tax, Immigrant Justice, International Humans Rights Law, and Women and the Law. For more information, go to: www.wcl.american.edu/clinical.
Beyond the classroom, clinical programs, and supervised externships and field placements at federal, state, and local agencies, courts, and legislatures, academic offerings are enriched by an extensive independent study program allowing for intensive faculty-student work on complex legal research projects. In addition, Washington College of Law publications, including The American University Law Review, The American University International Law Review, The Administrative Law Review, The American University Journal of Gender, Social Policy & the Law, and The American University Business Law Review provide opportunities for students to develop expertise in traditional legal writing and research. For more information and a full listing of WCL publications, go to: www.wcl.american.edu/pub.cfm.
The basic first-year classes are taught using case analysis and dialogue as well as the problem method. First-year students take Civil Procedure, Constitutional Law, Contracts, Criminal Law, Property, Torts, and a year-long course in legal research and writing. Upper-class courses are mostly elective and include a wide variety of teaching styles and formats. |
