This section of the Bulletin deals with course requirements and registration procedures at the School of Law. In order to be awarded the degree of Juris Doctor (JD) from the school, students must complete three academic years of full-time study (including two years of full-time resident study) within five years of the date of matriculation. They must also successfully complete 88 credits of course work and perform such other work as the faculty may prescribe.
The first-year curriculum is prescribed for all students. No advance registration for these courses is required. First-year students will receive class assignments and schedules during the summer prior to the start of their first-year classes. In order to complete the registration process, first-year students must submit to the law school Registrar, prior to the start of first-year classes, a final, official undergraduate transcript, indicating the degree awarded and the date. Students who fail to meet this requirement will be not be considered to be properly registered.
The first-year course of study consists of the following:
CONTRACTS, four credits
CRIMINAL LAW, three credits
CRIMINAL PROCEDURE, three credits
LEGAL PROCESS, four credits
CIVIL PROCEDURE, four credits
LEGAL ANALYSIS AND WRITING, four credits
PERSPECTIVES ON LAW (beginning Spring 1997), three credits
PROPERTY, four credits
TORTS, four credits
The Journal of Law and Commerce is a semi-annual journal, specializing in business law, including such areas as contracts, banking law, corporations, federal income taxation, unfair competition, and antitrust. It is independently published by second- and third-year students with the cooperation of the law school faculty. The editorial board and the staff edit articles submitted by academics, practicing attorneys, and business executives in an effort to provide a scholarly yet practical examination of commercial law as it presently exists and is likely to develop. Staff members also submit commentaries for publication in the Journal.
The enrollment limit of 30 permits greater involvement in the publication process and allows the students to interact closely with business law faculty. The analytical, research, and writing skills gained through participation in the publication of the Journal are invaluable. Publication of student work remains one of the foremost honors attainable in law school.
Members of the Journal staff are selected on the basis of grades and through a writing competition. Students whose year-end grades place them in the top ten percent of their first-year class are automatically selected. Additional students will be selected on the basis of their class standing to the extent necessary to achieve a balance with those students chosen on the basis of the writing competition. All writing competition entrants whose submissions show good potential for meeting Journal publication standards are eligible for selection. Second-year and transfer students who become eligible for selection on the basis of grades or the writing competition will be selected as staff size restrictions permit. Independent submissions, whether prepared for class or other purposes, are welcomed for consideration for publication. If the independent submission is deemed publishable or is selected for publication, the author will be selected for membership as enrollment limits permit.
Law Review
The University of Pittsburgh Law Review is a quarterly legal journal published by second- and third-year students. Members not only write scholarly commentaries on recent developments in the law, but also analyze and edit student and non-student works. Although faculty assistance and advice are available, the Law Review is independent; all publication decisions are made by the editorial staff alone.
Law Review work is challenging and time consuming, but the rewards of working with a professional staff on a professional publication are many. The writing and research necessary to produce a student piece provide an opportunity to sharpen and refine one's analytical skills. Publication of a piece, which will be read by scholars, judges, and practitioners all over the country, is an important contribution to the body of the law. As a result, Law Review membership is universally recognized in the legal profession as both an honor and a unique educational experience.
Three methods of selecting new Law Review members exist. (1) Approximately the top 10 percent of the first-year class will be selected over the summer; in addition, students whose cumulative averages after the second year are among the top 20 in the class and who are not already members will also be invited to join. (2) A formal writing competition is conducted over the summer, in which all first- and second-year students may participate; authors whose pieces indicate a good potential for meeting Law Review publication standards will be invited to join. (3) Any student who independently submits a manuscript, whether it is prepared for a class or written for any other purpose, will be invited to join the staff if the piece is deemed to be publishable (whether or not the piece is in fact published).
Moot Court Competitions
Students may also earn credit for participation in moot court competitions with other law schools, including the following:
American Bar Association Oral Advocacy Competition
Registration for and satisfactory participation in these activities will result in the awarding of one academic credit. No academic credit may be earned for a second year of participation in the same student activity, except that a total of two academic credits may be earned for satisfactory participation in the Law Review or the Journal of Law and Commerce in two different academic years. A student may earn a maximum of four academic credits through participation in student activities approved for the award of academic credit.
The Externship Program allows students to earn credit, during the academic year or the summer, for work completed in a law office under the supervision of an attorney in the field. All placements are approved by the Director of the Externship Program. Student externs are advised during their placements by faculty members with expertise in the relevant areas of law.
No credit is given to any student registered in the law school for courses taken at other law schools unless written permission to take such courses is obtained in advance from the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs. A student must earn a passing grade as defined by the University of Pittsburgh. Credits only will be applied. The actual letter grade earned will not figure in computing the student's law school average. In no event will a student be given permission to take elsewhere for credit a course for which a failing grade has been received at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. It is the responsibility of the student who wishes to transfer credit to assure that an official grade report from the other law school is submitted to the University of Pittsburgh School of Law.
Students may register in other graduate divisions of the University for law-related graduate courses. A total of six credits may be taken in this way as a partial fulfillment of the requirements for graduation. To receive credit for these graduate courses, a student must obtain written permission from the Office of the Dean in advance of registering for the course. This permission must be requested by the student in writing, setting forth the course, its status, how it is law related, the interest of the student, and the time period in which the student expects to take the course. No credit will be issued unless the student receives a grade of B or better. It is the responsibility of the student to ensure that the instructor submits the grade to the School of Law.
Journal of Law and Commerce
Appellate Court Competition
Craven Constitutional Law Moot Court Competition
Entertainment/Communications Moot Court Competition
Frederick Douglass Moot Court Competition
John Gibbons National Criminal Procedure Moot Court Competition
Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition
Mugel Tax Court Competition
National Administrative Law Competition
National Environmental Negotiations Competition
National Moot Court Competition
National Tax Moot Court Competition
Niagara International Moot Court Competition
Wagner Labor Law Moot Court Competition
Wechsler First Amendment Moot Court Competition
Widener Corporate Law Moot Court Competition
Second- and third-year students may enroll in an independent study course for one or two credits. The course enables the student to work closely with a full-time faculty member in completing a research and writing project of interest to the student. The one-on-one working relationship between faculty member and student in the independent study program provides the opportunity for careful feedback and the development of advanced research and writing skills.
At the discretion of the faculty member teaching a course, a law student may audit that course. The course will be listed as audited on the student's transcript and no credit will be awarded.