Curriculum

Juris Doctor Course Selection

Selecting courses as a second and third year student can be a daunting task. Georgetown is blessed with an enormous range of course offerings. Yet, the breadth of choices can make the selection process seem overwhelming. Many years ago the Law Center had a prescribed upperclass curriculum. The faculty stopped dictating which courses upperclass students should take, however, when they themselves no longer agreed about what should be required, given the increasing diversity of law practice and divergent views about the benefits of various courses of study. This movement away from required upperclass curriculum has occurred at most law schools in the country. Currently at Georgetown, the only required upperclass courses are Professional Responsibility and a course that meets the upper level writing requirement.

Nonetheless, most faculty and lawyers would probably concur that it is advisable for students to take Tax I, Constitutional Law II, and Corporations. Taxation and the corporate form are ubiquitous in our society and therefore lawyers should have at least some familiarity with these areas. In addition, these courses are prerequisites to a number of more advanced offerings in the areas of business and corporate law. Constitutional Law is not only relevant to other courses, it addresses fundamental issues about the nature of our government that well educated lawyers should understand. In addition to these courses, most students take Evidence: it is a prerequisite for many clinical courses and in the view of many is basic to understanding the American judicial processes. Finally, given increased globalization, lawyers frequently need to be able to operate effectively beyond our national borders -- communicating with people of other legal traditions and understanding the potential complications when other legal traditions are implicated. As a result, we recommend that you take one or more courses in international or comparative law.

Beyond these courses, you should select a balanced and well-rounded array of courses that add to your theoretical understanding, your doctrinal breadth, and provide you with exposure to the range of skills that a good lawyer needs. You should choose a mixture of public law courses, such as Administrative Law, Criminal Law, Environmental Law, International Law I, or Federal Courts, and private law courses such as Commercial Law, Corporate Finance, Intellectual Property, International Law II, or Family Law. Most faculty members would also encourage you to take at least one course a year (or semester) that particularly piques your interest even if it is not clear how it will fit into your career plans.

Lawyers are called upon to use not only their analytical skills and substantive knowledge, but also their ability to structure creative solutions, to work collaboratively with others, to negotiate effectively, to be persuasive orally and in writing, and to communicate effectively with both lawyers and non-lawyers. Therefore, you should consider taking courses that use a variety of pedagogical formats and enhance your skills in a variety of areas. We recommend that you consider doing a clinic. Clinics offer not only the opportunity to "learn by doing," but also the unique opportunity to engage in critical self-reflection about the lawyering process. In addition to our clinics, Georgetown offers an extensive array of practice and problem based courses such as Business Planning Seminar, Negotiation, Civil Discovery, and Trial Practice.

Some students discover their area of professional interest while in law school. For these students, we have provided lists of courses in particular subject areas. The Dean's Office and faculty members will be glad to provide advice on the selection and sequencing of courses in particular subject areas. But, if like many other students you are unsure of what your professional interest in law are, remember that a life in law is a life time of learning from other lawyers, from your clients and CLE courses and we hope through Georgetown. Finally, many students find very rewarding an experience of deep and intensive engagement in the 3rd year either through a capstone seminar such as Professor Tushnet's Advanced Constitutional Law Seminar or a major clinic. You may want to plan your schedule accordingly.

You will find additional information on this Web site and in the bulletin. We also encourage you to seek advice about your specific academic programs from individual professors or the deans during the course registration process. In addition, various group events such as the Curriculum Fair and Faculty Panels on Course Selection are helpful sources of information.