School of Law

The essential mission of the University of Pittsburgh School of Law is to help lawyers and legal institutions to meet the demands of a rapidly changing legal and professional environment. The school performs this mission through three critical functions:

1. The school prepares talented students to meet the challenges of demanding legal careers - whether as advocates, counselors, planners, or policy makers - and to meet the leadership responsibilities lawyers are called upon to perform in their personal and professional lives. The School of Law's central focus in this effort is the preparation of students for the first-professional degree in law.
2. The School of Law is a center of legal scholarship whose members work to enlarge society's understanding of law and its underlying policies, legal institutions, and legal processes.
3. The school provides expertise, support, and service to governmental units at all levels; to local and national organizations engaged in law reform and policy analysis; to the legal profession; and to the people of Western Pennsylvania, both through the work of its graduates and through efforts to foster improvements in all aspects of the justice system.

In serving its students, the school is committed to an active and inclusive spirit of community and to the effective, efficient, and congenial provision of service. In teaching, research, and public service, the School of Law aspires to conduct all of its programs at a nationally prominent level of quality that adds luster to the legal and business communities of Pittsburgh; that makes the school relevant to the key needs of this region's private, public, and nonprofit sectors; and that distinguishes it as one of the finest public urban law schools in the United States.

Among its first-professional degrees, the School of Law offers the Juris Doctor (JD) degree; a number of joint degree programs with other schools of the University, leading to both a JD and a second master's degree; and an LLM degree for foreign Law graduates.

Contact Information

Law Building

Oakland Campus

3900 Forbes Avenue

Pittsburgh, PA 15260

Phone: (412) 648-1400

E-mail: admissions@law.pitt.edu

Web Site: http://www.law.pitt.edu

Admissions

Admission to the school's JD program is open to qualified graduates of accredited colleges and universities. Because the study and practice of law draws upon many disciplines, the School of Law does not prescribe any particular pre-legal study. Required application materials include:

All application materials must be completed and received by the Admissions Office by March 1 (postmark date) of the year in which the applicant wishes to begin his or her legal studies. The School of Law employs a rolling admissions policy and recommends early application. The application may be accessed on the school's Web site: http://www.law.pitt.edu.

Admission: Transfer and Visiting Students

Students in good standing at law schools that are members of the American Association of Law Schools (AALS) and on the approved list of the American Bar Association (ABA) may apply for admission as transfer students. Students having completed two years at an accredited law school may enroll as a visiting student for their last year of law school. Required application materials include:

Flex-time Program

The School of Law offers a flex-time program for students whose outside obligations necessitate a program with fewer hours each semester. Course loads are designed to result in graduation in four years rather than the normal three years with no fewer than 10 credits per semester. Courses are offered only during the day. Students in the flex-time program pay full tuition. All requirements for the JD program must be completed within six years of matriculation. Application materials are the same as for full-time students and must include a letter stating the reason for requesting flex-time.

Financial Assistance

Two separate units within the University handle loans and scholarships. The School of Law is responsible for the awarding of both merit and need-based scholarships while the University's Office of Admission and Financial Aid certifies federal and private loans. To apply for law school scholarships, students must complete the financial aid form located in the application materials or on the school's Web site. To apply for student loans, the following forms must be filed:

1. Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) (The Title IV code for the School of Law is 008815)
2. Financial Aid Application Supplement (FAAS)
3. Signed copies of the preceding year's federal tax returns
4. Loan application(s)

The staff of the School of Law's Admissions and Financial Aid Office includes:

The fax number for the office is (412) 648-2647.

Academic Standards

A student must attain a quality point average (QPA) of at least C (2.00) for all the work in the first year of law school to advance to the second year. Failure to attain this independent yearly average for the first year will result in an automatic exclusion from the School of Law. A student must attain a cumulative QPA of at least C (2.00) at the end of the second year in order to advance to the third year. Failure to attain this average will result in automatic exclusion from the school. A student who attains a cumulative average of C or better at the end of the second year, but less than a C average for the work of the second year, is automatically placed upon academic probation during the third year. A student must attain a cumulative average of at least C (2.00) at the end of the third year in order to graduate from the school. Failure to attain the cumulative average will result in an automatic exclusion from the school. A student who attains a cumulative average of C or better at the end of the third year, but less than a C average for the work of the third year, is automatically placed upon academic probation. In order to be eligible to graduate, the student on probation must satisfy all conditions imposed by the Faculty Committee on Petitions and Academic Standards.

Consistent with the residency requirements imposed by the American Bar Association, students may graduate in three years of study only if they complete six semesters in residence. To receive a semester's residence credit, a student must successfully complete a minimum of ten credits of course work.

A student must graduate within six years of the date upon which he or she matriculates.

Regular and punctual class attendance is necessary to satisfy residence and credit requirements. Regular attendance is defined as attendance and preparation at not less than 80% of the classes held in each course or seminar. If a student fails to meet these attendance and preparation requirements, a faculty member may certify the student out of the course and assign a grade of U (unsatisfactory) or F (fail).

The School of Law Policy on Written Work for Credit, its Standards of Academic Integrity, the Grading Guidelines, and other academic policies of the School are included in the Standards section of the School of Law's Student Handbook.

Advising and Placement

The School of Law's Career Planning and Placement Office provides educational programming, individual counseling, and print and electronic resources to aid students and graduates of the School of Law in making career choices, developing job search skills, identifying job opportunities, and securing meaningful employment.

The Office serves as a clearinghouse for information on summer, part-time, and permanent work with law firms, corporations, accounting firms, government agencies, public interest organizations, judges, and other employers. Job notices and fellowship opportunities are communicated to students and alumni on the placement page of the School of Law's Web site and via newsletters, bulletin boards, E-mail messages, and binders. On-campus interviews are conducted throughout the fall semester for second- and third-year students with approximately eighty employers participating. The School of Law also hosts interview days in Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. during the fall term. Many local employers interview first-, second-, and third-year students on-campus during the spring term as well. The office also facilitates student participation in a variety of minority, public interest, and subject-specific job fairs around the country.

Staff members review cover letters, resumes, thank you notes, and acceptance letters; they conduct mock videotaped interviews and maintain an active mentor program. Educational programming is offered throughout the academic year. Local practitioners join with staff to present information on such subjects as interviewing skills, business etiquette and dress, networking, succeeding as a summer associate, orientation to on-campus interviewing, judicial clerkships, non-traditional careers, and a wide range of legal practice areas. In addition, the office assists student organizations in identifying speakers for their programs.

The office communicates with prospective employers regularly in order to ensure ever-increasing attention to the School of Law's students and graduates. Through personal visits, advertising, dissemination of promotional materials, and mailings, the staff seeks to highlight the many accomplishments of alumni and students. In addition, the staff maintains visibility in the legal community through active membership in local and state bar associations.

The Career Planning and Placement Office is located in Room 200 of the Law Building and is open year round, Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Staff includes:

The fax number for the office is (412) 624-4843.

Degree Requirements

In order to graduate, a student pursuing a JD must complete 88 credits, including the following:

The upper-level writing requirement is described in the Graduation Requirements section of the Student Handbook.

Joint Degree Options

In addition to the JD, the School of Law offers several joint degree options with various schools within the University as well as in conjunction with Carnegie Mellon University. Students who want to enroll in any joint degree program must first be admitted to the School of Law and the cooperating school. This can be done before matriculation in either program or after the completion of part of either program. The only requirement is that the first year in the School of Law be taken here in its entirety, with no outside courses. (Most students in the program will begin law school and then enter a joint master's degree program.) Students are required to fulfill the degree requirements of both schools as modified by participation in the joint-degree program. Substantial advanced-standing credit is given by each school for the degree to be awarded by the other. Both degrees must be completed concurrently. The joint degrees currently offered are:

In addition, JD students not enrolled in a joint degree program have the interdisciplinary study option to take six pre-approved graduate-level, law-related credits outside the School of Law and count such credits toward their degree. See the relevant school for further information on degrees offered jointly with the JD.

Law and Public Administration (JD/MPA)

This is a four-year program that requires five semesters of full-time law school attendance. Nine credits of work from the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs (GSPIA) work is accepted toward the 88 required for the JD degree.

Law and International Affairs (JD/MPIA)

This is a four-year program that requires five semesters of full-time law school attendance. Nine credits of GSPIA work is accepted toward the 88 required for the JD degree.

Law and Business Administration (JD/MBA)

This is a minimum three-and-a-half year program that requires five semesters of full-time law school attendance. Twelve credits of MBA work in the Katz Graduate School of Business is accepted toward the 88 required for the JD degree.

Law and Public Health (JD/MPH)

This is a three-and-a-half year program that requires five semesters of full-time law school attendance. Fourteen credits of MPH work in the Graduate School of Public Health is accepted toward the 88 required for the JD degree.

Law and Bioethics (JD/MA)

This is a minimum three-and-a-half year program that requires five semesters of full-time law school attendance. Twelve credits of MA work in the Bioethics Program of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences is accepted toward the 88 required for the JD degree.

Law and Industrial Management (JD/MSIA)

This is a four-year program that requires five semester of full-time law school attendance. Fifteen credits of MSIA work at Carnegie Mellon University is accepted toward the 88 required for the JD degree.

Law and Public Management (JD/MS)

This is a four-year program that requires five semesters of full-time law school attendance. Fourteen credits of MS work at Carnegie Mellon University is accepted toward the 88 required for the JD degree.

Law and Arts Management (JD/MAM)

This is a four-year program that requires five semesters of full-time law school attendance. Fourteen credits of MAM work at Carnegie Mellon University is accepted toward the 88 required for the JD degree.

Special Academic Opportunities/Programs

Students at the School of Law have the opportunity to participate in three certificate programs. A Civil Litigation Certificate Program is expected to be offered commencing in August 2001. In addition, the school hosts the Center for International Legal Education and the Program for Global Philanthropy, described below under LLM Program for Foreign Law Graduates.

Health Law Certificate Program

The Health Law Certificate Program is an educational program of concentration in health law for students in their second and third years of the JD curriculum. Admission is available to all students entering their second year in the JD program.

Students must complete the following requirements to receive a Health Law Certificate:

For more information, contact the director of the certificate program, Alan Meisel, at meisel@law.pitt.edu or see http://www.law.pitt.edu /health/.

Health Law Certificate Course Listings

 

Health Law Electives

Bioethics and Law

Elderly and the Law

Environmental and Occupational Health Law

Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety Institute

Family Support Clinic

Health Care Antitrust

Health Care Business Transactions

Health Care Fraud and Abuse

Health Law Moot Court

Health Law Practicum - Alternative Dispute Resolution

Health Law Practicum - Policy Perspectives

Law and Bioethics Clinical Practicum

Law of Disability Discrimination

Nonprofit Organizations

Selected Health Care Legal Issues

Recommended Courses

Administrative Law

Agency and Partnership

Antitrust

Bankruptcy

Commercial Transactions

Corporate Counsel Clinic

Corporate Finance

Corporate Governance

Corporate Reorganizations

Corporate Tax

Corporations

Employee Benefits

Employment Discrimination

Employment Law

Environmental Law

Insurance Law

Intellectual Property

Juvenile Law

Labor Law

Partnership Taxation

Scientific Evidence

Secured Transactions

Securities Regulation

White Collar Crime

Worker's Compensation

Environmental Law, Science, and Policy Certificate Program

The Environmental Law, Science, and Policy Certificate Program is an interdisciplinary program for students in their second and third years of the JD curriculum. Admission is available to all students entering their second year in the JD program.

Students must complete the following requirements to receive an Environmental Law, Science, and Policy Certificate:

A minimum total of 22 credits is required in order to earn the certificate. The faculty advisors to the certificate program are responsible for advising students with regard to certificate requirements.

For further information regarding this program, contact Professor William Luneburg; (412) 648-1380; luneburg@law.pitt.edu; Room 507 Law Building.

Required Courses for the Environmental Law, Science, and Policy Certificate Program:

Science for Environmental Practitioners (2 credits)

Environmental Law (3 credits)

Administrative Law (3 credits)

Environmental Seminar (2 credits) or Independent Study dealing with environmental law

Electives for the Environmental Law, Science, and Policy Certificate Program:

Hazardous Waste Law

Natural Resources Law

International Environmental Law

Environmental Litigation

Environmental Crimes Law

Environmental Regulation of Real Estate

Environmental Hearing Board Practice

Environmental and Occupational Safety and Health Summer Institute (for the one credit attributable to the classroom component)

Environmental Practice Opportunities

(Through any combination of the following as long as, at a minimum, four credits are earned):

• Externships with environmental agencies of government, public interest groups, or other organizations where the externships have been approved in advance by a faculty advisor to the certificate program
• The Environmental Clinic (six credits)
• A School of Law practicum course dealing with environmental law, such as the Environmental and Occupational Safety and Health Summer Institute, with only the credits attributable to field work eligible for satisfying the four-credit minimum

Non-Law School Courses

Non-Law School courses must:

• Deal with an area of science, engineering, or policy centrally relevant to the practice of environmental law or environmental policy making
• Be approved in advance by a faculty advisor to the certificate program as meeting the foregoing requirement and, in addition, as not duplicating courses previously taken by the student for credit for other educational degrees

Courses in environmental management, environmental economics, risk assessment, environmental ethics, conservation biology, and ecology are examples of the types of courses that can be approved for this aspect of the certificate program.

International and Comparative Law Certificate Program

The International and Comparative Law Certificate Program is intended to give students interested in international and comparative legal issues a foundation for careers and further study in the application of legal regimes to transnational and international relationships. Students must elect to enter the program by the beginning of their second year of law school. Only in rare situations (such as when the student is in a joint degree program) will exceptions be made to this entry requirement. Students should keep in mind that in order to be a good international or comparative lawyer, one must first be a good domestic lawyer. Thus, students in the certificate program are expected and encouraged to obtain the same broad background in law expected of all graduates of the University of Pittsburgh School of Law.

Students must complete the following requirements to receive an International and Comparative Law Certificate:

• Take four required courses in the School of Law, including a seminar or independent study in the area of international or comparative law; and
• Take at least nine credits of elective courses, including at most one graduate elective course.

Required Courses for the International and Comparative Law Certificate Program:

International Law

International Business Transactions

One of the following Comparative Law courses:

Comparative Law

Comparative Legal Cultures Seminar

Cultures of Law and Justice

Comparative Constitutional Law

Faculty-Supervised Legal Writing Requirement

Electives for the International and Comparative Law Certificate Program:

Alternative Dispute Resolution

Chinese for Lawyers I and II

Commercial Transactions

Corporate Counsel Clinic

Comparative Constitutional Law

Comparative Legal Cultures Seminar

Conflict of Laws

European Union Law

Foreign Affairs and the Constitution

French for Lawyers I and II

German for Lawyers I and II

Human Rights Law

Immigration Law

International Environmental Law

International Sales Seminar

International Trade Law Seminar

Japanese for Lawyers I and II

Jessup Moot Court

Law and Legal Process in Latin America

Niagara Moot Court

Spanish for Lawyers I and II

Transnational Litigation

Vis International Arbitration Moot

Graduate Electives:

PIA 2300 Theory and Concepts in International Affairs

PIA 2301 International Political Economy

PIA 2303 National and International Economy

PIA 2319 International Trade

PIA 2365 Transnational Organized Crime & International Security

Information on the above courses, and others in related departments, is available from Elizabeth Bennellick in room 318 (bennellick@law.pitt.edu). For more information on the International and Comparative Law Certificate Program, please contact Professor Ronald A. Brand at cile@law.pitt.edu.

LLM Program for Foreign Law Graduates

The LLM Program for Foreign Law Graduates provides practicing lawyers who have obtained their law degree outside the United States with an opportunity to study common law in a United States context. Because interaction with U.S. lawyers is integral to understanding U.S. law, the program allows students to study the U.S. legal system and institutions along with American students who are enrolled in the JD program.

Admission to LLM Program for Foreign Law Graduates

Applicants are admitted to the LLM Program for Foreign Law Graduates based on their ability to thrive in a demanding, competitive academic atmosphere, as evidenced by their academic record and professional accomplishments. The program is open to any lawyer with a law degree from a non-U.S. law school who can demonstrate proficiency in English as measured by a minimum score approaching 600 on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). Required application materials include:

Financial Assistance

Limited financial assistance has been available in previous years for LLM students as a result of foundation grants. Several outstanding LLM students have been awarded scholarships ranging from $3,000 to full tuition.

Academic Standards

An LLM student must attain a cumulative average of at least C (2.00) in 24 credit hours to be graduated. LLM students also must attend not less than 80% of the classes held in each course. Students are obligated to exhibit honesty and to respect the ethical standards of the legal profession in carrying out their academic assignments. LLM students are bound by the same general academic policies as students in the Juris Doctor program (see Academic Standards as described under the JD program above). The School of Law Policy on Written Work for Credit, its Standards of Academic Integrity, the Grading Guidelines, and other academic policies of the school are included in the Standards section of the School of Law's Student Handbook.

Advising and Placement

The Director for the Center for International Legal Education serves as academic advisor to each LLM student. It is assumed that students will return to their home countries for employment upon graduation.

Degree Requirements

The LLM course of study requires a total of 24 credit hours to be completed in two semesters. LLM students must graduate with a minimum of 2.00 QPA. Required courses are:

• Introduction to American Law
• U.S. Legal Analysis, Research, and Writing
• LLM Colloquium
• A faculty supervised writing requirement.

Special Academic Opportunities/Programs: The Center for International Legal Education

The Center for International Legal Education prepares law students for successful futures in the international legal arena by supporting and supplementing their programs of study.

The Center for International Legal Education offers a vast array of curricular and co-curricular offerings. There are over 20 courses that focus on international law, three moot court competitions, numerous foreign study opportunities, and area studies certificates that allow students to focus their studies in a particular geographic region.

The Languages for Lawyers Program is unique among American law schools. Others have begun to copy aspects of it, but none yet appears to match the breadth or depth of this program. As a part of the regular JD curriculum, students learn languages by focusing on legal terminology and events. The current curriculum includes beginning and advanced courses (two credits each) in each of Chinese, French, German, Japanese, and Spanish for Lawyers. These courses are taught by persons who are native speakers of the language and trained in the law.

The second component of the Languages for Lawyers Program began in the summer of 1998 with the first English for Lawyers course. This is a three-week course designed both to increase English language fluency and prepare foreign students for the rigors of study in an American LLM program.

The Program on Law and Global Philanthropy works closely with other parts of the University to study policy issues related to the legal framework in which non-profit, philanthropic organizations operate across borders, and the effect of non-profit organizations on the development of law, both domestic and international. Opportunities for students exist in the program's research and other activities.

Contact Information

Center for International Legal Education

318 Law School

3900 Forbes Avenue

University of Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh, PA 15260

Phone: (412) 648-7023

Fax: (412) 648-2648

E-mail: cile@law.pitt.edu

Web site: http://www.law.pitt.edu/cile/

 

Ronald Brand

Professor of Law and Director of Center for International Legal Education

E-mail: brand@law.pitt.edu

 

Elizabeth Bennellick, LLM Program Coordinator

E-mail: bennellick@law.pitt.edu

 

Penina Lieber, Director

Program on Law and Global Philanthropy

328A Law School

University of Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh, PA 15260

lieber@law.pitt.edu

School of Law Faculty

KEVIN D. ASHLEY, Professor of Law, JD, Harvard University, PhD, University of Massachusetts

DEBORAH L. BRAKE, Assistant Professor of Law, JD, Harvard University

RONALD A. BRAND, Professor of Law and Director of the Center for International Legal Education, JD, Cornell University

DOUGLAS M. BRANSON, W. Edward Sell Professor of Law, JD, Northwestern University; ML, University of Virginia

TERESA K. BROSTOFF, Associate Professor of Legal Writing, JD, University of Pittsburgh

WILLIAM J. BROWN, Professor of Law Emeritus, LLB, Catholic University of America; LLM, Yale University

THOMAS C. BUCHELE, Clinical Assistant Professor of Law, JD, University of Illinois

JOHN M. BURKOFF, Associate Dean and Professor of Law, JD, University of Michigan; LLM, Harvard University

MARTHA CHAMALLAS, Professor of Law, JD, Louisiana State University

PAT K. CHEW, Professor of Law, JD, University of Texas; MEd, University of Texas

VIVIAN CURRAN, Associate Professor of Law, JD, Columbia University; PhD, Columbia University

KEVIN DEASY, Associate Professor of Legal Writing and Director, Legal Writing Programs, JD, University of Pittsburgh

KAREN ENGRO, Clinical Associate Professor of Law, JD, Tulane University

MARVIN A. FEIN, Associate Professor of Legal Writing, LLB, University of Pittsburgh; LLM, New York University

HARRY MARSHALL FLECHTNER, Professor of Law, JD, Harvard University

CYRIL A. FOX JR., Professor of Law, JD, University of Pittsburgh

LAWRENCE A. FROLIK, Professor of Law, JD, Harvard University; LLM, Harvard University

ROBERT BERKLEY HARPER, Professor of Law, JD, University of Pittsburgh

KATHRYN R. HEIDT, Professor of Law, JD, Cleveland State University; LLM, Yale University

ARTHUR D. HELLMAN, Professor of Law, JD, Yale University

DAVID J. HERRING, Dean and Professor of Law, JD, University of Michigan

BERNARD J. HIBBITTS, Professor of Law, LLB, Dalhousie University; LLM, University of Toronto; LLM, Harvard University

ANTHONY C. INFANTI, Assistant Professor of Law, JD, University of California (Boalt Hall); LLM, New York University

DARRYLL K. JONES, Assistant Professor of Law, JD, University of Florida; LLM, University of Florida

SANDRA DICKERSON JORDAN, Associate Professor of Law, JD, University of Pittsburgh

JULES LOBEL, Professor of Law, JD, Rutgers University

WILLIAM V. LUNEBURG, JR., Professor of Law, JD, Harvard University

MICHAEL J. MADISON, Assistant Professor of Law, JD, Stanford University

MARGARET M. MAHONEY, Professor of Law, JD, University of Michigan

MARTHA M. MANNIX, Clinical Associate Professor of Law, JD, University of California, Hastings

FRANCIS BARRY McCARTHY, Professor of Law, JD, Boston College; LLM, Columbia University

ALAN MEISEL, Professor of Law and Dickie, McCamey & Chilcote Professor of Bioethics, Law, and Psychiatry, JD, Yale University

MARK A. NORDENBERG, Chancellor and Distinguished Service Professor of Law, JD, University of Wisconsin

JOHN T. PARRY, Assistant Professor of Law, JD, Harvard University

GEORGE H. PIKE, Assistant Professor of Law and Director of Barco Law Library, JD, University of Idaho; ML, University of Washington Graduate School of Library and Information Science

THOMAS ROSS, Professor of Law, JD, University of Virginia

W. EDWARD SELL, Dean and Distinguished Service Professor of Law Emeritus, JD, Yale University; LLD, Dickinson School of Law; LHD, Washington and Jefferson College

PETER M. SHANE, Professor of Law, JD, Yale University

ANN SINSHEIMER, Associate Professor of Legal Writing, JD, University of Pittsburgh

STELLA L. SMETANKA, Clinical Associate Professor of Law, JD, University of Pittsburgh

GEORGE H. TAYLOR, Associate Professor of Law, JD, Harvard University

LU-IN WANG, Associate Professor of Law, JD, University of Michigan

RHONDA WASSERMAN, Professor of Law, JD, Yale University

WELSH S. WHITE, Professor of Law, LLB, University of Pennsylvania