Academic Programs and Policies
Curriculum
General Information
In the 2014-2015 academic year, the Law School adopted an innovative new curriculum that becomes effective with the class entering in August 2015 (the Class of December 2017). Under that new curriculum, the Law School’s standard course of study shifts from a traditional 6-semester, 3-year program to a 7- trimester, 2.5-year program. Members of the Class of December 2017 will have a 5-week August Term, followed by a 12-week Fall Trimester, 10-week Winter Trimester, and 10-week Spring Trimester.
Members of the Classes of May 2017, remain on the traditional 6-semester, 3-year model, though these students are permitted to petition to graduate following their fifth semester, if they satisfy all graduation requirements at that time. Permission for students in the Class of May 2017 to graduate in fewer than 6 semesters is within the complete discretion of the Law School.
In addition to the required first-year curriculum, all students must take a number of upper level required courses. These upper-level required courses provide students with the knowledge and skills necessary to pass the bar examination and to practice successfully, as well as keeping students engaged throughout their law school careers.
Elon Law’s curriculum provides instruction in the fundamentals of law, including instruction at in legal writing, professional responsibility, skills training, and oral advocacy. In the tradition of Elon University (the “University”), the Law School curriculum also emphasizes active student engagement and leadership studies. The curriculum is designed to provide students with a rigorous intellectual foundation to become successful lawyers. In addition to the traditional doctrinal and skills courses, Elon provides instruction in speaking and presentation skills, study skills, time management, and leadership development.
The Law School’s academic program is enhanced by the proximity to Greensboro’s legal and judicial offices and through the program’s close relationship with the North Carolina Business Court. Instruction takes place in a technology-enriched environment and is complemented with frequent interactions with local professionals.
Program Requirements
First-Year Required Courses
Legal Method and Communication (LMC) I, II, and III
These courses are designed to teach students the essential skills of legal method, analysis, and communication. The LMC course sequence draws together various components of the first-year curriculum in a series of simulated cases. As students move through the sequence they will receive individualized feedback on increasingly complex written and oral assignments. The course sequence includes:
| LAW 668 | Legal Method & Communication I | 2 cr |
| LAW 669 | Legal Method & Communication II | 2 cr |
| LAW 673 | Legal Method & Communication III | 2 cr |
Upper Level Required Courses for Classes of 2016 and May 2017
Class of December 2017 and Subsequent Classes
Members of the Class of December 2017 and subsequent classes must also fulfill a “communications” requirement each term after the first year. This may be satisfied through designated “communications courses” or by participating in a designated “communications activity,” such as moot court. In addition, there is a bar foundations course requirement in the August term prior to students’ third year
Elective Courses
| LAW 711 | Accounting for Lawyers | 2 cr |
| LAW 715 | Administrative Law | 3 cr |
| LAW 784 | ADR Representation | 3 cr |
| LAW 785 | Advanced Civil Procedure | 3 cr |
| LAW 735 | Advanced Criminal Procedure | 3 cr |
| LAW 843 | Advanced Evidence Workshop | 2 cr |
| LAW 774 | Advanced Family Law Practice | 3 cr |
| LAW 860 | Advanced Legal Method and Communication | 2 cr |
| LAW 661 | Advanced Legal Research | 2-3 cr |
| LAW 662 | Advanced Legal Research: Electronic Research | 1 cr |
| LAW 664 | Advanced Legal Research: North Carolina Legal Materials | 1 cr |
| LAW 663 | Advanced Legal Research: Research for Lawyers in Public Interest and Small Practices | 1 cr |
| LAW 782 | Advanced Trial Practice and Procedure | 2 cr |
| LAW 831 | Bar Exam Foundations: Selected Topics Intensive Study | 2 cr |
| LAW 818 | Antitrust Law | 3 cr |
| LAW 772 | Estate Planning | 2 cr |
| LAW 810 | Banking Law | 2-3 cr |
| LAW 811 | Bankruptcy | 3 cr |
| LAW 822 | Bar Exam Foundations | 4 cr |
| LAW 836 | International Intellectual Property | 2 cr |
| LAW 833 | Bar Exam Foundations: MBE | 2 cr |
| LAW 835 | Bar Exam Foundations: NC Distinctions | 2 cr |
| LAW 812 | Business Drafting | 2 cr |
| LAW 692 | Business Fellows Externship Course | 3 cr |
| LAW 755 | Capstone Leadership Project | 1 cr |
| LAW 776 | Children and the Law | 2 cr |
| LAW 778 | Child Protection and the Law | 2 cr |
| LAW 826 | Closely Held Business Enterprises | 2-3 cr |
| LAW 672 | Commercial Law: Negotiable Instruments | 2 cr |
| LAW 670 | Commercial Law: Sales | 2 cr |
| LAW 671 | Commercial Law: Secured Transactions | 2-3 cr |
| LAW 703 | Communication Skills for Lawyers | 1 cr |
| LAW 806 | Construction Law | 3 cr |
| LAW 819 | Consumer Protection | 3 cr |
| LAW 763 | Copyright Law | 2-3 cr |
| LAW 817 | Corporate Governance | 2-3 cr |
| LAW 803 | Criminal Pretrial Practice | 3 cr |
| LAW 732 | Criminal Procedure | 2-3 cr |
| LAW 752 | Critical Race Theory | 2 cr |
| LAW 794 | Death Penalty Jurisprudence | 2 cr |
| LAW 783 | Deposition Workshop | 2-3 cr |
| LAW 789 | E-Discovery | 1-2 cr |
| LAW 779 | Elder Law | 3 cr |
| LAW 764 | Elder Law Clinic | 3-6 cr |
| LAW 791 | Election Law | 2 cr |
| LAW 823 | Employment Discrimination | 3 cr |
| LAW 714 | Employment Law | 2-3 cr |
| LAW 840 | Entertainment Law | 2 cr |
| LAW 815 | Entity Taxation | 3 cr |
| LAW 841 | Environmental Law | 3 cr |
| LAW 771 | Estate and Gift Taxation | 2 cr |
| LAW 787 | Introduction to European Union Law | 2-3 cr |
| LAW 775 | Family Law | 3 cr |
| LAW 788 | Federal Courts | 3 cr |
| LAW 739 | Federal Indian Law | 2 cr |
| LAW 729 | Federal Tax Practice and Procedure | 2 cr |
| LAW 722 | First Amendment | 3 cr |
| LAW 754 | First Amendment: Religion | 2 cr |
| LAW 757 | First Amendment: Speech | 2-3 cr |
| LAW 690 | General Externship | 3 cr |
| LAW 758 | Guardian Ad Litem Clinic | 4 cr |
| LAW 745 | Health Law | 2 cr |
| LAW 768 | Humanitarian Immigration Law Clinic | 4 cr |
| LAW 740 | Immigration Law | 3 cr |
| LAW 699 | In-House Corporate Practice | 2 cr |
| LAW 691 | In-House Counsel Externship | 3 cr |
| LAW 712 | Income Taxation | 3 cr |
| LAW 999 | Independent Study | 1-3 cr |
| LAW 704 | Influence and Responsibility of the Lawyer as a Public Citizen | 3 cr |
| LAW 746 | Insurance Law | 2-3 cr |
| LAW 716 | Intellectual Property | 3 cr |
| LAW 709 | Intellectual Property (International Arena) | 3 cr |
| LAW 744 | International Commercial Arbitration | 2 cr |
| LAW 741 | International Business Law | 3 cr |
| LAW 828 | International Criminal Tribunals and Military Commissions | 2 cr |
| LAW 827 | International Humanitarian Law | 3 cr |
| LAW 756 | International Law: Human Rights | 3 cr |
| LAW 748 | International Law: Private, Conflicts of Law | 2-3 cr |
| LAW 742 | International Law: Public | 2-3 cr |
| LAW 743 | International Law: Refugee And Asylum | 2 cr |
| LAW 747 | Internet Law | 3 cr |
| LAW 790 | Judicial Process | 2 cr |
| LAW 702 | Labor Law | 3 cr |
| LAW 807 | Land Use Planning | 3 cr |
| LAW 701 | Law and Humanities | 2 cr |
| LAW 830 | Law Firm Management | 1 cr |
| LAW 996 | Law Review | 1 cr |
| LAW 689 | Leadership Fellows: General Externship | 3 cr |
| LAW 842 | Legal Malpractice and Prevention | 2 cr |
| LAW 816 | Legal Process and Public Policy | 2-3 cr |
| LAW 799 | Legislation | 2 cr |
| LAW 683 | Mastering Legal Analysis I | 1-3 cr |
| LAW 777 | Media and Communications Law & Policy | 3 cr |
| LAW 814 | Mergers and Acquisitions | 3 cr |
| LAW 804 | Mediation | 3 cr |
| LAW 706 | Military Justice | 3 cr |
| LAW 786 | Mock Trial Competition | 1-2 cr |
| LAW 900 | Moot Court/Appellate Advocacy Competition | 1-2 cr |
| LAW 759 | Negotiations | 3 cr |
| LAW 769 | Non-Profit Organizations | 2-3 cr |
| LAW 798 | Patent Litigation | 3 cr |
| LAW 802 | Pretrial Litigation | 3-4 cr |
| LAW 829 | Prisoners' Rights | 2 cr |
| LAW 728 | Real Estate Transactions | 3 cr |
| LAW 795 | Remedies | 3 cr |
| LAW 713 | Securities Regulation | 3 cr |
| LAW 861 | The Semester in Practice Legal Externship Program | 7-11 cr; 2cr 7-11 credits for externship component; 2 credits for class component |
| LAW 767 | Small Business and Entrepreneurship Clinic | 3-6 cr |
| LAW 792 | Issues in Sports Law | 2 cr |
| LAW 793 | State and Local Government | 2 cr |
| LAW 737 | Street Law | 2 cr |
| LAW 707 | Tax Policy Perspectives | 2 cr |
| LAW 805 | Trade Secrets | 2 cr |
| LAW 781 | Trial Practice and Procedure | 3 cr |
| LAW 834 | Understanding Business Operations | 2 cr |
| LAW 870 | Vis Moot | 2 cr |
| LAW 824 | War Crimes, Genocide and International Law | 3 cr |
| LAW 770 | Wills and Trusts | 3 cr |
| LAW 773 | Wills Drafting Clinic (In-House) | 3-6 cr |
Class of May 2017
General Juris Doctor (J.D.) Requirements for the Class of May 2017
The Law School requires 90 credit hours for graduation and prescribes a core curriculum of 48 required credit hours for members of the Class of May 2017. Students must pass all required courses in order to graduate. At least 65 of the 90 credit hours required for graduation must be earned by attendance in regularly- scheduled law school class sessions. 1 This does not include externships, moot court, trial competitions, law review, directed research programs, or courses taken in parts of the University outside the Law School for which credit toward the J.D. degree is granted.
Full-time students are required to take a minimum of 12 credit hours each semester .and are limited to a maximum of 17 credit hours per semester. The Law School’s academic year consists of more than 140 days on which classes are regularly scheduled. The academic year is approximately nine months long, consisting of the Fall Semester and Spring Semester and a Winter Term in January. Most class sessions last 60 minutes, with 13 class sessions required for one credit, exclusive of exams, and 90 credits required for graduation.
To graduate from Elon, students generally must be enrolled as full-time students in residence for a minimum of six semesters or seven trimesters. 2 A cumulative grade point average of 2.00 or higher is required for graduation.
Program of Study for the Class of May 2017
The First Year
The required first-year program consists of 31 required credit hours. The first-year class at the Law School is divided into three sections of roughly equal numbers. Each section is split into roughly equal cohorts for the Legal Method & Communication course, with each cohort having approximately 18-20 students. Lawyering, Leadership & Professionalism (a required course in the Winter Term of the first year) is taught, in part, in small break-out groups. Other than the small break out groups for Lawyering, Leadership & Professionalism and some sections of Legal Method & Communication, all first-year courses are taught by full-time faculty.
1 If approved by the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, these 65 hours may include coursework another law school for which a student receives credit toward the J.D. degree by the Law School
2 The Law School’s residency requirement excludes Winter Term and Summer Sessions. Students who transfer to Elon after their first year at another law school are deemed to satisfy this requirement upon completion of four semesters at Elon. An Elon student who visits another law school for a semester with the approval of the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs shall also be deemed to be “in residence” for that semester.
| First Year Curriculum Class of May 2017 |
| Fall |
Winter |
Spring |
| Contracts I (2) |
Lawyering, Leadership & Professionalism (2) |
Contracts II (3) |
| Torts I (3) |
|
Torts II (2) |
| Civil Procedure I (3) |
|
Civil Procedure II (2) |
| Property I (3) |
|
Property II (2) |
| Legal Method & Communication (3) |
|
Legal Method & Communication (3) |
| Legal Construction and Analysis (1) |
|
Criminal Law (3) |
| Total: 15 |
Total: 2 |
Total: 14 |
The Second and Third Years
The upper-level curriculum is a combination of required courses and electives. Elon Law recognizes that, to prepare for the effective practice of law, its graduates should acquire foundational knowledge and skills beyond those required in the first year. Therefore, all students are required to complete courses in Business Associations, Constitutional Law, Evidence, and Professional Responsibility. Constitutional Law and Professional Responsibility must be taken during the second year. Business Associations and Evidence may be taken any time during the second or third years. In addition, the Law School requires that all students in the Class of May 2017 take a 2- credit Leadership & Public Law course during the Winter Term of their second year. This course is a component of Elon Law’s comprehensive leadership program. Elon Law also recognizes that, in order to develop client-ready attorneys, a broader background in other basic courses is important. Therefore, the Law School encourages students to take courses such as Family Law, Sales, Criminal Procedure, Wills and Trusts, and Secured Transactions, though these courses are not required.
The second-year curriculum for the Class of May 2017 requires the following courses:
| Second Year Curriculum Class of May 2017 |
| Fall |
Winter |
Spring |
| Constitutional Law I (2) |
Leadership & Public Law (2) |
Constitutional Law II (3) |
| Professional Responsibility (2) |
|
|
| Business Associations (4) and/or Evidence (4)* |
|
Business Associations (4) and/or Evidence (4)* |
| Electives |
|
Electives |
| Total: 12-17 |
Total: 2 |
Total: 12-17 |
* Students are required to take Business Associations (4 credits) and Evidence (4 credits) during their second or third years. These courses are required for graduation and serve as pre-requisites for many other courses.
The third-year curriculum is entirely elective, unless a student has opted not to take Business Associations or Evidence in his or her second year, in which case the student must take the course the student’s third year:
| Third Year Curriculum |
| Fall |
Winter |
Spring |
| Electives (12-17)* |
Electives (1-3)** |
Electives (12-17)* |
| Total: 12-17 |
Total: 1-3 |
Total: 12-17 |
*Any student who has not taken Business Associations or Evidence during his or her second year must take these courses during the third year, as the courses are graduation requirements.
**During the 3L Winter Term, students may elect to take one to three hours of elective course offerings. Elective courses offered during Winter Term differ from year to year.
Class of December 2017 and Subsequent Classes
| FIRST YEAR CURRICULUM CLASS OF DECEMBER 2017 |
|
| TERM/TRIMESTER |
CREDITS |
| August Term |
|
| Introduction to Legal Studies |
3 |
| Lawyering, Leadership & Professionalism |
1 |
| Total Credits for August Term |
4 |
|
|
| Fall Trimester |
|
| Lawyering, Leadership & Professionalism |
* |
| Torts |
5 |
| Contracts |
2 |
| Civil Procedure |
2 |
| Legal Method & Communication |
2 |
| Legal Research |
** |
| Total Credits for Fall Trimester |
11 |
|
|
| Winter Trimester |
|
| Lawyering, Leadership &Professionalism |
1 |
| Contracts |
3 |
| Civil Procedure |
3 |
| Criminal Law |
3 |
| Criminal Law Lab |
1 |
| Legal Method & Communication |
2 |
| Legal Research |
1 |
| Total Credits for Winter Trimester |
14 |
|
|
| Spring Trimester |
|
| Constitutional Law |
5 |
| Property |
5 |
| Legal Method & Communication |
2 |
| Total Credits for Spring Trimester |
12 |
| Total Credits for First-Year Courses |
41 |
General Juris Doctor (J.D.) Requirements for Members of the Class of December 2017 and Subsequent Classes
The Law School requires 90 credit hours for graduation. Students must pass all required courses in order to graduate. At least 65 of the 90 credit hours required for graduation must be earned by attendance in regularly- scheduled law school class sessions.3 This does not include externships, moot court, trial competitions, law review, directed research programs, or courses taken in parts of the University outside the Law School for which credit toward the J.D. degree is granted.
Full-time students are required to take a minimum of 10 credit hours each trimester and are limited to a maximum of 14 credit hours per trimester. The Law School’s academic year consists of more than 140 days on which classes are regularly scheduled. The academic year is approximately ten months long, consisting of an August Term, Fall Trimester, optional December Term (in the second year), Winter Trimester and Spring Trimester. In the first-year Fall Trimester, most class sessions last 60 minutes, with 12 class sessions required for one credit, exclusive of exams. In all other trimesters, most class sessions last 75 minutes, with 10 class sessions required for one credit.
To graduate from Elon, students generally must be enrolled as full-time students in residence for a minimum of seven trimesters.4 A cumulative grade point average of 2.00 or higher is required for graduation.
Program of Study for Students in the Class of December 2017 and Subsequent Classes
The First Year
The required first-year program consists of 42 credit hours. The first-year class at the Law School is divided into six sections of approximately 20-22 students. Other than small break out groups for the first-year leadership course (Lawyering, Leadership & Professionalism) and the lab component to the first-year Criminal Law course, all first- year courses are taught by full-time faculty.
* Lawyering, Leadership & Professionalism continues during the Fall Trimester, but credit for the course is awarded at the end of the Winter Trimester.
** The Legal Research course starts in the Fall Trimester but is not completed, and credits are no awarded, until the end of the Winter Trimester.
| SAMPLE SECOND YEAR SCHEDULE CLASS OF DECEMBER 2017 |
|
| TERM/TRIMESTER |
CREDITS |
| August Term |
|
| Professional Responsibility |
2 |
| Public Law & Leadership |
2 |
| Total Credits for August Term |
4 |
|
|
| Fall Trimester |
|
| Business Associations |
4 |
| Evidence |
4 |
| Elective(s)* |
2-6 |
| Total Credits for Fall Trimester |
10-14 |
|
|
| December Term ** |
|
| Elective course |
1-3 |
| Total Credits for December Term |
1-3 |
|
|
| Winter Trimester |
|
| Residency-in-Practice |
8-10 |
| Residency-in-Practice Accompanying Course |
2-3 |
| Total Credits for Winter Trimester |
10-13 |
|
|
| Spring Trimester |
|
| Elective Courses* |
10-14 |
| Total Credits for Spring Trimester |
10-14 |
|
|
| Total Credits for Second-Year Courses |
35-48 |
3 If approved by the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, these 65 hours may include coursework at
4 The Law School’s residency requirement excludes August Term, December Term, and Summer Sessions. Students who transfer to Elon after their first year at another law school are deemed to satisfy this requirement upon completion of four trimesters at Elon. An Elon student who visits another law school with the approval of the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs shall also be deemed to be “in residence” for that visit term.
The Second Year
The second-year under the Law School’s new curriculum combines required courses, elective courses, and experiential learning through a residency-in-practice requirement. Second-year students return from an 8-week summer break to take Professional Responsibility and Public Law & Leadership, the Law School’s 2L leadership course, during a 3-week August Term. During the Fall or Winter Trimester, second-year students must take Business Associations and Evidence. One trimester of the second year, students must complete a Residency-in- Practice, which is a full-time field placement combined with an accompanying course offered by the Law School. Residency-in- Practice placements may include a position in a judge’s chambers, with a non-profit legal organization (such as Legal Aid), with a district attorney or public defender’s office, in a corporate counsel office, or in a private law firm. In the Residency-in-Practice, students work approximately 30-35 hours/week, while taking a related accompanying course at the law school (either in person or via distance learning depending on the proximity of the student’s Residency-in-Practice placement).
During each trimester that a second-year student is not doing a Residency-in-Practice, the student must take at least one “communication” course, selected from a group of such courses as designated by the Law School faculty. These courses continue the communications focus of the first-year curriculum.
The second-year curriculum also includes an optional two-week December Term, during which students may elect to take short, intensive courses.
The chart below shows a sample second-year schedule, though a student’s actual second- year schedule may differ substantially, as the Residency-in-Practice may be taken in one of the other trimesters, and Business Associations and Evidence may be taken in either the Fall Trimester or the Winter Trimester:
* Students are required to satisfy a “Communications Requirement” in every second-year term that is not the student’s Residency term. This may be done through courses designated as “Communications Courses” at the Law School or through various activities such as moot court or mock trial.
** The December Term is a two-week elective term. Students may opt to take short-courses during this term.
The Final Trimester
The final trimester under the Law School’s revised curriculum is intended to prepare students to pass the bar examination and to transition to practice. As such, students return for August Term to take the Law School’s Bar Foundation’s course. This course reviews core bar-tested subjects.
In the Fall Trimester of the third year, students are required to take a “Bridge-to- Practice” course, selected from a list of such courses as designated by the Law School faculty, which serves to transition students from the study of law to the practice of law through the use of simulations and other practice-focused teaching techniques.
The chart below shows a typical final- trimester schedule for students under the Law School’s new curriculum:
| SAMPLE FINAL-TRIMESTER SCHEDULE CLASS OF DECEMBER 2017 |
|
| TERM/TRIMESTER |
CREDITS |
| August Term |
|
| Bar Foundations |
2-3 |
| Total Credits for August Term |
2-3 |
|
|
| Fall Trimester |
|
| Bridge-to-Practice Course |
2-3 |
| Elective Courses* |
8-11 |
| Total Credits for Spring Trimester |
10-14 |
|
|
| Total Credits for Third-Year Courses |
12-17 |
Upper-Level Writing Requirement: All Classes
The faculty has approved an Upper-Level Writing Requirement which must be completed by all law students during their second or third year as a graduation requirement. The goals of the Upper-Level Writing Requirement are:
- To provide students with an opportunity to analyze, synthesize, and organize a substantial body of knowledge; and
- To provide students with an opportunity for in-depth engagement in a narrow legal subject area.
- To further develop students’ basic writing and research skills;
A student satisfies the Upper-Level Writing Requirement by completing one or more written projects that require rigorous intellectual effort. Projects must be completed under the active and regular supervision of a faculty member who provides instruction, guidance, and feedback on the student’s work, and who is available for individual meetings to discuss the student’s progress toward successful completion of the Upper-Level Writing Requirement.
The requirement can be met by writing, among other things, a scholarly paper, a law review note or comment, legal briefs or memoranda, or other legal documents. Generally, the length of the documents to be drafted in order to complete this requirement should be at least twenty (20) pages of text in the aggregate, but the professor supervising completion of the project or projects shall have the discretion to determine the required length.
The courses that may be used to satisfy the Upper-Level Writing Requirement are noted in the registration materials sent to students each term.
In addition, a student may satisfy the Upper- Level Writing Requirement in the context of an Independent Study course for credit, as approved in advance by the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs. Absent extraordinary circumstances, the Upper-Level Writing Requirement may not be satisfied outside a regular course offering in the spring of a student’s final year.
An Intent Form must be submitted to the Law School Registrar within one week of the first day of the term when the student intends to complete the requirement. To receive credit for satisfactorily completing the Upper-Level Writing Requirement, the student must submit a Completion Form, signed by the faculty member supervising the Requirement, which certifies that the Requirement has been satisfactorily completed.