Our recruiting season is now in full swing as I am in my third city in seven days! I was in Miami last Saturday, attended a law school fair at Cornell this week, and am now in New York for the two-day LSAC Forum. Despite the rain and wind, I am looking forward to a great visit here in New York City! Recruiting is so fun and interesting because we get to connect with so many different students from all regions of the country. However, at each location, students definitely have similar questions and concerns.
One of the most frequent questions that I receive on the road is about “specialties” or “concentrations” in law school. What kind of law can students specialize in at Chicago? What specific concentrations does Chicago have? The short answer is that it is really up to you! Our curriculum at Chicago is an expansive, well-rounded curriculum offering over 170 courses and seminars, 12 different clinical programs, three student-run journals, and other research and workshop opportunities. Our students are not asked to select formal specialties or concentrations in law school, which allows you to broaden your education and gives you flexibility in selecting your courses. After completing our first-year required curriculum (including our unique Elements of Law course), your second and third years of law school are almost entirely elective courses. This permits our students to tailor the curriculum and focus their studies to meet their needs and interests. Many students have no idea what type of law they want to practice – or even if they think that they do – students often change their minds or develop new interests during and after law school. Our curriculum prepares students for any path that their careers may take.
In particular, students frequently ask about our program in International Law. While our students do not select only one “program” to study, they are offered over 40 courses in International and Comparative Law. Our students also have the exciting opportunity to learn from our four new faculty members specializing in this area. Students may participate in the Immigrant Children’s Advocacy Project or pursue a spot on our Chicago Journal of International Law. In addition, students may explore their interests through extracurricular activities, such as the International Law Society or the International Human Rights Society.
Of course, that is only one example. If you are interested in Intellectual Property Law, you can take courses covering all aspects of IP law, including privacy, copyright, trademarks, patents, telecommunications law, or art law. If you are more interested in environmental issues, you may select courses that include domestic and international environmental law, climate change, or land use. Chicago also offers an expansive list of courses in corporate and transactional law, public interest law, and many other subject areas. One of the best parts of the curriculum is that you can take courses in any and all of these areas and you do not have to choose only one!
I look forward to hearing more questions on the road and hope to meet some of you in New York this weekend or in Boston on Monday!