FSU Graduate Bulletin 2003 - 2005
College of Law
Dean: Donald J. Weidner; Associate Deans: Donna R. Christie, Mark B. Seidenfeld; Assistant Deans: Nancy L. Benavides, Stephanie L. Williams; Director of Law Library: Edwin M. Schroeder; Edward Ball Eminent Scholar Chair: Frederick M. Abbott; Tobias Simon Eminent Scholar Chair: Fernando Tesón
The Florida State University College of Law provides a three-year program of study leading to the juris doctor (JD) degree, the first law degree that American law students can earn. The JD degree is a requirement for admission to any state bar and is a prerequisite for the practice of law.
The purpose of the College of Law is to prepare highly qualified graduates for positions as counselors, advocates, judges, law-oriented business professionals, researchers, teachers, and philosophers of the law.
The College of Law faculty are among the national leaders in high-level scholarship. The faculty's interests range from fundamental legal doctrine to cutting-edge interdisciplinary work, from issues of local concern to national and international areas, from matters of day-to-day practice to the purest of legal theory. Members of the faculty have written leading texts and treatises in such fields as evidence, environmental law, partnership law, international law, international intellectual property, law and economics, and constitutional law.
Small class sizes allow for free-ranging discussion in the classroom, as do a wide range of seminar offerings and individualized learning opportunities. The faculty is highly accessible, which makes it possible for discussion to continue outside the classroom on a personal basis.
The student body at the College of Law is diverse, which adds to the quality of the school. Well over one hundred undergraduate and graduate institutions from all over the world are represented, as are most states and a good many nations. Many students have significant non-academic experience as well, ranging from engineering to medicine to business to government. This range of backgrounds and interests is displayed in the great variety of student organizations and activities at the College of Law.
Among the College of Law's strengths are international law, and environmental and land use law. The College of Law recently has introduced certificate programs in both of these areas, which allow students who successfully complete the programs to receive a certificate along with their JD degree, indicating to employers and others that they have achieved special competency in these fields.
The faculty expertise in the College of Law's international law program covers a broad spectrum of study, including international intellectual property, environmental, human rights law, trade and commercial law. The international law program is strengthened by its affiliation with other programs at the law school and University that are focused on international issues. The Caribbean Law Institute has assisted in developing commercial laws among Caribbean nations. The Center for the Advancement of Human Rights is an information clearinghouse for those who study human rights abuses around the world and offers students valuable internship experience. Students can also gain additional co-curricular experience through Florida State University's Journal of Transnational Law &Policy and by participation in the Jessup International Moot Court Competition and the International Law Society. The College of Law also offers those students interested in environmental and land use law the opportunity to participate in the Journal of Land Use & Environmental Law. Founded in 1983, it is the oldest journal of its type in Florida, and one of the oldest in the nation.
The location of the college in relation to the state capitol complex provides a wide range of internship and clerkship opportunities, as well as part-time employment opportunities, during the second and third years. Judges and lawmakers frequently speak/teach at the College of Law.
While these collateral opportunities are no substitute for the day-to-day study and experiences of the classroom, one of the aims of legal education is the teaching of law in its broader contex. The College of Law's location provides this context, giving it special advantages.
The college offers over 60 externship programs, which involve either full-time or part-time placement at courts and state agencies. Each program provides practical experience under extensive academic direction to selected upper-level students. At this time, the programs encompass six judicial placements, several administrative agency placements, and a number of criminal and civil "lawyering" programs which require students to be certified to practice under the Florida Bar's Student Practice Rule. The College of Law also offers an externship placement with the International Bar Association in London.
Additionally, the college's Children's Advocacy Center provides 30–45 students the opportunity to directly represent clients under the supervision of law faculty.
The Law Library is located in its own building which opened in 1983 and provides the most up-to-date legal research facility available in Florida. It consists of over 46,000 linear feet of shelving and seating capacity for over 400 at carrels or tables and in enclosed conference rooms, typing rooms, group study rooms, and computer assisted legal research and microcomputer labs.
Law Library collections exceed 444,000 volumes and volume equivalents with more than 155,000 cataloged titles. Continuing subscriptions number more than 4,900. Law Library personnel provide training in LEXIS and WESTLAW; word processing programs are provided for student use on microcomputers available in the computer laboratory.
Special collections in the Law Library include rare legal materials from England, the United States, and Florida. Early printed editions of Bracton, Coke, and Glanville are held, as well as more recent publications, including a first edition of Blackstone's Commentaries. There is a substantial collection of signatures, letters, signed portraits, and other memorabilia of the justices of the United States Supreme Court.
Law students also have access to the Paul M. Dirac Library and the Robert Manning Strozier Library of The Florida State University. Furthermore, the State Library of Florida, the Florida State Archives, and the Florida Supreme Court Library are within two blocks of the College of Law.
Interdisciplinary and Joint-Degree Programs
In order to further the goals of broad liberal arts education and scholarship, the College of Law has authorized interdisciplinary work for selected graduate students. Joint-degree programs, in which students receive both the juris doctor and the master's degree concurrently, are offered with the College of Business, the Department of Economics, the Department of Urban and Regional Planning, the Program in International Affairs, the School of Social Work, the School of Information Studies, and the School of Public Administration and Policy.
Upon the recommendation of the department chair, and with the permission of the Dean of the College of Law, a graduate student may take a limited number of College of Law courses related to the major field of study. Grades are reported on a satisfactory/unsatisfactory (S/U) basis.
Credit hours earned in law courses prior to admission to the College of Law are not counted toward the minimum hours required for the law degree upon subsequent admission to the College of Law.
Additional information regarding law programs is contained in the College of Law Bulletin available from: Office of Admissions, College of Law, The Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306 or at http://www.law.fsu.edu.
Summer Program in Law at Oxford
Director: Edwin M. Schroeder
The College of Law conducts the oldest summer program in Oxford sponsored by an American law school. Since its establishment in 1973, law students from the United States and Canada and a limited number of graduate students in related fields, lawyers, and others have been taught by tenured members of the Oxford University and The Florida State University law faculties. The five and one-half week program begins annually on the Tuesday following Oxford's Trinity term.
For information contact: Director, The Florida State University Summer Program in Law at Oxford, Tallahassee, FL 32306-1600; (850) 644-4578; http://www.law.fsu/academic_programs/interational_law/oxford.
Degree Requirements
Eighty-eight (88) semester hours of course credit and six full semesters of residency are required for the JD degree. The following courses are currently required of all students: legal writing and research I (2), legal writing and research II (2), contracts I (3), contracts II (2), civil procedure (4), criminal law and procedure (4), torts (4), property I (2), property II (3), constitutional law I (3), constitutional law II (3), and professional responsibility (3). In addition to the courses listed above, each student must take an extensive writing course to fulfill the upper-level writing requirement.
Mindful of the special responsibility of lawyers in light of the monopoly given them, particularly as to those individuals who need and cannot afford their services, the College of Law has instituted a pro bono graduation requirement. Each degree-seeking student must do a minimum of 20 hours of pro bono work on behalf of indigent individuals or other uncompensated legal work in conjunction with an individual attorney, law firm, or organization on behalf of a disadvantaged minority; the victims of racial, sexual, or other forms of discrimination; those denied human and civil rights; or other work on behalf of the public interest.
Academic Policies
All academic policies of the College of Law can be found in the College of Law Student Handbook, which is made available to all students who enter the college.
The first-year curriculum is mandatory for all students. Currently, first-year students register for fifteen (15) semester hours during the Fall semester and fourteen (14) semester hours during the Spring. All other students must register for a minimum of twelve (12) semester hours of credit each Fall and Spring semester. Students may register for a maximum of eighteen (18) credit hours during the Fall and Spring semesters. Attendance during the Summer semester is not mandatory, nor is a specific credit hour requirement imposed.
In order to obtain the JD degree, in addition to the eighty-eight (88) semester hour requirement, students must earn a minimum of six semesters in residence. Twelve (12) semester hours of course credit are required to earn one semester of residency during the Fall and Spring terms.
The Florida State University College of Law is a full-time law school in accordance with the standards set by the American Bar Association. The minimum credit hour load requirement is designed to ensure that law students participate in their law studies on a full-time basis.
Authorization for less than the twelve (12) semester hour requirement will not be granted on the basis of the student's need for outside employment. Students are restricted to 20 hours of employment per week.
Attendance at all regularly scheduled classes is expected of all law students. Instructors will announce their specific attendance policy at the beginning of each term's classes. Chronic unexcused absences may result in the student being dropped from the course or being awarded an administrative "F" grade.
Admission Requirements
Admission standards to the college have increased greatly in recent years. Although the admissions committee begins reviewing files in January, many decisions are not made until mid-March. In making admissions decisions, the committee considers quantifiable factors, such as LSAT scores and grade point averages, as well as letters of recommendation, personal statements, extracurricular interests, and work experiences.
The college actively recruits minority students. The student body of the college brings a diverse occupational and educational perspective to the school.
The college does not prescribe a specific undergraduate major. All applicants are required to have a baccalaureate degree from a nationally or regionally accredited college or university prior to commencing law study.
Every applicant must take the Law School Admissions Test (LSAT) administered by Law School Admissions Services. The LSAT is given in June, October, December, and February of each year. It is administered at The Florida State University and at test centers throughout the world. The test should be taken as early as possible so that applications can be acted upon without unnecessary delay. Scores from the February administration of the LSAT are the latest accepted for entrance into the next August entering class.
Applicants must register with the Law School Data Assembly Service (LSDAS), provided by Law School Admissions Services. An official transcript from every college attended is sent directly to LSDAS, which analyzes transcripts and sends results to the College of Law. Applicants register with LSDAS at the same time they register for the LSAT.
For application materials contact: Director of Admissions, The Florida State University, College of Law, Tallahassee, FL 32306-1601; (850) 644-3787 or at http://www.law.fsu.edu.
Financial Aid
Stafford Loans. These educational loans are available directly through banks, credit unions, savings and loan associations, and other participating lenders. The Federal Stafford Loan is based on financial need. Interest is paid by the government while the student is in school. The Unsubsidized Federal Stafford Loan is available to students who do not qualify in whole or in part for the subsidized Federal Stafford Loan. It is not based on need, and interest is not paid by the government but accrues while the student is in school.
To apply for the Federal Stafford/Unsubsidized Stafford Loans, a student must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). These applications are available in the Office of Financial Aid, 4400 University Center, The Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida 32306.
University fellowships in the amount of $10,000 are available to law students with exceptional credentials. Additional scholarship and fellowship information can be found in the College of Law application brochure.
Student Services
The assistant dean for student affairs assists students in all facets of student life, from financial aid to the adjustment to law school. The office of career placement within the college assists students in finding employment both during and after law school.
A special orientation program for all new students is held during the week prior to the beginning of classes to acquaint students with the college.
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