2025 Fall JD Course Schedule

Notes

This semester we are offering some classes in remote, hybrid, and flex format, which is reflected on the PDF version of the fall schedule.

// Enrollment with permission of instructor only.

+ This course has prerequisites. Please check course descriptions in the University’s catalog and syllabi for course prerequisite information.

(W) This course has been designated as a writing course.

(E) This course has been designated as an experiential course. Please note – for courses designated both (W) and (E), students may apply the course to either requirement, but not both. See Academic Regulations §3-3.2 for more information.

(DE) This course has been designated as a distance education course. No more than 1/3 of a student’s required 89 credits to graduate may be distance education credits. See Academic Regulations §3-3.1 for more information.

^ Final exams for Law 212-R01, 256-R01, 178-R02, 298-R01, 102-R04, 110-R04 & 327-R01 will be conducted in-person at Mason Square (Arlington campus).

Notes to Day Schedule:

(N.1) Information about clinics and field programs and their respective application requirements was sent via LawNews email on March 6, 2025.

(N.2) The Federal Circuit Practice Seminar is a prerequisite for the Giles Rich Moot Court Competition (Law 125) offered in Spring 2026.

(N.3) Contact Professor Courtney Dinsmore (cdinsmor@gmu.edu) to obtain permission to register.

(N.4) The M-VETS clinic and the Immigration Litigation and Poverty Law field programs meet for two hours a week, but students will receive four credits total for the semester because of meetings and work outside of the regularly scheduled classroom time. The meeting time of the Poverty Law and Immigration Litigation field programs’ classroom component may be adjusted based on the instructor’s consultation with students selected to participate.

(N.5) JD students who have taken the Law & Economics Colloquium may enroll a second time because course content changes from semester to semester. This course awards one in-class credit and one out-of-class credit.

(N.6) Legal Fundamentals will not open at the start of general registration. Students ranked in the bottom quartile (25%) of the class at the end of their penultimate year are required to take the course prior to graduation. Those students will be notified directly and registered by the Records Office. The course will then open as an elective option for students in their final year.

(N.7) Legal Writing for Law Clerks is a seven-week course ending mid-semester. Information regarding the application process will be sent via LawNews email.

(N.8) The Negotiations course (3 cr.) will be offered over two weekends: October 17-19 and November 7-9, meeting each weekend on Friday (1:00 – 6:00 p.m.), Saturday (8:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.), and Sunday (8:00 a.m. – 3:15 p.m.). Due to the compressed nature of the course, students must attend all sessions to receive credit. Note that the add/drop period will be over before the first meeting of this course. Students must attend every session to receive credit.

(N.9) This course will not meet weekly but will meet on assigned dates over the course of the semester as listed in the course syllabus.

(N.10) Students must be in the top 50% of their class at the end of their first academic year to register for Scholarly Writing. This course may not meet weekly but will meet on assigned dates over the course of the semester as listed in the course syllabus. This course awards one in-class credit and one out-of-class credit.

(N.11) Startup Law will be a pre-requisite for the Startup Law Practicum running in Spring 2026. See the LawNews email sent on March 6, 2025, for more information on how to apply for enrollment.

(N.12) Students must receive approval to register for the Supervised Externship programs and should submit the Externship Information form found in the Externship Module on Symplicity to begin the process. (Virginia Practice Externship applicants will submit the form after meeting with the program directors.) To access the form, log in to Symplicity and select the Externship Module from the “Shortcuts” on the right side of the screen or the “Experiential Module” (it shows both ways) and select “add”. Once approved, students will be registered by the Records Office for the appropriate externship course. Students not being compensated for the work performed will be registered for Law 320, 321, or 179. Students being compensated for the work being performed will be registered for Law 520, 521, or 579. Students are limited to a maximum of 6 credit hours of compensated externship and such credit may be earned only in a student’s final two full semesters (fall or spring). Remote externships sections will have remote and asynchronous-only tutorials and are available only to students who will be working and studying outside the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area and so cannot attend the tutorials in person. Students must have completed their Constructive Dialogue training (online and the winter classroom session) in order to enroll in a clinic or externship.

(N.13) This course is a prerequisite to the NSI CTC Cybersecurity and AI Clinic. Students enrolling in this course must commit to take the NSI CTC Cybersecurity and AI Clinic in the Spring.

(N.14) This course offers 2 in-class credits and 1 out-of-class credit. For the Fall 2025 semester only, students can register for this course if they successfully completed the Business Administration prerequisite.

(N.15) This course will be counted as a 4-credit course for Fall 2025 and is currently being updated. For the time being, PatriotWeb reflects this as a 3-credit course.

Notes to Evening Schedule:

(N.1) Information about clinics and field programs and their respective application requirements was sent via LawNews email on March 6, 2025.

(N.2) This course is open to Flex JD (part-time 4E, 3E, and 2E) students only until 9:00 a.m. on June 20, 2025. After that, full-time (2D and 3D) students may register.

(N.3) International & Domestic Commercial Arbitration is a seven-week course, ending mid-semester. It is open to all students and is a prerequisite for the VIS International Moot (Law 127) which begins mid-semester.

(N.4) Legal Fundamentals will not open at the start of general registration. Students ranked in the bottom quartile (25%) of the class at the end of their penultimate year are required to take the course prior to graduation. Those students will be notified directly and registered by the Records Office. The course will then open as an elective option for students in their final year.

(N.5) A four credit Patent Law course will be offered during the day in Spring 2026 (covering Patent I and Patent II in one course). Students may take either Patent Law I (Fall 2025) and Patent Law II (Spring 2026) in the evening, or Patent Law as a four-credit course during the day (Spring 2026).

(N.6) Students must be in the top 50% of their class at the end of their first academic year to register for Scholarly Writing. This course may not meet weekly but will meet on assigned dates over the course of the semester as listed in the course syllabus. This course awards one in-class credit and one out-of-class credit

(N.7) This course is offered as a seminar for the upper-level writing requirement, even though they don’t carry the typical numbering (4xx or 6xx).

(N.8) This course is offered as a hybrid. It meets online on Tuesdays and in-person on Thursdays.

(N.9) This course will not meet weekly but will meet on assigned dates over the course of the semester as listed in the course syllabus.

MAKE-UP EXAMS FOR ANY REASON OCCUR ON ONE OF THE EXAM MAKE-UP DAYS — DECEMBER 16 & 17, 2025. STUDENTS MUST SUBMIT A PETITION TO THE RECORDS OFFICE SEEKING PERMISSION TO DELAY AN EXAM.