In 2014, the law school is expanding the variety of programs with the addition of an accelerated JD program, a professional practice requirement for all JD students and a Master of Legal Studies program that features a special benefit for law school alumni.
Beginning with the Class of 2017, all students will be required to complete a co-op or clinic placement in order to receive their JD. The requirement to complete a minimum of 50 hours of pro bono service will remain in place.
“Although most of our graduates already have completed co-op or clinic placements – if not both – we want to guarantee that every student receives the best possible preparation for professional practice before they graduate,” Dean Roger Dennis said. “There’s simply no substitute for the hands-on learning opportunities and supportive mentoring that our co-op and clinic programs provide.”
The school also launched the MLS program to give working professionals knowledge and understanding of legal principles that will help them advance their careers, said Professor and MLS Program Director Aimée Kahan.
“Business organizations have a rapidly growing need for employees who understand the legal and regulatory landscape in which they operate, and yet few law schools offer programs that give students a thorough grounding in compliance,” said Kahan, a former member of Reed Smith’s appellate practice area. “Our program draws on faculty who have tremendous depth of expertise in this increasingly important professional arena and gives students the opportunity to master legal concepts and their practical application.”
Graduates who have earned their JD from Drexel Law will receive a 50 percent tuition discount.
Those enrolled in the MLS program can concentrate their studies in health law or NCAA compliance and sports law or complete their degree through a general track in the program, which launched on Jan. 13. In the future, students also will be able to concentrate their studies in human resources or criminal law.
Students complete the 30-credit MLS program chiefly online through a partnership with Drexel University Online, although they can supplement their course load with live classes. Core courses include: Introduction to the Legal System, Compliance Skills and Ethics and Professional Standards.
Students also have the option of completing a 15-credit certificate online in either health law or NCAA compliance.
In the future, students in the MLS and certificate programs also will be able to concentrate their studies in human resources or criminal law studies.
Fast Forward, the law school’s accelerated 2-year JD program, will launch in May, enabling students to enter the workforce a full year earlier than those who complete the 3-year program.
Students in the accelerated program will spend an intensive summer term completing the first half of their 1L year. By the time the traditional 3-year Class of 2017 arrives in late August, the Fast Forward students will be ready to begin the second half of their 1L year. The Fast Forward cohort will graduate in May 2016. Students in the Fast Forward program are eligible to take part in the Drexel Law Review, Moot Court, Mock Trial and all extracurricular activities of the law school, as well as the co-op, clinic and pro bono programs.