University of Richmond School of Law

The JD Program

Richmond Law seamlessly integrates theory and practice in a curriculum led by some of the best teacher-scholars in the nation. Courses in contracts, torts, criminal law, civil procedure, property, constitutional law, and legislation and regulation comprise the first-year curriculum. Required upper-level courses include professional responsibility and an upper-level writing seminar. All students complete a comprehensive two-year program in legal reasoning, writing, research, and fundamental lawyering skills. Additionally, all first-year students participate in the Professional Identity Formation program. Through a combination of curricular and co-curricular offerings, the Professional Identity Formation program allows students to discern their own values, strengths, and motivating interests in relation to their individual practice, the legal profession, and society. Optional Certificates of Concentration are available through the Intellectual Property Institute and the National Center for Family Law. Richmond Law is also the home of the Robert R. Merhige Jr. Center for Environmental Studies, which engages in research, instruction, and public outreach on energy and environmental issues in the Mid-Atlantic region and beyond. New offerings include curricular and non-curricular programs in the areas of legal innovation.

Other Degree Programs

Several dual-degree programs allow students to earn the JD degree as well as a master’s degree in a related discipline. Dual-degree programs are available in business administration, health administration, social work, urban studies and planning, public administration, and others.

Additionally, lawyers with a first degree in law from outside the United States are eligible for the following international programs:

• The Two-Year JD for International Lawyers enables students to receive one year of credit for foreign legal studies so they may graduate in two years with the JD degree identical to our three-year students.
• The LLM is a one-year, full-time, master’s level law program. It offers an opportunity for lawyers to obtain a strong grounding in U.S. law and the common law system while polishing their communication and legal English skills.
• The LLM/MBA Dual Degree, offered only by a handful of law schools in the world, provides a unique opportunity for students to deal effectively with global business and legal transactions. This combination gives our graduates a distinct advantage in a world in which law and business are increasingly interdependent and globally focused.

Externship Opportunities

Exciting clinical placements are arranged for academic credit in various legal arenas. Over 60 placements offer a wide range of opportunities with public interest, government agencies, non-profit organizations, international and national corporations, and trial and appellate judicial chambers at the state and federal levels. Students receive credit while obtaining valuable work experience, gaining greater confidence in lawyering skills, enhancing substantive legal knowledge, and developing a deeper appreciation for the profession’s values.

The DC Externship Program places students in federal agencies or nonprofit organizations in the Washington, DC metropolitan area. Students complete 500 hours of supervised substantive legal work over the course of the fall semester and participate in a weekly two-hour seminar. Recent placements include the U.S. Senate, U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, Federal Communications Commission, Maryland Coalition Against Sexual Assault, and Muslim Women Lawyers for Human Rights.

In the four-week London Clinical Placement Program (LCPP), students assume the role of a lawyer in one of the world’s most vibrant cities.  Placement opportunities include positions with barristers, solicitors, legal aide centers, and members of Parliament. Students become immersed in Britain’s legal culture and perform varied substantive work. Often, there is direct client contact.  Students also learn about the U.K.’s legal system and laws as well as those of other countries, particularly the E.U. and the U.S.

In-House Opportunities

• The Institute for Actual Innocence (IAI) works to identify, investigate, and exonerate wrongfully convicted individuals in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
• The Jeanette Lipman Family Children’s Defense Clinic is a litigation-oriented clinic that focuses primarily on the needs of indigent children who are before the court on delinquency matters.
• The Intellectual Property and Transactional Law Clinic provides high-quality, pro bono transactional legal services to start-ups, small businesses, non-profit organizations, and individual creators of intellectual property.

Pro Bono and Public Service

The University of Richmond School of Law created the Harry L. Carrico Center for Pro Bono & Public Service in recognition of an attorney’s professional obligation to serve the community, as well as a law school’s responsibility to educate its students on the need for pro bono legal services. The center engages a regional, national, and international network that connects the skills and talents of its student body with the greater Richmond community through programs including

• Pro Bono Criminal Appeals
• Assistance to Disabled Veterans
• Estate Planning
• Housing Law Program
• Immigration Assistance Project
• Legislative Research and Analysis
• No-Fault Divorce
• Richmond Global Health Alliance
• Trans Law Collaborative

Pro Bono Certification Awards are presented to students completing the requisite qualifications by graduation.