Concentrations
Preparing to practice law in today's market requires in-depth knowledge
of several subjects on which you can build an economically viable
practice, as well as proficiency in professional skills such as
interviewing, drafting, counseling, and trial practice. Thus, we
offer concentrations, opportunities to help you gain expertise in one
or more areas of the law. The concentrations are flexible guides for
the second half of law school. They enable you to shape your education
to prepare you for the real needs of legal practice.
Each concentration involves survey and specialty courses, an array of
simulations, clinics, or externships to develop your skills, and a
culminating experience such as a seminar or advanced practice
opportunity that pulls all the elements together. Most concentrations
encompass multiple areas of the law that you may decide to
pursue.
With planning and careful use of these options, you can also create your own concentration. In the past, our students have used elective courses, externships, and independent studies to prepare themselves for many legal fields including admiralty law, banking law, immigration law, solid waste management law, risk management law, securities law, construction litigation, and international dispute resolution.
Business
A concentration in business
prepares students for traditional corporate or nonprofit practice in private
firms, corporate legal departments, tax practice, estate planning, or to work
with business start-ups in fields ranging from technology to real estate.
Commerce and
Technology
This innovative
curriculum emphasizes real-world problems and issues as emerging information
technologies transform the way the world conducts business. The study of commerce and technology law
encompasses a variety of business activities in the Information Age economy,
ranging from merely using the computer as a communication device between buyer
and seller to the electronic delivery of digital products. It includes the creation of new types of
products and services and the development of supportive legal systems to
address concerns about the protections of consumers’ private information and
the threat of identity theft and cybercrime.
Our e-Law Summer Institute in Cork, Ireland offers a critical learning experience, providing lawyers of the 21st century a greater understanding and appreciation of the domestic and international aspects of the growing and evolving body of Information Age law.
In addition to a JD concentration, Pierce Law's graduate program offers a Master of Commerce & Technology (MCT), a Master of Laws in Commerce and Technology (LLM-CT) and a joint JD/LLM-CT.
More about Commerce & Technology >>
Criminal Practice
Students prepare for careers as
public defenders, private defense lawyers, prosecutors, or lawyers in the
corrections system. At Pierce Law
students can gain extensive real life experience through externships,
participation in our Criminal Practice Clinic or the Appellate Defender
Program.
Intellectual Property
Franklin Pierce Law Center is a
global leader in training lawyers of all backgrounds to deal with technological
and scientific issues, maintaining the largest full-time Intellectual Property
faculty as well as the largest Intellectual Property library in the
nation, and a curriculum of unmatched depth and breadth. Intellectual Property lawyers
protect copyrights, trademarks, trade secrets and licensing; Intellectual
Property lawyers with scientific backgrounds are eligible to become patent
attorneys.
Pierce Law offers the most comprehensive academic summer program in intellectual property law and licensing in the United States on our campus in Concord, NH and, in cooperation with Tsinghua University Law School, a summer institute in Beijing, China .
In addition to a JD concentration, Pierce Law's graduate program offers a Diploma in Intellectual Property (DIP), Master of Intellectual Property (MIP), a Master of Laws in Intellectual Property (LLM-IP) and a joint JD/LLM-IP.
More about Intellectual Property >>
International
Criminal Law and Justice
Students are prepared to practice law in
today’s global community by selecting courses from our extensive selections in
intellectual property, commerce and technology, criminal law, and social
justice. Clinics provide hands-on learning; studying abroad in our summer
programs offers international exposure; externships encourage practical
learning and a one-week seminar in Washington, D.C. explores legal responses to
terrorism, counterfeiting, intellectual property crimes, human trafficking and
more.
In addition to a JD concentration, Pierce Law offers a Master of International Criminal Law and Justice (MICL), a Master of Laws in International Criminal Law and Justice (LLM-ICLJ), and a joint JD/LLM-ICLJ.
Social Justice
Institute
Pierce Law created
the Social Justice Institute to train lawyers for work in the public sector,
private practice, or government service, helping to fulfill the growing need
for advocates, organizers, strategists and policy experts. Graduates pursue careers in family and youth
services, combating of domestic violence, protection of the elderly and people
with disabilities, upholding of civil rights, consumer protection, occupational
health and safety, GLBT representation, environmental protection, health care
delivery and traditional legal aid work.
Beyond the many externship and clinical experiences offered students, Pierce Law hosts the Public Interest Coalition that sponsors summer fellowships, providing stipends to select students taking unpaid social justice jobs.
