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Academics

College of Law

Juris Doctor Program

The Juris Doctor program’s curriculum integrates legal analysis, practical legal skills, and professionalism in an approach in which each semester builds upon the prior semester. The first-year comprises of fundamental courses such as Civil Procedure, Constitutional Law, Contracts & Sales, Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure, Property and Torts. The second-year is comprised of expertise course work. The third-year is comprised of capstone electives. Students must successfully complete 90 credit hours to be awarded the Juris Doctor.

The unique aspect of Belmont Law’s curriculum is the Practicum offered in each semester. Through practicum work, students become proficient in the “practice” of law. Students receive instruction in all aspects of the practice of law such as legal writing, legal research, client interviewing and counseling, litigation, negotiation, and other specialized areas. Also, students must complete a rigorous writing requirement during the second-year or third-year to complete graduation requirements.

Courses & Curriculum

Fall Semester

  • Civil Procedure I: Mechanics (3)
  • Contracts & Sales (4)
  • Practicum - Legal Information & Communication I (3)
  • Torts (4)
  • Legal Process (1)
  • Total Credits: 15

Spring Semester

  • Civil Procedure II: Jurisdiction (3)
  • Constitutional Law I: Powers & Structures (3)
  • Criminal Law (3) 
  • Practicum - Legal Information & Communication II (3)
  • Property (4)
  • Total Credits: 16

Fall Semester

  • Constitutional Law II: Individual Rights (3)
  • Choose between: Evidence (LAW 6210) or Business Associations (LAW 6200) (4)
  • Choose between: Wills & Trusts or Criminal Constitutional Law (3)
  • Practicum (2)
  • Elective (3)
  • Total Credits: 15

Spring Semester

  • Professional Responsibility (3)
  • Choose between: Evidence(LAW 6210) or Business Associations (LAW 6200) (4)
  • Choose between: Wills & Trusts or Criminal Constitutional Law (3)
  • Practicum (2)
  • Electives (4)
  • Total Credits: 16

Fall Semester

  • Bar Refresher I (2)
  • Practicum (2)
  • Electives (10)
  • Total Credits: 14

Spring Semester

  • Bar Refresher II (4)
  • Secured Transactions (2)
  • Practicum (2)
  • Electives (6)
  • Total Credits: 14

Total Credits Required for Graduation: 90
*By end of 2nd year, all students should have completed the
following 2L required course: Constitutional Law II: Individual
Rights (3); Professional Responsibility (3); Wills & Trusts (3);
Criminal Constitutional Law (3); Evidence (4); and Business
Associations (4).

Certificates within the Juris Doctor Program

Criminal Law is an exciting and important area of law in every jurisdiction. Belmont's Criminal Law certificate program offers an array of courses including White Collar Criminal Law, Trial Advocacy, Sentencing Law, and Wrongful Convictions, and indicates to prospective employers that a student has specialized knowledge of the criminal law field. Students obtaining a Criminal Law certificate will receive a notation on their transcript.

 

Requirements

Requirement 1: Students must earn 3.0 cumulative GPA in:

  1. Criminal Law
  2. Criminal Constitutional Law 

  3. Evidence  


Requirement 2: Students must successfully complete:  

  1. Criminal Procedure  
  2. Trial Advocacy  
  3. Sentencing Law or Wrongful Convictions: Reasons and Remedies  

Requirement 3: Students must successfully complete at least eight additional credit hours of Criminal Law electives. Qualifying electives will be announced prior to registration each semester.  

Requirement 4: Students must complete an upper-level rigorous writing requirement on a criminal law topic in connection with one of the courses listed in requirement two or requirement three. Students may also fulfill Requirement Four in one of the following ways, but the topic of the writing must be approved in advance by the Director of Criminal Justice Studies:

  • Writing a Note on a criminal law topic for a Belmont University College of Law approved journal or law review.

  • Completing the Rigorous Writing Requirement through another course, not listed above, including through the Advanced Legal Writing course.

Contact the Director of Criminal Justice Studies

Lucian Dervan
Associate Professor of Law & Director of Criminal Justice Studies
lucian.dervan@belmont.edu
(615) 460-8283

Students who wish to engage in this unique area of law practice can benefit from the array of courses this program offers. Entertainment Law explores legal and business issues relevant to film, multimedia, music, publishing, radio, sports, television, theatre, and visual arts. Music business is a course of study pioneered at Belmont University and a significant industry in Nashville.

Requirements

Requirement 1: Students must earn 3.0 cumulative GPA in:

  1. Contracts and Sales
  2. Business Associations
  3. Intellectual Property

Requirement 2: Students must successfully complete:

  1. Entertainment Law
  2. Entertainment Law Practicum
  3. Copyright Law or Trademark Law

Requirement 3: Students must successfully complete at least eight additional credit hours of Entertainment and Music Business Law electives. Qualifying electives will be announced prior to registration each semester.

Requirement 4: Students must successfully complete an upper-level rigorous writing requirement on an entertainment law and music business topic in connection with one of the courses listed in Requirement Two or Requirement Three. Students may also fulfill Requirement Four in one of the following ways, but the topic of the writing must be approved in advance by the Director of Music and Entertainment Law Studies:

  1. Writing a Note on a entertainment and music business law topic for a Belmont University College of Law approved journal or law review.
  2. Completing the Rigorous Writing Requirement through another course, not listed above, including through the Advanced Legal Writing course.

Contact the Director of Music and Entertainment Law Studies

Loren Mulraine
Professor of Law & Director of Music and Entertainment Law Studies
loren.mulraine@belmont.edu
(615) 460-8265

Nashville’s thriving health care ecosystem contributes $46.7 billion and 273,000 jobs to the local economy annually, according to the results of a study released September 20, 2018 by the Nashville Health Care Council. Nashville is home to more than 500 health care companies and nearly 400 professional service firms with health care expertise that operate on a multistate, national or international basis.

The Health Law certificate program offers an array of courses including Insurance Law, Health Care Fraud and Abuse Regulation, and Health Care Business and Finance. Completion of the certificate indicates to prospective employers that a student has specialized knowledge of the healthcare field. Students obtaining a Health Law certificate will receive a notation on their transcript.

Requirements

Requirement One
Students must earn 3.0 cumulative GPA in:

  1. Contracts and Sales
  2. Torts
  3. Business Associations

Requirement Two
Students must successfully complete:

  1. Health Law
  2. Health Law Practicum
  3. Health Care Business and Finance, or Health Care Fraud and Abuse Regulation

Requirement Three
Students must successfully complete at least eight additional credit hours of Health Law electives. Qualifying electives will be announced prior to registration each semester.

Requirement Four
Students must complete an upper-level rigorous writing requirement on a health law topic in connection with one of the courses listed in requirement two or requirement three. Students may also fulfill Requirement Four in one of the following ways, but the topic of the writing must be approved in advance by the Director of Health Law Studies:

  1. Writing a Note on a health law topic for a Belmont University College of Law approved journal or law review.

  2. Completing the Rigorous Writing Requirement through another course, not listed above, including through the Advanced Legal Writing course.

Contact the Director of Health Law Studies

Deborah Farringer
Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, Assistant Professor of Law, Director of Health Law Studies
deborah.farringer@belmont.edu
(615) 460-8263

 

Contact Us

College of Law

1901 15th Avenue South 
Nashville, TN 37212

Email:  law@belmont.edu
Phone:  (615) 460-8400

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