About Our Academic Concentrations
by Annabel Steele '25
by Annabel Steele '25 | December 2023
As you probably know by now, every first-year law student in the country takes roughly the same courses. At William & Mary Law School, 1Ls take Torts, Civil Procedure, and Criminal Law in the fall semester, and then take Contracts, Property, and Constitutional Law in the spring semester. After that, students are free to choose their own classes.
Some students like to try out classes in different subject areas. But others, who may already know the kind of law they want to practice, can focus on specific subjects or areas of law. And William & Mary Law students interested in particular areas of law can elect to pursue an academic concentration.
Concentrations are available for business law, criminal law & procedure, environmental law, intellectual property law, international law, national security law, political law, and public interest and social justice law. Students interested in these concentrations must take at least two foundational courses in the subject and at least three approved courses, as well as write an independent research paper or complete an experiential course.
Luckily, William & Mary Law’s extensive list of electives makes it easy to take courses that can satisfy the concentration requirement. The business law concentration, for example, includes classes ranging from Business Associations to Administrative Law, Business Torts, Cryptocurrency Regulation and more. Classes like Criminal Procedure, Evidence, Federal White Collar Crime and International Criminal Law can satisfy the Criminal Law concentration. And William & Mary Law’s environmental law course listings include Environmental Law, Land Use Control, Animal Law, Federal Indian Law and more.
Concentrations are great options for students to explore during law school, says Brian Wall, Associate Dean for Student Affairs and Academic Support, but, he added, they are not something prospective students have to decide during the application process. During the spring semester of the first year of law school, his office helps students think through the academic options for their 2L and 3L years and what combination of elective courses, clinics, externships, or independent study interest them. During that discussion, students can explore if a concentration is something they’d like to pursue.