I. Requirements for the J.D. Degree

• Residence
• First-Year J.D. Course and Credit Requirements
• Upper-Level J.D. Credit Requirements
• Professional Responsibility Requirement
• Upper-Level J.D. Residency Requirements
• J.D. Written Work Requirement
• Pro Bono Requirement
• Class Attendance and Participation; Overlapping Courses or Seminars
• Grades for J.D. Students
• Grades for the J.D. Class of 2010 Only
• Grades for J.D. Students who Matriculated before September 2008 and Will Graduate after May 2010
• Student Work "In Progress"
• Graduation with Honors
• Minimum Grades for J.D. Students
• Minimum Annual Progress for J.D. Students
• Retaking Courses, Taking a Different Examination in the Same Course, and Substitute Work

A. Residence

Attendance at Harvard Law School is full-time for a period of three academic years. Students enrolled at the Law School may not be simultaneously enrolled, either full-time or part-time, in any other school or college either within Harvard University or at any other institution, unless they are enrolled in one of the Law School’s joint degree programs, completing a semester at a foreign institution in an approved study abroad program, or cross-registered in courses authorized by Harvard Law School. The relevant registration, application, and submission deadlines for the current year are set forth in Sections VI–X.

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B. First-Year J.D. Course and Credit Requirements

The first-year requirements for the J.D. degree are:

1. The required first-year courses: Civil Procedure, Contracts, Criminal Law, International or Comparative Law, Legislation and Regulation, Problem Solving Workshop, Property, and Torts;

2. First-Year Legal Research and Writing, which includes the First-Year Ames Moot Court Program; and

3.  A spring upper-level elective course of a minimum of two and a maximum of four Law School classroom credits. 

• First-year students may take more than one elective course or register for writing credits in addition to one elective course only in special circumstances and with the permission of the Vice Dean for Academic Programming. First-year students may not generally enroll in upper-level reading groups.

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C. Upper-Level J.D. Credit Requirements

After satisfactory completion of the first-year Law School requirements, all J.D. students must earn no fewer than 52 additional credits in upper-level work, including:

1. Required Law School Classroom Work

Students must complete at least 36 credits in Law School classroom work (a category that includes courses, seminars and reading groups, but not writing, clinical, or cross-registration credits). Classroom courses taken in fulfillment of the Professional Responsibility Requirement count toward this minimum (see Section I.D).

2. Required Additional Credits

Students may earn the remaining required 16 credits by completing additional classroom, written or clinical work, and/or by completing work taken on a cross-registration basis. The following rules apply to the required additional credits:

a) Clinical Work: No more than 12 of the required 52 upper-level credits may be earned through clinical work; students may take no more than one clinical course and four clinical credits per term. Questions about clinical credits should be addressed to the Office of Clinical and Pro Bono Programs.

b) Written Work: No more than 12 of the required 52 upper-level credits may be earned through written work (including the J.D. Written Work Requirement) completed either in conjunction with a seminar or course or independently (see Sections I.F and III.A.).

c) Cross-Registration and Joint, Coordinated, and Concurrent Degrees: No more than 10 of the required 52 upper-level credits may be earned in courses taken through cross-registration or at another school as part of a joint, coordinated, or concurrent degree program (see  Sections III.C and D).

d) Ordinarily, a student may not exceed the maximum limits on credits for clinical work, written work, and cross-registration. In some cases, when a student has already met the upper-level credit requirements as set out in the Handbook s/he may be able to exceed the credit limits for clinical work, written work or cross-registration--assuming that in so doing s/he exceeds the 52 upper-level credit minimum--with the permission of the Vice Dean for Academic Programming. Any credits taken in excess of the required 52 upper-level credits will not count toward Latin honors.

Table 1 - Upper-Level Credit Requirements

3. Transfer Students -- Special Considerations

a) Law courses taken before matriculation at Harvard Law School will be considered part of the transfer student's first year of J.D. studies and may not be used to meet any Harvard Law School upper-level requirements.

b) Harvard Law School courses taken by the transfer student--including first-year Law School courses taken to bring the transfer student into compliance with the School's first year requirements--may be used toward the 52 upper-level credit minimum and will count in overall performance in the same manner that they do for non-transfer students (ie., Credit/Fail and cross-registration courses will not be included in Latin honors calculations (see Section I.M).

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D. Professional Responsibility Requirement

1. All students must complete a minimum of two classroom credits in satisfaction of the Professional Responsibility Requirement. The classroom components of certain clinical courses satisfy this requirement.

2. Several clinical offerings satisfy this Requirement. Except where course descriptions state otherwise, any student who wants credit for a second clinical offering that gives Professional Responsibility credit should consult the Vice Dean for Academic Programming, as credits associated with the second course may have to be reduced because of subject matter overlap.

3. Ordinarily, students are not allowed to enroll in two non-clinical courses that satisfy the Requirement, and should check with Andy Kaufman, Vice Dean for Academic Programming, if questions arise.

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E. Upper-Level J.D. Residency Requirements

1. In addition to fulfilling the Credit Requirements set forth above, upper-level students must register for and receive a grade or an "In Progress" (IP) notation (see Section I.L) in:

a) Not fewer than 24 nor more than 34 credits each year in each of the 2L and 3L years, regardless of the number of credits needed to complete the required 52 upper-level credits;

b) Not fewer than 10 nor more than 16 credits in each fall and spring term, no fewer than eight of which must be for Law School work; and

c) Not fewer than two nor more than three credits in each of two winter terms, all of which must be for Law School classroom or clinical work or for written work under the Winter Term Writing Program (see Section III.A.2).

d) Individual state bars may have additional residency requirements in law study; students are advised to check those requirements for any state in which they may seek to practice.

2. Waivers: Any student wishing to seek a waiver to these policies should contact the Office of the Registrar. The rules and practices with respect to waivers are established and administered under the supervision of the Administrative Board.

Table 2 - Upper-Level Residency Requirements

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F. J.D. Written Work Requirement

All students are expected to pursue serious written work.  The minimum requirement can be satisfied by a substantial research paper or by two smaller projects, as detailed here. 

1. In satisfaction of this requirement, students may complete either a) or b): 

a) Option 1 of the J.D. Written Work Requirement: a substantial research paper of publishable quality, to be written in close consultation with a faculty advisor, in conjunction with a course, seminar or workshop (for an additional 1, 2, or 3 credits), or through independent study (for 2 or 3 credits).

• Students generally complete two-credit projects to satisfy Option 1; three-credit projects are exceptional and should have the scope and ambition commensurate with a three-credit course.

b) Option 2 of the J.D. Written Work Requirement: two pieces of writing, which could include any of the following, provided that at least one of the pieces is written under the supervision of a Law School faculty member or instructor with a Law School teaching appointment:

i. Lawyers work product: including substantial writing in a clinic, upper-level moot court briefs, or the equivalent, as certified by the supervisor of the relevant program, but not written work from a summer job or paid work;

ii. Law school course and seminar papers: substantial writing as part of a course or seminar, including the standard series of reaction papers, amounting to no fewer than 15 pages;

iii. Law journal writing: including notes, book reviews, descriptions of developments in the law, and the like (totaling no fewer than 10 publishable pages);

iv. Nontraditional writing produced under faculty supervision: including interactive web-based material, surveys of students or practitioners with analysis, case study materials appropriate for classroom use, or other law-related writing outside of the forms mentioned above.

2. Registration for Option 1 of the J.D. Written Work Requirement: 

a) Deadlines (see also Section VII): Students must register for Option 1 of the J.D. Written Work Requirement in advance by submitting the required registration and proposal forms forms to the faculty supervisor for approval and then returning the completed forms to the Registrar’s Office by October 2, 2009 for Fall term (2Ls and 3Ls) and by January 29, 2010 (3Ls) or March 1, 2010 (1Ls and 2Ls) for Spring term. Forms are available online and in hard copy at the Office of the Registrar, Pound 300. 

b) Proposal: The proposal should set forth the intended topic in a few sentences. Since faculty members may require additional preliminary work, such as a discussion of the subject matter, an outline, or a longer description, before accepting a proposal, students are advised to seek approval well in advance of the registration deadline.

c) First-year Students: Students who wish to register to fulfill Option 1 of the J.D. Written Work Requirement during the second semester of the first year must first seek permission from the Vice Dean of Academic Programming.

d) Second-year Students: Students who register to fulfill Option 1 of the J.D. Written Work Requirement during the second year, and who anticipate that they may not complete this work by the end of the academic year, should be aware that if they have not completed 24 graded credits for the year they may be ineligible for some prizes, including the Sears Prize. Second-year students with questions about this issue should consult the Office of the Registrar.

3. Registration for Option 2 of the J.D. Written Work Requirement (see also Section VII): Students must register for Option 2 of the J.D. Written Work Requirement by submitting the required registration form to the Office of the Registrar by December 1 of the third year. The form is available online and in hard copy at the Office of the Registrar. Registration need not take place in advance of completion of the writing as long as it occurs by the deadline, but a student with concerns about whether a particular piece or type of writing satisfies Option 2 or with questions about registering during the first or second year should contact the Office of the Registrar or Julie Barton, Assistant Director, Joint and Concurrent Degree Programs, at 617-495-7192 or jbarton@law.harvard.edu.

4. Supervision: Students should feel free to ask any faculty member to supervise written work. Faculty on certain types of leave may not be available in a given term. Faculty have indicated availability to supervise written work in particular fields in 2009-2010.

5. Supervision by Visiting Faculty: Writing credits under the supervision of visiting faculty must be registered for, and ordinarily completed during, the term(s) of the visitor’s appointment. Note that many visitors have Law School appointments for only one term.  Students with questions about visiting faculty supervision outside of the faculty member's term of appointment should contact Andy Kaufman, Vice Dean for Academic Programming. 

6. Prohibition against Compensation: A student may not receive academic credit for written work for which he or she also receives compensation.  The Summer Academic Fellowship Program and summer internships for which J.D. students receive academic credit are exceptions to this policy. 

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G. Pro Bono Requirement

All students are required to perform a minimum of 40 hours of uncompensated public service work as a prerequisite for graduation.

Work must be non-academic and non-clerical, supervised by a licensed lawyer or faculty member, in programs that offer legal services to persons who cannot afford, in whole or in part, to pay for legal services; to government; to nonprofit organizations as defined under IRS section 501(c)(3) and (4); or to law firms working on a pro bono basis. The work must involve the application or interpretation of law, the formulation of legal policy, and/or the drafting of legislation or regulations. 

Students may perform their service in an approved supervised setting anytime between the beginning of the spring semester of their 1L year and before spring break of their 3L year, including the summers between law school years. The work may be, but need not be, performed in a setting in which clinical credit is given or in any of the Law School’s volunteer clinical student practice organizations. Summer public interest work funded through the summer public interest funding program (SPIF) can also count toward the requirement.

For more information on the Pro Bono requirement, please visit the Office of Clinical and Pro Bono Programs website (www.law.harvard.edu/academics/clinical) or contact the office at 617-495-5202 or clinical@law.harvard.edu.

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H. Class Attendance and Participation; Overlapping Courses or Seminars

Class work is essential to the educational program at the Law School. Regular attendance at classes and participation in class work are expected of all students. In cases of substantial delinquency in attendance, the Law School may, after appropriate notice, treat students as having withdrawn from the course, seminar, or reading group in question. Students who believe they need to miss classes for an extended period of time must speak with the Dean of Students who can assist with such situations and can ensure that students comply with the Law School’s attendance policy and related academic policies. In no event may students receive credit for courses, seminars, or reading groups with meeting times that overlap in whole or in part, including travel time.

Pursuant to the requirements of the law set forth in Chapter 151C, Section 2B of the General Laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, a copy of this section is printed in full:

For information about Media Services' Class Recording Policy  see http://www.law.harvard.edu/about/administration/its/policies/media-services.html.

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I. Grades for J.D. Students

This grading system is under review and may be revised during this academic year.

1. Honors, Pass, Low Pass, or Fail Grades

a) All Harvard Law School courses and written work—with the exception of courses offered credit/fail (see Section I.I.3)—will be graded Honors, Pass, Low Pass, or Fail (“H, P, LP, or F”).

b) In classes with over 30 J.D. and LL.M students enrolled, the recommended distribution of grades is: 37 percent Honors; 55 percent Pass; and 8 percent Low Pass.

2. Dean’s Scholar Prizes – Up to two Dean’s Scholar Prizes per class may be awarded in recognition of outstanding work, provided there are more than 30 J.D. and LL.M. students in the course following the add/drop period.

a) Dean’s Scholar Prizes will be included on the transcript and will bear the title of the course, e.g., “Dean’s Scholar in Evidence.”

b) Cross-registrants and special students do not count toward the required 30 students.

c) Dean’s Scholar Prizes will be considered in Latin honors awards in the manner described in Section I.M.

d) Dean’s Scholar Prizes will be used to break ties for the Sears Prizes after 1L and 2L years and for the Fay Diploma at graduation. In such cases, Dean’s Scholar Prizes will be factored in on a by-credit basis (e.g., a Dean’s Scholar Prize in a 4-credit class will count for more than a Dean’s Scholar Prize in a 3-credit class). The Latin honors calculation (see Section I.M ) will determine which students are in the running for the Sears Prizes and the Fay Diploma. 

3. Credit/Fail Grades
a) All courses previously designated pass/fail will be graded on a credit/fail basis.

b) All work done at foreign institutions as part of the Law School’s study abroad programs will be graded on a credit/fail basis.

Note: The rules in this section are fully applicable to students who matriculated at the Law School in September 2008 or later. For particular rules governing grading for students who matriculated before September 2008,  see Sections I.J, I.K and I.M.10-11.

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J. Grades for the J.D. Class of 2010 Only

This grading system is under review and may be revised during this academic year.

1. Third-year courses will be graded according to the new grading system (H, P, LP, or F) and students in the Class of 2010 are eligible for Dean’s Scholar Prizes provided there are more than 30 J.D. and LL.M. students in the course following the drop/add period

2. All work for which students have registered as of 2008-09, including independent writing, will be graded according to the prior grading system (A, A-, and so on), even if that work is completed in 2009-10.

3. See Section I.M.10 for Latin honors calculations for the J.D. Class of 2010.

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K. Grades for J.D. Students who Matriculated before September 2008 and will Graduate after May, 2010

This grading system is under review and may be revised during this academic year.

1. All courses taken in 2009-10 and later will be graded according to the new grading system (H, P, LP, or F) and students will be eligible for Dean’s Scholar Prizes provided there are more than 30 J.D. and LL.M. students in the given course following the drop/add period

2. All work for which students have registered as of 2008-09, including independent writing, will be graded according to the prior grading system (A, A-, and so on), even if that work is completed in a later year.

3. See Section I.M.11 for Latin honors calculations for these students.

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L. Student Work “In Progress”

In order to track the progress of student course or written work for which extensions have been given (see Section VIII), the Law School uses an “In Progress” (IP) transcript notation. Students who have an approved extension will receive an IP notation on the transcript until the work is completed and graded. In the absence of an authorized IP notation, a "Withdrew after Deadline" (WD) notation will be entered on the transcript. IP notations must be resolved by no later than the last day of classes of the semester (fall or spring) that follows the scheduled completion of the course or written work. Failure of the student to complete work by that date, or to receive an additional extension from the instructor and file it with the Office of the Registrar, will result in the student’s being withdrawn from the course and receiving a WD on the transcript. 

First and second-year J.D. students should note carefully that course or seminar credits with IP notations may not be used to meet any credit requirements in the following year.

If a student has not resolved an IP by the end of the academic year, and as a result, has not completed 24 graded credits he or she may be ineligible for some prizes, including the Sears Prize. Students should consult the Office of the Registrar for further information.

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M. Graduation with Honors

This grading system is under review and may be revised during this academic year.

1. If a student completes the requirements for the J.D. degree with distinction, he or she will receive the degree cum laude, magna cum laude, or summa cum laude.

2. Net honors will be calculated for each year of study by subtracting the number of HLS graded credits in which an LP was received from the number of HLS graded credits in which an H was received and dividing the result by the total number of HLS graded credits:

(H Credits – LP Credits)
Total HLS Graded Credits

All net honors results will range from

-1     (0 H Credits – (X) LP Credits)
        (X) Total HLS Graded Credits

to

1     ((X) H Credits – 0 LP Credits)
       (X) Total HLS Graded Credits

3. Latin honors at graduation will be based on the average of the three annual net honors results.

4. The summa cum laude will be awarded to the top one percent of the class according to the Latin honors calculation in I.M.3.

5. The magna cum laude will be awarded to the next ten percent of the class according to the Latin honors calculation in I.M.3.

6. The cum laude will be awarded to the next 30 percent of the class according to the Latin honors calculation in I.M.3.

7. In the case of ties at the margin of the percentage required for Latin honors after the calculation described in I.M.3, a student’s Dean’s Scholar Prizes will be factored in on a by-credit basis (e.g., a Dean’s Scholar Prize in a 4-credit class will count for more than a Dean’s Scholar Prize in a 3-credit class) to determine his/her ranking for purposes of Latin honor awards.

8. All students who are tied at the margin of the percentage required for Latin honors after the net honors average and Dean’s Scholar Prizes are considered will be deemed to have achieved the required rank for the appropriate Latin honors. Students who graduate in November or March will be granted Latin honors to the extent that students with the same or lower net honors average and the same or lower number of Dean’s Scholar Prize credits received Latin honors the previous May.

9. Students earning an F grade at any time during his/her law school years will automatically be ineligible for Latin honors. (See Sections I.M.10.e and I.M.11.c for exceptions to this policy).

10. Latin honors for students in the Class of 2010 only:

a) First-year and second-year GPAs will be calculated using the prior grading system. Third-year GPA will be determined by a simple weighting formula.

b) For transfer students in the Class of 2010, grades from any first-year HLS classes taken in 2008-2009 (given under the new system) will be weighted according to a simple weighting formula and then averaged with all other 2008-09 grades (given under the prior system) to determine second-year GPA. Third-year GPA will be determined by a simple weighting formula.

c) GPA will be calculated for each year of study and then averaged across the three years for Latin honors determinations.

d) Dean’s Scholar Prizes will be factored into GPA calculations using a simple weighting formula.

e) Students in the Class of 2010 who receive a grade of F will be eligible for Latin honors.

f) Latin honors awards will be made as indicated above in Section I.M.4 – 6.

11. Latin honors for students who matriculated before September 2008 and will graduate after May 2010 only:

a) Latin honors will be calculated using, as appropriate, a combination of GPA based on the system of grading prior to 2008-09 and GPA based on a simple weighting formula for all grades given under the new grading system.

b) Dean’s Scholar Prizes will be factored into GPA calculations using a simple weighting formula.

c) Students who matriculated before September 2008 and will graduate after May 2010 who receive a grade of F will be eligible for Latin honors.

d) Latin honors awards will be made as indicated above in Sections I.M.4 – 6.

12. The following are not included in Latin honors calculations for any student:

a) Credit/Fail courses.

b) Cross-registration courses.

c) "Withdrew after Deadline" (WD) notations.

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N. Minimum Grades for J.D. Students

This grading system is under review and may be revised during this academic year.

1. The minimum grade required for completion of the J.D. credit requirements is a grade of at least an LP in all required courses and for the total number of credits required for the J.D. degree (see Sections I.B, C, and E).

2. Papers written to satisfy the J.D. Written Work Requirement must receive a grade of LP or better with the exception of papers written for courses graded Credit/Fail which must receive a grade of Credit.

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O. Minimum Annual Progress for J.D. Students

This grading system is under review and may be revised during this academic year.

1. First-Year Work:

a) Satisfactory completion of the first-year program—consisting of the required 1L courses (including the Problem Solving Workshop and First-Year Legal Research and Writing) and the upper-level elective credits—requires a grade of at least an LP in every course, with the exception of the Problem Solving Workshop in which students must receive a grade of Credit.

b) Subject to Section O.4,  A student receiving a grade of F in any required course in the first year is eligible, in the second year, to retake the course or take a new examination in the same course under the examination retake policy (see Section I.P) and still maintain his or her minimum academic progress.

c) A student receiving a grade of F in the first-year elective course may in the second year either retake the course or take a different course to make up the failed credits.  

2. Second-Year Work:

The following minimum requirements must be met:

a) Grades of LP or better in the minimum number of required credits for the second year of study (see Sections I.B, C, and E). Credits for retaking a course or taking a different exam in the same course in order to complete first-year work are not counted for this purpose. 

b) Special dispensation to continue in the Law School after the second year of residence without having met these requirements may be granted by the Administrative Board under such terms as it deems appropriate.

3. Third-Year Work:

If after completing three years of residency, the minimum grade requirements for the J.D. degree have not been met (see Sections I.N.1 and 2), the following may be used to meet the degree requirements:

a) Additional courses may be taken within the next two academic years to meet necessary degree requirements;

b) If a failing grade is the reason for failure to meet the degree requirements, students may exercise the option to retake the course or seminar; take a different examination in the same course; or make up the credits by taking another course or in another manner approved by the Administrative Board, to fulfill the necessary requirements.

4. Any student receiving two or more grades of F during any academic year will be referred to the Administrative Board. The Administrative Board may decide, in such a case, that the student is unable to advance to the next year.

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P. Retaking Courses, Taking a Different Examination in the Same Course, and Substitute Work

Subject to approval by the Administrative Board, a student who receives a grade of F in a course may decide to retake the course or to take a different examination in the same course.  In the absence of special dispensation from the Administrative Board, students are required to do so at the next scheduled time the course or examination in question is being offered.

The grade for retaking a course or for taking a different examination in the same course, if higher than the original grade, takes the place of the earlier grade for determining completion of J.D. degree requirements or minimum annual progress. A higher grade does not, however, reinstate eligibility for Latin honors; as discussed in Section I.M.9, students who receive a grade of  F will not be considered for Latin honors (see Sections I.M.10 and I.M.11 for exceptions to this policy). Both the original grade and the grade for retaking the course or for taking a different examination in the same course will be recorded on the transcript.

Neither courses retaken nor a different examination taken in the same course are included in calculations regarding compliance with minimum and maximum registration requirements. 

Special Dispensations: Exceptions from the rules regarding retaking courses, taking a different examination in the same course, and substitute work may be granted only by the Administrative Board upon a showing of good cause.

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