What a legal education should be
Our groundbreaking curriculum and experiential learning opportunities allow you to personalize your legal education. Here, you will shape your own experiences and graduate with practice-ready skills.
The Juris Doctor (J.D.) is the first professional degree in law and is required to sit for the bar examination and become a licensed attorney. In this program, you’ll work with experienced faculty and enjoy access to a global network of influential practitioners at the forefront of their fields. Sitting at the intersection of theory and practice, UNH Franklin Pierce’s J.D. program will hone your problem-solving, decision-making and communication skills and includes live-client clinics and a legal residency (externship) that provide substantive real-word, hands-on experience. J.D. candidates can specialize by earning a certificate in sports and entertainment law, property law, or health law and policy. Applicants to the J.D. program must have earned a bachelor’s degree before beginning law school.
Take advantage of UNH Franklin Pierce's expertise in intellectual property and innovation law. The J.D. program immerses students in business law, criminal law, patent law, and public interest and social justice with experiential learning opportunities that allow you to personalize your legal education. Students engage in practical learning through Franklin Pierce’s Intellectual Property and Transaction Clinic or the International Technology Transfer Institute. The program can be completed in person or through a hybrid learning model that is available part-time and mostly online—the first and only ABA-approved hybrid JD program with a focus on Intellectual Property, Technology, and Information Law.
Our juris doctor program is rooted in practice-oriented instruction, featuring courses taught by renowned faculty – many of whom have extensive practice experience – as well as five live-client clinics and a far-reaching legal residency (externship) program that provide substantive real-world, hands-on experience. Qualified students can also take part in the Daniel Webster Scholar program, the only program in the country allowing students to graduate client-ready without the need to take the traditional two-day bar exam.
JD students can choose from a robust selection of courses and opt for a curricular track focused on:
Offerings also include dual degrees in partnership with UNH, including JD/MBA, JD/MSW, and JD/MPP, as well as several joint degrees, including JD/LLM in Intellectual Property, and JD/LLM in Commerce and Technology.
In addition, our curriculum allows JD or joint degree candidates to specialize further by earning a JD certificate in a specific area of study:
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credits | |
| LGP 909 | Civil Procedure | 4 |
| LGP 960 | Torts | 3 |
| LSK 919 | Legal Analysis and Writing 1 | 2 |
| LSK 900 | Legal Research and Information Literacy | 2 |
| LGP 920 | Contracts | 4 |
| LGP 900 | The Legal Profession | 1 |
| Credits | 16 | |
| Spring | ||
| LGP 918 | Constitutional Law I | 3 |
| LCR 905 | Criminal Law | 3 |
| LSK 920 | Legal Analysis and Writing 2 | 3 |
| LPI 912 or LIP 944 |
Fundamentals of Law Practice or Fundamentals of Intellectual Property |
3 |
| LGP 952 | Property | 4 |
| Credits | 16 | |
| Second Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| Remaining Required Courses in Second or Third Year | ||
| LGP 951 | Professional Responsibility | 3 |
| LGP 921 | Constitutional Law II | 3 |
| Upper Level Writing Requirement | 2 or 3 | |
| Experiential Learning Requirement | 6 | |
| Credits | 14-15 | |
| Total Credits | 46-47 | |
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credits | |
| LIP 944 | Fundamentals of Intellectual Property | 1 |
| LSK 919 | Legal Analysis and Writing 1 | 2 |
| LGP 952 | Property | 4 |
| LSK 900 | Legal Research and Information Literacy | 2 |
| Credits | 9 | |
| Spring | ||
| LSK 920 | Legal Analysis and Writing 2 | 3 |
| LGP 920 | Contracts | 3 |
| LIP 954 | Patent Law | 3 |
| Credits | 9 | |
| Summer | ||
| LIP 912 | Copyright Law | 3 |
| LGP 909 | Civil Procedure | 4 |
| LGP 900 | The Legal Profession | 1 |
| Credits | 8 | |
| Second Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| LGP 916 | Constitutional Law | 4 |
| LGP 960 | Torts | 3 |
| LIP 977 | Trademarks and Deceptive Practices | 3 |
| Credits | 10 | |
| Spring | ||
| LGP 903 | Administrative Process | 3 |
| LIP 918 | Trade Secrets Law | 2 |
| LBS 904 | Antitrust Law | 3 |
| Credits | 8 | |
| Summer | ||
| Remaining Required Courses in Second or Third Year | ||
| LCR 906 | Criminal Procedure I: The Law of Criminal Investigation | 3 |
| LGP 951 | Professional Responsibility | 3 |
| LGP 924 | Evidence | 3 |
| Bar Electives | 6 | |
| Upper Level Writing Requirement | 2 or 3 | |
| Experiential Learning Requirement | 6 | |
| Credits | 23-24 | |
| Total Credits | 67-68 | |
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| LCR 905 | Criminal Law | 3 |
| LGP 900 | The Legal Profession | 1 |
| LGP 909 | Civil Procedure | 4 |
| LGP 918 | Constitutional Law I | 3 |
| LGP 920 | Contracts | 4 |
| LGP 952 | Property | 4 |
| LGP 960 | Torts | 3 |
| LSK 900 | Legal Research and Information Literacy | 2 |
| LSK 919 | Legal Analysis and Writing 1 | 2 |
| LSK 920 | Legal Analysis and Writing 2 | 3 |
| Perspectives Course | ||
| LPI 912 | Fundamentals of Law Practice (residential only) | 3 |
| or LIP 944 | Fundamentals of Intellectual Property | |
| Upper Level Required Courses 1 | ||
| LGP 921 | Constitutional Law II | 3 |
| LGP 951 | Professional Responsibility | 3 |
| Upper Level Writing Requirement | 2-3 | |
| Upper Level Experiential Learning Requirement | 6 | |
| Total Credits | 46-47 | |
Upper Level Required Courses—hybrid JD only. Hybrid JD courses must be completed as set forth on the Hybrid JD Curriculum Map established by the Curriculum Committee and posted on the UNH Law website; Curriculum Map may be updated with a minimum of one semester notice to students.
Courses include:
Courses include:
Beginning in the second semester of their first year, students with an interest in IP may choose from among a wide variety of courses. Each year, more than 30 IP-related courses are consistently offered. By successfully completing a specified number of IP courses, J.D. students can earn a certificate in intellectual property law; those who graduate with a total of 97 credits may earn both a J.D. and a Master of Laws in Intellectual Property in just 3 years.
This curricular advice is intended to help students interested in pursuing an IP specialty to choose among available courses. Students interested in an IP-related career should begin by electing Fundamentals of IP in their second or third semester.
Courses Include:
Among the possible types of IP careers, patent law is unique. The value of patents is primarily determined by the scope of claims granted by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (PTO). Practitioners who wish to prosecute patents must qualify for and pass the patent bar. Opportunities to negotiate and draft licenses, sue infringers, advise on ways to protect trade secrets, and file appeals from PTO decisions do not require patent bar eligibility or admission, but the latter may increase opportunities for those types of work.
Patent practice opportunities are also tied to particular technical backgrounds. Students aspiring to a career in patent law should investigate employment prospects for lawyers in their specialties.
Essential Courses
Recommended
Essential Courses
Recommended
Useful
Practical Skills
Related Upper-Level Writing Courses
Beginning in the second semester of their first year, students with an interest in IP may choose from among a wide variety of courses. Each year, more than 30 IP-related courses are consistently offered. By successfully completing a specified number of IP courses, J.D. students can earn a certificate in intellectual property law; those who graduate with a total of 97 credits may earn both a J.D. and a Master of Laws in Intellectual Property in just 3 years.
This curricular advice is intended to help students interested in pursuing an IP specialty to choose among available courses. Students interested in an IP-related career should begin by electing Fundamentals of IP in their second or third semester.
Courses include:
Trademark law offers a variety of career opportunities. Trademark lawyers acquire federal and state registrations and maintain common law trademark rights. They also litigate to prevent the use of confusingly similar marks, draft licenses, pursue cybersquatters and counterfeiters, police competitors' uses, register and protect domain names, advise clients, and educate the media on the correct use of marks.
A student who hopes to pursue a career in trademark law should begin with Fundamentals of IP and Trademarks and Deceptive Practices. Students should consider not only those regularly-offered courses listed below, but relevant IPSI and master classes; students who aspire to a career in trademark law are encouraged to participate in either the IP and Transaction Clinic or a legal residency that will provide opportunities for hands-on training.
Essential Courses
Fundamentals of Intellectual Property
Trademarks & Deceptive Practices
Recommended
Advanced Topics in Trademarks
Antitrust
Copyright
Federal Courts
Federal Trademark & Copyright Registration Practice
Inter Partes Practice before the USPTO
Related
Practical Skills
Related Upper-Level Writing Courses
Advanced Topics in Trademarks
Remedies
Copyrights protect works ranging from books, music, and motion pictures to computer software from unauthorized copying, adaptation, distribution, and public performance. Copyright law potentially affects many individuals and businesses, as well as nonprofit organizations, such as schools. Students who aspire to a career in copyright law are encouraged to participate in either the IP and Transaction Clinic or a legal residency that will provide opportunities for hands-on training.
Essential Courses
Copyright
Fundamentals of Intellectual Property
Recommended
Cybercrime
Federal Courts
Federal Trademark & Copyright Registration Practice
IP & International Trade
Technology Licensing
Trademarks & Deceptive Practices
Related
Advanced Topics in IP
Antitrust
Entertainment Law
Intellectual Property Management
Internet Law
IP Issues in Sports & Entertainment Law
Practical Skills
IP and Transaction Clinic
Technology Licensing
Courses include:
Courses include:
Courses include:
