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Some electives don't really feel like electives. But I have a feeling that once 1L ends, a lot of law students ignore them as they scramble to take seminars like "Jimi Hendrix's Solo in 'All Along the Watchtower' and the Law."

List of electives it feels like a serious law student should take:

* Evidence
* Corporations
* Administrative Law

Others?

Crim Pro

Federal Income Tax
Criminal Procedure
Wills & Trusts

Good call on Crim Pro and Tax.

I'd be hesitant to classify any bar class as "elective" though...

Secured transactions, Con Law (not required here at HLS), Federal Courts

Wills & Trusts? Really?

I loathe wills and probate. It makes want to shoot myself.

kalvano wrote:Wills & Trusts? Really?

I loathe wills and probate. It makes want to shoot myself.

I believe TWE is on the bar, so, YARLY

SBL wrote:Crim Pro

Huge +1 to this. If you don't take a criminal procedure course you're missing out.

vanwinkle wrote:

SBL wrote:Crim Pro

Huge +1 to this. If you don't take a criminal procedure course you're missing out.

I intend to work for a firm doing civil litigation after LS, but I don't know why anyone would want to pay $100,000+ for a J.D. and not come out conversant in the basics of criminal law. Crimpro + evidence ftw.

1) Agree with evidence + corporations + crim pro

2) Statutory Interpretation

3) Conflict of Laws - choice of law issues touch on absolutely everything other than crim law

vamedic03 wrote:1) Agree with evidence + corporations + crim pro

2) Statutory Interpretation

3) Conflict of Laws - choice of law issues touch on absolutely everything other than crim law

RLY?

Conflict of Laws

vamedic03 wrote:1) Agree with evidence + corporations + crim pro

2) Statutory Interpretation

3) Conflict of Laws - choice of law issues touch on absolutely everything other than crim law

Beat me to it...damn you

SBL wrote:

kalvano wrote:Wills & Trusts? Really?

I loathe wills and probate. It makes want to shoot myself.

I believe TWE is on the bar, so, YARLY

Goddammit.

Trial Ad unless you're positive you're not going to be a litigator
Federal Courts
Family Law

Why all the crim pro love?

My list:
Fed. Income Tax
Business Associations (Corporations)
Federal Courts
Evidence
[clinic of some sort]

prezidentv8 wrote:Why all the crim pro love?

Many reasons.

Two electives (Crim Pro + Evidence) are all you really need to have a fundamental understanding of criminal law. If you have any intention of becoming a litigator, Crim Pro will give you good background on Supreme Court litigation (it's essentially a constitutional law class focused on criminal procedure rights). If you want a class with interesting subject matter there's very little out there more interesting than studying what procedural errors by the police cause convictions to be overturned. If you liked Law & Order this is the closest you playing Jack McCoy you will get in law school.

Everyone has already covered the big stuff here.

During LS, I took "drafting contracts" and "Litigation in the pre-trial stages." Both classes are excellent. I use what I learned in those two classes very often and highly recommend them to anyone thinking about actually practicing law one day.

I want to be on the transactional side (although still entertaining the possibility of litigation), so my list of "I-suppose-I-have-to-take-these-courses" courses for the remainder of school includes:

Corporations (taking presently)
Securities Regulation
Fed Income Tax
Jurisdiction
Evidence (I really can't let myself graduate without taking this)
Admin (maybe?)

Remedies

Is conflict of laws a semester long Erie discussion?

Depends if you want to litigate.

Everyone should take Admin., Corporations, and Income Tax. All aspiring litigators/clerks should take Evidence, Fed. Courts & Crim. Pro.

Kohinoor wrote:Is conflict of laws a semester long Erie discussion?

No, not really. Conflicts is about whose law applies (focus is on state courts) - short version: just because you sue someone in forum A, doesn't mean that forum A's law should apply, based on the jurisdiction (i.e., 1st or 2d Restatement, traditional versus modern), there are different ways to figure out whose law should apply.

Arguably, this class is as important for transactional lawyers as litigators. It lets you try to figure out which state's laws will apply ahead of time.

saucie wrote:Remedies

Very credited. Unless you're going into criminal law or plan to be an ACLU attorney (in which case you'll mostly be asking for injunctions), you will almost always be seeking damages in court. Clients don't sue because it's fun; they sue because they want money--and as much of it as possible.