Pre-Law Institute Syllabus
The Pre-Law Institute at Fordham Law School introduces students to the basic principles of the U.S. legal system and U.S. law study.
The curriculum is divided into three main categories: fundamental perspectives, the law in praxis, and opportunities for action. Throughout the program students will also improve their writing and critical thinking skills, preparing them to craft their own answers to larger questions in legal study. Students will be taught by a wide range of expert instructors drawn from the Fordham Law full-time and adjunct faculty.
The curriculum also features a panel, and optional sessions on applying to J.D. programs and tips for success as a first-year law student. By the end of the program, students will have gained a strong understanding of the fundamentals of the U.S. legal system, experience of the rigors of legal study, and insight into possible career paths based on real-world expertise.
In order to acclimate students to the law school style of teaching, this course is taught in a light Socratic and seminar style; students may be called upon to discuss cases and other readings and their input is crucial to the learning process.
The class will be taught online via Zoom with a link to be provided to registrants in advance of the program.
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A pre-recorded orientation video with program coordinators will be made available via Blackboard in advance of the class. Students must review the video before the first session, as class will begin in earnest on the first day. Participants will be notified via email when the recording is available. Pertinent information, including the attendance policy and examination procedures, are included in this document, as well.
The schedule of classes is below. Students should log in to the class at least ten minutes prior to the start, have their microphones muted and their camera on. Attendance will be tracked through Zoom login. A login after the start of the class (9:00 a.m., New York time) will be counted as an absence unless you are excused in writing before the start of the class. It is expected that you will participate with your camera on; if you are unable to have your camera on, please use a photo as your avatar so that the professor can better identify you from the roster. Please also use your full (given and family) name as your Zoom name. Each professor will instruct students on how to best ask questions (e.g., through chat or by the raise hand feature).
Mandatory class sessions will be recorded, unless we do not have the instructor’s permission to do so. Links to review the class session recordings will be posted on Blackboard within two business days of the class meeting. Optional sessions and the panel are not recorded. Reviewing a recording of a program session is not a substitute for synchronous attendance.
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There is no textbook for this class. Materials will be posted on Blackboard, organized chronologically by individual session. Credentials to log in to Blackboard will be provided to registered students in advance of the start of the course.
Students should complete all readings for each session before the corresponding class.
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By the end of the course, students should have the following competencies:
- Understand the basics of the U.S. legal system.
- Understand how to read and analyze case law.
- Understand how to frame and craft an argument.
- Understand the basics of case theory and storytelling; constitutional law; civil procedure; corporate law; criminal law; environmental regulation and corporate governance; intellectual property and data privacy law; issues in equality; legal writing and research; legislation and regulation; and writing and rhetoric.
- Have an appreciation for different law practice contexts and fields.
- Be better prepared for applying to law school and beginning legal study.
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Registered students will take a preliminary and final examination, both of which will consist of essay questions and will be open book (students may use their materials and notes during the exams). Students must attend at least 80% of the mandatory sessions to qualify to sit for the exams and receive credit.
Students will receive individual feedback for their preliminary exam, but the evaluation they receive is not an official grade and will not affect their final grade for the course. The preliminary exam primarily serves to provide students with a meaningful checkpoint during the course to determine if they wish to remain enrolled to receive a final grade. (The deadline to withdraw from a course without receiving a WF, or to designate a course pass/fail, is July 23, 2025. More information is available on the Summer Session Calendar.)
Final grades will be posted to the Fordham student portal after the conclusion of the course. There is additional information about ordering a Fordham transcript on the Summer Session webpage.
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Students are expected to follow all general rules of citation. Failure to do so will result in penalties, up to and including failure of the course. No particular format is required; however, students should pick a format like Chicago, MLA, or APA and stick with it.
AI-generated work is not allowed in this course with no exceptions. Students' work may be evaluated by an AI detector. Submissions with a high probability of including AI-generated content may similarly be penalized at the discretion of the professor. Students may use a free AI detector to evaluate their own work.
Assessments for this course are designed to build a student's ability to stake and defend a claim. As such, originality of work is important to a student's self-formation.
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Non-credit participants who attend at least 80% of the mandatory program sessions will receive a certificate of completion via email a few weeks after the conclusion of the course.
Non-credit participants are not eligible to sit for the final exam in any circumstances. Non-credit participants are not required to take the preliminary exam, but are strongly encouraged to do so.
2025 Schedule
All of the below information for the 2025 program is tentative. Participants will be provided with a final version of the schedule on the first day of the program.
Date/Time | Topic | Instructor |
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Monday, July 7 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. |
Introduction to the U.S. Legal System and Constitutional Law, Part I | Professor Toni Jaeger-Fine |
Tuesday, July 8 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. |
Introduction to the U.S. Legal System and Constitutional Law, Part II |
Professor Toni Jaeger-Fine |
Wednesday, July 9 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. |
Introduction to the U.S. Legal System and Constitutional Law, Part III Civil Procedure and Litigation, Part I |
Professor Toni Jaeger-Fine |
Thursday, July 10 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. |
Civil Procedure and Litigation, Part II | Professor Toni Jaeger-Fine |
Monday, July 14 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. |
Writing & Rhetoric | Professor Cathal Pratt |
Tuesday, July 15 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. |
Preliminary Exam | |
Wednesday, July 16 9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. |
Law School Admissions Basics (optional) | Assistant Dean Stephen Brown |
Wednesday, July 16 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. |
What Every 1L Should Know (optional) | Assistant Dean Kimathi Gordon-Somers |
Thursday, July 17 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. |
The Structure of the Law: Legislation/Regulation | Professor Olivier Sylvain |
Monday, July 21 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. |
Writing & Rhetoric II | Professor Cathal Pratt |
Tuesday, July 22 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. |
Criminal Law and Procedure | Judge Gerald Lebovits |
Wednesday, July 23 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. |
Legal Writing and Research | Judge Gerald Lebovits |
Thursday, July 24 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. |
Introduction to Corporate Law | Barbara-Ann Boehler, Senior Director of Compliance Programs |
Monday, July 28 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. |
Issues in Equality | Professor Kimani Paul-Emile |
Tuesday, July 29 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. |
Panel TBA | |
Wednesday, July 30 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 a.m. |
Intellectual Property and Data Privacy Law | Professor Tom Norton |
Thursday, August 1 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. |
Environmental Regulations and Corporate Governance |
Matthew Nobles, Esq. |
Monday, August 4 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. |
Final Exam | |
Tuesday, August 5 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. |
The Art of Advocacy: Case Theory and Storytelling | Professor Michael W. Martin |