On February 26, 2015, the LSU Law Center faculty approved overwhelmingly the recommendation of a special faculty committee for significant changes in the Law Center’s program of study. With the vote, the Graduate Diploma in Comparative Law (DCL) will now become an option, rather than a requirement, for upperclass students. In effect, the changes mean that second and third- year students will no longer be required to take classes previously associated with the DCL. As part of the same action, the Law Center faculty reaffirmed its commitment to bijural education, and in particular, to a bijural curriculum in the first year. The faculty also committed to, “making every effort to ensure, within the limitation of available resources, that courses necessary for success on state bar examinations – in Louisiana and elsewhere – are made available to all upperclass students.”
The changes to the legal education program followed intensive research and discussion with faculty and students. A survey of the entire student body was also conducted, with more than two-thirds of current students in favor of making the DCL optional. The changes will take effect with the class graduating in spring 2016.
“I am confident that this curricular change will be beneficial to our students, present and future,” said Chancellor Jack Weiss. “Those interested in earning both the JD and the DCL will certainly continue to be able to do so. Other students who choose a different direction will have the option to earn only the JD degree,” Weiss stated.
“The Law Center’s commitment to its role as curator of the Louisiana civil law tradition and to outstanding instruction in the civil law remains as strong as ever,” Weiss said.
