Courses and Academic Programs

Student studying

Harvard Law School offers a legal curriculum with a breadth and depth that is unmatched in legal education. Rather than emphasizing any single area of law, the School provides both introductory and advanced courses in every major area of legal endeavor.  

Our Programs of Study guide students as they pursue deepening knowledge and progression in particular areas of the law during their years at the School.  The varied and challenging educational program, combined with the rich resources the Programs of Study offer, prepares students for leadership within legal practice, the judiciary, government and other public service, academia, and business.

Because of the range and diversity of the HLS faculty, students benefit from a curriculum that can adjust quickly to changes in the legal profession and the world. In recent years, for example, HLS has enhanced its offerings in terrorism, corporate responsibility, and Islamic law.

Harvard Law School students also learn by working directly with clients throughout the community. Numerous classes, such as administrative law, family law, and civil rights law, have clinical components, which allow students to make practical use of what they learn in the classroom in a wide variety of legal settings and organizations. The Law School's own Hale and Dorr Legal Services Center and Criminal Justice Institute give students hands-on opportunities to provide legal services in both the civil and criminal legal systems.