New Law School Curriculum Requires More 'Public Law'

Law School students will he required to take more courses in public and administrative law under a revised curriculum announced last week. The changes were made according to the recommendations of the Law School faculty's Committee on Legal Education, headed by Lon L. Fuller, professor of Law.

Public law has become more important during the past 20 years, Professor Fuller pointed out in his report, but the course now taught at the School was developed when private law was taught almost exclusively. Courses such as taxation, administrative law, labor, and government regulation of business, Fuller explains, are now almost indispensable.

Seek Greater Coordination

"It is no longer possible to draw a sharp line of distinction between questions of public and private law," Fuller states. Thus, the purpose of the new reforms is to achieve "greater coordination in the curriculum between public and private law."

Classroom time has been increased to allow for the new courses, and in addition a program of required summer reading has been established. However, the number of elective courses which a student may take has not been increased.

A system of "dry run" exams has been set up for first-year students. Mid-term exams, graded by teaching fellows, will be given in all courses, but only the finals, which will be graded by the faculty member teaching the course, count toward the final grade.