The University of Dayton School of Law will soon become the nation's first law school to offer its students the option to earn a J.D. in five semesters, over as little as two years. According to a Newswise report Thursday, the five-semester option is just part of a cutting-edge new curriculum to be launched in the fall of 2005. The new curriculum, which borrows from more hands-on practices in business and medical schools, includes mandatory skills-competency tests featuring actors paid to play the roles of clients. And in an unusual use of technology, the school will provide each graduating student with a DVD featuring his interaction with such "clients." See Dayton's web page dedicated to its new curriculum here.

In other recent curricular news, the faculty of the George Washington University Law School has approved a combined bachelor's/J.D. option that will allow a small number of incoming GW students to earn both degrees in six years. In addition to saving a year's tuition, students in the dual-degree program can also avoid the anxieties of taking the LSAT, a potential obstacle to certification that has since been cleared with the ABA. Read the GW Hatchet's full report here. Finally, in a December article on the increasing number of business-of-law courses being offered by law firms, the National Law Journal singles out the University of Pennsylvania and the College of William and Mary for their course offerings on large law firm practice and law-firm management, respectively.