in Tennessee’s capital city
STUDENT to FACULTY RATIO 11:1
One of Forbes’ FASTEST
Nashville combines big-city charisma with small-town charm to create an enriching experience for Belmont Law students. As Tennessee’s capitol city, Nashville is a major urban, government and not-for-profit center. Nashville is music, sports and culture; quiet parks and rowdy festivals; cowboy boots and business suits. Welcome to Music City.
The mission of Belmont University College of Law is to prepare qualified students with an excellent understanding of the law that will equip them to become professional counselors, advocates and judges; researchers, teachers and philosophers of the law; entrepreneurs; and engaged citizens. Belmont University College of Law is committed to the Christian tradition. We believe that instilling the highest standards of personal and professional conduct is our ethical and communal responsibility. We seek to ensure that the knowledge and values that we transmit to our students serve the ends of justice.
Music and Sports Entertainment
Government
Non-Profits
Health Care Management
Corporate Operations
Advertising and Media
Tourism
Located 2 miles from
Practice-oriented program just STEPS FROM
Tennessee Court of Appeals
“I have had the pleasure to work with several Belmont College of Law students as interns and three graduates as law clerks in my chambers. I am consistently impressed with their commitment to the profession and ability to quickly learn how to accomplish the task at hand.”
SHERIE EDWARDS
Past President, Tennessee Bar Association
“I have had the pleasure of mentoring students through the Belmont Law Inn of Court. Through one-on-one mentorship and working on legal education presentations, I have been impressed with the students’ intellectual curiosity, dedication to studies, professionalism and ability to interact with attorneys, judges and fellow law students on a high level.”
RUSS MILLER Member Bass, Berry & Sims PLC
“We have had tremendous success hiring Belmont Law students through our summer associate program over the past five years. Belmont Law students have impressed our attorneys with their strong work ethic, professionalism and the quality of their work. We will continue to look to Belmont in the future for law students that have the potential to be great lawyers.”
Belmont Law offers an innovative curriculum that integrates traditional legal analysis and practical legal skills. Each semester of the JD curriculum builds upon the prior semester. One unique aspect of Belmont Law’s curriculum is the practicum required each semester. Through practicum work, students become proficient in the practice of law. Students must also complete a rigorous writing requirement during their second or third year in order to graduate.
Our JD program creates practice-ready attorneys through practical skills such as litigation, negotiation, client interviewing, and legal research and writing. Students graduate with the skills needed for success.
Assistant Dean for Experiential Learning
Arth’s vision for the Experiential Learning Program at Belmont Law is “to graduate law students with the experience and judgment necessary to be effective, ethical and fulfilled legal practitioners.”
Our Experiential Learning Program is built on a scalable and repeatable model that affords students the opportunity to earn credit in multiple placements throughout their time at Belmont Law. Students who successfully complete all three levels of the Experiential Learning Program earn an honor cord for Distinction in Experiential Learning. Upper-level students have the opportunity to practice under the Tennessee Supreme Court’s Student Practice Rule through the Experiential Learning Program. Students utilizing their limited practice permission have argued in front of the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals, handled hearings in juvenile court, conducted the examination of witnesses at trial and more.
Belmont students have the opportunity to participate in summer externships, in-semester field placements, and clinical legal education through Belmont Law’s Experiential Learning Program. Students have participated in experiential learning placements in more than 200 organizations world-wide. Experiential Learning students can earn credit hours working in live-client situations, under the direct supervisor of an attorney. A small sample of sites include:
• Tennessee Court of Appeals
• Disability Rights Tennessee
• Metropolitan Nashville Public Defender’s Office
• Nashville Predators
• Davidson County Department of Children’s Services
• United States Attorney’s Office—Middle District of Tennessee
• Nashville Metropolitan Council
• Tennessee Attorney General—Consumer Advocate and Protection Division
• District Attorney’s Office
• CMG Worldwide
• Reel Muzik Werks
• Triage Cancer
• Tennessee Supreme Court
Belmont partners with community organizations to put on pro bono legal clinics in the Middle Tennessee area. Our students have had the opportunity to volunteer with several groups including, but not limited to:
• Expungement Clinics
• Estate Planning Clinics
• TN Free Legal Answers Clinics
• Pro Se Divorce Clinics
• Housing Conditions Clinics
Belmont Law students partner with various Middle Tennessee programs to offer legal aid. Volunteer attorneys, law students, and Belmont staff combine forces to ensure Tennesseans have better access to meet their legal needs. Students receive skills training for wills, expungements, and more!
The Office of Career and Professional Development offers specialized career counseling to students seeking public interest careers. Services include resume and cover letter review, individual coaching, and public interest job search strategies. The Office regularly hosts programming focused on public interest careers and even has a Public Interest Coordinator to assist students interested in this legal practice.
Students are encouraged to complete the Pro Bono Pledge by giving at least 50 hours of pro bono service over the course of their law school careers. Students who complete the pledge receive special recognition from the College of Law, which includes receiving a pro bono certificate and a cord to wear at the hooding ceremony. Each year’s graduating class votes one of their peers “The Heart of Public Service” for their pro bono efforts in the community.
Professional Development Week
Meet legal professionals at the Employer Information Day and on-campus interviews
Apply for summer legal positions and summer externships
On-Campus Interviews (OCI’s)
Professional Development Week
Network through special-interest student organizations
Apply for summer legal positions and summer externships
Grow professional identity through specialized coaching and workshops
FALL
3L
Professional Development Week
Bar Refresher II
Finalize after-grad employment
Meet your attorney mentor
Monthly American Inn of Court meetings begin
Meet with the Office of Career & Professional Development for resume coaching, cover letter writing, interview and application workshops
Begin student membership in the Tennessee Bar Association (TBA)
Continue & strengthen relationship with Inn of Court attorney mentor
On-Campus Interviews (OCI’s)
Renew your student membership in the TBA
Bar Refresher I
Check our career portal bi-weekly for job postings
The Office of Career and Professional Development prepares students for success through individualized coaching, small group workshops, and employer fairs. On-campus interviews, mock interviews, internships, and assistance with job placement are just some of the services provided.
Resume writing
Career advising
Personalized employer communication strategies
Job search strategies
58% FIRMS
15% BUSINESS & INDUSTRY
9% GOVERNMENT
8% PUBLIC INTEREST & EDUCATION
ABA employment data from the most recent reported class
10% JUDICIAL CLERKSHIPS
Belmont Law’s faculty is highly experienced and well-credentialed. To learn more about our fulltime faculty members, visit belmont.edu/law.
PROFESSOR ELLEN BLACK
Former New York City Liability and Commercial Litigation Attorney
1993 Truman Scholar
Former Chief Diversity Officer, Tennessee State University
Former Assistant Attorney General in the Consumer Protection Division of the Tennessee Attorney General’s Office
Former Associate in the Energy & Environment group at San Fransico Law Firm, advising clients such as the Nature Conservancy and the Environmental Defense Fund
Yale University and Stanford University Graduate
International Association Defense Counsel Trial Academy Graduate
PROFESSOR LYNN ZEHRT
Five-time recipient of the Best Professor Award, bestowed by Belmont Law students
Former Clerk for United States District Court for Northern and Middle Alabama
PROFESSOR JEFF KINSLER
Winner of ten teaching awards, having taught at several law schools in the United States and Australia
Former Partner at Chicago Law Firm, Yale Law School Graduate
An Empirical Bioethicist and Legal Scholar with Nationally Recognized Expertise in Law, Ethics, and Social Issues in Biomedical Research, Health, and Healthcare
PROFESSOR ANDREA GEMIGNANI
Practiced Education Law as a member of the Virginia Bar
Serviced as Director of Advocacy for the Special Education Advocacy Center in Nashville
PROFESSOR ASHLEY GRIFFITH
Former Deputy General Counsel at Tennessee’s State Medicaid Agency, TennCare
Former Litigation Associate at Bass, Berry & Sims PLC
PROFESSOR MAXIMILIANO GLUZMAN
Former Immigration Attorney representing clients before U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
Former Business Attorney in Buenos Aires, Argentina
PROFESSOR DON COCHRAN
Presidentially appointed, Senate confirmed former United States Attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee
Former Assistant United States Attorney in the Northern District of Alabama
PROFESSOR DAVID HUDSON
Author, co-author, or co-editor of more than 40 books
First Amendment Fellow for the Freedom Forum Institute
Former resident scholar, First Amendment Center
PROFESSOR TORRY JOHNSON
Three-term former District Attorney General of Metropolitan Nashville and Davidson County
Served on the American Bar Association’s Task Force on the Federalization of Criminal Law
PROFESSOR ELIZABETH USMAN
Law clerk to Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
Former Associate at Ropes & Gray LLP
PROFESSOR JULIE CROMER YOUNG
Represented High-Profile Clients with Litigation, Trademark and Copyright Law at Chicago Firm
Former co-chair of the Women and the Law Conference; Graduate of Harvard Law School
PROFESSOR HAROLD SEE
Retired Justice of the Supreme Court of Alabama
Contributing editor to the Federal Circuit Bar Journal
Belmont alumni are contributing to their communities all over the United States. They return for symposiums and other special events to connect with our students.
Class of 2019, Assistant Public Defender – Appellate Division
“Belmont Law strives to make every student practice-ready with a wide offering of practical experiences, from summer internships to the Board of Advocates competition teams. Through the field placement program, I was able to gain exposure to several areas of practice, with placements at the Nashville District Attorney’s Office, the 21st Judicial District Public Defender, and even a semester clerkship on the Tennessee Court of Appeals. These opportunities gave me the perfect foundation for my current work in indigent appellate defense.”
Class of 2018, Marine Corps Judge Advocate (JAG)
“I felt a sense of comfort knowing that I was always welcome to walk into any of the faculties’ offices to discuss school, career goals, or even life in general. It is truly a one-of-a-kind support staff you have at your fingertips. Furthermore, Belmont promised to have me practice-ready coming out of school, and it followed through on that promise. Thanks in large part to Belmont Law, I am confident that when my time comes, I will serve my country and my Marines in an exceptional manner.”
Class of 2018, Partner at Ortale Kelley
“The individualized coaching that I received through Moot Court and my professors’ determined dedication to my legal education not only gave me the skills I needed to feel confident and prepared to seamlessly begin arguing motions and conducting bench trials, but also gave me the confidence I needed to patiently and earnestly attain my dream job.”
BELMONT LAW REVIEW AND BELMONT LAW JOURNAL
The Law Review and The Law Journal each publishes an annual journal, consisting of articles written by attorneys, professors and scholars and notes written by Law Review members.
BOARD OF ADVOCATES
Students have the opportunity to practice trial advocacy, appellate advocacy and arbitration.
• Mock Trial
• Moot Court
• Transactional Team
AMERICAN CONSTITUTION SOCIETY
BLACK LAW STUDENT ASSOCIATION
BUSINESS LAW SOCIETY
CHRISTIAN LEGAL SOCIETY
CRIMINAL LAW SOCIETY
ENTERTAINMENT LAW SOCIETY
FAMILY LAW SOCIETY
PHI ALPHA DELTA
FEDERALIST SOCIETY
HEALTH LAW STUDENT ASSOCIATION
LABOR AND EMPLOYMENT LAW SOCIETY
LATINO LAW STUDENT ASSOCIATION
LEGAL AID SOCIETY OUTLAW STUDENT BAR ASSOCIATION
WOMEN’S LEGAL SOCIETY
PROFESSOR AMY MOORE Director of Advocacy
Leads award-winning advocacy teams to national and regional tournaments, including wins in both the National Moot Court Competition and National Appellate Advocacy Competition.
Belmont Law has also been named national champions of the National Health Law Transactional Competition twice now!
One practicum course is required each semester. Practicum courses are typically smaller classes (20 students or less) to allow students to dive into the practical aspects of the law.
Advanced Trial Advocacy
AI and the Law
¢ Board of Advocates Competition
Client Interviewing, Counseling & Communication
Criminal Procedure
Estate Planning
¢ Health Care Fraud and Abuse
Immigration Law Practicum
Juvenile Law
Legal Globalization and Comparative Law: Australia
Legal Technology Practicum
q
¢ Belmont Law Journal
Immigration Law
International Criminal Law
National Security Law
q
¢ Law Review
Sentencing Law
State Constitutional Law
¢
White Collar Crimes
q Copyright Law
q Cyber Law
q Debtor-Creditor Law
¢ q Employment Discrimination
q Entertainment Law
q Federal Income Taxation
q First Amendment
q Franchising Law
KEY
Criminal Law Certificate
q Entertainment & Music Business Law Certificate
¢ Health Law Certificate
Practical Issues in Criminal Law
Trial Advocacy
Wrongful Convictions
¢ q Alternative Dispute Resolution
¢ q Contract Drafting
q Entertainment Law Practicum
q Film and Television Transactional Law
¢ q Negotiations
¢ q Mediation
q Music Industry Contracts
¢ Elder Law
¢ Health Law Practicum
¢ Medical Malpractice
¢ Non-Profit Organizations
Advanced Legal Research
Applied Legal Ethics
Criminal Law Field Clinic
Family Law Practicum
Field Placement
Healthcare Justice Clinic
Law Office Management
Poverty Law Field Clinic
Practical Issues in the Judiciary
Pretrial Litigation
Real Estate Transactions
q Intellectual Property
q International Business Transactions
q Law & Economics
q Law and Literature
q Mass Media Law
q Sports Law
q Trademark Law
¢ Administrative Law
¢ Biomedical Ethics
¢ Disability Law
¢ Employment Law
¢ Health Care Business and Finance
¢ Health Law
¢ Insurance Law
¢ Mental Health Law
¢ Products Liability
¢ Public Health Law
¢ Workers Compensation
Electives and practicums rotate depending on need and interest.
Business Torts
Conflict of Laws
Corporate and Partnership Tax
Education Law
Environmental Law
Election Law
Estate & Gift Taxation
Family Law
Federal Courts
Land Use
Law of Private Practice
Law and Religion
R ace and the Law
Remedies
Sales
Separation of Powers
State and Local Taxation
Summer Externships
• Bruin Scholars Program
• Dean’s Scholars Program (Early Decision Applicants)
• Belmont Alumni Grant
RECEIVING SCHOLARSHIPS†
†Median merit scholarship of $39,000 for 2023–2024 academic year
