Learning Outside the Classroom
Since most students in the Graduate Program complete their degree after one year of study, we believe in providing our students with as many extracurricular learning opportunities as possible.
Because we seek to provide a practical education, we supplement students’ coursework by focusing on the financial services issues of the day through lectures, conferences and roundtable discussions. A number of these conferences and lectures are co-sponsored with groups such as the American Bar Association, the Boston Bar Association, and The Clearing House Association.
Financial Services Fundamentals
In August we hold a twelve day course on the basics of the US financial services industry—its products, participants, and role in the economy—to give students an overview of this dynamic sector. Financial Services Fundamentals provides necessary business, legal and structural information about the financial services industry to students entering the Graduate Program in Banking and Financial Law without significant employment experience or a strong academic background financial services or business. This course will provide the basic information on eight subjects relevant to the study of financial services law, information the faculty in the Banking Law Program expects students entering to understand prior to entering the Program. The course has the added benefit of introducing incoming international students to lectures, discussions and readings on financial topics in English.
Lunchtime Conversations
Periodically throughout the academic year we invite speakers to have lunch with students and discuss issues of the day and to talk about their careers. Past speakers have included representatives from Citibank, the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, the Massachusetts Division of Insurance, law firms, and academia. Topics discussed have ranged from the European debt crisis and “robo-signings” to compliance programs and the economic numbers behind the financial crisis. Students have also organized some of these programs.
Fundamentals of Banking Law
Students have an opportunity to attend this two ½ day program designed for US financial services professionals. The program provides students with an opportunity to see first hand the training of US regulatory lawyers and compliance officers. They learn from the program faculty and from the young practitioners taking the courses, a valuable networking opportunity. Fundamentals of Banking Law is an intensive program designed to familiarize participants with the basics of banking law, including the critical policies, concepts, and regulations that have shaped 150 years of US banking law from the passage of the 1863 National Bank Act to the present.
A Day in Court
Every year, Francis C. Morrissey, one of the many experienced practitioners on the Graduate Program’s faculty, takes his Bankruptcy class on a trip to the US Bankruptcy Court in Boston’s financial district. Attendees hear an actual case being argued, and then have a private conference with the judge when the session is over.
Boston Bar Association
All students in the LLM program receive free memberships in the Boston Bar Association and are welcome to attend activities of this professional group. Activities include lectures and networking activities.
The Legal Research Skills for Practice Program
LLM students can sharpen their research skills by taking this program offered by the Pappas Law Library. The Legal Research Skills for Practice Program provides training in the legal research skills most useful for new lawyers. Students can improve their skills by attending practical, hands-on research classes tailored to the realities of today’s legal landscape. Classes are taught by experienced legal information librarians, who have law degrees as well as library degrees.
Social Activities
The Graduate Program provides numerous opportunities for students to balance hard work with play. Just as we are serious about the business of learning, we’re also serious about fostering camaraderie among our students. Here’s a sampling of what students can expect to do in their spare time:
Spectator sports
One wonderful thing about living in Boston is that the city has teams in all four major American sports—baseball, football, hockey and basketball. At the college level, BU has a nationally ranked men’s hockey team that annually competes for the national championship. The Graduate Program purchases tickets so that students can attend these events as a group.
Skiing and Skating
New England winters can be long—but they can also be fun. Winter activities include ski trips to the mountans and ice skating rink on the BU campus or at the Frog Pond in the Boston Common.
Concerts at Symphony Hall
It’s an easy walk from the law school to Boston’s Symphony Hall, home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the Boston Pops. From Bach to Beethoven, Rachmaninoff to Gershwin, students don’t have far to go to find the sounds they want to hear. Students are eligible to receive free tickets to select concerts.
Potluck Dinner
Every year we host a potluck dinner where students share a dish from their home country or region in the United States. These dinners are always a big hit—and a welcome study break.
Events Organized by Students
Every year, the Graduate Banking Program class elects student officers to help keep the class engaged. We also encourage all students to organize an event if they have a hobby or interest that they would like to share with their classmates. We fully support student involvement and can help with the planning process. From mentoring students at a local high school to class dinners featuring some exotic cuisine to organizing a soccer team to compete in the BU Intramurals, there are limitless possibilities.
Review of Banking and Financial Law
Founded in 1982, the Review of Banking and Financial Law is the nation’s preeminent student-run banking and financial law journal. It includes professional articles written by the field’s leading authorities, notes and comments, and development articles authored by JD students. In February 2015, the Review successfully hosted a one-day symposium entitled “Innovation Today: the Legal Challenges of Funding Startups” which was well-attended by practitioners and academics. While the journal’s membership is mostly made up of JD students, LLM students in the Graduate Program in Banking and Financial Law can qualify for the staff of the Review.
Meeting Program Alumni
In the Graduate Program, we pride ourselves on keeping in touch with our alumni, long after they graduate and move forward in their careers. As a result, many alumni return to the school to attend events and serve as speakers. From career panels where they offer advice, to receptions where they’re eager to get to know new students, our alumni are an integral part of the Graduate Program experience. By joining us in this program, students are guaranteed to expand their professional network.