The George Mason University Antonin Scalia School of Law Juris Masters with a concentration in Government Contracts & Regulation offers students a deeper understanding of government procurement law, practice, and procedures.
The program is ideal for executive leaders and executive path professionals working in sales, finance, operations, project management, and government procurement.
Advance your career with a Juris Master Degree
- Remote course options to serve working professionals
- Complete the degree in just 1-year of full-time study
- Benefit from direct access to GMU law library, study-spaces, and advising
- Ideal for professionals who interact with lawyers and legal issues regularly
Required Courses (30 Credits)
To earn a Juris Master (JM) degree, students must complete 30 hours of coursework . Degree candidates for the government contracting and regulation concentration must complete 15 credits of required core curriculum and then 15 credits from courses aligned to the government contracts & regulation concentration area.
Core Curriculum (15 Credits)
Concentration Curricula (15 Credits)
Introduction to U.S. Law for Juris Master Students
3 Credits
This course is designed to provide JM students with an overview of United States law. The coursework will cover general areas of law, including regulatory and business law, as well as contracts, property and tort law, and their applicability in public institutions and business settings. This course will not provide an exhaustive survey of each topic, but rather provide exposure to a large amount of foundational information in a short period of time.
Legal Research & Writing for Juris Master Students
2 Credits
This course is designed to introduce JM students to legal research methods, knowledge of general legal concepts, and the art of reading and interpreting legal writing. Students will learn the research, analysis and writing process through an assigned series of open and closed memoranda.
Economics for Lawyers
2 Credits
Economics for Lawyers (formerly Economic Foundations of Legal Studies) exposes students to a broad survey of economic, statistical, finance and accounting concepts as they play a crucial role in determining the outcome of legal disputes. Students will not become expert in these technical areas but will be exposed to both the mechanics and subtleties of these tools. The goal is to educate and train students so that they will be better prepared to understand a dispute, craft an argument, or prepare a witness.
Contracts for Juris Master Students
4 Credits
This course will provide JM students with an introduction to the principles of contract law, including the consideration doctrine, offer and acceptance, promissory estoppel, and the regulation of the bargaining process; as well as the relationship of contract law in government and business organizations. The course will also provide an overview of contractual interpretation, and basic knowledge regarding excuse and remedies.
Capstone 1
2 Credits
This course is designed to provide JM students with an avenue to draw upon the legal knowledge they have received, and to further develop the problem-solving orientation and skills to interact with attorneys, recognize legal issues and flag applicable law. As a “capstone,” students will select their own topic within their field of employment and pursue material directly related to their profession on which they will write a thesis under faculty supervision.
Capstone 2
2 Credits
This course is an extension of Capstone I. Students will research and draft their theses under the guidance of a faculty member.
Administrative Law
3 Credits
This course provides an inquiry into the powers and processes of federal administrative agencies and the control of agency action through judicial review and other means.
Business Associations
4 Credits
This course provides a detailed introduction to the law and economics of agency, partnerships, limited partnerships, and corporation law. The second half of the course focuses on publicly traded corporations.
Enviromental Law
3 Credits
A complex set of laws and regulations, developed over the past five decades, manages various environmental risks, ranging from risks to water, air, and land, among others. This course is designed to provide a general introduction to the theory and practice of environmental law, with an emphasis on the major pollution control statutes. Some of the recurring themes of the course will be the balance between federal and state authority, the economic justifications for environmental regulation, the distributional effects of environmental policy, the choice of regulatory instruments, and the role of agencies, legislatures, and courts. We will also discuss the political backdrop for the development of environmental policy, especially the role of interest groups and public perceptions.
Federal Budget Law Seminar
2 Credits
This course studies the law underlying the federal budget process, including the preparation of the president’s budget, the Congressional Budget Resolution, and the appropriations and reconciliation bills. It also examines the Constitutional provisions underlying the federal budget process.
The course is identical to Law 228 with the exception that it is conducted as a seminar and will require a seminar paper.
Government Contracts
2 Credits
Government Contracts examines the processes by which private parties establish and perform contracts with the federal government. Specific subjects include the appropriations mechanism; the authority of government agents, sealed-bid and negotiated procurement methods; competition requirements, contract pricing, award protests; inspection, acceptance, and warranties; changes; termination; the prosecution and defense of claims; and civil and criminal sanctions for fraud. For factual illustrations, the course draws heavily upon the procurement activities of major purchasers such as the Department of Defense.
Antitrust I: Principles
3 Credits
Antitrust I: Principles (formerly “Antitrust”) examines judicial doctrines, enforcement guidelines, and policies relating to competition as a means of ordering private economic behavior. Specific topics include agreements involving competitors, dominant firm behavior, joint ventures, mergers, distribution, practices, and international competition policy.
International Law
2 Credits
Considers traditional public international law issues and analyzes them in an economic and game theoretic perspective. Emphasis is on basic concepts of public international law, including sources and evolution of international law; relation of international law to municipal law; subjects of international law; peaceful settlement of disputes; international agreements; jurisdictional competence; state responsibility and treatment of aliens; the use of force; and the evolving role of international organizations.
Perspectives on Regulation
2-3 Credits
This course introduces students to regulatory institutions and the political economy of regulatory processes. With this foundation, students will examine current or proposed regulation and the costs, benefits, and incentives they create.
Property
4 Credits
This required course is a survey of the law of property. It emphasizes the process and rationale for the creation of private interests in tangible, intangible and intellectual property; the Anglo-American system of estates in land (including landlord-tenant law and future interests); transfers of land (including the real estate contract and deed); and methods for title assurance (including deed covenants, the recording system, and title insurance).
Regulated Industries
2 Credits
Surveys the legal and economic foundations of the various forms of regulation. The origin and development of both economic and social regulation are analyzed.
Remedies
3 Credits
A legal and economic analysis of remedies given in legal proceedings. The coverage includes the forms of legal and equitable remedies, the substantive law of restitution, and methods for the measurement of damages and corresponding problems of nonmonetary forms of remedy.
WIPO-C-IP2 Intellectual Property Program
3 Credits
This course aims to raise awareness of the principal concepts of intellectual property and its importance as a spur to human creativity in the advancement of economic and social development, and in the facilitation of international trade through the treaties offering multi-lateral protection. The course provides a unique opportunity for students to work with leading experts to gain a deeper knowledge of intellectual property to advance their careers. The course consists of lectures, case studies, simulation exercises, group discussions, and panel discussions on selected intellectual property topics, with an orientation towards the interface between intellectual property and other disciplines.
*Note: This course is offered on a CR/NC basis.
Sample Schedule
| CLASSES | COURSES | CREDITS |
|---|---|---|
| Semester 1 |
Introduction to US Law for JM Students Economics for Lawyers Legal Research & Writing for JM Students Total |
3 2 2 7 credits total |
| Semester 2 |
Contacts for JM Students Elective Concentration Course Capstone I Total |
4 2 or 3 2 8 or 9 credits total |
| Semester 3 |
Elective Concentration Course Total |
6 to 8 6 or 8 credits total |
| Semester 4 |
Elective Concentration Course Capstone II Total |
5 to 7 2 7 or 9 credits total |