Academic Calendar

Fall 2018 Semester

Dates Days Event
August 21-24 Tuesday - Friday First-year student orientation
August 27 Monday Fall Semester classes begin
August 27-31 Monday - Friday Final Add/Drop for Fall Semester
September 3 Monday Labor Day (no classes)
November 21-23 Wednesday - Friday Thanksgiving Recess (no classes)
(Univ. Closed Thursday and Friday)
December 4 Tuesday Friday Class Schedule
December 6 Thursday Last Day of Classes
December 10-20 Monday - Thursday Fall Semester Examinations

Spring 2019 Semester

Dates Days Event
January 2-6 Wednesday - Sunday Annual AALS Meeting, New Orleans, LA
January 7 Monday Spring Semester classes begin
January 7-11 Monday - Friday Final Add/Drop for Spring Semester
January 21 Monday Dr. Martin Luther King Day
(no classes)
March 11-15 Monday - Friday Spring Recess (no classes)
March 15 Friday Spring Holiday (University closed)
April 22 Monday Last Day of Classes;
Monday Class Schedule
April 25 - May 7 Thursday - Tuesday Spring Semester Examinations
May 10 Friday Law School Graduation

2018-2019 Academic Calendar Download

Pitt Law Academy will be held on the following dates. Programmatic details for each Pitt Law Academy will be amended when available.

Fall 2018 semester

  • September 6, 2018, 3:30 p.m., Courtroom
    If I Knew Then What I Know Now: Thoughts from Prominent Lawyers on What They Should Have Done (and Not Done) when They Were in Law School

  • September 20, 2018, 3:30 p.m., Courtroom
    First-Year Law School Subjects in the “Real World”: Legislation and Regulation

  • October 18, 2018, 3:30 p.m., Courtroom
    Stress, Mental Health, and Substance Abuse in Law School and the Legal Profession: Good Advice and Cautionary Tales

  • November 8, 2018, 3:30 p.m., Courtroom
    Practicing and Promoting Civility: The Role of Lawyers and the Legal Profession

Spring 2019 semester

  • January 17, 2019, 3:30 p.m., Courtroom
    First-Year Law School Subjects in the “Real World”: Torts and Criminal Law

  • February 7, 2019, 3:30 p.m., Courtroom
    Empathy and Diversity: Working with Clients from Different Backgrounds and Cultures​ 

  • February 21, 2019, 3:30 p.m., Courtroom
    First-Year Law School Subjects in the “Real World”: Contracts and Property

  • March 14, 2019, 3:30 p.m., Courtroom
    First-Year Law School Subjects in the “Real World”: Legal Analysis & Writing

  • March 28, 2019, 3:30 p.m., Courtroom
    First-Year Law School Subjects in the “Real World”: Constitutional Law and Civil Procedure

 

Fall 2017 Semester

Dates Days Event
August 22-25 Tuesday - Friday First-year student orientation
August 28 Monday Fall Semester classes begin
August 28 - September 1 Monday - Friday Final Add/Drop for Fall Semester
September 4 Monday Labor Day (no classes)
November 22-24 Wednesday - Friday Thanksgiving Recess (no classes)
(Univ. Closed Thursday and Friday)
December 5 Tuesday Friday Class Schedule
December 7 Thursday Last Day of Classes
December 11-21 Monday - Thursday Fall Semester Examinations

Spring 2018 Semester

Dates Days Event
January 3-6 Wednesday - Saturday Annual AALS Meeting,
San Diego, CA
January 8 Monday Spring Semester classes begin
January 8 - 12 Monday - Friday Final Add/Drop for Spring Semester
January 15 Monday Dr. Martin Luther King Day
(no classes)
March 5 - 9 Monday - Friday Spring Recess (no classes)
March 9 Friday Spring Holiday (University closed)
April 23 Monday Last Day of Classes;
Monday Class Schedule
April 26 - May 8 Thursday - Tuesday Spring Semester Examinations
May 11 Friday Law School Graduation

2017-2018 Academic Calendar Download

This is the schedule for the 2017-18 year. For the current academic year, please see the second tab on this page.

Fall 2017 semester

  • September 7, 2017, 3:30 p.m., Courtroom
    If I Only Knew Then What I Know Now: Thoughts From Prominent Lawyers on What They Should Have Done (and Not Done) When They Were in Law School To Prepare For Their Legal Careers

    Speakers:
    ○ Hal Coffey (President, Allegheny County Bar Association; attorney, Blumling & Gusky, LLP);
    ○ Glenn Mahone (Partner, Reed Smith);
    ○ Geovette Washington (Senior Vice Chancellor and Chief Legal Officer, University of Pittsburgh)

  • September 28, 2017, 3:30 p.m., Courtroom
    How Do I Figure Out What Kind of Law I Want to Practice?

    Speakers:
    ○ Elizabeth Hughes (Assistant Counsel, UPMC)
    ○ Justine Kasznica (Partner, Baer Crossey McDemus LLC).

  • October 19, 2017, 3:30 p.m., Courtroom
    Public Service and Public Interest Careers

    Speakers:
    ○ Lourdes Sanchez Ridge (Solicitor and Chief Legal Officer, City of Pittsburgh)
    ○ Bret Grote (Founder and Legal Director, Abolitionist Law Center)
    ○ Rebecca Ross Haywood, Assistant U.S. Attorney, Western District of Pennsylvania 

  • November 9, 2017, 3:30 p.m., Courtroom
    Working in Private Law Firms: What's the Difference (Personally and Professionally) Between Small, Medium & Large Law Firms?

    Speakers:
    ○ Kimberly Kisner (Managing Member, Kisner Law Firm)
    ○ Stanley Levine (Founding Member and Executive Attorney, Campbell & Levine)
    ○ Bill Price (Partner, Clark Hill Thorp Reed)

Spring 2018 semester

  • January 11, 2018, 3:30 p.m., Courtroom
    Lawyers as Leaders

    Speakers:
    ○ The Honorable D. Michael Fisher, Senior Circuit Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit; Distinguished Jurist in Residence, University of Pittsburgh School of Law;
    ○ David J. Hickton, Professor of Law, Policy, & Technology; Founding Director, University of Pittsburgh Institute for Cyber Law, Policy, & Security; former U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania

  • February 1, 2018, 3:30 p.m., Courtroom
    Work-Life Balance in the Legal Profession

    Speakers:
    ○ Matthew Feinman (Founder, Law Offices of Matthew S. Feinman)
    ○ Bruce Fox (Partner, Obermayer, Rebmann, Maxwell, & Hippel)
    ○ Laura Mullen, Esq. (Associate, Leech Tishman)
     

  • February 22, 2018, 3:30 p.m., Courtroom
    Being “the Other” in the Legal Profession: How Attorneys from Diverse and Non-Traditional Backgrounds Survive and Thrive 

    Speakers:
    ○ Blair Douglas, Esq. (Administrator, University of Pittsburgh Physician Scientist Training Program)
    ○ Alka A. Patel, JD, MBA (Deputy Director, Risk and Regulatory Services Innovation Center, Carnegie Mellon University)
    ○ Gerald “Robbie” Robinson III, Esq. (EQT Corporation)

  • March 22, 2018, 3:30 p.m., Courtroom
    Stress, Substance Abuse, and Mental Health in the Legal Profession: Some Good Advice & Some Cautionary Tales

    Speakers:
    ○ Laurie J. Besden, Esq. (Executive Director, Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers of Pennsylvania, Inc.)
    ○ Dr. John D. Massella (Associate Professor and Clinician, Department Chair of the California University of PA Wellness Center)