Robert Bloom

Professor Robert “Bob” Bloom teaches Civil Procedure and Criminal Procedure. A graduate of Boston College Law School, he is the co-author of the widely used (and required study guide) Criminal Procedure: Examples & Explanations with Prof. Brodin of BC Law School. Prof. Bloom has lectured all over the world on criminal procedure, including in Japan. Widely known as one of the most humorous and jovial professors at BC Law, Prof. Bloom’s courses are as fun as they are informative.

Required course books for Professor Bloom’s Classes:

• Criminal Procedure: Examples & Explanations

Additional Information on Professor Bloom:

• Official BC Law profile

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Mary-Rose Papandrea

A stalwart defender of the First Amendment, Professor Papandrea’s enthusiasm for the freedom of speech is apparent in her constitutional law courses. At BC Law, Prof. Papandrea teaches first year Civil Procedure, Constitutional Law II, and a seminar on the First Amendment. Prof. Papandrea is a former law clerk to Justice David Souter on the Supreme Court.

Essential course books for Professor Papandrea’s classes:

• Constitutional Law: Principles And Policies (Introduction to Law Series)

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Ingrid Hillinger

The Queen Bee of Bankruptcy, Ingrid Hillinger has worked for decades as a writer and teacher in the fields of business bankruptcy, consumer bankruptcy and commercial transactions. A nationally recognized expert in Chapter 11 (a/k/a “business reorganizations”) and secured transactions, Ingrid Hillinger is also the recipient of multiple awards for teaching. Her students often offer her gushing praises, though most would also agree that her courses at Boston College Law School rank among the most difficult.

First Years who draw Professor Hillinger for Contracts are in for a treat. Aspiring “Code Heads” in particular will thrive in Hillinger’s class, and benefit from a rigorous introduction to the Uniform Commercial Code.

Second and Third Years who take Hillinger’s Secured Transactions should probably not take too many other classes that semester. Be prepared to work wicked hard and even draft a security agreement. Note that commercial law throughout the United States is based in large part on the Uniform Commercial Code (the “Code”), and Article 9 of the Code (i.e. Secured Transactions) is one of the most useful articles to study if you plan on representing clients in the commercial sphere.

Ingrid Hillinger (right)

As for Hillinger’s Business Bankruptcy, take it if you can. If you are interested at all in a career in bankruptcy, this will probably be the single most important class to take. Similarly, if you are interested in going to Big Law, it may be a good idea to brush up on your insolvency law, because goodness know that real estate lawyers are not getting hired these days.

Notable Study Aids

• Contracts
  • Concepts And Case Analysis in the Law of Contracts (Concepts and Insights)is absolutely essential for Contracts. There are a few editions of this book out there; all of them are valuable expositions of the law of contracts.

• Secured Transactions
  • Just make sure to read the code sections themselves, plus the official comments appended thereto. Just do it. You will thank us later.

• Bankruptcy
  • The Elements of Bankruptcy, Fourth Edition (Concepts and Insights). This book is the best short, comprehensive study of bankruptcy out there. However, Hillinger’s course materials are all you really need to succeed in her class. Know the selected code provisions and the few cases back to front and you’ll be fine when you sit for the test … well, as much as anyone can be said to be “fine” when taking Professor’s Hillinger’s legendary exam.

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Professor Jim Rogers teaches Contracts, Secured Transactions, and Commercial Paper. When in his class, be careful not to use “buzz words” or he’ll turn them around on you! For example, say the word “contract” and you’re likely to receive the response: “Gazorninplat?”

The former interim dean of BC Law School from 1998 to 1999, Prof. Rogers is known to dislike study guides and is rumored to penalize folks to who quote study guides on his exam without citing them. That said, there is one study guide which closely resembles his teaching theories: Concepts And Case Analysis in the Law of Contracts (Concepts and Insights)by Marvin Chirelstein (colloquially known as the “Ship Book”).

Essential books for Professor Rogers’ classes:

• Concepts And Case Analysis in the Law of Contracts (Concepts and Insights){absolutely essential for Contracts}

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Professor Scott FitzGibbon teaches Contracts, as well as Jurisprudence, Corporations, and Securities Regulations. FitzGibbon’s Contracts students can expect to receive a broad explanation of the area of law, beginning with the background of Justinian’s Institutes and an explanation of the difference between law and equity. Closely case-based, students will hash out the details of many “old chestnuts of contract law,” often comparing them to sections of the Uniform Commercial Code.

Although the best way to prepare for a FitzGibbon Contracts class is certainly to tackle each case as a whole, students would do well to distill each into one or two basic concepts when comparing them to other cases or preparing for exams. A very comprehensive course packet supplements a casebook, but students should not ignore FitzGibbon’s entreaties to read corresponding sections of the UCC. The Professor’s classes are likely to be taught almost exclusively through the Socratic method. Students can expect to be questioned about the Professor’s hypotheticals, and even occasionally implored to “put that in your pipe and smoke it.”

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Joseph P. Liu

Professor Joe Liu is one of the most accessible professors at BC Law. Admired by students for encouraging active participation in class, Prof. Liu frequently opens up class discussion to hear what students think about the readings. A former litigator at Foley Hoag in Boston, Prof. Liu is an expert in Intellectual Property. Among the courses he teaches at BC Law include first-year Property, Intellectual Property, and Copyright.

Essential books for Professor Liu’s classes:

• Introduction To Property (Introduction to Law Series) by Joseph Singer {an essential study guide written by the author of the the casebook used in Prof. Liu’s Property class}
• Property Law: Rules, Policies, and Practices by Joseph Singer {REQUIRED text in Prof. Liu’s Property class}

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Professor Plater is well-known enthusiast for the environment, and has argued a case before the Supreme Court on the issue. His course on first-year Property law is widely regarded as one of the most entertaining classes at BC Law. A graduate of Princeton and Yale Law School, Prof. Plater has taught at universities across the country.

Prof. Plater has also played a role in one of the most famous environmental cases of the last century, representing the plaintiffs in the case Anderson v. W.R. Grace, the subject of the book and movie A Civil Action.

As Professor Plater says, one of the best things about Property is that it covers “a little bit of everything.” The professor himself is your classic brilliant eccentric, often darting quickly from one matter to another and frequently well ahead of the entire class, if not himself. “Swoopers” and “answer men” beware—his refusal to always teach the answer is a symptom of his wish that you approach his essays from all angles, raising every possible issue and going through every permutation before you finally run out of gas and throw in a conclusion. As far as those multiple choice questions go…well…I can’t help you there.

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Professor Lyons is a new faculty member at BC Law.  A former associate at Munger, Tolles in Los Angeles (yes, the law firm that bears the name of the famed Charlie Munger, Berkshire Hathaway’s vice chairman and Warren Buffett confidant), he will reportedly teach Property, Telecommunications and Administrative Law.

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Prof. Alfred “Fred” Yen teaches Torts, Copyright, and Advising the Business Planner at BC Law School. An expert in intellectual property matters, Prof. Yen has written amicus briefs on topics including online music sharing. Prof. Yen is known for his approachable and friendly demeanor.

These student evaluations are approved by the Editors of Eagleionline. If you would like to submit a professor or course description, please email us via the Contact page.