Honors Program

For upper level students who have demonstrated exceptional ability and achievement, Roger Williams University School of Law offers an Honors Program, which involves a multi-year program of roundtables, special elective course offerings and other unique academic and social experiences. 

Program Outline

Honors students take special Honors Perspective Courses in their second and third years. Registration in these courses is limited to Honors students, unless the course is cross-listed. Students must complete three Honors Perspectives Courses to fulfill the requirements of the Honors Program.

Honors Perspectives courses recently offered include: September 11 Litigation, U.S. Supreme Court Cases, Torture and American Lawyers, Election Law and Campaign Finance, The Nature of the Judicial Process, Southern Slavery and the Law, The Tea Party and Popular Constitutionalism, and Voice of the Child.

Honors students are also invited to participate in a variety of other academic and social events with faculty and members of the bench and bar.

Upon graduation and successful completion of the Honors Program, students receive an Honors certificate and enjoy a special graduation reception in their honor. A note of completion is also placed on their law school transcript.

Contact Information

For information about the activities of the Honors Program, please contact Faculty Director of the Honors Program, Professor Michael Yelnosky at myelnosky@rwu.edu. 

"I know I speak for all of my colleagues when I congratulate these graduates for their accomplishments and wish them all the best in whatever comes next for them.  We all look forward to watching them continue to grow as lawyers and hope they will keep in touch."
-- Michael J. Yelnosky, Professor of Law

The following students have completed the requirements of the Honors Program:

  • Alyssa Almeida
  • Angela M. Amaral 
  • Todd Derek Amaral
  • Martin R. Biancuzzo
  • Spencer Borden
  • Danielle Marie Brackett
  • Timothy Brian Caplan
  • Olivia Margaret Cannizzaro
  • Manuela Carmona
  • Matthew Cavanagh
  • Nicholas Alexander Celico
  • Ruth Coccio
  • Isabella Maria Colapietro
  • Michaela Ann Conley
  • Rebecca A. Costello
  • Linda Marie Cowen
  • Elisabeth D’Amelio
  • Evan William Dandrea
  • Gabriela Dupuis
  • Kyle T. Easton
  • Logan Faucher
  • Madeleine A. Fenderson
  • Stefanie D. Fischer
  • Jose R. Garcia II
  • Miguel A. Garcia Jr.
  • Samantha Lynn Gervasio
  • Tyler Haas
  • Jacklyn Henry
  • Margaret E. Jacobs
  • Katherine S. Kazarian
  • Samantha Larkin
  • Keith Lefevre
  • Hilary L. Levey Friedman
  • David Marks
  • Katharine Lewis Wininger McCorkle
  • Julia Teresa Peare
  • Pia Piscitelli
  • Emily Frances Rodriguez Johnson
  • Amanda Rotimi
  • Julia Alexandra Stern
  • Cornelius Tyson
  • Jessica Viel
  • Andrew Nadal Walsh
  • Mark Weeden
Close Course Type Descriptions

Course Types

We have classified RWU Law classes under the following headers. One of the following course types will be attached to each course which will allow students to narrow down their search while looking for classes.

Core Course

Students in the first and second year are required to take classes covering the following aspects of the law—contracts, torts, property, criminal law, civil procedure, and constitutional law, evidence, and professional responsibility.  Along with these aspects, the core curriculum will develop legal reasoning skills.

Elective

After finishing the core curriculum the remaining coursework toward the degree is completed through upper level elective courses.  Students can choose courses that peak their interests or courses that go along with the track they are following.

Seminar

Seminars are classes where teachers and small groups of students focus on a specific topic and the students complete a substantial research paper.

Clinics/Externships

Inhouse Clinics and Clinical Externships legal education is law school training in which students participate in client representation under the supervision of a practicing attorney or law professor.  RWU Law's Clinical Programs offer unique and effective learning opportunities and the opportunity for practical experience while still in law school.