2022-2023 WCL Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]
Course Descriptions
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Other Courses |
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LAW - 652 Public Law: Legislation & the Regulatory State
(2 hrs.)
This course provides an introduction to the main topics of public law, including: the structure of government and separations of powers, theories of representative democracy, theories and doctrines of statutory interpretation and the role of judges in a democracy, the role of administrative agencies in our system, the relationship between the agencies and the rest of the government, Congressional oversight, and the role of the press and civil society in the development and implementation of federal legislation and regulation. The course also will provide you with a basic overview of the roles and functions of administrative agencies in Federal government, and of the relationship between these agencies and Congress, the President, and the courts. Whereas the focus of the traditional first year law school curriculum is “private” common law, the “public” law of legislation and regulation exert the most profound effects on the nation and its people. Unifying themes and inquiries pervading the course will include the comparative advantages and disadvantages of legislation and regulation (as opposed to private contract, property and tort remedies) to remedy social problems; the function and role of judges in checking legislative and administrative power; and the impact of the administrative state on democracy, the law, and Americans’ daily lives. In addition to the learning objectives and outcomes specified above, this course aims to familiarize you with the practical components of legislative and regulatory lawyering, including lobbying and legislative and regulatory drafting, analysis, and litigation. It also will expose you to other theoretical and practical issues at the heart of lawyering in Washington, including campaign finance and the freedom of information.
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LAW - 950 Introduction to Hotel Law
(1 hr)
Introduction to Hotel Law traces the economic models of the industry. Students explore the common agreements in place for types of the hotels, followed with in-depth reviews of common provisions that define these relationships. During the course, students also investigate issues that are distinctive to the lodging industry while also examining important legal constructs that govern commercial relationships. Our material looks at topics in contract law, franchise agreements, intellectual property, data security, and dispute resolution. Summer
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LAW - 951 Hotel Management & Franchise Topics
(1 hr)
Hotel parties are bounded by sophisticated agreements that are the focus of this course. Hotel companies may select a franchise model, subject to federal law and regulations, with the hotel owner as franchisee. Hotel owners will then engage the hotel manager subject to a management agreement with detailed provisions of operations and duties to the owner. Franchise and management agreements are intricate documents with a term that can extend for years beyond typical agreements. Summer
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LAW - 953 Selected Topics in Hotel Law
(1 hr)
The course looks at topics in: (i) hotel real estate and development; (ii) international hotel development & operations; (iii) Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and compliance; (iv) antitrust compliance; and (iv) the essential elements of gaming law, including regulatory compliance, transactions, and the intersection of law, economics, and social issues. Summer
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LAW - 954 Transactions and Contract Drafting in Hotel Law
(1 hr)
The hotel industry is a complex series of connected transactions, governed by agreements that detail relationships, allocate liability, and govern scenario decisions. When properly crafted, a legal agreement will clearly allocate and describe legal responsibility and risk and, at the same time, articulate the obligations of the parties for future action. Combining discussions of relevant laws and legal scenarios, this class continues the academic introduction of contracts and offers essential skills for success in practice. Summer
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LAW - 955 Trade and Diplomacy
(2 hrs)
This course focuses on the domestic formulation of trade policies by major players, the promotion and implementation of these policies abroad through trade diplomacy, the use of trade policy tools as shields, swords and leverage in negotiations, the ins and outs of the WTO. Students acquire a better understanding of the central role of the WTO as the world’s trade regulatory body and its three main functions of multilateral negotiations, monitoring and dispute settlement, and gain a holistic view of diplomacy in the international trade order.
English
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JD Required Courses |
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LAW - 501 Civil Procedure
(4 hrs.)
An introduction to legal standards and procedural rules governing civil litigation in the United States, with a focus on federal courts. Topics include: due process standards for notice and for the timing, nature extent of deprivation procedures; the authority of a court to hear and resolve claims based on its power over a person (personal jurisdiction) and specific categories of claims that can be decided in federal court (subject matter jurisdiction); the priniciples concerning the application of state law in federal courts; rules for removing cases from state to federal court; and a survey of the Federal Rights of Civil Procedure including rules governing service of process, pleading, joinder of claims and parties, frivolous claims, discovery, pre-trial resolution of claims, jury selection and basic rules for civil trials, claim and issue preclusion, and post-trial procedures.
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LAW - 503 Constitutional Law
(4 hrs.)
The constitutional and statutory basis of federal courts, judicial review, and constitutional interpretation; the federal system; powers of national government; and rights against national and state governments.
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LAW - 504 Contracts
(4 hrs.)
The formation of simple and sealed contracts, offer and acceptance, misrepresentations and mistakes, consideration, third-party beneficiaries, the Statute of Frauds, contract interpretation, assignments, joint and several contracts, performance and excuse for nonperformance, conditions, impossibility of performance, illegality, discharge, and contract remedies.
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LAW - 507 Criminal Law
(3 hrs.)
Major problems of criminal law as a device for controlling socially undesirable behavior. Intended to give students working knowledge of the legal principles determining criminal liability in light of theories advanced to justify punishment and other methods of correction. Topics may include the nature of crime and its elements, sources of state and federal criminal law, common law and statutory offenses, combinations of persons in crime, defenses, and justifiable and excusable acts or omissions.
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LAW - 508 Criminal Procedure I
(3 hrs.)
Pretrial criminal procedure and constitutional limitations on the use of power under the Fourth, Fifth, and Fourteenth Amendments. Topics include arrest; search and seizure; police interrogation, confessions, lineups, and other pretrial identification procedures; use of informants; scope and administration of exclusionary rules; and the rights of indigent defendants to counsel, transcript, and other aids.
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LAW - 516 Legal Research & Writing I
(2 hrs.)
Students learn the fundamental lawyering skills of legal reasoning, analysis, writing, research, and introductory advocacy and are introduced to fundamental lawyering values. This is the first half of a four-credit, two-semester course that is taught intensively in a small group setting.
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LAW - 517 Legal Research & Writing II
(2 hrs.)
Students learn the fundamental lawyering skills of legal reasoning, analysis, writing, research, and introductory advocacy and are introduced to fundamental lawyering values. This is the second half of a four-credit, two-semester course that is taught intensively in a small group setting.
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LAW - 518 Property
(4 hrs.)
A survey of the law of real and personal property; possession and present and future estates in land; the relationship between owners of successive interests in land; transmission of ownership between living persons; and conveyancing.
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LAW - 522 Torts
(4 hrs.)
Tort law addresses claims for compensation for injuries to person or property due to a civil wrong other than a breach of contract. Torts law operates independently of the criminal justice system although some acions may be both a tort and a crime. Torts range from intentional battery, to slip-and-falls, to negligent driving. Torts include animal attacks, building collapses, auto accidents, product defects, and various kinds of malpractice, such as attorney malpractice and medical malpractice leading to tort damages. The course will introduce students to traditional and modern approaches to tort liability, including international torts, negligence, defamation, product liability, and strict liability.
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LAW - 550 Legal Ethics
(2 hrs.)
An examination of the ethical obligations of a lawyer, including a detailed analysis of the Model Code of Professional Responsibility and the Model Rules of Professional Conduct. The course may be taken as a 1L elective or as a 2L to satisfy the Professional Responsbility requirment. All JD students must successfully complete the course no later than spring of the 2L year.
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LLM Required Courses |
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LAW - 580 American Legal Institutions
(2 hrs)
Designed for foreign students in LLM programs, the course is a survey of the core substantive areas of American law and the legal profession in the United States. It also provides an overview of Anglo-American common law. (LLM only)
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LAW - 580L LL.M. Legal Research and Writing
(2 hrs)
Introduces students to American Legal Writing, providing practical knowledge of legal memoranda writing and research styles. The class is designed to develop skills that are necessary to function in the US legal system. Students learn to conduct substantive legal research, write well-reasoned memoranda, brief cases, and argue points of law.
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Elective Courses The law school makes all reasonable efforts to offer the following electives on a periodic basis but cannot guarantee that each course or seminar will be available to all students who wish to take it during their law school careers. More precise information on the courses and seminars that will be offered in a given semester, including those not listed here, is available from the registrar during the preregistration and general registration periods. |
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LAW - 504L U.S. Contracts
(3 hrs.)
This course is designed to provide a basic understanding of American contract law for LLM students. It assumes that students in the course already have a basic familiarity with contract law in their own jurisdictions. The course covers the core topics dealt with in the first-year J.D.-level contracts course, including the requirements for making a promise legally enforceable, defenses to liability on an otherwise legally-enforceable promise, the interpretation and implication of contract terms, issues of breach, conditions, and anticipatory repudiation, and legal and equitable remedies for breach of a promise.
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LAW - 581 U.S. Business Law
(3 hrs.)
Designed to provide foreign lawyers with an understanding of the U.S. business environment, this course covers basic concepts of business associations: agency, partnerships, corporations, and limited liability companies. Open only to LLM students who do not hold a U.S. JD degree
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LAW - 601 Administrative Law
(3 hrs.)
A study of the structure, powers, and processes of administrative agencies that are the source of much of our nation’s law. Topics include the delegation of power to agencies, the constitutional right to a hearing, agency procedures of adjudication and rule making, information law debates, judicial review of agencies, and administrative reform.
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LAW - 605 First Amendment Law
(4 hrs.)
The history and a contemporary interpretation of this amendment. Completes a survey of basic constitutional law begun in LAW-503.
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LAW - 606 U.S. Legal History I
(3 hrs.)
Explores the interaction of American law and society primarily from the Revolutionary War and New Republic era through post-Civil War reconstruction, with a brief introductory overview of colonial developments. Examines the origins, evolution, and impact of major constitutional, statutory, and private law developments in this period. Specific topics include changes in understanding and operation of basic constitutional rights; the evolving scope of governmental power and relationship between federal and state authority; legal promotion and regulation of American economic life, particularly through the development and application of property, tort, and contract law; the changing legal and social status and activity of women, African-Americans, and industrial workers; evolving ideas and practices regarding crime and criminals; and the history of the legal profession.
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LAW - 609 Trademark Law
(3 hrs.)
This course is designed to prepare students to practice trademark law in the U.S. The course will cover all of the topics that a practitioner will encounter including non-traditional marks, distinctiveness, priority, registration, infridgement, dilution, defenses, remedies, domain names, and right of publicity. Students will become familiar with the Trademark Act and be exposed to current issues in the law. Students will ultimately be able to critically evaluate both trademark protection strategies and trademark policy.
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Law - 610 U.S. Legal History II
(3 hrs.)
Explores the development of American legal doctrine and thought and its interaction with broader trends in society from post-Civil War Reconstruction to the present. Topics examined include constitutional law, private law, government regulation, and jurisprudence. U.S. Legal History I is not a prerequisite.
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LAW - 611 Business Associations
(4 hrs.)
The state laws governing business entities with an analysis of legal and business considerations, including basic tax questions leading to business associations in corporate and unincorporated form. Agency and judiciary principles applied to business associations are analyzed in relation to corporations and partnerships. Topics include the creation of general and limited partnerships; the relationship of the partners inter se, and of the partners and the partnership to third parties; the creation, form, and nature of the closely held corporation; rights and duties of shareholders, directors, and officers; rules relating to dividends and dissolution; and an introduction to applicable provisions of federal securities laws.
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LAW - 612 Securities Regulation
(3 hrs.)
The role of the federal securities law in relation to corporate issues; problems of financing; proxy solicitations; dealings in corporate stock; and reorganization and disclosure. Prerequisite: Business Associations (LAW-611).
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LAW - 613 Corporate Governance
(2 hrs.)
Topics in the continuing struggles of shareholders and stakeholders to participate more fully and effectively, and in a more informed manner, in directors’ and officers’ management of corporations. Special attention is given to social enterprises, to decision-making processes, and to drafting provisions of articles of incorporation, bylaws, governance guidelines, and board committee charters. Prerequisite: Business Associations (LAW-611).
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LAW - 616 Negotiable Instruments
(3 hrs.)
The course analyzes the applications of Uniform Commercial Code Articles 3, 4, and 4A to the movement and enforceability of notes (written promises to pay) and drafts (written orders to pay), including situations of sales, pledges, gifts, barter, fraud, theft, and windfall.
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LAW - 617 International Business and the Environment
(1, 3 hrs.)
The course examines international environmental law and the international aspects of U.S. environmental law as they pertain to international business. The course emphasizes the practical aspects of counseling clients in this emerging area of law. Topics may include the extraterritorial reach of U.S. environmental laws; international environmental litigation in U.S. courts; the implementation of environmental treaties; U.S. and international controls on the transboundary shipment of chemicals and hazardous waste; the environmental regulation of products and their supply chain; and the environmental guidelines that apply to international investments, including the World Bank Group’s environmental performance standards and the “Equitor Principles.” When offered for one (1) credit in the summer, the course will address selected current environmental topics facing transnational businesses.
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LAW - 618 International Environmental Law
(3 hrs.)
This course takes a multi-dimensional approach to how international environmental law is practiced “in the field” - in government, business, and non-governmental organizations. The class addresses the international response to contemporary environmental challenges, including climate change, ozone depletion, the loss of wildlife and biological diversity, and transboundary impacts from air and water pollution. The course explores the international environmental law in the context of the global effort to achieve sustainable development, introducing critical linkages with human rights, international trade and international finance.
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LAW - 619 Comparative Law
(3 hrs.)
An examination of various legal traditions (e.g., common law, civil law, traditional law, and religious law) through the identification of similarities and differences among them using inter alia, an approach that shows how common problems are solved in the practices of the legal cultures involved. Participants develop a general theoretical framework for comparison and a better understanding of their own legal culture.
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LAW - 620 International Humanitarian Law
(3 hrs.)
A study of international principles and rules regulating the conduct of international and other armed conflicts; the historical development of restraints on armed conflict; the distinction between rules governing recourse to armed coercion and those governing the conduct of armed hostilities; the protections afforded by the 1949 Geneva Conventions and the 1977 Protocols to combatants and noncombatants, including civilians, POWs, the wounded, and the sick; the role of the International Committee of the Red Cross; and human rights issues.
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LAW - 621 Conflict of Laws
(3 hrs.)
Considers the rules applicable in private law where at least one of the operative facts in the case is connected with some state or country other than the one in which the suit is brought. The areas examined include torts, contracts, property, commercial law, administration of estates, and family law. The course also considers the recognition and enforcement of judgments of sister states and foreign countries. Generally, we will look at some fascinating intellectual puzzles that state and federal courts confront on a daily basis.
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LAW - 623 Copyright
(3 hrs.)
An examination of the legal protection afforded the fruits of literary and creative endeavor, the Federal Copyright Act of 1976, the nature of copyright protection, types of works covered, mechanisms of securing protection, and procedures for enforcement. Topics include the history of copyright; the relationship of copyright to other forms of protection for intellectual property; and the interaction between new technologies, including data processing and copyright law.
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LAW - 624 International Business Taxation
(3 hrs.)
An introduction to U.S. taxation of U.S. and foreign persons engaged in international activities. Topics include U.S. jurisdiction to tax, tax treaties, allocation of income, transfer pricing, foreign tax credits, etc. We will discuss the recent changes in legislation pertaining to U.S. international tax rules under the JOBS Act of 2004. The goal of the class is to provide an overview of the relevant law, giving due respect to its complexity and the policies underlying it, and to identify and tackle the types of issues that most frequently arise.
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LAW - 625 Corporate Bankruptcy
(2 hrs.)
This course covers: the legal requirements and procedures under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code; competing interests, dynamics, and strategies involved in a reorganization case; assembly of a reorganization plan; and issues of trust, fairness, stability/continuity, flexibility, and redemption. Prerequisite: Business Associations (LAW-611).
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LAW - 626 Human Rights Law
(3 hrs.)
The purpose of this class is to provide an overview of current international human rights law and the mechanisms for its implementation and enforcement. First the course will focus on the general principles of international human rights law. Second students study the functioning of the universal human rights system (United Nations) and the regional human rights systems. They then concentrate on the normative foundation of international human rights law through the study of a selected group of rights, including the rights to life, women’s rights, and economic, social and cultural rights. Finally, in the fifth segment, regarding international criminal law we will discuss the jurisdiction of international criminal tribunals, and the role of national institutions in dealing with past human rights violations.
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LAW - 627 Bankruptcy & Creditors’ Rights
(3 hrs.)
Creditors’ rights, remedies, legal and equitable process in the enforcement of judgments, the Bankruptcy Code, the concomitant Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure, and review and study of cases illustrating the practical application of the Bankruptcy Code and the Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure.
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LAW - 628 Criminal Procedure II
(3 hrs.)
Advanced study in the commencement of formal proceedings, the adversary system, and trial. Topics include bail; decision whether to prosecute; grand jury; preliminary hearing; speedy trial; joinder and severance; coerced, induced, and negotiated guilty pleas; discovery and jury trial; and double jeopardy. Prerequisite: Criminal Procedure I (LAW-508).
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LAW - 629 Environmental Law
(3 hrs.)
This course surveys U.S. federal environmental law, including legislation, regulations, and case law requiring environmental impact assessments, regulating air and water pollution, controlling toxic substances and hazardous wastes, remediating contaminated sites, and protecting endangered species. The course will explore the legal doctrine as well as the scientific, political, and economic context shaping contemporary environmental issues. Statutes studied may include the National Environmental Policy Act, the Endangered Species Act, the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, the Resouce Conservation and Recovery Act, and the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (Superfund).
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LAW - 630 Energy Law
(3 hrs.)
The course explores the U.S. federal law relating to the development, pricing, regulation, and delivery of energy resources, including oil, gas, coal, electricity, and nuclear energy.
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LAW - 633 Evidence
(4 hrs.)
The law governing the proof of disputed issues of fact, functions of the court and jury, competence and examination of witnesses, standards of relevancy, privileged communications, illegal evidence, hearsay rule, best evidence rule, parol evidence rule, presumptions, and judicial notice.
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LAW - 635 National Security Law
(2 hrs.)
This class will explore and analyze cutting-edge issues in national security law, ranging from surveillance and debates about encryption, hate speech, and use of social media, to law enforcement access to data that cross-cuts national borders.
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LAW - 635B National Security Law: Surveillance and Secrecy
(2 hrs.)
The role of lawyers in national security has never been more important, nor more challenging. As intelligence organizations develop measures to protect the nation’s security from ever-changing threats, they run the risk of undermining the nation’s core values. This course examines the complex legal framework that governs how the U.S. government conducts surveillance and protects secrecy, and explores the tensions that arise from the corresponding need to protect privacy and ensure accountability.
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LAW - 636 Family Law
(3 hrs.)
An overview of the definitions of family, marriage, and divorce; the economic consequences of divorce; child placement; constitutional doctrine affecting the family; state intervention in the family; and the impact of gender on family law.
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LAW - 637 Domestic Violence Law
(2 -3 hrs.)
Explores historical, anthropological, sociological, psychological, and legal aspects of battering. Topics include criminal law and process, family law, and alternative dispute resolution. Considers the historical, social, and cross-cultural context of domestic violence; social and legal reform efforts on behalf of battered women; battered women who kill their batterers; and theory and practice regarding battered women.
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LAW - 639A Taxation of Business Entities
(3 hrs.)
An examination of cases and materials pertaining to the Internal Revenue Code as applied to business entities, focusing on corporations and passthroughs (e.g., partnerships). Topics include, but are not limited to, the tax consequences related to formation, operation, and liquidation of entities and distributions by entities. Does not fulfill the upper-level writing requirement. Prerequisite: LAW-647, Federal Personal Income Tax
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LAW - 640 Health Law
(3-4 hrs.)
This course covers the law of health care delivery and financing in the United States with a focus on improving the quality of and access to health care while controlling costs and ensuring respect for individual autonomy and dignity. Topics include: civil liability of health care providers and payers; regulatory and market-based approaches to improving the quality of health care delivery; legal obligations of individual and institutional health care providers to provide care regardless of ability to pay; regulation of private health insurers and self-insuring employers; and Medicare and Medicaid eligibility, coverage, administration, payment, and appeals.
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LAW - 641 American Indian Law
(3 hrs.)
Analyzes and challenges assumptions underlying the major themes in Indian law: that Indian tribes are not juridical entities in international law because their sovereignty is dependent on the United States government; that Indian tribal people have a ward-guardian relationship with the government arising from this dependent status; and that Indian tribal property is justifiably treated differently from other property. In addition to sources of federal law dealing with Indians, the class will examine tribal court opinions and the developing international law regarding rights of indigenous peoples.
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LAW - 642 Entertainment Law
(3 hrs.)
Examines entertainment industry contracts, the entertainment industry, and related noncontract law.
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LAW - 643 Federal Courts
(4 hrs.)
Focuses on the history, organization, jurisdiction, and operation of federal courts. Topics include the role of courts, as counter-majoritarian institutions, in protecting democratic rights.
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LAW - 646 International and Comparative Trademark Law
(3 hrs.)
This course concerns the international system regulating the protection of trademark rights. It focuses on the principal international conventions in the field of trademarks, but students will also look at select regional and bilateral agreements. The course considers jurisdictional issues, anti-dilution, geographical indication protection, domain names and the protection of famous marks. Students will also consider comparative trademark law for particular issues. Prerequisite: Trademark Law (LAW-609) or an intellectual property law course with sufficient coverage of trademark law.
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LAW - 647 Federal Personal Income Tax
(4 hrs.)
An examination of cases and materials pertaining to the Internal Revenue Code as applied to individuals.
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LAW - 648 Food and Drug Law
(2-3 hrs.)
This course concerns the responsibilities of the Food and Drug Administration generally and focuses intensively on its regulation of food and drugs in particular. It also explores issues in administrative law and statutory interpretation.
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LAW - 654A Government Contracts: Formation
(2 hrs.)
Students will receive an overview of the procurement rules and principles governing the formation of US federal contracts. Course objectives include providing students a working knowledge of government contract law and policy applicable to sealed bids, negotiated procurements, simplified acquisitions, overseas contracts, and the forums for challenging federal procurements.
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LAW - 654B Government Contracts: Performance
(2 hrs.)
This course will provide students with an overview of the rules and principles governing the performance of federal contracts. Course objectives including providing students with an understanding of the role of government contractors, the allocation of risks that form the basis for government contract clauses and interpretation and the impact of changes in government contracts. In addition, the course will cover the rights and requirements that apply to government contractors performing government contracts and the government entity receiving the benefit of the contract.
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LAW - 655 Immigration and Naturalization Law
(3-4 hrs.)
The U.S. immigration system; numerical limitations and exceptions; preference immigrants; labor certifications; temporary workers; treaty investors; business visitors; foreign students; exchange aliens; visa procedures; documents; exclusion and deportation; pardons; judicial recommendations against deportations; waivers; adjustment of status to permanent resident; U.S. citizenship through parents; naturalizations; and loss of citizenship.
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LAW - 656 Asylum and Refugee Law
(3 hrs.)
Explores law, moral obligations, and national sovereignty, and the ways in which the interplay of these forces results in the making of U.S. asylum law and policy. Topics include review of the debate over the causes of refugees, the evolution of international legal refugee protection, and the extent to which Congress sought to make U.S. asylum law comport with U.S. international obligations. The course provides an understanding of the policy considerations underlying asylum law, review and critique of prevailing asylum law, and litigation issues in asylum removal proceedings and on appeal.
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LAW - 657 International Trade Law I
(3 hrs.)
This course analyzes the U.S. and multilateral legal regime (WTO) for regulating international trade in goods, services and intellectual property. The course begins with a brief introduction of international trade theory. It then examines the U.S. constitutional aspects of international economic relations and the legal structure of the WTO and the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT). It next analyzes specific aspects of international trade regulation, including tariffs, quotas, and non-tariff barriers; the most-favored-nation obligation; free trade areas and customs unions; national treatment obligation; trade and environmental policies; escape clauses, safeguards; and adjustment policies; dumping; subsidies and countervailing duties; and U.S. retaliation against “unfair” trade practices.
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LAW - 659 European Union Law
(3 hrs.)
This class introduces basic concepts in European Union Law, focusing on institutions with a prominent focus on the CJEU adjudication process.
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LAW - 659A European Union Law: Policy and Diplomacy
(2 hrs.)
This is a basic course intended to introduce students to the law and institutions of the European Union (EU). The EU is an organization which began as the European Coal and Steel Community of six states in 1952, but which has greatly expanded in both its membership and the scope of its activities since then. There are currently twenty-seven member states with applications for membership pending from several others, including candidate states such as Turkey, Croatia and FYROM (Macedonia). The scope of the EU’s powers, which are shared with member states in a set of arrangements even more complex than that of the US’s ‘marble-cake federalism’, ranges from core market-integration and market-liberalization activities to the growing field of ‘justice and home affairs’ (including immigration, policing, criminal and civil law coordination) and even to aspects of foreign affairs and defense. The law of the EU, a complex edifice which has been constructed alongside and over the law of its member states, comprises a vast and detailed body of treaties, case law and regulation of every kind. For instance, in the aftermath of the European financial crisis there are newly created measures designed to reinforce the architecture of the economic and monetary Union while creating a new “fiscal compact” under which countries in the euro zone are bound to write a ‘golden rule’ on balanced budget into their national constitution with automatic correction mechanisms if the law is breached. Any introductory course will necessarily be very selective, and this course provides simply a first look at the EU. The course aims primarily to provide an entry point into the study of this unique political arrangement which, despite the various labels - superstate, federation, international organization - which are sometimes used to describe it, continues to defy ready categorization.
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LAW - 660 International Law
(3 hrs.)
The rules governing the conduct of states inter se and their relations with individuals and legal entities; jurisdictional concepts; the status, application, and litigation of international law rules in U.S. courts; sovereign’s immunity; recognition; international agreements; the Law of the Sea; human rights; and international claims and adjudications.
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LAW - 661 International Business Transactions
(3 hrs.)
International Business Transactions (IBT) provides students with a basic introduction to how the U.S. and international legal systems engage in international business transactions. After providing some introductory concepts involving international law and lawyering, the bulk of the course offers an introductory survey to multiple forms of international commerical transactions. While no single transaction is covered in great depth on the merits, the survey offers introduces a broad array of cross-border transactions. The types of transactions that may be covered in IBT include: international sale of goods, letters of credit, agents and distributors, licensing agreements, and forms of international investment, including joint ventures, mergers and acquisitions, concession agreements, and international lending.
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LAW - 662 International Organizations: Law of the United Nations
(2 hrs.)
This course examines the law and selected policy issues relating to international organizations (IOs), focusing almost exclusively on the United Nations and placing particular emphasis on the United Nations Security Councils response to situations that present a threat to peace and security.
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LAW - 662S United Nations Human Rights System
(2 hrs.)
The course explores a range of issues arising under the existing Charter-based and treaty-based human rights procedures and mechanisms created by the United Nations. In the first section, the course will review the role of the United Nations Human Rights Council and the mechanisms and procedures created by the Council to assess the respect of human rights in all the state members of the United Nations. In the first section, the course reviews the role of the United Nations Human Rights Council and the mechanisms and procedures created by the Council to assess the respect of human rights in all the sate member of the United Nations. The course focuses on the functioning of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) process and questions of its effectiveness. Also includes detailed analysis of the role and work played by the Special Procedures comprised of special rapporteurs, special representatives, independent experts and working groups that monitor, examine, advice and publicly report on over-arching thematic issues or human rights situations in specific countries. In the second section, the course examines questions of existing human rights treaties and obligations of state parties to those instruments. Special attention is given to procedural aspects of the functioning of the supervisory bodies created by the human rights treaties to monitor state compliance, including the state reporting system and the individual petition system. Finally, the course will explore recent decisions of the United Nations human rights supervisory bodies and their impact on the protection of human rights within the domestic jurisdiction of states.
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LAW - 663 Jurisprudence
(3 hrs.)
Concentrates on the linkage between theory and practice in legal reasoning, legal education, and judicial decision making with the aim of demonstrating connections to philosophy and social theory. Theories are applied to particular cases both in class and in written assignments.
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LAW - 664 Employment and Labor Law
(3 hrs.)
Examines the legal issues that arise at various stages of the employment relationship. The course begins by considering the history of employment and labor law and the current economic, demographic, and technological developments that are changing the way work is organized and creating new challenges for the law. Following this introduction, students systematically proceed through the issues that arise in hiring; regulating the terms and conditions of employment during the employment relationship; and discharge and termination.
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LAW - 667 Cyber Law
(3 hrs.)
This class is a survey of legal issues that impact individuals, businesses, and public entities in their use of the Internet and related digital technologies. It addresses questions such as: (1) Whose law(s) apply to Internet conduct? (2) When can governments regulate online speech? (3) What are the rules that apply to social media and other providers of services on the Internet? (4) How should we understand cybersecurity risk and mitigate it through law? (5) What is the current state of privacy law? (6) How does the law regulate cryptocurrencies and other forms of digital property? and (7) What is artificial intelligence and how does or should the law regulate its use?
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LAW - 668 Employment Discrimination
(3 hrs.)
A survey of the major federal statutes prohibiting discrimination in the workplace, with special emphasis on practical problems encountered in litigation. The primary focus is on Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and race discrimination. Discrimination on the basis of age, sex, national origin, or handicap will also be considered. Topics include statutory scope and coverage, establishing liability, defenses, remedies, affirmative action, and enforcement procedures.
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LAW - 670 Intellectual Property Law
(2-3 hrs.)
Examines the fundamental policies animating intellectual property jurisprudence and the extent to which “intellectual property” is “property.” The course explores the underlying policy goals and conflicts internal and external to intellectual property. It also considers the responsibilities of various intellectual property agencies and courts and the relationship between state and federal governments, including the extent to which the efforts of state judges and legislatures to regulate intellectual products might be preempted by federal law. Primary emphasis is on the interrelations of all intellectual property protections; however, students also will study the basic principles and legal rules governing idea protection, the right of publicity, trade secrets, unfair competition, copyrights, trademarks, and patents. In addition, the course treats important areas of proprietary rights such as dilution and moral rights. No technical background is expected or required.
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LAW - 671 Land Transfer and Finance
(3 hrs.)
Examines the real estate transaction and conveyancing process; real estate brokers and listing agreements, tort and contract liabilities, fiduciary duties, and entitlement to commissions; the Statute of Frauds; contracts of sale; down payments and deposits, contingency clauses, risk of loss provisions, time for performance, attorney review clauses, marketable title provisions, and contract remedies; deeds: short- and long-form deeds, legal descriptions, canons of construction, and title covenants and warranties; escrows: agreements and instructions, procedures, and agency duties; title assurance: title searches, recordings acts, abstractors’ certificates, title insurance policies, state statutes promoting the marketability of titles, curative statutes, and Torrens Acts. Also examines mortgages, deeds of trust, and land finance: the loan underwriting and appraisal process, loan commitments, the secondary market for mortgages, alternative mortgage instruments, and mortgage substitutes; mortgage notes: prepayment covenants, transfer of the note and mortgage; defaults and acceleration of debt; the right to reinstate and redeem the debt, receivers and other pre-foreclosure, real estate bankruptcies, loan workouts, and the environmental law aspects of real estate transfer and finance.
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LAW - 672 Business, Finance, & Accounting for Lawyers
(2 hrs.)
Basic accounting principles, role and responsibilities of the independent auditor, expectations of users of financial statements, recognition and realization, valuation, timing of costs, leases, delineation of creditors’ and stockholders’ rights, necessity for disclosures, concepts of materiality and role of the SEC in accounting law.
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LAW - 673 Remedies
(3 hrs.)
Basic principles in damages, equity, and restitution. Application of those principles to torts and breach of contracts.
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LAW - 674 Law of Professional Sports
(2 hrs.)
An introduction to legal and business aspects of the sports industry. The course will examine the structure of professional sports, including the interrelationship of leagues, clubs, and individual athletes and their representatives. Antitrust, labor, and contract law principles will be discussed, as will practical aspects of practicing law in the professional sports industry. Topics also will include negotiating and drafting contracts and ethical considerations in representing the professional athlete.
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LAW - 677S International Arbitration and Choice-of-Law Issues
(1 hr.)
Focuses on choice-of-law problems observed by international arbitrators when resolving disputes as viewed from the perspective of the general theory of conflict-of-laws (private international law).Addresses the organization of the ICC Court and its Secretariat and main aspects of the ICC rules of Arbitration. Students also analyze specific ICC cases to discover how procedural and substantive law issues are dealt with in practice in ICC arbitration.
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LAW - 679 International Investment Law
(2-3 hrs.)
This course will explore important concepts and issues in foreign and international law relating to international investment. International investment is an increasingly powerful force for economic growth and development throughout the world. While economic forces are the essential drivers of international investment, they are not the only factors that influence it. Legal rules and institutions also affect international investment flows. Law determines whether and how investments may be made in a particular country, the nature of the respective rights of investors and host country governments, the means by which governments and investors may adjust their legal relationships to changing circumstances, and the processes they may use to resolve their investment disputes. Lawyers therefore play key roles in the undertaking, management and protection of international investments. The law of international investment derives from three basic legal frameworks: (1) national laws, both of the host country and the investor’s home country; (2) contacts, whether between investors and host governments or among investors; and (3) international law, consisting of applicable treaties, customs, and general legal principles developed by states. These three legal frameworks from the basic structure for the course. FRANCK: International investment is a powerful force with implications for economic growth, development, global governance, and political economy. The legal rules, frameworks, and institutions governing international investment derive from core doctrinal sources including: contacts and commerical arrangements (whether between investors and host governments or among investors), national law governing international investment activity; international law, including the network of over 3,000 treaties governing international investment, custom, general principles of law, and international tribunals; soft law and other instruments derived from international organizations; and policy considerations. Within that legal and policy context, this course explores: the historical evolution of international investment law, the current framework of how states, investors, advocates and adjudicators interact; and the potential future for international investment law as it seeks to draw an appropriate balance among stakeholder interests.
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LAW - 680 Election Law: American Political Process
(3 hrs.)
Examines federal constitutional and statutory law governing the American political process. The purpose of the course is to define the basic constitutional principles of the American democratic system, master the essential rules of federal campaign and election law, and describe different potential theories of democracy as they have emerged in American legal history. Topics include the right to vote, legislative apportionment, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, political party primaries and procedures, ballot access and candidate qualifications, the Voting Rights Act of 1982, campaign finance and campaign speech and their relationship to the First Amendment, political action committees (PACs), political broadcasting, media access, and political patronage.
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LAW - 681 International Wildlife and Biodiversity Law
(1-3 hrs.)
The course surveys the major international agreements addressing protection of wildlife and biological diversity, including efforts aimed at: conserving iconic species such as whales, elephants, and sea turtles from overharvesting; protecting critical habitats such as rainforests and coral reefs; and creating a global framework for responding to the general decline of the world’s natural heritage of biological diversity. When offered for one (1) credit in the summer, the course will address selected current environmental topics facing businesses in either the domestic or international context.
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LAW - 685 Oil and Gas Law
(2 hrs.)
The course will provide an overview of oil and gas law, from its traditional roots in the common law of property and contract to more recent developments in administrative law and regulations. The course will introduce students to the topics involved with the practice of oil and gas law, with an eye toward preparing for an oil and gas section of a bar exam (e.g., Texas). In addition to traditional issues such as surface management, drainage, royalties, and the oil and gas lease, the course will consider modern-day complexities posed by exploration in the eastern United States, offshore drilling, and hydralic fracturing. Students will explore the shift in the law solely from a focus on production to a concern for safety and the environment.
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LAW - 688 Patent Law
(3 hrs.)
Provides an introduction to issues of legal protection and incentives for technological innovation, focusing on the federal Patent Act, federal court decisions, Patent Office rules, and relevant provisions of international patent law treaties. Specific topics include the history and philosophic underpinnings of American patent law; why people seek patents and the economics of inventive activities; the patent application process; substantive requirements for obtaining patents; how patents are enforced; licensing of patented inventions and antitrust law considerations; and international patent protection.
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LAW - 690 Education Law
(3 hrs.)
Examines elementary and secondary education. The initial focus is the power of the state to compel a child to attend school and the constitutional and statutory framework within which the state regulates schooling. The course examines the educational opportunities an individual is entitled to receive from the state as embodied in federal and state constitutions and statutes. Concepts of equal education opportunity; equal resources; equal treatment regardless of race, sex, or handicap; and equal outcomes are analyzed. Uses and misuses of social science research in shaping legal outcomes also are examined.
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LAW - 690A Higher Education Law
Higher Education law is a fast-growing and dynamic field of law in a global industry with over 3000 attorneys representing public and private schools in the U.S. This course examines the laws applicable to higher education institutions in the United States and explores important state and federal court decisions as well as trends in the law. The course is designed to acquaint law students with an overview of legal liability in the college and university setting and explores decision making in the higher education environment. Areas examined include: Governance, structure, and history of higher education law; Faculty, administrator, and student rights; Higher education financing, land use, and taxation; Research, contracts, and intellectual property; Athletics, student activities, and services. Approved to be taught online
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LAW - 691 Sex-Based Discrimination
(3 hrs.)
The application of the Constitution, Title VII, Title IX, and the Equal Pay Act to discrimination against men and women; historic, social, economic, and psychological factors.
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LAW - 692 Antitrust Law
(3-4 hrs.)
Examines the laws that protect consumers by ensuring competition in the marketplace. Topics include agreements among rivals, agreements between firms and their suppliers and customers, monopolization, mergers, and antitrust and the “new economy.” The course goes beyond Supreme Court case law to study influential modern lower court decisions and government enforcement guidelines. Although economic concepts and thinking characteristic of contemporary antitrust analysis are integrated throughout, the economic content of the course is accessible to students without background in that field.
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LAW - 697 Wills, Trusts, and Estates
(4 hrs.)
Case and statutory law regarding trusts and wills; the creation and termination of trusts; contemporary use of the trust device; constructional problems of trusts; the making and execution of wills; testamentary capacity, character, and intent; revocation, ademption, abatement, and lapse; and property rights of surviving spouse.
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LAW - 709B Consumer Financial Services Law
(2 hrs.)
Acquaints students with the primary laws and rules governing consumer financial services, the agencies with jurisdiction over these laws and supervisory powers over the financial providers, and the process by which these laws are enacted, interpreted and enforced. The consumer financial services industry is a large part of the American economy, with new products frequently introduced and constantly emerging methods of distribution, including e-commerce and social media.
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LAW - 711 Mergers and Acquisitions
(3 hrs.)
The application of the federal securities laws and state corporation laws to takeovers of corporations, mergers, tender offers, proxy contests, and open market and privately negotiated acquisitions of corporate control. Also includes an examination of the Williams Act and cases thereunder relating to third-party acquisitions of control; issuer repurchase programs; issuer tender offers; going private transactions; and fiduciary duties of incumbent management during takeovers. Current trends and techniques in takeover practice are emphasized. Prerequisites: Business Associations (LAW-611) and Securities Regulation (LAW-612).
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LAW - 719A Health Law: Legislative and Regulatory Process
(2 hrs.)
This course focuses on legal analysis and problem-solving in one of the most active and controversial public policy areas: health care. While policy details and substantive law will be an important part of the course, its primary goal is for students to understand the legislative and regulatory processes by which health policy is made and implemented and to prepare them to effectively advocate a particular policy position in those settings.The course will focus on understanding the rules governing the legislative and regulatory processes, developing analytical skills to understand the costs, benefits, and trade-offs of particular policy decisions, and understanding the political and legal dynamics of legislation and agency rulemaking. Students will apply these tools to current policy debates in health care law and policy.
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LAW - 724 Banking & Financial Institutions: U.S. Regulations
2-3 Hrs.
This course surveys the basic laws, regulations and policies that constitute U.S. banking regulation. In the context of the recent international financial crisis, the course will also examine government reaction to address the perceived weaknesses in the U.S. financial regulatory system, as well as the impact of the landmark Dodd-Frank Act financial reform legislation.
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LAW - 727 Banking & Financial Institutions: International Regulations
(2 hrs.)
The legal aspects of foreign exchange, eurodollars, international loan agreements, letters of credit, and aspects of U.S. and foreign banking supervision.
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LAW - 730 Land Use Regulation
(2 hrs.)
The law of land use controls: Euclidian zoning, the role of the comprehensive plan, the urban planning process, variances, special exceptions, subdivision regulations, rezoning, nonconforming uses, growth controls, exclusionary zoning, inclusionary zoning remedies, civil rights challenges to zoning, permit moratoria, aesthetic zoning, historic districts, historic preservation, takings, inverse condemnation, due process challenges to zoning, and vested rights in zoning. The practice part of this course involves student presentations, moot court style, of several land use cases in simulated form before a hearing examiner.
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LAW - 749 White Collar Crime
(3 hrs.)
An examination of the substantive law of white-collar crime, as well as the practice, procedure, and strategy concerning federal white-collar criminal investigations and prosecutions. Topics include the definition of and theory behind white-collar crime; investigative techniques used to combat white-collar crime; grand jury law and practice; prosecutorial discretion; plea bargaining; grants of immunity, entrapment, privileges, and other common defenses; charging decisions and drafting of indictments; sentencing and the goals of punishment; and substantive law topics including conspiracy, mail and wire fraud, bribery and public corruption, false statements, perjury, obstruction of justice, computer and Internet fraud, and money laundering.
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LAW - 750 Special Education Law
(3 hrs.)
Teaches how to resolve disputes arising under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) through mediation and due process procedures. Current issues in special education law are analyzed. These include the definition of an appropriate education and the concept of least restrictive environment (LRE).
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LAW - 789 International Commercial Arbitration: U.S. and Comparative Perspectives
(3 hrs.)
Analysis of the practical legal problems that arise in the arbitration of international commercial disputes. Drafting of arbitration agreements, selection of arbitral procedures and forums, and enforcement of arbitral awards as they arise under both domestic law (in U.S. and other major arbitration forums) and international law.
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LAW - 789S Introduction to the Practice of International Commercial Arbitration
(1 hr.)
designed as an introduction to the general theory and practice of international arbitration. The course includes an overview of the different institutions and rules of arbitration, institutional and ad-hoc arbitration, when to arbitrate and when to litigate, how to draft an arbitration clause, jurisdiction and powers of the arbitration tribunal, regulation of the arbitration process and enforcement of arbitral awards from a theoretical standpoint. The course also provides an introduction to the New York Convention on Recognition and Enforcement of Arbitral Awards.
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LAW - 805 Law of Information Privacy
(2 hrs.)
This weekly two-hour seminar will critically examine cutting-edge information privacy law issues. Topics to be addressed include digital surveillance, the privacy implications of social networking technologies, consumer privacy, cloud computing, online behavioral advertising, and the role of anonymity in a networked world. We will compare and contrast existing legal frameworks for privacy protection in the U.S. and abroad, and we will discuss emerging privacy paradigms. We also will examine the nexus between privacy and information security through discussions of encryption, authentication, data breaches, and cybersecurity.
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LAW - 807 Mediation: Theory and Practice
(1 hr.)
The course is based on the principles of commercial mediation used by neutrals at JAMS. The curriculum revolves around a structure of phases that occur in nearly every mediation. Each phase will be examined and discussed, and then workshop participants will take on the roles of mediators and advocates and actively take part in that phase of the mediation process. They will receive expert coaching advice along the way. In addition, the course will touch on issues associated with building a practice, with ethical codes and guidelines, with international growth in the field, and more.
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LAW - 808 International Business and Human Rights
(2 hrs.)
Examines the policies underlying various regulations of transnational business practices designed to promote respect for internationally protected human rights and explores potential conflicts between those policies and corporate business objectives. Students also analyze the appropriate limits of restrictions on overseas corporate practices.
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