2019-2020 [ARCHIVED CATALOG]
Course Descriptions
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Elective Seminars 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 - 828 Space Law and Satellite Communication Seminar
(3 hrs.)
Provides an overview of international and U.S. domestic law applicable to satellite communications, satellite remote sensing, launch vehicles, the space station, and other space projects. The focus is on international treaty interpretation, domestic licensing procedures for satellites and launch vehicles, launch service agreements, and satellite procurement contracts.
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LAW - 829 Trade and the Environment
(2, 3 hrs.)
This course explores the legal issues arising from the interplay between international trade law and domestic and international environmental law. Topics include the trade-related limits on environmental regulations, the use of trade measures to enforce environmental standards under both international and domestic law, limits on environmental subsidies, and a review of trade-and-environment case law under the World Trade Organization and the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). The course may also explore environment-related decisions in international investment agreements. When taught for two (2) credits in the summer, the course will focus on regional trade issues in the Americas, including NAFTA.
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LAW - 830 Design Protection
(1 hr)
This concentrated survey will cover the protection of fashion design and industrial design (from furniture to graphical user interface) by means of intellectual property law (namely design patent, trademark, trade dress, and copyright law). This course will focus on existing protections in U.S. law, but we will also look at legislative proposals for additional protections (mostly in fashion) and make comparisons to the protection systems in other jurisdictions. English
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LAW - 832 Intellectual Property Practice at the U.S. International Trade Commission
(2 hrs)
IP at the USITC examines the unique procedural and substantive issues that distinguish ITC IP investigations from litigation in US district courts. Taught by active ITC practitioners, the course seeks to provide practical litigation exercises. Students must take LAW 501 Civil Procedureor LAW 580 Introduction to American Legal Institutionsand at least one of the following classes prior to enrolling in this course:LAW 670 Intellectual Property Policy and Law, LAW 688 Patent Law, or LAW 609 U.S. Trademark Law. Other courses in International and Comparative IP and courses from the PIJIP summer sessions may also fulfill this requirement. English
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LAW - 833 Trademark Practice and Procedure
(1 hr)
This course teaches students to apply their knowledge of trademark law to real-world trademark issues faced by trademark practitioners. Students will learn best practices for reviewing trademark clearance searches and preparing written clearance opinions, prosecuting applications and maintaining registrations, enforcing rights in a trademark through cease and-desist letter campaigns and other dispute strategies, and litigating trademark cases before the United States Patent and Trademark Office’s Trademark Trial and Appeal Board and the courts.
Students must take LAW 609 U.S. Trademark Law prior to enrolling in this course. English
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LAW - 834 Public Health Law
(2-3 hrs.)
This course examines the legal powers and duties of the state to ensure the conditions required for people to be healthy. Students will also study individual rights and structural constraints as limitations on the power of the state to act in furtherance of the common good. Through case studies and simulations on topics such as sexually transmitted infections, antibiotic resistance, tobacco- and alcohol-related illness, unhealthy diet and physical inactivity, exposure to environmental hazards, opioid overdose, motor vehicle and firearm fatalities, natural disasters, and infectious disease outbreaks, students will engage in study direct regulation, deregulation, tort liability, taxation, and spending as tools for promotion of population health, community wellbeing, and health equity.
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LAW - 835 International ADR: Global Sovereign Disputes Practicum
(3 hrs)
This course provides a series of practicums that allow students to understand and master the theoretical, practical, and strategic problems presented when a U.S. company becomes embroiled in a dispute with a foreign sovereign entity. Based upon a simulated fact-pattern with discrete modules, the course addresses the substantive and procedural aspects of resolving legal disputes with foreign states in various fora, including domestic courts, commercial and investment arbitration, and mediation. Students must take LAW 614 Alternative Dispute Resolution, LAW 661 International Business Transactions, LAW 675 Transnational Litigation, LAW 679 International Investment Law, LAW 789 International Commercial Arbitration: U.S. and Comparative Perspectives, LAW 972 Bilateral Investment Treaty Arbitrationbefore enrolling in this course. Taking this course without any of the co-requisites or pre-requisites requires permission of the instructors or WCL full-time arbitration faculty. English
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LAW - 836 Computer Crime
(2 hrs.)
Explores the legal issues that judges, legislators, and prosecutors are beginning to confront as they respond to the recent explosion in computer-related crime. In particular, students consider how crimes in cyberspace will challenge traditional approaches to the investigation and prosecution of crimes that have evolved from our experience with crimes in physical space. Topics include the Fourth Amendment in cyberspace, the law of electronic surveillance, computer hacking, computer viruses, encryption, on-line economic espionage and intellectual property protection, cyber-terrorism, federal-state relations in the enforcement of computer crime laws, and civil liberties on-line.
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LAW - 838 American Courts: Structure, People, Processes, Politics
(2 hrs.)
Explores the factors that shape trial and appellate courts. These factors are of major public policy interest to all lawyers and of direct practical interest to lawyers who anticipate working in the courts temporarily as law clerks or regularly as litigators. The seminar examines court organization and structure, including court personnel; the judicial selection process and roles of executive officials, legislators, political parties, the bar, judges, and would-be judges; and the ethical rules that govern judges and mechanisms for dealing with judicial disability and misbehavior. It also considers the public and private sources of education for (and influence of) judges about basic aspects of judging as well as complex scientific and technical matters, the processes and politics of adopting and amending rules of procedure, and other such topics.
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LAW - 842 Transnational Crime and the State
(2 hrs)
Through seminar discussion, students examine transnational crime and its effect on the state. Reading assignments differ so students are exposed to the variety of material (U.S., foreign, and international) that supports this specialization. Discussion culminates in a mock intergovernmental forum to propose recommendations for future action. Throughout the semester, students also conduct independent research on topics of their choice, which they then present at the conclusion of the course.
None. Students must takeLAW 508 Criminal Procedure Iprior to enrolling in thsi course. None. English
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LAW - 850 International Criminal Law
(3 hrs.)
Surveys both substantive and procedural aspects of international and transnational criminal law. Examines historical origins as well as contemporary trends in the development of international crimes. Identifies the elements of major offenses including piracy, slavery, drug trafficking, terrorism, war crimes, environmental pollution, money laundering, genocide, and aircraft hijacking and explores the incorporation of international criminal law in domestic codes. Students examine the jurisdictional and enforcement responsibilities of international, transnational, and national agencies and tribunals. An overview of international and national enforcement mechanisms and techniques and of the procedures affecting the rights of offenders and victims is included. Prerequisite: Criminal Law (LAW-507).
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LAW - 853 Advanced Energy Law
(3 hrs)
This seminar studies current energy law topics - topics that are at the forefront of public policy and debate. It focuses on the modern legislative and regulatory framework, and how federal and state regulators and policy leaders work cooperatively - or uncooperatively - to balance economic, environmental, and societal values. English
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LAW - 854 International Energy Law
(3 hrs)
This course aims to provide you with an understanding of the basic principles of International Energy Law and how an independent body of knowledge is developing in this field. We will focus on how public and private international law consider the various actors, socio-economic interests, and environmental concerns associated with the exploitation of energy sources, and attempt to provide targeted legal tools and instruments that regulate energy production and consumption. English
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LAW - 857 Banking and Financial Institutions: U.S. Regulation
(3 hrs.)
Examines banking, the regulation of banks, and the challenges facing this regulatory scheme. Includes background information and considers the ways in which banking is evolving due to technological and economic developments. The course looks at the conflicting pressures on banks to be more responsive to local community needs and to compete in a global and less easily regulated financial system. Considers the regulatory framework applicable to bank holding companies and explores the debate on the statutory separation between investment and commercial banks. Provides an overview of the regulations applicable to foreign banks operating in the United States and to U.S. banks operating abroad. Students may register for this seminar or Domestic Banking (LAW-724) but not both.
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LAW - 862 Human Rights and their Relation with Environmental Law and the Right to Development/Derechos Humanos y su Relaci
(2 hrs)
The first part of the course focuses on the link, interdependence and international protection of human rights and environmental rights through the analysis of principles, law, doctrine and paradigmatic cases. The second part of the course exposes students to human rights issues stemming from the process of economic development, including the relationship between the right to development and human rights. Spanish
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LAW - 863 Derechos Humanos y Cortes Internacionales/Human Rights and International Tribunals
(3 hrs)
This course explores the history of international justice, the development of contemporary international courts, and the impact and relevance of these courts in the field of human rights. This course also focuses on the history of the creation of the European Human Rights System, its evolution, and its operation with and access to the European Court of Human Rights. Spanish
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LAW - 864 Public Procurement Corruption Risk & Mitigation: World Bank Practice
(1 hr)
Corruption in public contracting adds to the cost, distorts decision-making and fair competition, wastes public funds, jeopardizes sustainable development and displaces basic public services. This course analyzes procurement corruption-risks and red flags, how the World Bank and other multilateral aid agencies detect, investigate and sanction corruption, challenges for contractors and defense counsel, and the oversight role of civil society. English
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LAW - 865 The US Anti-Corruption Framework: Laws, Rules & Norms
(1 hr)
This course explores key U.S. constitutional provisions, laws, regulations and institutions - as well as voluntary norms – intended to foster integrity and to prevent and sanction corruption, particularly in the public sector. It will analyze U.S. criminal laws, including on bribery and money laundering; preventive measures to promote transparency and accountability, such as ethics standards, access to information and whistleblower protection; and problematic areas, such as conflicts of interest, lobbying and campaign finance. English
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LAW - 866 Doing Business Abroad: Foreign Bribery Law & Compliance Practice
(1 hr)
Analyze the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and the laws of other countries criminalizing foreign bribery, focusing on statutory provisions, prosecution, cases and settlements, and learn about private sector compliance and integrity programs and best practices and their implementation in challenging environments. Expert lecturers from the U.S. government, private
firms, corporations and non-profits bring first-hand experience to the discussions. English
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LAW - 867 Practical Aspects of Arbitration
(1 hr)
This workshop is designed to provide students with essential advocacy skills required to participate in an arbitration, including the cross-examination of witnesses. Participants will gain their skills by acting as counsel for a party to a mock arbitration under the rigorous scrutiny of a leading arbitration practitioner.
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LAW - 876 Case Studies in Ethical Challenges for Government Attorneys
(3 hrs.)
Detailed historical & contemporary exploration of development and application of ethical standards for government attorneys, from Watergate to Drones. Using cases of Presidents Nixon, Clinton, Bush and Obama, VP Agnew, Deputy AG’s Kleindienst & Comey, Congressional members & staff, Judges & Justices, Justice & Defense Department officials and line lawyers, and ethical issues in policy-making on Torture & Drones, the course examines effectiveness, and impact on public confidence, of existing ethical constraints on government lawyers. Surveys guidance and remedies from state & national bar rules, federal rules, regulations, statutes, Congressional ethics processes, Office of Government Ethics, Inspectors General, DOJ Professional Responsibility Offices, Judicial Conference, Circuit Councils, international agencies. LAw-550, Legal Ethics or LAW-551, Professional Responsibility: Theory and Practice
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LAW - 880 Rights of Noncitizens: The Impact of Citizenship Status on Human and Civil Rights in the U.S.
(2 hr)
This seminar examines how citizenship affects the rights - political, social, human, and economic - of individuals in the United States. The concept of citizenship as creating inclusivity has another, maybe inherent and perhaps intentional or nonintentional, consequence: excluding noncitizens from particular benefits of membership. This course explores the latter, namely the extent to which citizenship status can and does limit rights. English
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LAW - 881 Advanced Problems in Administrative Law and Regulatory Policy
(2 hrs.)
Combines a focus on advanced doctrinal issues in administrative law with a semester-long problem devoted to writing, commenting on, and presenting oral argument about a major proposed rule. Topics to be addressed include regulatory reform (role of the White House and Congressional initiatives), innovative regulatory approaches, negotiated rule making, cost-benefit analysis and risk assessment, the role of administrative law judges, the controversy over courts’ reliance on legislative history, the need for specialized courses for review of agency action, and openness statutes.
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LAW - 882 The Role of the Federal Prosecutor
(2 hrs.)
Explores the powers and responsibilities of the federal prosecutor. Focuses on how decisions are made by federal prosecutors throughout different stages of the criminal justice system, in light of legal, policy, practical, and ethical considerations. Using actual cases as well as federal statutes, guidelines, and other materials, the course will discuss the factors that influence the decisions and discretion of the federal prosecutor. The course also will examine the interaction between and among federal, state, and foreign jurisdictions, in particular the interests of competing sovereigns in the investigation and prosecution of criminal activity. Prerequisites: Criminal Law (LAW-507) and Criminal Procedure I (LAW-508). Recommended, but not required: Constitutional Law (LAW-503) and Evidence (LAW-633).
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LAW - 884 International Debt Workouts
Simulation of a cross border debt restructuring, course involves the out-of-court workout of a distressed corporation in an emerging economy. Students will act as attorneys representing a multi-national bank. Objective are to experience: 1- the legal framework related to international debt restructuring, 2- the principles and best practices of international debt restructurings, 3- legal risk analysis skills and document structuring as applied to a troubled international financial transaction, and 4- cross border negotiation strategies. Students must take LAW 611 Business Associationsprior to enrolling in this course. English
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LAW - 886 Global Perspectives on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
(2 hrs)
This course examines the contribution of international human rights law and process to the protection of the rights of persons with disabilities, with an emphasis on the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The course explores such issues as non-discrimination and reasonable accommodation, the campaign to ban institutionalization, violence against women and girls with disabilities, legal capacity, inclusive education, the health rights of people with disabilities, and disability inclusive development. English
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LAW - 887 Civil Rights of People with Mental Disabilities
(3 hrs)
People with mental disabilities are disproportionately likely to lack access to health care, be marginalized in school and funneled into the School-to-Prison Pipeline, be unemployed, be poor and homeless, and be injured by police and incarcerated. This course will explore the civil and human rights of people with mental disabilities, and students will gain an understanding of litigating civil rights class and individual actions and advocating for policy change on behalf of this population. English
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LAW - 892 The Washington Lawyer
(2 hrs)
Gives students an overview of what it means to be an effective “Washington lawyer.” Topics include the importance of the Administrative Procedure Act; navigating the White House, Justice Department, and executive agencies; influencing the legislative process and the appointments process; using openness statutes and the media; and ethics and lobbying restrictions.
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LAW - 893 Public Interest Practice
(2 hrs.)
This is a course about the concept and evolution of what is most broadly referred to as “public interest” law and practice; the broad themes that practice in this area raises - themes about race, gender, class, wealth, etc.; and some of the significant cross-cutting issues in this area of practice, such as funding and scarcity of resources, competing delivery models, third party interference or resistance to the work, and client voice or autonomy within a cause. The course will examine 1) who public interest lawyers were, at the origins of the movement, and who they are today; 2) what public interest lawyers do; and 3) challenges for public interest lawyering, with particular focus on ethical dilemmas, the globalization of law, and new directions in the field. The course will examine international human rights advocacy as well as domestic advocacy, with an eye toward preparing students for careers in the field of public interest practice, whether here or abroad. These stories include topics such as the following, told through particularly noteworthy cases or crises: human rights advocacy; international law; civil rights; famous trials; and/or race stories.
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LAW - 896 Law and the Visual Arts
(3 hrs.)
Introduces students to the full range of legal issues that arise concerning works of art, the art market, and the art world. Topics to be covered include the fate of works of art in wartime, the international trade in stolen and illegally exported cultural property, artistic freedom, censorship and state support for art and artists, copyright, moral rights and trademark rights, collectors and the art market, and art museums and their collections. Students will consider how the law has dealt with the profound question of what is art and also examine the practical legal problems of visual artists and the commercial art world relating to the protection, acquisition, exhibition, and sale of art works. Major themes of the course will be the policy balance between public and private interest, the impact of law on heritage, and the role that law plays in shaping cultural policy.
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LAW - 915 Legal Ethics for Trial Lawyers
(2-3 hrs.)
This class surveys the ethical terrain for litigators in both the criminal and civil context. The course uses case law, bar opinions, and role play exercises developed by the National Institute of Trial Advocacy (NITA) to allow students to identify and resolve ethical issues through simulated exercises. This course is a practical, exercise driven course that sensitizes students to the common conflicts that arise in litigation, informs them of the rules that govern their conduct, and allows them to work through conflicts in a safe environment where mistakes are not costly to themselves or their clients. LAW-550 Legal Ethics (LAW-550) or LAW-551 Professional Responsibility: Theory and Practice
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LAW - 924 Advanced Copyright Law and Policy
(2-3 hrs.)
Focuses on recent and current controversies before Congress, the courts, and federal agencies. Topics covered include the effect of technological developments on copyright law and policy, the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) and more recent legislative proposals, an exploration of the legislative process in developing copyright policy, and the effect of the DMCA and other proposals on such traditional copyright principles as the doctrines of fair use and first sale. The course will explore these policy issues through and examination of relevant legislative history, statutory text, judicial review, and scholarly commentaries. Major themes of the course include the balance between public and private interest, incentive and control, technology and authorship, ownership and reasonable use, the impact of the law on society, and the role law plays in shaping cultural policy.
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LAW - 929G Advanced Legal Writing: Gender & the Law
(2 hrs.)
The course is structured as a writing workshop/seminar. Students work through the process of selecting and researching a topic, developing a thesis, creating an annotated bibliography, drafting the paper, and, finally, revising and perfecting the paper into a quality product. While all papers will address some aspect of the intersection of gender and law, nearly all course readings will focus on the research and writing process. Students will engage in in-class exercises and weekly assignments to help them select an interesting and timely topic, develop a strong thesis, structure compelling arguments, write clear and lively prose, and get published. Students will receive extensive feedback from classmates and the instructor, as well as comment on other students’ work. Each student will select thier own topic, such as reproductive justice, family law, gender and development, women’s health, immigration, LGBTI rights, war crimes, criminal law, women’s human rights, masculinity studies, domestic violence, politics and governance, discrimination, trafficking, social welfare, or any other subject that has a nexus with gender.
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LAW - 962 Intellectual Property, Human Rights, and Development
(3 hrs.)
Examines international intellectual property rules through the lenses of human rights law and development policy. The course will study how different intellectual property frameworks possess the capacity to overcome or perpetuate global inequality, underdevelopment, and access to essential goods and services. It will also study the strategies and tactics of global movements mobilizing around issues of access to medicines, textbooks, and other essential knowledge goods.
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LAW - 963 International and Comparative Patent Law
(2 hrs.)
Provides a general introduction to international patent law in theory and practice. The class examines patent laws from an international perspective and explores evolving international jurisprudence. The foundation is the fundamental principles and the black letter law of international treaties. Students also look at current themes in international policy debates, such as biotechnology and electronic commerce. The focus is on practical aspects of international patent acquisition and enforcement. The class considers various treaties, including the WTO Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) and global enforcement issues, as well as the European Patent Office and PCT practice. Students also discuss unity of invention and other examination standards and U.S.-global harmonization. Recommended: Patent Law (LAW-688).
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LAW - 978 Responses of International Law to Conflict-Based Sexual and Gender Violence
(2 hrs.)
Provides an overview and evaluation of international humanitarian law (IHL) and international criminal law relating to women and conflict. Specifically, the course will explore how women in times of conflict are treated under the various categories of the laws of war, such as civilians, combatants, detainees, refugees, and internally displaced persons, but also question whether these laws are sufficient to encompass the considerable variety of ways women are affected by conflict. In particular, the course will examine feminist critiques of IHL and consider the links between conflict and issues such as women’s inequality and inequitable economic and social conditions, and query whether these conditions lead to new and different types of discrimination against women in times of conflict. The course will also look at the developing jurisprudence dealing specifically with gendered violence from the ad hoc international criminal tribunals for Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia and the “hybrid” or internationalized courts, as well as the provisions specifically relating to women in the Rome Statute and the practice of the International Criminal Court in implementing these provisions. The course will also examine from a critical feminist perspective, the consequences, both intended and unintended, of the prosecution of sex-based and gender-based crimes by these courts and tribunals.
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LAW - 982 Application of International Arbitration Fundamentals
(3 hrs.)
Focuses on actual, real world experience and situations in international arbitration. The course is case-based and takes students through the stages of an international dispute, promotes strategic thinking, as well as requiring drafting pleadings and arguments based on legal knowledge and the factual scenario presented.
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LAW - 983 Presidential Strategies on Rights
(2 hrs.)
Most constitutional law is made outside of the courts. Presidents are especially well placed to make constitutional law within their sphere of action, as well as to influence the development of rights in others’ spheres of influence. Students will examine the opportunities available to modern presidents to advance or erode constitutional and statutory rights. They also will explore the social conditions-within bureaucracies and society as a whole-that must prevail for an administration to make the transformation of existing rights a priority. Finally, assuming the perspective of an executive branch actor, they will assess the tactics available when a president is committed to altering dominant conceptions of rights: when each strategy is most tempting, what the historical or legal precedents are for each tactic, how effective it is, and how we make such judgments.
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LAW - 985 Housing Law
(2 hrs.)
Focuses on housing law from both theoretical and practice perspectives. The topics covered include in-depth examinations of materials introduced in the first-year Property course, in particular tenant protections, as well as other topics, such as urban development patterns, rent control, residential/racial sorting, gentrification, homelessness, and the subprime crisis.
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LAW - 989 International Protection of Vulnerable Groups
(2 hrs.)
An introduction to the concept of vulnerable groups: who they are, why they are considered “vulnerable,” and what their rights under International Human Rights Law are. We will appraise state and non-state actors’ responsibility vis-vis vulnerable groups. We will analyze in detail the tripartite typology of state obligations in the field of human rights and a framework detailing obligations of non-state actors. The first vulnerable group that we will examine will be children. To this aim, we will explore the 1989 UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and the mandate of the Committee on the Rights of the Child. The examination of the practice of some regional human rights bodies that have enforced children’s rights will complete the overview of the protection of children under International Human Rights Law. Subsequently, the course will focus on the protection of people living with HIV/AIDS by analyzing Article 12 of the 1966 UN Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and the practice of the Inter-American Commission of Human Rights and the European Court of Human Rights. We will also tackle challenges of the protection of internally displaced persons (IDPs), both under International Human Rights Law and Humanitarian Law, and the legal protection of disabled persons at the UN, African and European level. The course will conclude with an analysis of the human rights of the Roma Population and the protection afforded to the human rights of the poor and destitute by the South African Constitutional Court and the Indian Supreme Court.
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LAW - 992 Criminal Justice Ethics
(2-3 hrs.)
It is essential that students who plan to practice as criminal defense attorneys or prosecutors be aware of and fully versed in their ethical responsibilities under the Model Rules of Professional Conduct. Many of the problems in the criminal justice system are caused, at least in part, by the failure of prosecutors and defense attorneys to fulfill their ethical duties. This course will fully explore the ethical duties and responsibilities of prosecutors and criminal defense attorneys and may be used to fulfill the Legal Ethics requirement.
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Clinical Program All clinics have their own seminar components for which students must register separately and which will be reported separately on their transcripts. Applications for enrollment in all clinics are due at the approximate time of preregistration during the preceding spring semester. Further information about the enrollment process is distributed to all students each spring. |
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LAW - 751 DC Law Students in Court Clinic
(4 hrs. per year)
Third-year students, in a closely supervised setting, represent indigents in the Landlord-Tenant and Small-Claims Courts Mediation Division of the D.C. Superior Court as part of the D.C. Law Students in Court Program. A seminar dealing with civil practice is an integral part of this course. Prerequisite: Evidence (LAW-633). Corequisite: DC Law Students in Court Clinic Seminar (LAW-757).
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LAW - 752 Clinic Fieldwork: Civil Litigation
(3/4 hrs.)
Students in this one-semester clinic represent low-income residents of the District of Columbia and Maryland who have a wide range of legal problems. Legal issues vary but usually include family law, health law, consumer law, housing law, public benefits, and special education, among other civil bankruptcy law issues. Students represent clients in teams under the direction of clinical faculty and meet frequently in case supervision sessions. This clinic is open to second-, third-, and fourth-year students. Corequisite: the Lawyering Process (LAW-756).
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LAW - 753 Clinic Fieldwork: Women and the Law
(8 hrs. per year)
Students represent indigent women in the District of Columbia and Maryland. Representation usually begins with a family law or immigration matter, and students then decide whether to represent their client in related matters. Students have full responsibility for their cases, while working under the supervision of the faculty. The program focuses upon learning the essentials of being a lawyer, including representation in court and administrative proceedings, as well as in transactional matters, and examining the role of gender and law in shaping women’s experiences with the economy, state programs (such as social welfare, immigration and housing) and their families. Through the mixture of matters in each case, students explore how as lawyers they can assist their clients with issues that are critical in their lives. In addition to representing clients under the supervision of clinic faculty, students participate in weekly rounds about their cases and in a seminar about the theory and practice of client-based advocacy. Through this clinic, students may participate in a specialized focus on representation in proceedings addressing domestic violence (Domestic Violence Clinic). Students represent clients in actions in the District of Columbia Superior Court to obtain a Civil Protection Order and in immigration matters under the Violence Against Women Act. They examine how lawyers assist clients who face violence in their lives, exploring the consequences of and alternatives to legal action, as well as the role of gender in relationships involving violence. Some students may spend one semester prosecuting domestic violence cases criminally in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. In addition to work on their cases, students participate in weekly rounds and in a seminar about the theory and practice of client-based advocacy. Prerequisite(s): Prerequisite: Evidence (LAW-633) (for Domestic Violence Clinic). Corequisite(s): Evidence (LAW-633) (for general Women and the Law Clinic); Legal Ethics (LAW-550) and The Lawyering Process (LAW-756).
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LAW - 755 Clinic Fieldwork: International Human Rights
(8 hrs. per year)
Students in the clinic handle cases involving the application of international human rights law and principles in domestic and international or foreign tribunals. Domestic cases are largely asylum and asylum-related claims in administrative immigration proceedings. Students represent individuals and groups who assert violations of a wide range of basic human rights, through litigation or projects. Litigation involving human rights issues will be prepared and argued by students where rules permit student practice. Students will also be involved in projects involving non-litigation dimensions of human rights law and policy: reporting, lobbying, press relations, and related aspects. In both human rights and asylum cases and projects, students will develop a sound case theory, investigate facts, prepare witnesses, and present evidence in hearings or trials. The clinic will focus particular attention on the issues of representation of clients in a cross-cultural context. Knowledge of a foreign language, especially Spanish or French, is extremely useful for the clinic but is not required. Pre- or co-requisites: The Lawyering Process (LAW-756), Evidence (LAW-633), and an international law or human rights course or any immigration course (LAW-656).
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LAW - 756 Clinic Seminar
(2-3 hrs.)
The seminar component of the Clinics.
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LAW - 757 Clinic Seminar: D.C. Law Students in Court
(2 hrs.)
The seminar component of the DC Law Students in Court Clinic.
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LAW - 758 Clinic Fieldwork: Glushko-Samuelson Intellectual Property Law
(8 hrs. per year)
Prepares participants to be effective practitioners through direct experience with cases drawn from the full range of intellectual property specialties, including copyright, patent, and trademark. Students learn essential lawyering skills and acquire a critical understanding of the values and value conflicts that shape the development of intellectual property law and policy. Students gain experience in client counseling, transactional lawyering, and litigation, as well as administrative and legislative advocacy, as they represent individual creators and consumers, small businesses and communities of rights holders, and not-for-profit institutions and associations. Prerequisites or corequisites: Evidence (LAW-633) and one intellectual property course.
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LAW - 759 Clinic Fieldwork: Immigrant Justice
(8 hrs. per year)
The Immigrant Justice Clinic prepares students to be effective practitioners on issues affecting individual immigrants or migrants and their communities, both here in the U.S. and overseas. Students handle a broad range of cases and projects relating to immigration law, immigrant employment rights, civil rights, and international human rights. Cases are brought in Immigration Court, federal district court, the courts of Maryland and D.C., and before federal and state agencies. The Clinic is designed to develop core litigation and trial techniques, while also cultivating important non-litigation skills, including legislative/policy advocacy, community organizing, and working with the media. Knowledge of a foreign language, especially Spanish or French, is helpful, but not required. Pre- or co-requisites: The Lawyering Process (LAW-756), Evidence (LAW-633), and an international law or human rights course or any immigration course (LAW-656).
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LAW - 761 Clinic Fieldwork: Criminal Justice
(4-6 hrs. per year)
Third-year students may spend one semester prosecuting and one semester defending criminal cases in various local courts or may focus exclusively on defense work. Defense students, under the close supervision of faculty members, represent indigent clients, taking full responsibility for the conduct of the defense. Prosecution students work with prosecutors in conducting the trial of criminal cases on behalf of the State of Maryland. A seminar involving an exploration of the lawyering process, including professional responsibility, client interviewing, strategic decision making, negotiation, client counseling, and trial skills, is an integral part of this program. Students also meet regularly with the instructors. Most students participate for two semesters. Some students participate for one semester on either the defense or prosecution side. Prerequisite: Evidence (LAW-633). Corequisites: Legal Ethics (LAW-550), the Lawyering Process (LAW-756), and Criminal Procedure I (LAW-508).
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LAW - 762 Clinic Fieldwork: Janet R. Spragens Federal Tax
(4 hrs. per semester)
This clinical program provides students with experience in federal tax practice before the Internal Revenue Service and the United States Tax Court. Students interview and counsel taxpayer-clients, provide assistance in framing legal issues and in preparing appeals before the Internal Revenue Service, and represent taxpayers in the IRS appeals conference or in subsequent tax litigation. Prerequisite: Federal Personal Income Tax (LAW-647). Corequisite: The Lawyering Process (LAW-756).
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LAW - 764 Clinic Fieldwork: Disability Rights
(8 hrs. per year)
Students in this two-semester clinic represent people with mental and physical disabilities in a variety of contexts-special education, admission/commitment for people with intellectual disabilities, the American with Disabilities Act, mental health system grievances, and international human rights settings, among others. The clinic focuses especially on the interaction between people with disabilities and the various systems that affect their lives. Students work in teams of two under the supervision of faculty members and are responsible for all aspects of the client’s case. The clinic is open to second-, third-, and fourth-year students. Corequisite: The Lawyering Process (LAW-756).
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LAW - 768 Clinic Fieldwork: Community and Economic Development
(8 hrs. per year)
This program provides students with closely supervised lawyering experiences in a public interest law firm under the direction of members of the faculty. The teaching law firm concentrates on representing underrepresented clients through a variety of advocacy strategies: group and individual representation, litigation, regulatory and legislative advocacy, and public education. Currently, the clinic focuses on representing groups involved in tenant ownership and management in public and private housing, in community economic development, and in systemic advocacy. Individual meetings with the instructors, as well as a regularly scheduled two-hour seminar, are conducted each week. Unscheduled meetings may be called as required to conduct the work of the firm. Students are eligible for this program in either their second or third year. Corequisite: The Lawyering Process (LAW-756).
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Field Components Students must enroll for credit in all field components and in any course or seminar which the faculty member supervising the field component feels the student must take as a condition of participating in the field component. Audits are not permitted in either the field component or in any required course or seminar associated with the field component. |
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LAW - 712B Human Rights Litigation Fieldwork
(2 hrs.)
Instructor permission required
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Externship Program The law school’s Supervised Externship Program allows students to learn about the legal profession through law-related fieldwork and, at the same time, to develop their reflective learning skills under close faculty supervision. Students are placed in government agencies, nonprofit organizations, courts, and law firms engaged in pro bono activities, where they work under the supervision of practicing attorneys. In tandem with the field placement, students meet weekly in a seminar led by a faculty member. The seminar draws on the placement work and assists students in reflecting on the work of the lawyer and on their own professional goals. Students also meet frequently in small groups or individually with the faculty member to discuss the progress of the externship. In some cases, students may participate in independent tutorial externships, which must be arranged with and supervised by a faculty sponsor. |
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LAW - 769 Externship: Seminar
(1-2 hrs.)
Externship seminars provide students with an opportunity to engage in critical reflection about the legal profession, their own future legal careers, and their priorities and values as lawyers in conjunction with their field placement experiences. Externship seminars are open to students in a wide variety of field placements and, rather than emphasizing a particular area of law, focus on the lawyering experience, the legal profession, and the workings of legal institutions. Instructors choose various general themes for their own seminars, but within each seminar some specific topics are likely to include the nature of law practice in different settings (including private firms, public interest organizations, and government agencies), the varieties of lawyer-client relationships in these settings, and the dynamics and politics of the workplace. Other topics that may be covered include images of lawyers in fiction and popular culture, theories of bureaucracy in relation to the lawyering process, legal ethics in theory and practice, issues of gender, race, and difference in the legal profession, and the profession’s history. Finally, in all the seminars students have the opportunity to explore their own professional development through discussions of critique and self-evaluation, the transition from school to work, and career goals and career planning. Students in the Supervised Externship Seminar register for 2 credits. Students in the Advanced Externship Seminar register for 1 credit. Concurrent registration for field placement, LAW-899, is required.
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Externship Component Externship seminars are open to students in a wide variety of field placements and, rather than emphasizing a particular area of law, focus on the lawyering experience, the legal profession, and the workings of legal institutions. Instructors choose various general themes for their own seminars, but within each seminar some specific topics are likely to include the nature of law practice in different settings (including private firms, public interest organizations, and government agencies), the varieties of lawyer-client relationships in these settings, and the dynamics and politics of the workplace. Other topics that may be covered include images of lawyers in fiction and popular culture, theories of bureaucracy in relation to the lawyering process, legal ethics in theory and practice, issues of gender, race, and difference in the legal profession, and the profession’s history. Finally, in all the seminars students have the opportunity to explore their own professional development through discussions of critique and self-evaluation, the transition from school to work, and career goals and career planning. Concurrent registration for field placement, LAW-899, is required. |
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LAW - 754 Faculty Supervised Externship
(1-3 hrs.)
Under the terms of a formal agreement among student, individual faculty member, and supervising attorney in the field, students receive academic credit for legal field experience in a government agency, nonprofit organization, or private law firm engaged in pro bono activities. Over the course of the semester, the student and faculty supervisor meet regularly to discuss the progress of the externship. Each independent tutorial student must also complete a writing project.
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LAW - 899 Externship Field Placement
(1-4 hrs.)
Students who have completed one year of law school may receive academic credit for performing substantive legal work under the supervision of an attorney in a government agency, nonprofit organization, court, or private law firm engaged in pro bono activities. Students registered in the externship program also participate in an externship seminar which draws upon the field placement experience to enhance each student’s understanding of legal institutions and of the work of the lawyer. Concurrent registration for LAW-769 (Externship Seminar) is required.
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Research, Independent Study, and Journals |
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LAW - 765 International Law Review I
(2 hrs.)
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LAW - 766 International Law Review II
(2 hrs.)
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LAW - 767 International Law Review III
(4 hrs.)
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LAW - 770 Administrative Law Review I
(2 hrs.)
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LAW - 771 Administrative Law Review II
(2 hrs.)
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LAW - 772 Administrative Law Review III
(4 hrs.)
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LAW - 796 American University Law Review I
(2 hrs.)
First year on Law Review, 1 credit
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LAW - 797 American University Law Review II (Senior Editors)
(2 hrs.)
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LAW - 798 American University Law Review III (Editorial Board)
(4 hrs.)
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LAW - 799 Independent Study
(1-12 hrs.)
A student may earn academic credit after the first year (subject to program requirements) for independent study under a contract between the student and a member of the faculty upon approval of the dean. Such study may be a research and writing project for a faculty member. To be approved for credit, an independent study project must be designed to contribute substantially to the student’s development as a lawyer. Additionally, it must be established firmly at the beginning of the project that student and faculty sponsor will work together closely during the course of the project. For precise information on this program, copies of the faculty policy statement are available from the Office of the Registrar.
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LAW - 800 American University Journal of Gender, Social Policy, and the Law I
(2 hrs.)
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LAW - 801 American University Journal of Gender, Social Policy, and the Law II
(2 hrs.)
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LAW - 802 American University Journal of Gender, Social Policy, and the Law III (Managing Board)
(4 hrs.)
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LAW - 803 Moot Court Honor Society
(1-2 hrs.)
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LAW - 803A Moot Court Executive Board
(1 hr.)
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LAW - 803B Moot Court Executive Board
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LAW - 803C Moot Court Executive Board
(1 hr.)
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LAW - 803D Moot Court Executive Board
(1 hr.)
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LAW - 803E Moot Court Executive Board
(2 hrs.)
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LAW - 803F Moot Court Executive Board
(2 hrs.)
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LAW - 871A Moot Court Competitions
(1 hr.)
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LAW - 871B Moot Court Competitions
(1 hr.)
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LAW - 871C Moot Court Competition
(1 hr.)
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LAW - 871D Moot Court Competition
(1 hr.)
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LAW - 871E Moot Court Competition
(2 hrs.)
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LAW - 871F Moot Court Competition
(2 hrs.)
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LAW - 871G Moot Court Competition
(2 hrs.)
Second year of Moot Court competition
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LAW - 917 American University Business Law Review I
(2 hrs.)
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LAW - 918 American University Business Law Review II
(2 hrs.)
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LAW - 919 American University Business Law Review III
(4 hrs.)
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LAW - 995A Mock Trial Honor Society
(1 hr.)
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LAW - 995B Mock Trial Competition
(1 hr.)
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LAW - 995C Mock Trial Competition
(1 hr.)
Participation in Mock Trial Competition
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LAW - 995D Mock Trial Competition
(1 hr.)
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LAW - 995F Mock Trial Competition
(2 hrs.)
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LAW - 995G Mock Trial Competition
(2 hrs.)
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LAW - 996 Mock Trial Executive Board
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LAW - 996A Mock Trial Executive Board
(1 hr.)
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LAW - 996C Mock Trial Executive Board
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LAW - 996D Mock Trial Executive Board
(1 hr.)
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LAW - 996F Mock Trial Executive Board
(2 hrs.)
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Experiential Learning |
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LAW - 614 Alternative Dispute Resolution
(3 hrs.)
Examines various dispute resolution techniques, including negotiation, mediation, arbitration, minitrials, and negotiated rule making, as alternatives or supplements to court litigation and administrative agency adjudication. Tactical and ethical issues as well as emerging legal and public policy issues, e.g., use of mandatory arbitration clauses, will be covered, and student participatory role-plays will be used extensively to give the course a practical dimension.
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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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