May 04, 2024  
2021-2022 Law Bulletin 
    
2021-2022 Law Bulletin [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Course Descriptions


 

Law

  
  • LAW 5000 - Civil Procedure: Federalism and Constitutional Issues


    3 Credit Hours

    Description
    This is a first year required course. This course provides concepts of the law of civil procedure as a foundation for advanced study in both civil procedure and other areas of substantive law. It provides the student with an overview of procedure in a civil action and examines in detail the traditional bases of in personam, in rem, and quasi in rem jurisdiction of state and federal courts; the constitutional mandate of due process as it relates to notice of actions and the opportunity to be heard in them; federal question and diversity jurisdiction in the federal courts; venue of actions; modern systems of pleading and their historical antecedents, including the complaint, the answer, challenges to the pleadings, amendments, and the joinder of claims and parties.

  
  • LAW 5001 - Civil Procedure: The Federal Rules


    3 Credit Hours

    Description
    This is a first year required course. This course exposes the student to the discovery process, the pretrial order and the trial of cases in civil matters, including jury selection and considerations bearing on non-jury trials; the scope and order of trial and the presentation of evidence; opening and closing arguments and instructions to the jury; and attacks on verdicts and judgements. The course concludes with a consideration of the fundamental principles of appellate review and the binding effect of decisions (res judicata, collateral estoppel, and the law of the case).

  
  • LAW 5010 - Contract Law


    4 Credit Hours

    Description
    This is a first year required course. A two-semester examination of the law of contractual obligations covering the formation and interpretation of contracts, legal limitations on the bargaining process, claims and defenses related to breach of contract, and remedies for breach.

  
  • LAW 5020 - Criminal Law.


    3 Credit Hours

    Description
    This is a first year required course. An examination of the common law origins and modern day codification of the criminal law and defenses thereto.

  
  • LAW 5030 - Research Methods in Law.


    1 Credit Hours

    Description
    This is a first year required course. Instruction in effective legal research skills through lecture and research exercises including the use of library materials, computerized legal research systems, LEXIS and WESTLAW.

  
  • LAW 5050 - Property.


    4 Credit Hours

    Description
    This is a first year required course. An introductory investigation of the concepts underlying the Anglo-American system of property. The capacity of the system to accommodate public needs and private desires for allocation and use of land is studied through intensive examination of the acquisition of property rights, doctrine of estates, private restrictions on land use, and modern landlord-tenant relations.

  
  • LAW 5060 - Torts


    4 Credit Hours

    Description
    This is a first year required course. The study of non-contractual civil wrongs for which the law provides a remedy. The course covers negligence, intentional torts, and other theories of liability as prescribed by the instructor.

  
  • LAW 5070 - Lawyering: Foundations I.


    3 Credit Hours

    Description
    This is a first year required course. Provides students with foundational skills training through multiple practice-focused assignments and exercises. Students will learn and practice skills in critical reading, problem-solving, legal analysis, and effective written and oral communication, while simultaneously receiving exposure to legal documents and instruments they will likely encounter in their legal careers. While this class focuses heavily on teaching legal writing, requiring students to draft several objective and persuasive documents, students will also participate in oral arguments, client/witness interviews and office meetings.

  
  • LAW 5071 - Lawyering: Foundations II.


    3 Credit Hours

    Description
    This is a first year required course. Continuation of Lawyering: Foundations I.

  
  • LAW 5080 - Legislation and Regulation.


    3 Credit Hours

    Description
    This is a first year required course. This course will provide students with a foundational and systematic introduction to the world of legislation, regulation, and administration that creates and defines so much of the contemporary legal order. As such, it is a natural statutory-regulatory complement to the first-year common-law courses. It will examine the way Congress and administrative agencies adopt binding rules of law (statutes and regulations, respectively) and the way that implementing institutions-courts and administrative agencies-interpret and apply these laws. It will also consider the justifications for modern regulation, the structure of the modern administrative state, the incentives that influence the behavior of the various actors, and the legal rules that help to structure the relationships among Congress, the agencies, and the courts.

  
  • LAW 5085 - Profession of Law.


    1 (1 credit over course of two semesters) Credit Hours

    Description
    This is a first year required course. The goal of the course is to build and reinforce a culture of self-aware academic and professional excellence, and to help students to make informed decisions in planning their law school and professional careers by developing personal, professional, and academic competencies. The course will help our students to develop three core lawyering competencies: (1) professional and career development; (2) professional identity formation; and (3) foundational academic skills.

  
  • LAW 5090 - Advanced Analytical Methods


    2 Credit Hours

    Description
    This course offers an in-depth approach to critical reading, factual analysis, identifying legal issues, rule statements, formal logic, identifying analogues, multidimensional thinking, and creating counter analysis, using deconstructed Multistate Performance Exams essays and multiple-choice questions. The course is invitational and is designed to create more equitable outcomes for students who can excel with guided (targeted) skills intervention.

  
  • LAW 5099 - First-Year Professional Development Series.


    0 to 1 Credit Hours

    Description
    This is a first year required course. This mandatory series is designed to provide students with a framework with which to approach their job searches and professional identity formation. Students will learn how to use professional narrative in their job searches and how to put the facts of their experience in the most favorable light for prospective employers. Specifically, we will discuss attracting employers, identify techniques to engage other professionals, and learn how to create unique, persuasive narratives in resumes and cover letters. In addition, students will learn how to use narrative in interviews and in building and maintaining professional relationships.

  
  • LAW 6000 - Constitutional Law I.


    3 Credit Hours

    Description
    This is a second year required course. A study of the nature and distribution of federal power and of state-federal relationships, including judicial review, the Commerce Clause and state regulation of commerce, the Tenth Amendment, separation of powers, and the taxing, spending and appropriations powers.

  
  • LAW 6010 - Evidence.


    4 Credit Hours

    Description
    This is a second year required course. Explores the rules for fact finding in the judicial process, with particular emphasis on the federal rules of evidence. Topics covered include judicial notice, real and demonstrative evidence, relevance, authentication, competence and examination of witnesses, impeachment, expert testimony, hearsay, privileges, and burdens of proof.

  
  • LAW 6020 - Professional Responsibility.


    3 Credit Hours

    Requirements: LAW 6020 must be taken before or concurrently with LAW 6030.
    Description
    This is a second year required course. This course focuses on the development of professional identity, ethical decision making, and the role of lawyers in society, and covers confidentiality, conflicts of interest, and the interpretation of the rules of professional conduct. As prescribed by the instructor, the course may also include discussion of other topics such as bar admission, attorney discipline, malpractice, ineffective assistance of counsel in criminal cases, judicial ethics, fees, advertising, solicitation and the ethics of the adversary system.

  
  • LAW 6021E - Transition to Practice.


    6 Credit Hours

    Requirements: The course satisfies the Professional Responsibility requirement.
    Description
    This limited enrollment course provides an accelerated transition to the practice of law for students in the midpoint of their law school experience by teaching fundamental knowledge, skills and values needed to begin a legal career in a wide variety of settings. Students will learn how to handle a case from initial client meeting through conclusion of representation, first with a simulated case using online case management software and in-class role plays, and then by representing actual domestic violence victims to obtain orders of protection from in Superior Court. Students will also learn about managing a law firm through both instruction and fieldwork with a private attorney working in an area of interest to them. Students will become competent in interpreting and applying the Georgia Rules of Professional Conduct in real-life situations and will understand the attorney discipline system in Georgia as well as basic common law principles arising from malpractice and attorney disqualification decisions. Significant differences between the Georgia and ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct will be covered.

  
  • LAW 6022 - The Client Relationship.


    3 Credit Hours

    Requirements: This course satisfies the Professional Responsibility requirement. Enrollment limited to 48.
    Description
    In this course, students will learn how to develop effective and ethical relationships with clients, become competent in recognizing moral dilemmas in real life situations encountered by lawyers, and begin to acquire the professional judgment necessary to resolve the kind of complex problems that arise in legal practice. Students will become skilled in interpreting and applying the Georgia Rules of Professional Conduct and will understand the attorney discipline system in Georgia as well as basic common law principles arising from malpractice and attorney disqualification decisions. Significant differences between the Georgia and ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct will be covered. Students will regularly perform lawyering exercises that develop client relationship skills and ethical decision making. They will write one or more papers that apply what they have learned to analyze videotaped lawyer-client meetings and propose what they would have done in the situation. There will also be short quizzes and/or a final examination.

  
  • LAW 6030E - Lawyering: Advocacy.


    3 Credit Hours

    Prerequisites: LAW 6010.
    Requirements: LAW 6030 must be taken in the same academic year as LAW 6010, and after or concurrently with LAW 6020.
    Description
    This is a second year required course. This course provides students with an introduction to the lawyer skills required in representing a client from the initial interview, through discovery and pre-trial motions, to a jury trial. The course is taught by practicing trial lawyers and focuses on skills training. The course combines written assignments and in class performances. The course is graded pass/fail but at least two students in each section will earn a grade of “A” (a 90 or the student’s previous semester cumulative average, whichever is higher).

  
  • LAW 6040E - Landlord-Tenant Mediation Clinic I.


    1 to 4 Credit Hours

    Description
    This is an elective course. This is a full academic year, two-semester clinic. Students must enroll in both the fall and spring semesters. Second- and third-year students may apply. Please see http://law.gsu.edu/landlord-tenant-mediation-clinic/ for information.

  
  • LAW 6041E - Landlord-Tenant Mediation Clinic II.


    3 Credit Hours

    Description
    This is an elective course. Continuation of LTMC I. Students must take both I and II.

  
  • LAW 6050E - Capital Defenders Clinic I.


    4 Credit Hours

    Requirements: Permission of the professor is required.
    Description
    This is an elective course. A three-hour clinical course taught in partnership with Georgia Capital Defenders, a new state agency responsible for representing all indigent defendants statewide in capital cases at trial and on direct appeal. Students will assist in the representation of clients of Capital Defenders and will work on all aspects of the representation, including fact investigation, witness interviewing, legal research and drafting, and generally assisting in preparing cases for trial and sentencing hearings. Students will be supervised by the professor and attorneys in the office. Grading is on a pass/fail basis.

  
  • LAW 6051E - Capital Defenders Clinic II.


    4 Credit Hours

    Description
    This is an elective course. See Course Description for Law 6050, Capital Defenders Clinic I.

  
  • LAW 6090E - HeLP Legal Services Clinic I.


    6 Credit Hours

    Requirements: 2.30 GPA.
    Description
    This is an elective course. The Clinic offers students the opportunity to develop basic lawyering skills, such as client interviewing, counseling and representation; negotiation; research and drafting; and case management. HeLP offices based at Children’s handle cases involving guardianship, Medicaid, housing, SSI, family law, education and employment issues. Students will interact directly with clients under the supervision of the Clinic’s Associate Directors. The HeLP Clinic is an interdisciplinary learning experience. Students will also work collaboratively with Residents and Medical Students from Morehouse School of Medicine and Emory University School of Medicine. HeLP Clinic students are also required to perform client intake in the Emergency Department of Childrens at Hughes Spalding as part of a clinic program called, ED Mondays, and to attend patient rounds with residents at Childrens at Hughes Spalding. Weekly class sessions cover substantive and procedural law, as well as Clinic administrative procedures and lawyering skills. These sessions will also include more formal discussions of specific case issues. Additionally, students meet weekly with their assigned Supervisor to discuss and evaluate their assigned cases. Students are also required to be in the Clinic a minimum of seven hours per week exclusive of class time. In order to work inside the hospital, students must be tested and confirm vaccinations for certain diseases. (For the clinic policy, go to http://law.gsu.edu/resources/students/HELP_InternAgreement.doc) Work in the Clinic will likely require travel to Children’s at Scottish Rite, Children’s at Egleston, and Children’s at Hughes Spalding. Students enrolled in the Clinic must attend a mandatory day-long Orientation session. Students will be notified of the date of the session upon registration.

  
  • LAW 6091E - HeLP Legal Services Clinic II.


    4 to 6 Credit Hours

    Prerequisites: 2.30 GPA and LAW 6090.
    Description
    This is an elective course. This is a continuation of HeLP Clinic I. Students will handle the more advanced aspects of the cases developed in HeLP Clinic I. Limited Enrollment.

  
  • LAW 6092E - Olmstead Disability Rights Clinic I


    4 Credit Hours

    Prerequisites: 2.3 GPA.
    Description
    This is an elective course. The Olmstead Disability Rights Clinic is a year-long off-site clinic taught in partnership with the Atlanta Legal Aid Society’s Disability Integration Project. The clinic focuses on advocacy arising out of the United States Supreme Court’s Olmstead decision. Classroom meetings and materials will cover four main areas: (1) advocacy and litigation skills; (2) substantive law relating to the rights of people with disabilities; (3) current Georgia issues and (4) case rounds to discuss the cases and issues students work on in their client advocacy. Students will represent individual clients in Olmstead related advocacy and perform community education. Grading is pass/fail.

  
  • LAW 6093E - Olmstead Disability Rights Clinic II.


    3 Credit Hours

    Prerequisites: Law 6092 and 2.3 GPA.
    Description
    This is an elective course. This clinic is a continuation of Olstead Disability Rights Clinic I. Grading is pass/fail.

  
  • LAW 7005 - Accounting for Lawyers.


    2 to 3 Credit Hours

    Description
    This is an elective course. This course is designed to develop a robust knowledge of the interplay of accounting, finance, and the markets in the practice of trial and transactional law. The student will apply that knowledge in a series of case studies requiring one to prepare and deconstruct financial statements, draft and interpret contracts, prepare and critique business valuations, and build and challenge liability and damages models. Instructor’s permission to enroll is required for students who hold graduate degrees in accounting or finance, or are MBA’s, CPA’s, CFA’s or the equivalent.

  
  • LAW 7006E - Access to Justice: Law Reform.


    2 to 3 Credit Hours

    Description
    This is an elective course. In this course, co-taught by Professors Lauren Sudeall and Darcy Meals, students will learn about how lower-income litigants navigate the legal system. Through court observation, guest speakers, and weekly readings, students will explore an access to justice problem-an aspect of the system that is broken-and work in teams to develop a discrete reform to address the problem. Enrollment is limited, and students must obtain permission from the instructor(s) prior to registering.

    Notes: * Note that this was previously a year-long course but has been adapted to be a single semester.
  
  • LAW 7010 - Administrative Law.


    2 to 3 Credit Hours

    LAW 6000 is recommended but not required.

    Description
    This is an elective course. An introduction to general administrative law and procedure. This course surveys the roles, functions, and processes of federal administrative agencies through an examination of the adjudicative, investigative and rule-making functions of federal agencies, the relationship of administrative agencies to other branches of government, and the right and scope of judicial review of agency actions.

  
  • LAW 7015 - Administrative Law Seminar.


    1 to 3 Credit Hours

    Prerequisites: LAW 6000. Students who have completed LAW 7010 will be given priority in enrollment.
    Requirements: The paper may be used to satisfy the writing requirement.
    Description
    This is an elective course. Limited enrollment. This course is devoted to the exploration of problems which currently confront state and/or federal administrative agencies. In addition to their reading assignments and participation in class discussions, students will be required to complete a paper on an approved topic.

  
  • LAW 7018 - The Endangered Species Act


    3 Credit Hours

    Prerequisites:  LAW 7015 or LAW 7200 or LAW 7203
    Description
    A survey of the Endangered Species Act, including the history of its enactment and amendments; an analysis of key sections including applicable regulations and case law; how the development of specific provisions of the statute illustrate the interaction of statutory enactment, the promulgation of regulations, and judicial decisions: the intersection of the Act with other statues, including other environmental statues as well as the Administrative Procedure Act.

  
  • LAW 7020 - Admiralty.


    2 to 3 Credit Hours

    Description
    This is an elective course. The study of federal admiralty and maritime jurisdiction (U.S. Constitution, Art. III, Sec.2) including the practice and procedure of federal courts in admiralty cases and state courts under the “saving to suitors” clause (28 U.S.C. sec 1333). The course surveys the substantive law applicable to admiralty and maritime matters including international law-treaties and conventions, conflict of laws rules, and federal laws dealing with the topics of maritime liens and ship mortgages, charter parties, carriage of goods, remedies for personal injury and wrongful death for injured seamen and maritime workers (including the Jones Act and Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act), collision, salvage, general average contribution, marine insurance, and limitation of shipowner’s liability. When possible, the class will tour the Georgia Ports Authority terminals in Savannah, Georgia, during the semester.

  
  • LAW 7025 - Wrongful Convictions.


    2 to 3 Credit Hours

    Description
    This is an elective course. This course provides an opportunity to study systemic errors in the criminal justice system that lead to the conviction of innocent people. Topics include: (1) the factors that contribute to wrongful convictions including eyewitness misidentification, false confessions, ineffective assistance of counsel, jailhouse informants, police and prosecutorial misconduct, “junk science,” and forensic fraud, (2) potential reforms that could be implemented to guard against the conviction of the innocent, (3) legal and philosophical problems related to the concept of “innocence,” and (4) legal doctrine and case law addressing claims of innocence and regulating access to post-conviction relief.

  
  • LAW 7026 - Problems in Criminal Justice


    2 to 3 Credit Hours

    Requirements: Paper and in-class presentation required.
    Description
    This is an elective course. In this seminar, we will study a variety of pressing problems that currently inhibit or undermine the criminal justice system’s ability to deliver on its promise to do what its name implies: to provide “justice” to those affected by it. Among the issues we will look at are how race affects the administration of criminal law and criminal law enforcement, the underfunding of criminal defense, and the phenomena of mass incarceration. Additional course topics (on comparable themes) will be selected by course participants based on student interest.

  
  • LAW 7031 - Advanced Criminal Litigation.


    2 to 3 Credit Hours

    Prerequisites: LAW 6000 and LAW 6030.
    Description
    This is an elective course. Limited enrollment. A simulation course addressing the substantive knowledge and advocacy skills essential to the trial of a felony criminal case.

  
  • LAW 7033 - Advanced Criminal Prosecution


    2 to 3 Credit Hours

    Prerequisites: LAW 5020 LAW 6010, LAW 7165 or LAW 7167
    Description
    This is an elective course. This course will give an overview of the law, ethics , and practicalities of prosecution. As gatekeepers to the criminal justice system, prosecutors posses tremendous discretion in whether and how to prosecture. This course will explore the practicalities and challenges of exercising that discretion. Topis covered will include: the process of prosecuting a case from start to finish, the evidence code as it applies to prosecution in Georgia, the mechanics of a trial, plea bargaining, and ethical challenges. This discussion will be enhancecy by numerous workshops conducted by current prosecutors putting topics into practice.

  
  • LAW 7036E - Advanced Evidence.


    2 to 3 Credit Hours

    Prerequisites: LAW 6010. Limited to 14 students.
    Description
    This is an elective course. This course combines classroom demonstrations and exercises in the application of the rules of evidence with analysis and discussion of currently troublesome evidentiary issues.

  
  • LAW 7041 - Advanced Income Taxation.


    2 to 3 Credit Hours

    Prerequisites: LAW 7095.
    Description
    This is an elective course. Concentration on one or more areas of current interest in income taxation. Topics will vary from year-to-year. Format will vary and may be offered as a seminar.

  
  • LAW 7045 - Advanced Issues in Trial Advocacy Seminar.


    2 to 3 Credit Hours

    Prerequisites: LAW 6010 and LAW 6030.
    Requirements: Limited enrollment.
    Description
    This is an elective course. Utilizing both traditional and more innovative methodologies and course readings, students will address selected advanced topics pertaining to the art and science of trial advocacy.

  
  • LAW 7049 - Advanced Strategies in Legal Argument.


    3 Credit Hours

    Description
    This is an elective course. In this course, students will learn to identify, understand, and replicate advanced strategies in legal argument, including advanced strategies for drafting statements of fact, presenting law, and making legal arguments. This course will sharpen the way students think, write, and speak about law on behalf of their clients.

  
  • LAW 7050 - Advanced Legal Research.


    2 to 3 Credit Hours

    Requirements: Project required.
    Description
    This is an elective course. Limited enrollment. The course will concentrate on advanced legal research techniques using computer technology and book resources. Topics covered by the course include research in legislative histories, administrative law, tax, and labor.

  
  • LAW 7051 - Advanced Legal Writing.


    2 to 3 Credit Hours

    Description
    This is an elective course. In this course, students build on the skills developed in Research, Writing and Advocacy I and II (Law 5070 and Law 5071), performing research and preparing a number of legal documents, both objective and persuasive. Particular emphasis on logical organization, clarity of expression, and overall effectiveness of written communication to achieve the writer’s goal.

  
  • LAW 7052E - Lawyering: Practice-Ready Writing.


    3 Credit Hours

    Prerequisites: LAW 6030.
    Requirements: Limited to 12 students.
    Description
    This is an elective course. This course is a third-year simulation-based advanced writing course, focusing on communication for law practice. The course follows a law firm model in which students handle multiple mock transactional and litigation cases from initial client intake through resolution, drafting applicable documents throughout the representation. The course will reinforce foundational professional skills as students “practice” being a lawyer.

  
  • LAW 7060E - Alternative Methods of Dispute Resolution (ADR).


    2 to 3 Credit Hours

    Description
    This is an elective course. The objective of this course is to educate students about the dispute resolution mechanisms that provide a viable alternative to litigation and the appropriate uses and limitations of each model. Specific topics include conciliation, negotiation, mediation, arbitration, mini-trials, summary jury trials, rent-a-judge, and the use of the ombudsman. Policy, practical and ethical issues raised by these alternatives are examined through the case law and the relevant statutes. Videotapes of simulated mediations and negotiations, as well as lectures by experienced guest ADR practitioners, are used to complement classroom instruction.

  
  • LAW 7061E - Advanced Alternative Dispute Resolution.


    2 to 3 Credit Hours

    Prerequisites: LAW 7060.
    Requirements: Limited enrollment.
    Description
    This is an elective course. An advanced study of the mechanisms that provide alternatives to litigation, with a focus on the design and development of dispute resolution systems within organizations and within other contexts. The course will examine the field of dispute systems design within its historical and legal contexts with a focus on potential advantages and disadvantages of these types of systems. Students will also be provided with a practical framework to apply dispute systems design and other advanced ADR concepts in specific situations and will study employment dispute resolution programs, consumer dispute resolution programs, early case assessment, and other conflict management trends.

  
  • LAW 7062E - Mediation Advocacy: Law and Practice


    2 to 3 Credit Hours

    Recommended: LAW 7060.

    Description
    This is an elective course. This course provides an in-depth exposure to the mediation process by focusing on both theory and skills. In addition to learning the theoretical and legal framework supporting institutionalized mediation, students will learn how to mediate and how to represent parties in mediations.

  
  • LAW 7063 - American Constitutional History.


    2 to 3 Credit Hours

    Description
    This is an elective course. A study of the history of the United States Constitution and the role of the Supreme Court in constitutional adjudication.

  
  • LAW 7064 - Animal Law.


    2 to 3 Credit Hours

    Description
    This is an elective course. This course considers the developing area of animal law and the broad spectrum of statutory, administrative, and case law that animal law encompasses. The course will focus the ways animal law intersects with other, well- established areas of law. Selected topics include the study of standing and justiciability issues, difficulties associated with defining the term “animal,” torts committed both by and against animals, animals in sports and entertainment, and federal statutes, such as the Endangered Species Act and the Animal Welfare Act.

  
  • LAW 7065 - Antitrust Law.


    2 to 3 Credit Hours

    Description
    This is an elective course. A study of the implementation of federal trade regulation statutes focusing on the competitive tensions of the contemporary economy and the relationship between economic theory and antitrust policy.

  
  • LAW 7078 - Georgia Appellate Practice.


    2 to 3 Credit Hours

    Suggested: Law 6010, Law 7010, Law 7165.

    Description
    This is an elective course. The course will cover both federal appellate practice and procedure, as well as issues pertaining to the state law applicable to the Georgia Supreme Court and Court of Appeals. Procedurally, it will pick up with the entry of judgement in the trial court. The course will address specific rules of appellate procedure and their interpretation, but the emphasis will be on the systhesis of judicial authorities and statutory interpretation, strategic thinking and planning, and the application of theory in the practical settings faced by the practitioner.

  
  • LAW 7079E - Arts and Entertainment Law.


    2 to 3 Credit Hours

    Description
    This is an elective course. A study of specific substantive areas of the law as they relate to the arts. Areas expected to be covered include, but are not limited to, copyrights, trademarks, rights of publicity, tax, contracts, agency, antitrust, and the continental doctrines of “droit moral” (moral rights) and “droit de suite” (resale royalties to the original artist or author). In addition, the recently enacted Visual Artists Rights Act of 1990 and the effect of the recent signing of the GATT Implementation Bill will also be discussed. There will either be an in-class or a take-home exam.

    Notes: Enrollment is limited only by the availability of the classroom space.
  
  • LAW 7080E - Entertainment Law Workshop.


    2 to 3 Credit Hours

    Description
    This is an elective course. This course will present students with some of the most intricate obligations of attorneys who work within the field of entertainment. Students will learn how to engage and secure entertainment clients, create and negotiate entertainment contracts through the lens of a real-life successful artist that has spanned multiple facets of the entertainment industry including music, film, television and branding. There will be an introduction of actual entertainment contracts used by artists and their attorneys. Students explore the various facets of legal representation by walking through the artists career and reviewing actual artist agreements from radio talent deals to film franchise talent agreements. Students will learn how to apply those skills to their future representation of artist/entertainers.

  
  • LAW 7082 - Copyright & Music Publishing.


    3 Credit Hours

    Description
    This is an elective course. An examination of the process of songwriting + music publishing and administration, performance royalties and copyright law.

  
  • LAW 7083 - Hip Hop and The Law.


    3 Credit Hours

    Description
    This is an elective course. Currently celebrating 48 years of existence, Hip-Hop culture has exceeded expectations as a short-lived musical genre. Hip- Hop culture is alive and thriving, having expanded outside of the United States becoming a global form of resistance music and culture. This course is a critical examination of the relationships between Hip-Hop culture, laws, politics and policies. We will examine the ways that policies have been used against hip-hop audiences and performers as well as the ways liberties have been utilized to protect Hip-Hop culture.

  
  • LAW 7089 - Advanced Bankruptcy Reorganization.


    2 to 3 Credit Hours

    Prerequisites: LAW 7091, LAW 7095 and LAW 7395.
    Description
    This is an elective course. *NO DESCRIPTION*

  
  • LAW 7091 - Basic Bankruptcy.


    2 to 3 Credit Hours

    Description
    This is an elective course. An intensive study of the substantive and procedural bankruptcy issues confronting consumer or business debtors seeking financial liquidation under Chapter 7 and financial reorganization under Chapter 11 or 13 of the Bankruptcy Code. Among the issues to be considered are the extent of property exemptions, the requirements for liquidating non- exempt assets, the allocation of creditors’ claims between secured and unsecured positions and the comparative benefits of the Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 discharges.

  
  • LAW 7093 - Bankruptcy and Tax Seminar.


    2 to 3 Credit Hours

    Prerequisites: LAW 7090 and LAW 7095.
    Requirements: This course may satisfy the College of Law writing requirement.
    Description
    This is an elective course. This seminar is devoted to exploration of the interface between bankruptcy and tax. The seminar will examine not only the often times conflicting policies embodied in both codes, but also substantive topics including the treatment and priority of tax claims and liens, the taxation of debtors and bankruptcy estates, the tax consequences of bankruptcy reorganizations, the carry over of tax attributes in bankruptcy, and bankruptcy court jurisdiction over tax matters.

  
  • LAW 7094E - Bankruptcy Assistance and Practice Program I.


    3 Credit Hours

    Prerequisites: LAW 7091 or LAW 7176, and a cumulative GPA of 2.30.
    Description
    This is an elective course. A collaborative course that brings students together with bankruptcy judges and attorneys. Partnered with a local bankruptcy practitioner, and working under the third-year practice act, students will handle consumer bankruptcy cases from client intake through a Chapter 7 discharge and Chapter 13 plan confirmation. Students will participate in client counseling, creditor negotiations, bankruptcy court litigation, and other fundamental aspects of a bankruptcy case. The course consists of two components: the practical component and a classroom component. The classroom component will meet once each week throughout the semester.

    Notes: This course does NOT count against the maximum number of clinical hours that students may count toward graduation.
  
  • LAW 7095 - Basic Federal Taxation I.


    2 to 3 Credit Hours

    Description
    This is an elective course. An introduction to federal income taxation, with emphasis on fundamental doctrines and major structural aspects of the Internal Revenue Code. Includes: definition of income, basic rules relating to the deduction of items, limitation on deductions, and introduction to capital gains and non- of taxation of entities such as corporations and introduction to taxation of estates and trusts. recognition transactions, and an introduction to tax accounting.

  
  • LAW 7096 - Basic Federal Taxation II.


    2 to 3 Credit Hours

    Prerequisites: LAW 7095.
    Description
    This is an elective course. A continuation of Basic Federal Taxation I, with emphasis on more sophisticated provisions of the Internal Revenue Code that apply to individuals. Includes: limitation on tax shelters, advanced tax accounting concepts, advanced capital gains and loss provisions, and an introduction to alternative tax entities such as corporations, partnerships, limited liability companies, estates and trusts.

  
  • LAW 7097 - Bankruptcy Assistance and Practice Program II.


    3 Credit Hours

    Prerequisites: LAW 7094.
    Description
    This is an elective course. Continuation of Bankruptcy Assistance and Practice Program I.

  
  • LAW 7098 - Biotechnology Law, Policy and Ethics.


    2 to 3 Credit Hours

    Description
    This is an elective course. This course provides an introduction to the legal, policy, and ethical issues surrounding biotechnologies. The course surveys a variety of federal and state laws and international treaties addressing biotechnology research, patenting, and applications. The course will examine the distinctive legal, policy, and ethical issues associated with biotechnologies in selected topic areas, which may include genetically modified foods, nanotechnology, xenotransplantation, patenting of genes/patenting of life, stem cell research, gene therapy, preimplantation genetic diagnosis, sex-selection reproductive technologies, germline genetic engineering of human beings, and human reproductive cloning.

  
  • LAW 7099 - Bioethics and the Law.


    2 to 3 Credit Hours

    Description
    This is an elective course. This course exaimes contemporary interdisciplinary issues that arise at the intersection of law, medicine, and ethics. Its primary focus is on life and death. It provides an introduction to bioethics and addresses medical, legal, ethical, and policy isssues in genetics and biotechnology, human subjects research; human reproduction and decision making at the beginning of the life; dying and decision making at the end of life; and rationing health care. Interdisciplinary readings will draw from the legal medical and ethics literature.

  
  • LAW 7100E - Unincorporated Business Associations.


    2 to 3 Credit Hours

    Description
    This is an elective course. An introduction to the statutory framework and common planning problems for closely held businesses like partnerships, limited liability companies, limited partnerships and other non-corporate business entities. In hands-on simulations, students work with opposing counsel and co-counsel teams to negotiate and draft complex agreements throughout the semester.

  
  • LAW 7101 - Corporations.


    2 to 3 Credit Hours

    Description
    This is an elective course. A survey of the state and federal laws governing the formation and operation of corporations.

  
  • LAW 7102E - TRANS. Assist & Practice Program


    2 to 3 Credit Hours

    Prerequisites: Completion of or concurrent registration in Corporations (Law 7101)
    Description
    This is an elective course. This course focuses on common legal issues facing businesses and nonprofits in the context of transactional and corporate law. Students will develop the necessary skills to determine and assess a real client’s business needs in a given situation and effectively address those needs in a written legal document. Under the supervision of local practitioners, students will handle transactional and corporate legal challenges being faced by a local nonprofit. 2 or 3 credits. 2.3 minimum GPA.

  
  • LAW 7103 - Bankruptcy Reorganization.


    2 to 3 Credit Hours

    Prerequisites: LAW 7091.
    Description
    This is an elective course. A study of the crucial stages of business reorganization cases under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code. The course covers topics such as: good faith filing, powers and duties of the parties in interest, protection from creditors, government actions against the debtor to protect the public, operation of the business, formulation and approval of the plan of reorganization.

  
  • LAW 7105 - Business Planning.


    2 to 3 Credit Hours

    Prerequisites: LAW 7101 and LAW 7095.
    Description
    This is an elective course. A planning course involving the application of the law of corporations and of federal taxation to planning business operations in partnership and corporate form. May be taught in seminar format.

  
  • LAW 7110 - Business Taxation.


    2 to 4 Credit Hours

    Prerequisites: LAW 7095.
    Description
    This is an elective course. An introduction to the income taxation of C corporations, S corporations and partnerships. The course is intended to survey the three different tax regimes, and it will include a comparison of the advantages and disadvantages of each.

    Notes: NOTE: The maximum number of credit hours a student may earn for taking any combination of LAW 7110, LAW 7415 and LAW 7127 is 6.
  
  • LAW 7112 - Captial Punishment: Prosecutor/Defense.


    2 to 3 Credit Hours

    Description
    This is an elective course. This course will examine the constitutional responsibilities of prosecutors and defense attorneys in criminal cases and the extent to which there is an “adversary system” in those cases. It will include subjects such as investigation of crimes, charging decisions, prosecutorial discretion, plea bargaining, and the disclosure of evidence favorable to the accused by prosecutors. It will also explore the defense of people accused of crimes who cannot afford to retain lawyers, including methods of providing lawyers for the accused constitutional standards for the competence of counsel and the adequacy of resources for investigation and expert witnesses. 2.000 to 3.000 Credit Hours.

  
  • LAW 7113 - Capital Punishment Law.


    2 to 3 Credit Hours

    Description
    This is an elective course. This course will examine various legal and policy issues surrounding the death penalty, including racial discrimination, the right to effective counsel, limitations on executing defendants with intellectual disabilities and juveniles, and the use of “victim impact” evidence. It will emphasize the relationship between Supreme Court doctrine and real-world practice in state courts in the South. 2.000 to 3.000 Credit Hours.

  
  • LAW 7114 - Collaborative Divorce.


    2 to 3 Credit Hours

    Prerequisites: LAW 7216 and LAW 6030. Law 6030 (Lawyering: Advocacy) is necessary either before or simultaneously with Collaborative Divorce.
    LAW 7183 recommended, but not required.

    Description
    This is an elective course. This course develops skills required to represent clients in collaborative family law matters. It takes students through an entire collaborative case, including client interview, meetings with lawyer and non-lawyer professionals, negotiation and problem-solving in a collaborative setting, drafting of contracts, agreements, and minutes of meetings, and finally to obtaining a Final Judgement and Decree of Divorce. The course includes guest instruction and demonstration from non-lawyer collaborative professionals, extensive discussion of collaborative practice concepts and issues, in-class participation in the collaborative case, and individual exploration of collaborative topics through a paper or other individual project.

  
  • LAW 7116 - Constitutional Tort Litigation.


    3 Credit Hours

    Prerequisites: LAW 6000.
    Description
    This is an elective course. An examination of major civil rights statutes, with focus on 42 U.S.C. 1983, the relationship between 1983 and the Fourteenth Amendment, the defenses and immunities of individuals and governmental entities, the relationship between state and federal courts in civil rights actions, and the remedies for violations of constitutional rights.

  
  • LAW 7117 - Constitutional Law II: Individual Liberties.


    2 to 3 Credit Hours

    Prerequisites: LAW 6000.
    Description
    This is an elective course. An examination of substantive due process, procedural due process, equal protection, state action and selected aspects of the Bill of Rights.

  
  • LAW 7121 - Payment Systems.


    2 to 3 Credit Hours

    Description
    (Formerly Commercial Paper and Payment Systems) This is an elective course. The study of Articles 3 and 4 of the Uniform Commercial Code which govern the rights and liabilities of parties to promissory notes, checks, and other negotiable instruments and the law concerning the use of credit cards and electronic funds transfer.

  
  • LAW 7123 - Commercial Leasing Seminar.


    2 to 3 Credit Hours

    Prerequisites: LAW 5050 and LAW 7435.
    Description
    This is an elective course. In-depth coverage of selected issues related to the negotiation and drafting of long term office and retail leases. Among the topics to be explored are the rent obligation and method of calculating the rent, use clauses, financing issues, subordination, non-disturbance and attornment agreements, and defaults and remedies.

  
  • LAW 7125 - Comparative Law.


    2 to 3 Credit Hours

    Description
    This is an elective course. This course introduces the student of the common law to the general principles, both procedural and substantive, of the civil law prevailing in continental Europe and Latin America. It provides an overview of the historical evolution of the civil law and the position of the code in foreign legal systems; an examination of the patterns of court systems which administer it; and a specific consideration of delictual and contractual obligations under the code. It also considers the treatment of foreign law in the United States courts.

  
  • LAW 7127 - Corporate Taxation.


    2 to 3 Credit Hours

    Prerequisites: LAW 7095.
    Description
    This is an elective course. This course will cover the federal income taxation of C and S corporations from formation through distributions and concluding with liquidations. The tax implications to both shareholders and the entity will be examined. The course will cover transfers of property to a newly formed or preexisting corporation, normal distributions, redemptions, converting a C corporation to an S corporation, and the effect of liquidating distributions on both forms of corporations.

    Notes: NOTE: The maximum number of credit hours a student may earn for taking any combination of LAW 7110, LAW 7415 and LAW 7127 is 6.
  
  • LAW 7128 - Corporate Compliance.


    3 Credit Hours

    Prerequisites: LAW 7101 .
    Description
    This is an elective course. This course is designed to introduce students in their third year of law school to the world of corporate legal and regulatroy compliance. It is designed to be an experiential course, but with a solid introduction to the legal and regulatory framework applicable to U.S. and foreign companies with operations domestically and abroad. By the end of the semester, students should be able to understand the basic legal and regulatory framework driving corporate compliance requirements, recognize relevant indicators of corporate compliance risk; and evaluate and implement suggested methodologies to mitigate such risk, both reactively and programmatically.

  
  • LAW 7130 - Seminar on European Civil Litigation.


    2 to 3 Credit Hours

    Description
    This is an elective course. This seminar addresses the form and features of civil litigation in the context of central and eastern European national legal orders. The seminar also exposes the student to the general legal environment and structure of the legal profession in central and eastern European states. This seminar is conducted at predetermined venues in Europe, and it includes filed visits and site excursions to relevant courts and other judicial institutions on the European continent.

  
  • LAW 7131 - Comparative Law Seminar.


    2 to 3 Credit Hours

    Description
    This is an elective course. This Seminar addresses the basic principles relevant to commercial arbitration as a dispute resolution device in international commerce within the context of different national legal orders, including a consideration of the history and origins of arbitration in the resolution of international trade and commercial disputes; the relation of international commercial arbitration and the national and international legal order; the arbitration agreement, with special emphasis on the arbitral clause as it relates to the scope of arbitrability; the arbitral process prior to award, inclusive of a review of the procedural rules of major international arbitral institutions; the authority of arbitrators in the arbitral process; special procedural issues in the conduct of international commercial arbitration such as pre-award attachment; provisional remedies; discovery; and judicial intervention in international commercial arbitration; and the arbitral award and its enforcement, with emphasis on national law and international agreements supporting the recognition and enforcement of international commercial arbitral agreements and awards, especially the United Nations Convention and national legislation adopted to implement it.

    Notes: (Taught in summer abroad program in Austria)
  
  • LAW 7134 - Computer Crimes & Digital Evidence


    Variable 2 to 3 Credit Hours

    Description
    This course surveys diverse types of computer crimes, including denial of service attacks, digital identity theft, malware, cyberbullying, and intellectual property theft, drawing on the instructor’s experience in the field. We will consider in depth the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act and learn some basis technical concepts. Case law excerpts will show how courts have shaped such Fourth Amendment doctrines as consent, search incident to arrest, particularity, the border search exception, third-party searches, and plain view to address particular issues raised by computers crimes and digital evidence. Case studies wiIl illustrate how sophisticated cybercrimes are perpetrated, investigated and prosecuted. Students will chiefly be graded on a final paper, with participation and weekly quizzes also factored in.

  
  • LAW 7135 - Cybersecurity Law and Policy


    3 Credit Hours

    Description
    This is an elective course. This course will provide students with exposure to the core legal and policy issues related to cybersecurity, including the legal authorities and obligations of both the government and the private sector with respect to protecting computer systems and networks, and the national security aspects of the computer and network security, including authorities related to offensive operations in cyberspace. The course will include a survey of federal laws, executive orders, regulations, and cases related to surveillance, computer and network intrusions by private and nation-state actors, data breaches, and privacy and civil liberties matters, among other things. The course will also explore the legislative and technology landscape in this dynamic area and will provide students with opportunities to discuss cutting-edge issues at the intersection of law, technology, and policy.

  
  • LAW 7136 - Complex Litigation.


    2 to 3 Credit Hours

    Description
    This is an elective course. This course examines procedural issues in civil litigation that arise when the simple two-party, single claim model is transformed into multi-claim, multiparty litigation. Coverage will focus on joinder devices in complex cases with particular emphasis on the class action device and its jurisdictional and due process implications, the problems of duplicative state and federal litigation, judicial control of complex cases, the discovery process, the multi- district litigation procedures and the case management movement, and issues relating to preclusion in complex cases. The complex litigation course is designed to build upon the basic course in civil procedure and to be a comprehensive exploration of advanced procedural topics.

  
  • LAW 7138 - Computers and the Law Seminar.


    2 to 3 Credit Hours

    Description
    This is an elective course. A study of specific substantive areas of the law as they relate to both computer hardware and software. Areas covered include, but are not limited to, copyrights, trademarks, patents, misappropriation of trade secrets, antitrust, contracts, and “anti-hacking” laws. Class enrollment is limited to 15 students, with instructor approval. Ideally, the students should have some background in either copyright law or in computer science. A substantial paper evidencing sufficient research is required. There will also be an exercise in software licensing. There will be no final examination.

  
  • LAW 7139 - eDiscovery.


    1 to 3 Credit Hours

    Description
    This is an elective course. eDiscovery plays an ever-increasing role in every lawsuit, arbitration, and government investigation. In addition to its importance, it is a rapidly evolving area of the law. In just over the last decade, the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure have twice substantially revised to try to catch up with age of “big data.” The course will explore the substantive law on eDiscovery, the basics of electronically-stored information, ethical issues related to technological competence, and recognized eDiscovery best practices. It will also include hands-on or simulated experience with information management, preservation, collection and review of electronically stored information challenges that frequently arise.

    Notes: Note: Course would be most helpful for students interested in practicing as a litigator, in-house counsel, or government attorney involved with criminal or regulatory investigations and enforcement. The Course doe not require any specialized computer knowledge.
  
  • LAW 7140 - Conflict of Laws.


    2 to 3 Credit Hours

    Description
    This is an elective course. The study of issues in choice of law including techniques for ascertaining applicable law from among competing state laws when a legal transaction (e.g., contract, tort, U.C.C., descendant’s’ estate divorce, child custody) has a nexus with two or more states or foreign countries. The course includes consideration of federal constitutional issues of due process, full faith and credit as they affect the application of state laws, conflicts between federal and state law, and federal court practice and procedure in conflict of laws. Applicable international law, treaties, and conventions are also treated.

  
  • LAW 7145 - Constitutional Law: Survey of the First Amendment.


    2 to 3 Credit Hours

    Prerequisites: LAW 6000.
    Description
    This is an elective course. A study of the federal constitutional protection afforded expression and religion by the First Amendment of the United States Constitution.

  
  • LAW 7151 - Constitutional Law Seminar.


    2 to 3 Credit Hours

    Prerequisites: LAW 6000.
    Requirements: A paper is required.
    Description
    This is an elective course. A seminar on selected problems in constitutional law.

  
  • LAW 7153 - Design and Construction Law.


    2 to 3 Credit Hours

    Description
    This is an elective course. A study of the legal problems common to the construction industry focusing on the structure and negotiation of construction contracts, claims procedures, arbitration and litigation.

  
  • LAW 7155 - Consumer Protection.


    2 to 3 Credit Hours

    Description
    This is an elective course. An examination of consumer rights and remedies related to advertising, deceptive trade practices, debt collection, consumer credit and truth-in-lending.

  
  • LAW 7156 - Voting Rights Law


    2 Credit Hours

    Prerequisites: LAW 6000 and LAW 7117
    Description
     This elective course explores the law governing the right to vote in the United States including the right to vote, access to the ballot and voter suppression, redistricting and vote dilution, and election administration issues.  The course will also cover the fundamentals of litigating on behalf of voters.

  
  • LAW 7158 - Copyrights.


    2 to 3 Credit Hours

    Description
    This is an elective course. Analysis of federal copyright law as it pertains to works of art, motion pictures, music, literature, and computers. In addition to case law, both the Copyright Acts of 1909 and 1976 will be covered, as well as recent legislative developments.

  
  • LAW 7159E - Copyright Regulations and Practice.


    2 Credit Hours

    Description
    This is an elective course. The course will teach students the mechanics of copyright registration and other practical copyright issues that are not generally covered in case law. Students will learn how to interview clients thoroughly to determine the ownership and scope of protection for a copyright and will explore creative ways to use copyright registrations for enforcement purposes. Each student will be assigned a non-traditional work and set of corresponding facts to help them prepare a simulated copyright application.

  
  • LAW 7161 - Corporate Finance.


    2 to 3 Credit Hours

    Prerequisites: LAW 7101 or LAW 7470.
    Description
    This is an elective course. This course is designed to familiarize law students with the foundations and recent developments in the theory and application of corporate finance, with special attention to the important role that lawyers play in structuring corporate finance transactions. We will explore several topics, including: (i) how to value stocks, bonds, and projects, (ii) an introduction to academic finance theory (i.e., portfolio theory, the capital-asset pricing model, efficient capital markets hypothesis, behavioral finance) and its role in legal decisions, (iii) an introduction to financial accounting, (iv) the mechanics of capital structure, (v) capital budgeting and how to calculate a firm’s cost of capital, (vi) the rights of debtholders, (vii) the rights of preferred and common stockholders, and (if time permits) (viii) the causes and consequences of corporate mergers and acquisitions. We will also become familiar with certain standard terms of corporate contracts such as indentures, loan agreements, asset purchase agreements, and merger agreements. This course is intended to either follow, or be taken concurrently with, the Corporations course.

  
  • LAW 7163 - Advanced Corporate Law.


    2 to 3 Credit Hours

    Prerequisites: LAW 7101.
    Description
    This is an elective course. This course will provide an opportunity for in-depth study of one or more areas of corporate law, for example: theories and consequences of the corporate form and limited liability; the rights of various claimants such as bondholders, preferred shareholders and holders of common stock; corporate finance (including capital structure, leverage, and valuation); the duties of loyalty and care and the business judgment rule; “other constituency” statutes; other corporate agents, including attorneys, accountants, and investment bankers; proxy regulations; and struggles for control.

  
  • LAW 7164 - Seminar on Corporate Governance.


    2 to 3 Credit Hours

    Prerequisites: LAW 7101.
    Requirements: A written research paper will be required, which will satisfy the writing requirement.
    Description
    This is an elective course. This seminar will provide an opportunity for students to explore issues of corporate governance, examining how publicly held corporations are organized internally and regulated externally. Topics could include: the composition of the board, and the functions and powers of directors and officers in publicly held corporations; the composition and functions of board committees, such as the audit committee; the scope of the duty of care and the business judgement rule problems of reliance on others, etc.; the role of directors and shareholders in transactions in control and tender offers; and derivative actions. The particular focus of the seminar may vary; accordingly, academic credits awarded will range from two to three semester hours depending upon the scope and depth of the research subject selected by the instructor.

  
  • LAW 7165 - Criminal Procedure: Investigations.


    2 to 3 Credit Hours

    Description
    Formerly Criminal Procedure I. This is an elective course. This course covers the constitutional regulation of the police in the area of criminal investigations, focusing particularly on the Fourth and Fifth Amendments. Among other things, the course will cover the exclusionary rule, search and seizure, the meaning of probable cause, the arrest power, the privilege against self- incrimination and police interrogation. It may also cover the right to counsel during police interrogations.

  
  • LAW 7167 - Criminal Procedure: Adjudication.


    2 to 3 Credit Hours

    Description
    Formerly Criminal Procedure II. This is an elective course. This course covers the adjudication of criminal cases after a defendant has been arrested, including the charging decision, setting of bail, the grand jury, discovery, guilty pleas and plea bargaining, right to trial by jury and jury selection, effective assistance of counsel, sentencing, and double jeopardy. It may also cover appellate and collateral review.

 

Page: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4