General Law Electives

Students can choose from a variety of one-credit international and comparative law seminars when studying abroad through Loyola Law. Topics and number of offerings differ by program. 

This course builds on basic concepts learned in Business Organizations I and allows for more comprehensive and detailed examination of these topics.  Particular issues covered may include 1) how ownership structure (closely v. publicly held) may impact corporate governance, 2) an introduction to federal securities law (including its antifraud rules), with particular emphasis on its impact on governance of business enterprises, and 3) the scope of the fiduciary duties owed to a business enterprise in fundamental transactions. 

Intensive instruction in legal methodology and analysis through more individualized instruction than generally provided in most law school courses and in coordination with other first year courses, working with problems and issues raised by first year courses (civil procedure, contracts, torts, criminal law, or property).  Students will complete numerous written exercises that will provide the basis for evaluating their current performance and prescribing goals and methods of improvement.  Enrollment in this course will be capped at 25 students per section to all faculty teaching this course to give the expected intensive feedback on the individual written exercises.

This course provides an introduction to the detrimental effects of poverty on society and poor people. It includes a treatment of the history of institutional response to the needs of the economically disadvantaged in the western world. It involves a critical examination of the legal system’s response to the economic, social, and human problems of poverty, particularly in the fields of social security, welfare, unemployment, and worker’s compensation. Special treatment is given to legislative and judicial initiatives in alleviating poverty as it burdens the family, women, and minorities. Students completing this course satisfy the Law and Poverty Requirement. 

This is a seminar devoted to an in-depth treatment of one or more topics of concern in the area of law and poverty. The exact subjects to be considered will be chosen by the instructor. This seminar will satisfy the requirement for Law and Poverty.

This course will explore the law and policy regarding diversity in the legal profession in the United States. The specific topics covered are women lawyers, and other minority groups such as African American, Asian-American, Latinx, LGBTQ+, as well as lawyers with disabilities and undocumented immigrant attorneys. The course will address the presence of these attorneys in the legal profession, starting with the history, the latest statistics, and first-person accounts of their experiences and will explore areas of improvement to achieve diversity, equity and inclusion in the U.S. legal system. International law instruments that touch upon these topics will also be discussed. This course satisfies the Law and Poverty requirement. When taught by certain professors, students completing the course earn one skills credit, once confirmed that the student has successfully completed the course's skills component.

The course will cover issues related to the laws of health care privacy and security.  Students will gain an understanding of the HIPAA/HITECH law and an introduction to state statutes, as well as the agencies that enforce privacy rules.  Students will learn to identify and analyze health privacy and security issues and the challenges of protecting privacy and security of an increasingly complicated health system.

The objective of this course is to provide a comprehensive survey and overview of the principal areas of federal and state law governing intellectual property rights, including trademarks, patents, copyrights, unfair competition, trade secrets, idea protection and the right of publicity.

This course will examine the law governing education in the United States, with emphasis on elementary and secondary schooling, including the impact of federal and state constitutions and statutes on finance and curriculum, and on the relationship between private and public institutions. Each student will prepare and present a paper to the seminar.

This course treats significant aspects and institutions of the Roman law, canon law, common law, and civil law. It also considers the interaction of these traditions in the context of our American legal heritage. Some emphasis is placed upon codification movements in Europe and the United States and particularly in Louisiana.

This course introduces the basic principles of the European Community Law and the institutional structure of the communities with particular reference to the case law of the Court of Justice of the European Community.

This course considers the legal problems arising in connection with financing decisions of publicly held corporations, including valuation of the enterprise and its securities, determination of securities structure and dividend policy, and decisions on investment opportunities, whether by internal expansion or by merger or takeover. Consideration will be given to the application of federal securities regulation, as well as state law, to the corporate decisions and to the import of the legal requirements for investors.

This course introduces and explores areas of law dealing with the creation and maintenance of "health."  It covers the major mechanisms for ensuring quality in health care and the ethical dilemmas that may result from medical treatment or other scientific interventions.  Three main topics are covered:  1) the treatment relationship, 2) public health and access to care, and 3) issues of bioethics generally. 

This course covers federal regulation of selling, trading, and dealing in securities in accordance with the provisions of the Securities Act of 1933 and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Subject matter includes public offerings, secondary distributions, insider trading, applications of Rule 10 (b) 5, sale of corporate control, market manipulation, broker-dealer regulation, state “blue sky” laws, and attendant civil liabilities under federal and state laws.

This course involves commercial paper and bank collection as regulated under Articles 3 and 4 of the Uniform Commercial Code.

This course builds on the basic instruction of the European Union’s structures and institutions offered in Law of the European Union I and provides specific, detailed coverage in the substantive competencies of European Union law, including such topics as free movement of goods, services, workers, and capital in the common market, anti-trust (competition) law, company law harmonization, environmental law, external relations and the common commercial policy, social policy, and fundamental rights.

This course examines the problems of the debtor who does not pay his debts. The study includes processes available to the creditor for collection, competition among multiple creditors for the assets of the debtor, means of affecting a distribution of the debtor’s assets among his creditors, means of rehabilitating the debtor, and the debtor’s right to some measure of protection. More than half of the course is devoted to a study of the Bankruptcy Act since all aspects of the creditor/debtor problem are colored by the interaction of state created rights and the federal bankruptcy provisions.

The United States has embraced arbitration more than any other country; arbitration agreements exist in connection with virtually every type of transaction imaginable. This course combines theory, law, and skills to explore the arbitration process, the legal framework governing this process, and policy debates that have emerged in light of the expansive uses of arbitration. Through readings, videos, written assignments, group discussions, class exercises, and small group simulations, students will study several arbitration topics, such as the definition of arbitration; the different stages of an arbitration proceeding; the ethical duties of participants in the arbitration process; different settings for arbitration, such as commercial, consumer, employment, sports, securities, and international arbitration; arbitral immunity; the structure, key features, and preemptive effect of the Federal Arbitration Act; the formation and drafting of arbitration agreements; defenses to arbitration; what claims are or should be subject to arbitration; the separability doctrine; the competence-competence principle; class action arbitration; and judicial enforcement and review of arbitral awards.

This class provides an overview of incarceration in the U.S., with a focus on the operation of the U.S. constitution within prisons and jails.  Specific topics include prison health care, involuntary labor, freedom of speech and religion. Students will also develop investigative skills through class research projects on deaths in custody in Louisiana.  The objectives of the course are to master these particular areas of constitutional doctrine, to situate the doctrine within a particular historical context, and to further refine each student's legal reasoning and critical thinking skills. Students completing the course earn two experiential credits and one skills credit, and fulfill the Law and Poverty requirement.

This course surveys federal criminal law with emphasis on white-collar crime, political corruption, and offenses affecting the administration of justice. Selected statutes such as the mail and wire fraud statutes, banking laws, RICO and Hobbs, as well as perjury and obstruction of justice laws will be examined.

This seminar is devoted to in-depth treatment of one or more topics of concern in comparative law. The exact subjects to be considered will be chosen by the instructor.

This course is a survey of the various dispute resolution processes including mediation, arbitration, the mini-trial, and the summary jury trial. The overall objectives are to give students familiarity with these processes, basic skills in using them, and experience in how to help a client choose the most appropriate dispute resolution process. The class will include lectures, demonstrations, discussions, and simulations. In some years, the course may be taught as a seminar, where written work satisfying the writing requirement will replace a final examination. Students completing the course earn three experiential learning credits and one skills credit (SKR2). 

This course deals with the legal problems of concerted action by employees, including the common law obstacles to the objects of labor combinations, picketing and the boycott, the construction and administration of the National Labor Relations Act, the collective bargaining agreement, and the union-member relationship.

This is a seminar on construction law that intertwines the growing area of sustainable construction (or “Green Building”) with the standard overview of construction law.   Areas that will be covered include (1) legal issues surrounding the Owner/Contract/Designer relationship; (2) project delivery systems and standard contracts; (3) construction defects and design defects (4) project defaults; (5) the role of a surety in construction; (6) claims in litigation; (7) and damages.  Included in the course will be an overview of the history, goals and development of sustainable construction, the certification and rating systems, a review of standard green building contract documents, and an overview of green building litigation issues.

This course surveys the various kinds of employment discrimination and the statutes, constitutional provisions, and Executive Orders that govern the rights and remedies available to employees who are subjected to discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age and disability. 

This course focuses primarily on intellectual property issues relating to the creation, sale, use, and misappropriation of computer hardware and software. Patent law, copyright law, trademark law, and related state-law doctrines affecting computer technology will be considered. The course will also address selected criminal law, antitrust, and personal privacy issues. No knowledge of computers, programming, or intellectual property law is required.

This course provides an overview of law in relation to ethical issues in medicine and health care.  Combining aspects of tort, constitutional, administrative and criminal law, the course begins with a philosophical examination of ethical theories followed by an examination of legal issues arising from the patient-provider relationship, including issues of consent, confidentiality, and privacy.  Subject areas to be examined include questions regarding assisted human reproduction, end-of-life and life-sustaining procedures, organ transplantation and regulation of research.

Students will examine the theoretical basis for constitutional protection of speech and religion and the analytical structure developed by the United States Supreme Court to determine the extent to which government may regulate or interfere with activities protected by the First Amendment.  When taught by certain professors, students completing the course earn one skills credit, once confirmed that the student has successfully completed the course's skills component.

This course deals with the consumer vis-a-vis the dangerous and/or defective product. It covers the role, mechanics, and effect of the federal, state, and local governments in this area. It also covers the theories of recovery and defenses to those theories as well as the continuing evolution of theories and defenses.

This course deals with the substantive and procedural aspects of medical malpractice.  Through an examination of statutory and case law, combined with skills exercises, this course covers topics such as medical negligence, standard of care, causation, informed consent, respondeat superior, liability among providers, agency issues, and peer review.

This is a seminar devoted to an in-depth treatment of one or more topics in the area of torts, products liability, or relational interests. The exact subjects to be considered will be chosen by the instructor.

This is a seminar devoted to an in-depth treatment of one or more topics in the areas of contracts and commercial law. The exact subjects to be considered will be chosen by the instructor.  Prerequisites:  LCOM L700 and LCOM L701 OR LCIV L710 and LCIV L711.

This is a seminar devoted to an in-depth treatment of one or more topics in the areas of contracts and commercial law. The exact subjects to be considered will be chosen by the instructor.  Prerequisites:  LCOM L700 and LCOM L701 OR LCIV L710 and LCIV L711.

This is a seminar devoted to an in-depth treatment of one or more topics in the areas of contracts and commercial law. The exact subjects to be considered will be chosen by the instructor.  Prerequisites:  LCOM L700 and LCOM L701 OR LCIV L710 and LCIV L711.

This is a seminar devoted to an in-depth treatment of one or more topics in the areas of contracts and commercial law. The exact subjects to be considered will be chosen by the instructor.  Prerequisites:  LCOM L700 and LCOM L701 OR LCIV L710 and LCIV L711.

This course deals with unfair competition in the marketplace and considers the remedies competitors may have against one another. Topics include trademarks, trade names, trade identity, unfair competition doctrines of passing off false advertising, misrepresentation, trade libel or disparagement and misappropriation, protection of trade secrets, the right to publicize, and interference with contractual and business relations. Emphasis is placed upon the interrelationship of federal and state regulation with some necessary reference to copyright and patent laws.

The course covers principally the areas of bank formation and bank regulation. Additional topics include antitrust aspects of banking, the role of the F.D.I.C. and the Federal Reserve, and international banking.

This course provides an overview of the law and bioethical issues associated with assisted reproductive technologies.  Combining aspects of tort, constitutional, administrative and criminal law, the course begins with a philosophical examination of ethical theories followed by an examination of legal issues arising from assisted reproduction.  In addition to assisted reproduction, the course will explore related issues of cloning and stem cell research.

This is a seminar devoted to gaining an understanding of class action and other “mass tort” litigation from both a practical and an academic perspective. This course will cover alternative structures for litigation, class definition, and other pleading issues; discovery; the certification process; and trial and settlement issues.

This course surveys United States constitutional and statutory law regulating naturalization and immigration. Students explore the historical development of that law and the role that racial, national origin, and gender classifications have played in that development. Students are expected to develop an understanding of immigration that reflects awareness of global migration forces and broader policy choices that may be affected by international treaties and conventions. Students are evaluated on the basis of class participation and a written appellate brief. When taught by certain professors, students completing the course earn one skills credit, once confirmed that the student has successfully completed the course's skills component.

This course is designed for law students who are interested in teaching inner-city middle school and high school students about law related issues. Twice a week pairs of law students will enter local public school classrooms to discuss legal rights, responsibilities, and practical legal problems. The course also includes a two-hour seminar component and a paper requirement at the end of the semester. Students completing the course earn three hours experiential learning credits, one skills credit, and satisfy the Law and Poverty Requirement. 

This course examines the distribution of benefits and burdens in environmental protection, particularly as related to race and income. Students will examine facility permitting, risk assessment, administrative processes, anti-discrimination law, constitutional guarantees of civil rights and civil liberties, and community lawyering. Readings will include judicial opinions, law review articles, interdisciplinary materials, and situational case studies. Because southern Louisiana is a hotbed of environmental justice activity, the course will integrate important local issues and disputes. Students completing this course satisfy the Law and Poverty Requirement. 

Natural resource management presents extremely difficult and contentious issues of law and public policy. Major debates continue to rage over offshore drilling, the protection for biodiversity, and the management of commercial fisheries. This course provides an overview of the way in which our society allocates and regulates the use of several natural resources, including fisheries, wildlife, wetlands, petroleum, and lands of aesthetic beauty such as Yellowstone or Louisiana’s fabled swamps. Students will examine the major federal environmental statutes directed toward conserving natural resources, including the Endangered Species Act and the National Environmental Policy Act. The historical, constitutional, and economic underpinnings of natural resource law will also be addressed.

In this course, students will examine fundamental issues in real estate transactions, including financing, contracting, and conveyancing, with a primary focus on commercial transactions. Topics to be covered include: the structure of mortgage markets and the regulation of loan transactions; the law governing mortgages and related financing structures (such as installment land contracts and ground leases), including foreclosure and borrower protections; construction finance; suretyship (guaranties and related contracts); recording and lien priorities; contracts for the purchase and sale of real estate; conveyancing issues; and title insurance. When taught by certain professors, students completing the course earn one skills credit, once confirmed that the student has successfully completed the course's skills component.

This course explores the variety of ways in which the law attempts to resolve conflicts among land uses, as well as plan and regulate the impacts of different land use patterns. Topics include common law; state, regional, and local planning; zoning; environmental controls; growth management; historic preservation; restrictions relating to residential development; and constitutional limits on land use regulation. Throughout the course, students will explore how land-use decisions affect environmental quality and how land-use decision making addresses environmental concerns. Students completing the specific course of Property & Land Use Seminar: Property, Land Use, and Justice satisfy the Law and Poverty Requirement.

This course involves a specialized study of the nature of interests in oil, gas, and other minerals, including the remedies of the owner against the adjoining landowner and the trespasser, the nature of the mineral contract, sale and reservation of mineral rights, prescription of mineral rights, and the mineral lease. The course also may include a study of the conservation laws pertaining to minerals and the regulations of the Louisiana Conservation Commissioner and of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the leasing of state and federal public lands, operating and production agreements, special contractual agreements relative to mineral exploration and development, deviations from standard provisions in mineral leases and instruments creating or conveying mineral servitudes and royalties, and an introduction to some of the special tax problems of owners and producers of minerals. The Louisiana Mineral Code is given coverage in all areas.

This course covers the history of the interpretations of § 1983, immunities, governmental liability, nature of wrongs redressed, relationship to state law (e.g., res judicata, borrowing state law, exhaustion), attorney's fees, abstention, and sovereign immunity.

This course examines the laws and doctrines (federal and state) that regulate and impact the employer-employee relationship. Among the topics typically explored in this course are: employment at will; employment contracts (express and implied); whistleblower and mass layoff protections; restrictive covenants and trade secrets; an introduction to federal labor law and anti-discrimination law, wage and hour laws; the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA); and applicable claim procedures, defenses, remedies, and litigation strategies.

This course will provide instruction to students competing on a Moot Court team during the academic year and will focus specifically on practical research, writing, and argument skills needed to succeed in competition and in appellate practice generally.  Instructor permission required.  In some semesters, this course is open to all-level students.  Students completing the course earn experiential credit equivalent to the credit hours earned in the course, and one skills credit.

This course deals with requirements of Article III of the United States Constitution such as standing, ripeness, and mootness. A major portion of the course is devoted to problems relating to concepts of federalism and comity between the state and federal systems. The class also analyzes the relationship between the branches of the federal government. For example, the extent to which Congress may withdraw jurisdiction from those courts and the power of the court to review actions of coequal branches are issues receiving attention. The course also offers a review of jurisdiction based on the existence of diversity and a federal question. The course also covers some of the following subjects: the Erie problem, suits against state officials and the state, abstention, injunctions against state proceedings, and review of state court judgments.  Although not required, courses LAW L725 Civil Procedure I and LAW L750 Constitutional Law are recommended before taking this course.

This course teaches the principles of contemporary commercial drafting and introduces students to documents typically used in a variety of transactions. It is primarily experiential in nature. The skills taught will apply to any transactional practice and will even be useful to litigators. On  finishing the course, students will know: the business purpose of each of the contract concepts; how to translate the business deal into contract concepts; how to draft each of a contract's parts; how to draft with clarity and without ambiguity; how to add value to a deal; how to work through the drafting process; and how to review and comment on a contract. Students completing the course earn three hours experiential learning credits and one skills credit.

This course focuses on the law and procedures relating to federal agencies.  Federal and state administrative agencies affect virtually every aspect of daily life.  Indeed, the administrative state is sometimes called the "fourth branch" of government.  Often invisible to the public, these agencies are responsible for regulating and enforcing laws regarding the environment, national security, food and drugs, labor relations, international trade, telecommunications, intellectual property, zoning, and immigration (to name but a few). Knowledge of regulations - and how they are enacted - is essential for practicing attorneys in almost any field. 

This course does not focus on the law of any one agency, but instead analyzes the procedures and principles common to all federal agencies. Accordingly students will examine the sources of agencies' authority (both statutory and constitutional), the limits of their powers, the procedures they must follow in rulemaking and adjudication, and judicial review of agency actions. 

This seminar is open to candidates of the Loyola Law Review, Journal of Public Interest Law, or Maritime Law Journal who are currently writing a comment. Others may enroll with instructor's approval. Students enrolled in this seminar will write and edit one substantial comment and, in addition, evaluate and edit the writing of other students. Students will be evaluated on the basis of their research, writing, and editing skills. Instructor approval required.

This course introduces students to three foundational concepts in American law: the tripartite governmental structure and the legislative process, principles of statutory interpretation, and the procedures and doctrines governing the administrative state. This course aims to equip advocates and advisors with the tools they need to pursue policy change. Over the course of the semester, students will draft legislation, "adopt" and research a federal agency, and draft a short comment that could be filed with an agency in an open rulemaking proceeding.

This course focuses on the means for obtaining legal protection for patentable and unpatentable inventions and for technical knowledge. Licensing and aspects of litigation affecting these rights also will be discussed.

This course consists of a detailed exploration of the protection of creative expression—literature, music, visual art, and motion pictures. While focusing primarily on the copyright act, the course also will consider those areas of patent and trademark law that overlap with copyright or form the boundaries. The challenges created by new technology, such as computers, home video recorders, and cable television will receive particular attention. Additionally, some attention will be given to related doctrines in other countries.

This course builds on the basic Admiralty I course and develops the requirements for seaman status under the Jones Act, seaman's remedies, maintenance and cure, the warranty of seaworthiness, Death on the High Seas Act as well as the defenses available.  The course also explores the jurisdictional requirements of the Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act and its incorporation as a remedy under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, remedies of maritime employees and obligations of maritime employers.  In addition, students will learn the administrative process of the Longshore Act.  LAW L864 Admiralty Law is a preferred but not mandatory prerequisite.

This seminar permits students to conduct an intensive study of one or more issues in family law. The students will investigate marriage, the parent-child relationship, and other contemporary family topics in a comparative format. Each student will be responsible for a class presentation and a written paper on a specific topic in the area.  Prerequisites: LCIV L900 or LCOM L800.

This seminar permits students to conduct an intensive study of one or more issues in family law. The students will investigate marriage, the parent-child relationship, and other contemporary family topics in a comparative format. Each student will be responsible for a class presentation and a written paper on a specific topic in the area.  Prerequisites: LCIV L900 or LCOM L800.

This course concerns personal and property insurance, together with the rights and powers of the insurer, the insured, the beneficiary, the assignees, and creditors.

This course uses a health justice lens, which aims to give all people a fair and just opportunity to be healthy, and critical perspectives, including critical race theory, to explore the relationship between the status, rights, and well-being of children and the law. The course, for instance, asks how the law creates, exacerbates, prevents, and alleviates childhood trauma, which is a significant social determinant of health. This course critically examines how family law; juvenile delinquency law; education; and constitutional law affect children. The experiences of minoritized populations, including children of color, LGBTQ+ youth, immigrant children, and children with disabilities, will be highlighted. The need to enforce extant laws and to reform and, sometimes, abolish certain laws and policies will be discussed. This course seeks to prepare for practice students who wish to advocate for children or who expect to address children's rights issues in their work. Students completing this course satisfy the Law and Poverty Requirement.

This course studies the legal aspects of intergovernmental relationships including the distribution of power among the federal, state, and local governments. Organization and reorganization of local governmental entities, home rule, metropolitan government, and financing of the local government, financing of state entities and offices, public procurement policies, open meetings law, and public records laws are among the subjects covered. The legal issues are related to the greatest extent possible to contemporary American urban developments, including federal involvement in local and state issues, such as police conduct, housing, education, and prison policies.

This is a survey course in environmental law and regulatory policy. The course considers the special character of environmental disputes and the problems that arise in developing legal rules for their resolution. The course covers several different federal environmental statutes, including laws relating to hazardous wastes, toxic substances, and air pollution. The goal in studying these issues will be to gain a better understanding not only of particular environmental laws and policies, but also of the processes by which the government can regulate potentially harmful activities. Students will look not only at traditional regulatory mechanisms, but also at the opportunities for market and consensus solutions. The course will make frequent use of situational case studies, which will require students to think strategically about how they would solve real world problems that have confronted lawyers and policymakers.

This course will consider the response of the legal system to the particular problems of the sports industry. Coverage includes contractual obligations in professional sports, antitrust laws, regulation of agents, sports violence, labor relations and collective bargaining in professional sports, arbitration, professional sports franchise relocation, the National Collegiate Athletic Association and the regulation of intercollegiate sports, regulation of amateur sports, gender and racial discrimination in athletics, and drug testing.

This course considers common problems in criminal prosecution from the initiation of charges through the trial process to the handling of post-conviction remedies. The Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure will be employed as a model. The course is open to both civil law and common law students.

This primarily experiential seminar examines the legal, ethical and strategic issues an attorney faces during different stages of a lawsuit from client engagement, initial pleadings, discovery, to pretrial motion practice and pretrial conferences. The seminar will focus on developing legal strategy, fact gathering through strategic use of discovery devices such as interrogatories, depositions, requests for admissions, and requests for document production. Students will represent either the plaintiff or the defendant in a simulated breach of contract case. As part of their class assignments, students will draft initial pleadings and discovery requests representing either party in the simulated case. Students will also be required to take a deposition of a party witness in the simulated case. Students completing the course earn three experiential learning credits and one skills credit.

This seminar is devoted to in-depth treatment of one or more topics of concern in criminal law or procedure. The exact subjects to be considered will be chosen by the instructor. 

This course reviews the principles of admiralty and maritime law, including statutory modifications, in the following areas: jurisdiction, the nature of in rem and in personal jurisdiction, maritime liens, the contract of affreightment and COGSA, limitation of liability, general average, the law of collision, the tug and tow relationship, and salvage.

This course is primarily experiential in nature and combines advanced work in corporations, corporate financing, and federal taxation in the context of business planning and counseling. The course will be based upon a series of simulations involving common business transactions, which present corporate and tax issues for analysis and resolution. The simulations will cover such topics as the formation and financing of corporations, both closely held and publicly owned, stock redemption, the sale and purchase of businesses, mergers and other forms of acquisition and recapitalization, division and dissolution of corporations. Students completing the course earn experiential learning credits equivalent to the credit hours earned in the course, and one skills credit.  

This course considers the Louisiana law relative to tort liability of master and servant and the Louisiana workers’ compensation law.

This course considers the impact of federal taxation on the transmission of wealth. Primary emphasis is placed on the gift and estate tax systems. The generation-skipping transfer tax system and related income tax problems are also considered.

This course consists of an advanced study of federal income taxation emphasizing planning considerations affecting the personal and commercial transactions of individual taxpayers.

This course deals with the tax problems of corporations and shareholders faced in practice with discussion and analysis of the Internal Revenue Code and Regulations, cases, and rulings.

This course involves a study of the tax treatment of the formation, operation, and termination of pass-through entities including partnerships, limited liability companies, and subchapter S corporations. Class discussion will focus on the study of the Internal Revenue Code and Regulations and solving problems a taxpayer must deal with in practice.

This course deals with numerous aspects of federal tax procedure. Specifically, the course will cover administrative procedures before the Internal Revenue Service, an analysis of the statutory notice procedures, the entire spectrum of litigating a case before the United States Tax Court and the District Court, extended periods of limitations, and additions to tax and other problems that a practitioner might encounter while handling a tax case.

This course considers the varieties of taxation imposed by state and local governments including: property taxes, business taxes, sales and use taxes, and the various exemptions.

This course deals with the law relating to transactions with elements in more than one state. Emphasis is placed upon the problems of choice of laws to be applied in a given situation where the laws of the states involved differ. This problem is examined with respect to actions in tort, worker’s compensation, contract, family law, and decedents’ estates. Consideration is given to constitutional issues, the theoretical basis for the choice of laws, and questions relating to the jurisdiction of courts and the enforcement of foreign judgments.

This seminar is devoted to in-depth treatment of one or more topics of current controversy in constitutional law. The exact subjects to be considered will be chosen by the instructor. 

This introductory course acquaints students with the theory and practice of a distinct legal system. The sources and mode of discourse of the international legal system are studied in sufficient detail to allow the student to undertake further work in the discipline. Detailed examination will be undertaken of several substantive areas of international law. These areas will be selected from topics such as jurisdiction of states, international criminal law, law of the sea, international protection of human rights, law of war, and regulation of resort to force by states.

This seminar is devoted to in-depth treatment of one or more topics in admiralty law.  The exact subjects to be considered will be chosen by the instructor.  When taught as Admiralty Seminar: Practice and Procedure, this course will earn experiential credit and one skills credit.

This primarily experiential course pairs third year law students with (1) mentors in the New Orleans legal community who practice corporate law, with an emphasis on early stage ventures, and (2) early stage ventures, both for profit and non-profit, who are in need of legal service. Under the supervision of mentors, students will prepare basic transactional legal documentation for early stage ventures in the local community. Enrollment is limited and preference is given to students who have successfully completed Business Planning (L867) or Contract Drafting (L843). Students completing the course earn experiential learning credits equivalent to the credit hours earned in the course, and one skills credit. In addition to prerequisite, permission of Instructor required.

Students with a background in the subject will conduct an intensive study of one or more issues in international law. These issues will be identified by the instructor prior to registration. Limited enrollment.

Students in this course explore gender law in a variety of contexts, and develop practice-skills through a simulation.  Students explore issues of gender through individual and small-group presentations and practice-oriented exercises.  Practice exercises include drafting a complaint, taking a deposition, and researching and writing substantive motions.  At the end of the course, students will produce a portfolio of their work that may be used in pursuing employment. Students completing the course earn one skills credit and three experiential learning credits, and satisfy the Law and Poverty Requirement.   

This seminar is devoted to an in-depth treatment of one or more topics in environmental law. The exact subjects will be chosen by the instructor(s).

This tutorial is open to candidates for Law Review who have successfully completed the junior Law Review requirements as determined by the Student Editorial Board and who complete service on the Executive Board. This tutorial is graded on a pass/fail basis only.

Under no circumstances can a student elect any combination of course numbers LAW L891, LAW L893, LAW L898, or LAW L901 that would result in more than six hours. Also, under no circumstances may a student elect any combination of course numbers LAW L898, LAW L899, and LAW L900 that would result in more than six hours.

This tutorial is open to candidates for the Journal of Public Interest Law who successfully have completed the junior journal requirements as determined by the Student Editorial Board and 1) complete service on the Editorial Board, or 2) complete a publishable comment under the tutorship of a member of the faculty. This tutorial will be graded on a pass/fail basis for board service, but a letter grade for comments.

Under no circumstances can a student elect any combination of course numbers LAW L891, LAW L893, LAW L898, or LAW L901 that would result in more than six hours. Also, under no circumstances may a student elect any combination of course numbers LAW L898, LAW L899, and LAW L900 that would result in more than six hours.

This course explores conflicts that arise in the context of families, with emphasis on mediating issues involving separation and divorce. It is designed to provide students with the skills and understanding needed to help parties reach agreement on matters such as child custody, visitation, division of property, distributions of debts, and support issues. Emotional issues, such as feelings of betrayal and loss, are examined, along with techniques for addressing them. Other issues such as high conflict families, domestic violence, spousal or child abuse, ethical issues in mediations, court mandated mediations, collaborative law, and mediator qualifications are also covered. Through a combination of lectures, demonstrations, discussions and role-play exercises, students will learn the fundamental concepts and basic skills that underlie the divorce and family mediation framework. Students completing the course earn one experiential learning credit and one skills credit (SKR2).

This seminar surveys historical and contemporary responses of the legal system of the United States. The exact subjects will be chosen by the instructor(s).

Students participate in clinic orientation before the start of classes, after which they are sworn in to practice law as a Student Practitioner under the supervision of a Clinic Professor. Clinic students are assigned civil or criminal cases with jurisdiction in municipal, state, federal and/or administrative courts. Student Practitioners are expected to represent clients from the point of their case assignment through final disposition or the end of the course, whichever comes first. Representation includes, but is not limited to, client interviews, fact investigation, informal and formal discovery, drafting and filing of pleadings, legal research, writing of fact and legal memoranda, communications with opposing counsel, court appearances, including trial and appellate work, and law office management. Student Practitioners must devote a minimum of 15 hours per week to clinic class and case work in this course.

Standard participation is two full semesters during the fall and spring semesters of the 3L year; however, certain sections of Law Clinic are offered for one semester only.  For each semester of Law Clinic that a student successfully completes, he or she will earn five credit hours (letter-graded), five hours of experiential learning credits, four skills credits (satisfying all of the required categories if taken for two semesters), and satisfy the Law and Poverty Requirement. In addition to prerequisite, permission of Instructor required.

This course is designed to develop skills in legal research, analysis, and writing, and to allow the student the opportunity to study a narrow subject in depth under the supervision of a full-time faculty member with expertise in the area. A written paper is required for satisfactory completion of this course, whether it is taken for one, two, or three hours of credit. A letter grade is given for completion of the course. The course may be taken for a minimum of two hours of credit to satisfy the writing requirement. A student must be in good academic standing and receive the permission of the associate dean for academic affairs to register for this course. 

Under no circumstances can a student elect any combination of course numbers LAW L891, LAW L893, LAW L898, or LAW L901 that would result in more than six hours. Also, under no circumstances may a student elect any combination of course numbers LAW L898, LAW L899, and LAW L900 that would result in more than six hours.

This course is designed to allow the student an opportunity to study a narrow subject in depth under the supervision of a full-time faculty member with expertise in the subject area. Appropriate written documentation pertinent to the study is required, but the course does not necessarily entail a single research paper, as is the case with Legal Research (LAW L898). This course is only graded on a pass/fail basis and may sometimes involve working for an outside agency (i.e., an “extern” program), with general supervision and evaluation by the designated faculty member. A student must be in good academic standing and receive the permission of the associate dean for academic affairs to register for this course. This course cannot be used to satisfy the writing requirement.

Under no circumstances can a student elect any combination of course numbers LAW L891, LAW L893, LAW L898, or LAW L901 that would result in more than six hours. Also, under no circumstances may a student elect any combination of course numbers LAW L898, LAW L899, and LAW L900 that would result in more than six hours.

This experiential course allows students to earn credit for legal work performed while placed with a government agency, legal non-profit, or court. Students in good standing with a GPA of 2.0 or higher may apply to enroll in the externship course for 1, 2, or 3 credits beginning the summer after their 1L year. Students must receive an offer from a qualifying placement and instructor approval to enroll. This course cannot be used to satisfy the writing requirement. This is a pass/fail course with a regular classroom component. Students must devote at least 60 hours of work to this course per each credit hour for which they are enrolled. Students completing the course earn experiential learning credits equivalent to the credit hours earned in the course, and one skills credit.  

Under no circumstances may a student elect any combination of course numbers LAW L898, LAW G898, LAW L899, LAW G899, and LAW L900 that would result in more than six hours.

This tutorial is open to candidates for the Loyola Maritime Law Journal who have successfully completed the junior journal requirements as determined by the Student Editorial Board and 1) complete service on the Editorial Board, or 2) complete a publishable comment under the tutorship of a member of the faculty. This tutorial will be graded on a pass/fail basis for board service, but a letter grade for comments.

Under no circumstances can a student elect any combination of course numbers LAW L891, LAW L893, LAW L898, or LAW L901 that would result in more than six hours. Also, under no circumstances may a student elect any combination of course numbers LAW L898, LAW L899, and LAW L900 that would result in more than six hours.

This seminar is devoted to the introduction of a variety of topics that impact the elderly, the disabled, and their families. The course will cover topics such as power of attorney, interdiction, capacity, elder abuse, geriatric care management, nursing home rights, end of life care, and successions.

This course will examine the laws governing political process in the United States, with a focus on how these laws both reflect and determine political power relationships. The course will survey federal and state statutory law, as well as the constitutional structure within which they operate, with an emphasis on the First and Fourteenth Amendments. Students will be asked to critically examine the legal, social, and political factors that structure political participation in the United States, with a particular focus on their impact on racial and economic justice. Topics covered will include the right to vote, political representation, election administration, political parties, and campaign finance.

This course will build on the analytical and writing skills developed by students in the Lawyering I and Lawyering II courses and will provide students with opportunities to sharpen their legal analysis through various types of documents, including a trial memorandum, a judicial opinion, a client opinion letter, and a short scholarly piece. Students will examine the types of legal arguments and will study the conventions and expectations unique to each of the documents they create. They will be expected to use this knowledge as they analyze hypothetical cases. Additionally, students will conduct legal research for their assignments, which will serve to reinforce their researching skills. Students completing the course earn three experiential learning credits and one skills credit.

This practical, skills-based course is designed to help prepare students for practice or future study by building on the research techniques presented in Lawyering I. Advanced Legal Research focuses on the effective use of electronic and print legal research tools and examines existing sources for both legal and non-legal information of interest to lawyers. Students will receive advanced training on comprehensive proprietary online research systems (Westlaw, Lexis, and Bloomberg Law), and be introduced to specialized online systems (ProQuest, BNA, and CCH Intelliconnect). This course will provide coverage of selected research subjects, including statutory research, legislative history, administrative and regulatory research, practice aids, research strategies, and various specialized areas, such as an introduction to international/foreign research sources. The focus is on the practical application of research resources in various areas, for instance compiling a legislative history, drafting a comment to a regulation, or compiling a company profile. Assessment is based on five experiential learning exercises and a final project, and students should be prepared to present their work in a professional format (both orally and in writing). Students completing the course earn three experiential learning credits and one skills credit.

Introduction to American Indian law examines its legal and historical bases.  Focus will be on delineating intersections of federal, tribal, and state law:  jurisdiction, social services such as child protection, placement and adoption, gaming, civil law, treaty law, and criminal law.  Illustrative case law, legislative, and scholarly studies are used to enhance student learning.  Issues that apply to Indian law in Louisiana are introduced.  Research allows students to familiarize themselves with source materials.  [Note:  Indian law is defined as laws created by federal, tribal and state governments, their implementation, and adjudication that encompass American Indians.]

This course explores key legal and regulatory concepts and issues impacting the delivery of healthcare in the United States.  Topic areas will include, but are not limited to, state and federal regulation of health care providers and institutions including the Stark Law, the Federal Anti-Kickback Statute, patient and provider rights and obligations, public and private insurance systems including the history of Medicare and Medicaid; business and legal issues that arise in the provision of healthcare including a detailed look at the regulatory environment surrounding any healthcare provider; and a detailed discussion of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The course will examine, as a whole, the healthcare industry and the relevant laws and regulations that govern its operation from two very different perspectives-a physician's perspective and the hospital's perspective. There are no prerequisites to this course but it is preferred that students have completed LAW L807 Introduction to Health Law.

This course examines the law and policy of disasters (natural and technological) as stages along a “circle of risk management”—from hazard-mitigation planning, to emergency response, to cost sharing and compensation after an event, to long-term recovery. The course will emphasize the role of public policy as well as practical lawyering skills. In the process, students will gain full exposure to the Stafford Act, the National Flood Insurance Program, the workings of the Federal Emergency Management Agency and its relationship to other agencies, relevant constitutional principles, and the U.N. Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction.

This course explores the laws and regulations that govern the provision of healthcare in the United States and the compliance programs to ensure safe care. Students will be introduced to the elements of an effective compliance program and challenges in providing safe, high quality, compliant healthcare.

In this specialized course tailored for aspiring lawyers, students are immersed in the intricate legal landscape surrounding fraudulent and abusive practices within the healthcare sector. As global healthcare expenditures rise, protecting the system against unethical behaviors becomes paramount. This course provides a deep dive into the statutes, regulations, and case laws that frame and combat healthcare fraud and abuse, including foundational statutes like the False Claims Act, the Anti-Kickback Statute, the Stark Law, and corresponding federal and state regulations. Students will benefit from real-world case studies, gaining insights into landmark decisions and their subsequent implications. The curriculum also guides students through nuanced legal interpretations of terms such as "fraud," "abuse," and "kickbacks"; the enforcement mechanisms spearheaded by agencies like the Department of Justice and the Office of Inspector General; defensive strategies like internal audits and risk assessments for healthcare entities; and the ethical considerations lawyers must navigate in this domain. Emphasis is also placed on emerging trends in healthcare fraud, especially in the context of digital advancements such as electronic health records and telemedicine in the context of fraud and abuse.

This is a course that analyzes the relationship between disability and the law, with an emphasis on federal and state statutes and case law. Areas of concentration include health care treatment and involuntary commitment, employment, government services, public accommodations,  education, housing, and personal autonomy. Students will review the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Sec. 504), Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), and the Fair Housing Act Amendments. The course examines disability from a health justice and civil and human rights perspective. Students completing this course satisfy the Law and Poverty Requirement.

This course explores the legal framework governing the public health system in the United States. Students will learn about the functioning of the public health system at the federal, state, and local levels, and students will conceptualize the development of public health law as a process through which lawyers, scientists, public health practitioners, and others work collaboratively to develop legal reforms. Students will also examine the balancing of the government's fundamental role in safeguarding the public's health and respecting constitutionally-protected individual liberties. This course also uses a social justice and ethics framework to examine urgent public health issues, such as the regulation of vaping products, public surveillance and privacy, immunization law and policy, emergency preparedness, and quarantines and other measures to control infectious diseases like the Ebola virus and COVID-19. In addition to learning the substantive legal principles and policies governing the public health system, the course will involve skills-based exercises to help develop a student's ability to identify, describe, analyze, and advocate for a particular public health objective.

This course examines the intersection between law and literature, and how the humanities teach us about law, justice, and government. This course provides students an opportunity to think about the law through the prism of the humanistic and philosophical perspective.  The exact subjects to be considered will be chosen by the instructor.

This course will study the characteristic features of toxic tort litigation, such as the temporal separation between wrongful conduct and the appearance of injury, novel issues of medical causation, property valuation, environmental restoration and hazard assessment, and the difficulty of fashioning remedies. The impact of these core problems on doctrinal, procedural and evidentiary matters will be explored.

This course introduces students to the development, functioning and role of international organizations and institutions in global governance related to peace and security, human rights, and the global economy-both within and outside of the United Nations system. Students will also visit with regional integration and cooperation systems in the Americas, Africa, Asia and Europe.

The overarching objective of the course is to stimulate critical and theoretical thinking about the dynamic significance of international organizations and institutions in world politics, as they impact countries and people around the world.

Students in the Human Rights Advocacy Project work directly with human rights non-governmental organizations on ongoing cases and projects. Examples of the projects include drafting a memorandum of law in opposition to a motion to dismiss in a case involving trafficking of child slaves; interviewing witnesses, conducting legal research, and drafting a petition to the Inter-American Commission for Human Rights on the right to safe drinking water; drafting a memorandum of law to the US Senate on a pending international treaty; writing a policy impact paper on torture in a foreign country; and petitioning the United Nations Special Rapporteur regarding the death penalty in Louisiana. In the process, students will learn the fundamental principles of international human rights law and develop critical lawyering and advocacy skills such as legal research and fact-finding methodologies; interviewing skills; legal drafting; legislative and policy analysis; project organization and time management; oral and written advocacy; collaborative project work; and professionalism. Students completing the course earn three experiential learning credits each semester, one skills credit, and satisfy the Law and Poverty Requirement.

This course presents the regulatory context of the international sale of goods, including the role of the World Trade Organization (WTO), the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), and other supranational or international organizations, as well as the effect of bilateral treaties and similar arrangements. This course also presents and analyzes the law governing the import and export of goods, such as the Convention on the International Sale of Goods (CISG), the UNIDROIT Principles of International Commercial Contracts, the proposed European Code of Contracts, the Incoterms of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), as well as national laws that have been applied in the international context. Conventions and model laws on financing of international sales (e.g., on letters of credit, factoring, and receivables) may also be addressed.

This course will focus on the foundational law and jurisprudence surrounding the death penalty, as well as the standards of practice of defending individuals who have been sentenced to death. Throughout the course, students will be expected to read and digest jurisprudence governing the death penalty, as well as begin to implement their knowledge as applied to real clients represented by the Capital Defense Center. Students will read and digest case materials, produce work product, and visit clients at Angola. Students will also learn and apply pertinent Louisiana-specific law governing capital cases. At the end of the course, students will be graded on both written work product and oral advocacy on behalf of a client. Students completing the course earn three hours experiential learning credits per semester, one skills credit per semester, and satisfy the Law and Poverty Requirement. This course requires a two-semester (fall/spring) commitment and is only open to students in their final year (3L/4L) only. 

This course deals with the resolution of disputes in the international context. It addresses both litigation and alternative dispute resolution, including arbitration. The course focuses on commercial disputes between private actors, but may also analyze the special problems of disputes between private actors and states or state-owned entities. Students completing the course earn experiential learning credits equivalent to the credit hours earned in the course, and one skills credit.  Permission of Instructor required.

This course deals with the resolution of disputes in the international context. It addresses both
litigation and alternative dispute resolution, including arbitration. The course focuses on
commercial disputes between private actors, but may also analyze the special problems of disputes
between private actors and states or state-owned entities. Students completing the course earn
experiential learning credits equivalent to the credit hours earned in the course, and one skills
credit. Permission of Instructor required.

This two-credit seminar course covers selected international legal issues and frameworks within the energy-environment nexus. Topics include Introduction, Fundamentals (Sources of Law, State Responsibility, Private Remedies), Energy Facility Siting and Environmental Policy Umbrella, Oilfield Waste Regulation (Offshore), Major Environmental Issues in the Nuclear Energy Debate, Energy Transportation, Energy Consumption and International Trade, and Energy and Global Climate Change. Students will learn to appreciate international (environmental) law as a system of law. This course will use a moot court and role play format to review, discuss, and critique the assigned materials.

Students will explore problems posed by immigration and the regulation of aliens in the United States through selected readings, class discussion, and class presentations. The exact subjects to be considered will be chosen by the instructor.

This course surveys the law of asylum and related protection for those fleeing danger in their home countries through a case simulation and a set of practice-oriented exercises that include preparation of an asylum hearing memorandum.  Students examine asylum and refugee law and policy in the United States, and under international law, and the legal grounds for barring individuals from asylum.  There is no prerequisite for the course. Students completing the course earn three experiential learning credits, one skills credit, and satisfy the Law and Poverty Requirement.

This course will teach students the process and laws applying to detention and removal defense of immigrants. Topics will include the authority to detain and eligibility for release, classification of immigrants, grounds of inadmissibility and deportability and defenses against removal. 

Students explore immigration practice or policy issues to be determined by professor and student interest.  Issues may include consideration of systems of immigration (family based, work based or alternatives), deference to administrative agency determinations, the role of judicial review in immigration law (plenary power doctrine), humanitarian relief and the problem of refugees, or naturalization and citizenship.

Students will explore problems posed by immigration and the regulation of noncitizens in the United States through selected readings, class discussion and class presentations.  The exact subjects to be considered will be chosen by the instructor.

Students explore the role that health, in particular mental health and disabilities, plays in immigration and naturalization law.  Students gain an understanding of the administrative structure that regulates health in admissions and at borders and health care issues in detained immigrant communities.  

This course will introduce students to the reasons for regulation, the ways in which regulation can go awry, the choice of legal institutions, the choice of regulatory instruments, and the art of statutory interpretation. Students will examine several substantive subject areas as recurring themes, all involving the regulation of risk.

This course focuses on the protection afforded individuals by the 14th amendment due process and equal protection clauses, state action, and Congress’ power to enforce the 14th amendment. Students are strongly encouraged to take this course, as well as the First Amendment course (LAW L823).

This course uses experiential learning exercises to develop skills in ADR and trial advocacy, oral persuasion and nonverbal communication.  In a simulated trial setting, class participants perform opening statements, closing arguments, witness examinations and lay evidentiary foundations.  Faculty lectures and demonstrations supplement these exercises. Students completing the course earn three experiential learning credits and one skills credit.  Prerequisite: LAW L760 or permission of Instructor.

This course provides students with an overview of modern digital technologies and the legal doctrines most relevant to these industries.  Students will obtain an overview of both networking technologies (the physical infrastructure of networks) and software applications that utilize networks.  The course will also provide a specialized perspective on the intersection of these technologies with relevant aspects of intellectual property law, privacy law, cyberlaw, business law, and communications law.  Enrollment is limited and preference is given to students who are working towards a Law, Technology, and Entrepreneurship Certificate. 

This course will introduce students to advanced legal research for use in policy advocacy, utilizing Participatory Action Research, a community-based relational research model utilized in the social sciences, as a basis for community lawyering, advocacy, and organizing. Students will have an opportunity to see community-based research in action, supporting the Professor in conducting research based upon collaboration with community partners. Students will have real-world examples from which to identify a primary need, challenge, or opportunity, from which to develop a research plan. Community leaders and advocates often struggle to identify the legal and regulatory barriers, and opportunities, related to their goals. Students will learn how to identify the legal and regulatory components of the identified topic, conduct research, and help design an advocacy strategy and theory of change. This lab will teach students how to engage in democratic change processes, apply legal skills to community-based problems, and collaboratively design research and advocacy strategies. Students completing the course earn three experiential learning credits and one skills credit. Instructor permission required.

This course provides an introduction to U.S. energy law. The first part of the course introduces the nation’s primary sources of energy: coal, oil, biofuels, natural gas, hydropower, nuclear, wind, solar, and geothermal energy. Students explore the physical, market, and legal structures within which these energy sources are extracted, transported, and converted into energy. The second part focuses on the two main sectors of energy economy: electricity and transportation. The third part of the course examines hot topics in energy law, highlighting complex transitions now taking place in the energy system. In addition to textbook readings and class discussion, the course will include in-class simulated exercises.

This is a unique course in which students, individually or in teams, work under the supervision of skilled attorneys with years of city, state, federal and international environmental advocacy experience on a semester-long project with real non-profit, or community clients. Topics may include: oil and gas drilling, endangered species protection, climate change, urban agriculture, fisheries management, and more. The course walks students through the full process of representing a client on policy and/or legislative matters. Each class focuses on a specific skill—drafting and signing client retainers, crafting legislation, lobbying, writing Freedom of Information Act requests, using press releases and radio/TV interviews—as an advocacy tool, and more. Activities may include: drafting agency regulations or state or federal legislation; organizing community action; and participating in stakeholder working groups, agency or legislative hearings, or other meetings and events. The course includes weekly discussions on procedure and related environmental law and advocacy issues, supplemented by guest speaker presentations. These complement the hands-on, “real work” activities and provide diverse experiences for students that will prepare them to engage in this field post graduation. Students completing the course earn three experiential learning credits and one skills credit. Space is very limited - usually up to six students. Enrollment requires Professor approval.

Environmental Law and Policy: Florida Keys (May Term Only):  This intensive two-week course provides an overview of the environmental laws, policies, and decision-making processes specifically related to coastal and marine resources in the United States, using the Florida Keys ecosystem as a micro study. It teaches strategic thinking and advocacy, integrating doctrine, theory, skills, and legal ethics, in performing professional skills. Space is very limited - usually up to eight students. Enrollment requires Professor approval.

This course enables students to engage in hands-on training and provides them with practical skills necessary for competent professional legal service in the practice of environmental law. Students will participate in weekly lectures, supplemented by pretrial and trial workshops. Through carefully designed simulation exercises, students will learn how to litigate an environmental law case from start to finish while developing a full range of practice skills such as: understanding major environmental laws and the significance of key provisions, venue, pleading, depositions, other discovery, and motions. Students will also receive instruction in relevant trial advocacy skills. The course will also briefly cover appeals and how to handle media inquiries and use media as an advocacy tool. There is a strong emphasis on experiential learning through the practice and application of basic skills in classroom exercises. The course culminates in a final simulated trial where students bring together the skills acquired throughout the semester. Students receive candid critique and feedback from the practitioners who have worked with them throughout the course. Students completing the course earn three experiential learning credits and one skills credit.

This course is an introduction to the principles of the federal taxation of income as it relates to individuals. It will focus on a number of concepts usually involving tax policy, gross income, property transactions, including gains, losses, non-recognition transactions, tax status, timing issues, deductions, credits, exemptions, and tax procedure. This subject is a bar requirement in many common law jurisdictions.

This course covers the taxation of foreign nationals doing business in the United States and United States citizens doing business outside of the States. The course will examine the taxation rules regarding foreign income of United States corporations and individuals, United States taxation of nonresident aliens and foreign corporations, domestic international sales corporations, and international boycott determinations.

The course will cover the following topics: 1) the legal and legislative responses, especially under copyright law, to emerging digital technologies, including compression formats, increased bandwidth, and CMI (copyright management information) applications; 2) the emerging business models viewed against the background of the so-called “traditional” model; 3) the social, political, and policy underpinnings of the “safe-harbor” provisions of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act viewed as an unprecedented entrance of technology into the Copyright Act; 4) the increasing relevance of global treaties regarding foreign distribution of entertainment products for intellectual property rights holders in the United States; 5) the future of the entertainment industries in a limited-encryption copyright protection environment of instantaneous global access.