LAWS 4001 Introduction to Law for Non-Lawyers (1 Credit)

This course is designed to introduce non-lawyers to legal tools and methodologies so that they become competent at reading, understanding, and applying the law to new scenarios. It will also introduce them to legal research and writing. The course will cover reading and briefing cases, understanding and interpreting legislation, applying legal rules to new fact situations, and the relationship between different legal sources.

LAWS 4002 Accounting for the Small Legal Practice (3 Credits)

This course will provide an introduction to basic accounting fundamentals, provide key concepts that apply to attorneys and solo practitioners, and explore situations where accounting plays a role in the practice of law. Topics include: understanding the balance sheet, income statement, statement accounting; partnership vs. LLC; income tax accounting; money management and cash flow in a law practice; retainers; trust accounts; income measurement; auditing; and billing/fees/timekeeping.

LAWS 4003 Appellate Advocacy (3 Credits)

This course focuses on developing skills necessary for effective appellate advocacy. It includes discussion of the critical differences between trial and appellate practice and techniques for presenting a persuasive case on appeal. Students will write appellate briefs and present oral argument to a panel of judges. Students will also observe oral arguments presented in Colorado appellate courts.

LAWS 4006 Accounting for Lawyers (3 Credits)

This class introduces students to accounting principles and practices to prepare them for the manner in which transactional and other lawyers will be presented with accounting, auditing, and financial matters that must be understood to enable them to provide effective legal representation to clients. The course includes an introduction to basic concepts of bookkeeping and financial accounting, reading and understanding traditional financial statements, financial statement analysis and the use of financial ratios, and legal issues involving accountancy. The class will also examine the role and responsibilities of the independent auditor and the concept of full and fair disclosureof financial information as required by generally accepted accounting principles.

LAWS 4007 Business Development: Marketing and Client Service (3 Credits)

This course provides students with the tools to effectively market a solo practice and connect with the client. Topics include: client relationship management; social media; building a brand; networking fundamentals; website development; managing client expectations; effective communications; and, referrals.

LAWS 4008 Privacy Law (3 Credits)

This Privacy Law seminar examines the development of privacy rights as a key consideration in the business and governmental policy debates within the U.S. and E.U. These debates range from the appropriate role of government collection retention and usage of personal identifiable information (PII) as well as regulating the private sectors' usage of PII. The E.U. has taken the lead in establishing an all-encompassing privacy policy for both the public and private sectors, whereas the U.S. has established a sectorial approach to establishing privacy law and regulations. Lawyers will continue to play a significant role in shaping governmental privacy policy, drafting statues and regulations, as well as business drafting and negotiating technology contracts.

LAWS 4009 Community Expectations in Sustainable Development of Natural Resources (3 Credits)

The spread of democracy, the rapid development of open information regimes, and the Internet means that it is increasingly important what local communities want , and how they view natural resource production. Sustainable development is a set of concepts that attempts to harmonize a number of seemingly competing goals. These include providing better conditions of life and more opportunities for people, especially the poor. They also include bringing production and consumption within limits that an ecosystem can tolerate in the long run. The new legal challenges need to be understood on a variety of levels: 1) the emerging set of international standards and requirements governing foreign direct investment; 2) changing national priorities in mineral legislation and the laws governing the extraction and use of mineral products; and 3) meeting community expectations for sustainable development.

LAWS 4010 International Dispute Resolution (3 Credits)

This class addresses critical topics for the attorney representing clients in international business transactions, including the role of the international lawyer, performing international research and locating international and foreign law resources, jurisdiction, provisional relief, choice of law, proof of foreign law, choice of forum or arbitration, service of process, obtaining the evidence, act of state, sovereign immunity, law of the seas, and enforcement of judgments. The class will consider relevant treaties and U.S. law, including the Hague Convention on Choice of Courts Agreement, the Uniform Foreign Country Money-Judgments Recognition Act, and potential litigation under such laws as the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. The course addresses topics relevant to both litigation and arbitration.

LAWS 4011 Labor and Employment Writing Seminar (3 Credits)

The goal of this class is for students to research and write a scholarly law review article of publishable quality. Students will select topics relating to current issues in labor and employment law and will write publishable articles based on independent research. Students will present their papers to the class toward the end of the semester. The top two papers will be selected for entry in the Jackson, Lewis National Labor and Employment Writing Competition.

LAWS 4012 Protecting Intellectual Property in International Business Transactions (3 Credits)

The first portion of this seminar will cover topics such as general international conventions and treaties designed to protect intellectual property; conventions and treaties are designed specifically for patents, trademarks and copyrights. Students will determine what protections to try to seek for a variety of intellectual property examples and, in pairs, if possible, negotiate and draft a licensing agreement and a manufacturing agreement. Students will then choose a topic from a selection of hypothetical problems, such as filing for patent protection in various jurisdictions, service of process on a foreign corporation, enforcing an arbitral award, resolving conflicts of laws, pre-litigation options. Each student will prepare a presentation for the class on the topic. The students will use the class feedback their research for the presentation to complete a paper on their topic. The drafting and paper will take the place of the final exam.

LAWS 4013 Trial Practice II - Juries and Expert Witnesses (3 Credits)

This course is for students who have already taken Trial Practice I. It will teach you more about how trial practice really works, build on what you learned in TP I, and allow you to sharpen and refine your skills. Since this class is taught using principles and methods developed by the National Institute for Trial Advocacy (NITA), you will accomplish this by actually doing the work, asking questions, introducing exhibits, working with experts, selecting juries and making arguments that help your client get a verdict. The class will have a focus on experts and juries. We will have real experts -- psychiatrists, psychologists, and financial experts -- for the expert witness exercises. We will also focus on juries and jurors: how to select them, how to persuade them and (I hope) how not to make them angry. In addition, you will prepare and conduct direct examination, cross examination, introduce exhibits, do opening and closing arguments, etc. In addition, we will cover redirect examination, dealing with difficult or obstreperous witnesses, working with interpreters, working with court reporters, and presentation of difficult issues such as damages.

LAWS 4014 Emerging International Standards for Sustainable Development of Natural Resources (3 Credits)

This course will focus on emerging international standards, legal, and “law-like” instruments designed to form the “rules of the road” in the dealings among private investors, host country governments, local communities, and other actors involved with sustainably developing natural resources. We will look at the track record of development: to what extent have natural resource projects helped make the world’s poor better off? And what is meant by “better off?” What is a “fair deal” between a corporation from, for example, Europe or North America and a developing country government in Africa? How are disputes resolved?.

LAWS 4015 Intermediate Legal Analysis (3 Credits)

Intermediate Legal Analysis will provide students with instruction in analytical skills in substantive areas of the law taught in the first year curriculum. Students will do multiple short assignments, primarily practice exams, in small sections. The course is a skills-based course, designed to develop analytical strategies necessary for success in law school, including rule synthesis and application, statutory interpretation, case analysis and briefing, fact evaluation, discernment of legal principles and theories, and effectiveness in written communication. The course will provide multiple opportunities for practice and feedback with exercises designed to help students learn, understand, and recall course materials with a particular emphasis in developing writing approaches and strengths for solving hypothetical legal problems. Upon successful completion of the coursework, students should be able to separate relevant from irrelevant facts, analyze statutory and case materials, apply relevant law to material facts in a competent manner to solve hypothetical legal problems, communicate effectively in writing, and complete analytical tasks within limited time constraints. The course will conclude with a final exam.

LAWS 4018 Criminal Law (Advanced) (3 Credits)

This course examines actual criminal cases from around the world and the application of the law at the time and place of the crime. The students will then compare this to the law today in the same jurisdiction and the Model Penal Code as applied to the same facts. This course also reviews current Colorado Law as it relates to liability and punishment based on the same fact pattern. The course will encourage analysis of what the law is and should be, and teh aftermath of each case will lead to discussion about what actually happened to the defendant and why.

LAWS 4019 Animal Rights (3 Credits)

Students who have participated in the Civil Litigation Clinic for one semester are eligible to enroll in the Advanced Civil Litigation Clinic. The purpose of the advanced clinic is to provide students who have developed fundamental trial skills in the areas of landlord-tenant, domestic violence, and workplace law to further develop those skills and to work on cases and matters with greater independence for an additional semester without repeating the seminar component of the clinic.

LAWS 4022 Criminal Clinic (Advanced) (3 Credits)

LAWS 4023 Civil Litigation Clinic (Adv.) (1-10 Credits)

LAWS 4025 Administrative Law (3 Credits)

This class provides an introduction to the administrative process of government. Topics include Constitutional issues of separation of powers; delegation of legislatie and judicial power; legislative and judicial authority in government agencies; agency exercise of policy-making functions; and controls imposed on agencies by administrative procedure legislation, Constitutional principles, and judicial review of agency action. Pre-req or co-req: LAWS 4164-Constitutional Law. Non-JD students must request permission to register.

LAWS 4026 Criminal Procedure (Adv.) (3 Credits)

From the commencement of formal proceedings to collateral attacks on convictions, this course guides students through the laws regulating criminal prosecutions. The course topics typically include pleas; trial rights; discovery; bail procedures; sentencing; double jeopardy; the death penalty; and habeas corpus. The focus of the course is on the federal constitutional rights and the federal rules of procedure that are applicable to each stage of a criminial proceeding. Prerequisite: LAWS 4200.

LAWS 4027 Trial Practice II: Voir Dire (3 Credits)

This course covers the practical process of jury selection including the court rles and statutes that apply as well as Constitutional issues including fair cross-section and discriminatory challenges. An exploration of the demographic, legal, and case-specific issues that can be addressed in jury selection. The course couples traditional lectures with empasis on student exercises. The course culminates in a final voir dire where the student is given a case problem and required to incorporate persuasive introductions, law questions, case-specific questions, and conclusions. Student participation throughout the class is required as both the inquiring attorney and as a juror.

LAWS 4028 Civil Procedure II: Trial and Post-Trial (3 Credits)

Topics for this course include post-trial procedure, injunctions, and other advanced civil procedure matters.

LAWS 4030 Family Law (Adv.) (3 Credits)

Advanced Family Law is a practicum oriented class. This class has some lecture components, but there will be significant practicum aspects for students interested in learning about the practice of family law. Students will gain a general knowledge of family law, and more specifically the substantive and procedural aspects of dispute resolution oriented domestic relations practice. The subjects covered are divorce, custody and child support jurisdiction (intrastate and interstate); domestic case procedure, meeting with and managing your client; working with opposing counsel; temporary status conferences and agreements, Domestic Violence, discovery and use of experts, unbundled legal services, access to justice issues, and the permanent orders (final orders in the divorce); and attorney's fees. Prerequisite: LAWS 4240.

LAWS 4031 Mediation (3 Credits)

Students who have completed the basic Alternative Dispute Resolution course may enroll in this program that focuses on clients with more complex cases in both the civil and criminal arenas. Clients will be selected based on both public interest aspect and the propriety of the case as a learning vehicle for planning, pleading, negotiation, discovery, research and trial work. Prerequisite: LAWS 4060.

LAWS 4032 Legal Analysis Strategies (3 Credits)

This course provides last semester graduating students with instruction, guidance and feedback to develop foundational skills necessary to achieve success on both the bar exam and in the legal profession as skilled legal analysts. Substantively, the course will focus on core bar exam subjects (constitutional law, contracts, property, evidence, torts and criminal law/procedure) using practical problems in all three examination formats of the bar exam - essays, performance tests, and multiple-choice questions. Initially, the course provides a diagnostic evaluation of analytical and communicative strengths using a performance test and multiple-choice questions. Subsequent classes require submission of written practice exams with follow-up class presentations by students of analytical strategies used to solve hypothetical problems posed in essay questions, performance tests and multiple-choice questions. The course includes a final exam given during the final exam period designed to simulate bar exam protocols.

LAWS 4033 Representing the Spanish Speaking Client (3 Credits)

This course is a survey of the substantive law of matters likely to be encountered by attorneys representing Spanish-speaking clients in the United States. Topics may include, among others, immigration law, family law, criminal law, employment law, wills and estates, and consumer rights. The course will introduce vocabulary required to communicate with Spanish-speaking clients in the United States, as well as, survey the basic substantive law in each area. The course will be taught in Spanish.

LAWS 4034 Legal Research and Writing for Graduate Students (2 Credits)

This course will introduce students to the fundamentals of legal analysis in a common law system and various forms of legal writing. The course will also introduce students to current practice in legal research in the US legal system. This course is available to non-JD students only.

LAWS 4035 Legal Research for Practice (2 Credits)

Most new lawyers spend the bulk of their time conducting legal research. This course provides students with the practical research skills needed to succeed in today’s law practice settings. The course follows an innovative sequence of classes structured around the most important research methods, tools, and search techniques for legal research proficiency. This approach teaches students the skills they need to be as effective and efficient as possible in their research, regardless of the research platform selected or the type of legal source one wishes to search. This course also uses a problem-based approach designed to simulate the types of research requests made in law practice settings. Course assignments include a variety of exercises, both in-class and outside of class, as well as four research assignments that demonstrate students’ understanding of practice-focused research. Laptops are required for this course.

LAWS 4037 European Union Environmental Law and Policy (3 Credits)

The European Union (EU) has become a leading player in the context of European environmental legislation and policy making. Of particular interest has been the uderpinning of the EU's single market, and environmental protectin, the importance of which is clearly set out in the European Community Treaty. Matters dealing with climate change, genetically modified organisms, and recycling are now dealt with on a regular basis at EU level.

LAWS 4042 Trial Practice II - Persuasion and Communication (3 Credits)

This course is for students who are already skilled in the basic techniques of trials. This course will focus more on the “art” of advocacy. This course will focus on presentation and persuasion techniques that go beyond just getting the facts out. Students will practice storytelling techniques throughout trial, learn more persuasive use of visuals in storytelling, and think more critically about the use of case analysis and development of themes in advocacy. Prerequisite: LAWS 4635.

LAWS 4048 Agency Partnership & LLC (4 Credits)

This course investigates the structure and implications of various unincorporated business entities within three main categories: agency relationships, partnerships, and limited liability companies. Through the readings and various practice-oriented exercises, students will learn to understand and apply the rules, statutes, and doctrines that establish the governing framework for those entities, which range from some of the most basic to some of the most sophisticated forms of doing business. In addition to enhancing their ability to think critically and strategically about a variety of unincorporated business organization structures, students will develop practical skills that will improve their readiness upon graduation for the practice of law in various business contexts.

LAWS 4050 Topics in Constitutional Law: Individual Rights (3 Credits)

This course is an advanced constitutional law course, focusing on a selection of individual rights: equal protection; substantive due process; speech; the free exercise of religion; and the free establishment of religion. In each area, the course will seek to achieve a deep, descriptive understanding of the doctrine, and the ability to evaluate the doctrine in that area from a normative perspective.

LAWS 4051 Topics in Constitutional Law-First Amendment (3 Credits)

This is an advanced course in constitutional law that focuses on the law of the First Amendment. Most of the course will examine topics concerning the Free Speech Clause, including the theories of free speech, regulation of incitement, fighting words, defamation, offensive speech, hate speech, sexually explicit speech, and speech in the context of new communication media. It will also cover free speech doctrine and how it applies to symbolic speech, speech on government property, government compelled speech, speech in schools and by public employees as well as some topics concerning freedom of the press. The last part of the course will cover issues of freedom of religion under the First Amendment’s Free Exercise Clause and Establishment Clause.

LAWS 4055 Environmental and Agricultural Law (3 Credits)

Agriculture contributes more than $800 billion to the U.S. gross domestic product and provides 11 percent of US employment. As important as the food and fiber industries are to the American economy, devoting land to agriculture significantly affects the environment. Crop production can diminish habitat for wildlife, destroy wetland areas, erode the soil, cause nutrient and pesticide runoff, and pollute the air and water. This course addresses the complex and interconnected relationship of agriculture and environmental law, agriculture’s historical roots in the United States, the evolution of agricultural policy, and modern developments in agriculture and environmental protection. The course is divided into three parts. In Part I, we will explore agriculture in a historical legal context and discuss USDA and Farm Bill programs. In Part II, we will focus on key environmental statutes and regulatory schemes that affect agriculture, including the Swampbuster program designed to prevent soil erosion and protect wetlands, the Clean Water Act, and the problems presented by Confined Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs). In Part III, we will focus on emerging food systems in the United States, including certification and labeling programs, regulation of genetically engineered crops, the challenges (and opportunities) presented to farmers by climate change, as well as current and future trends in food production. We will discuss key policy and legal issues that surround each of these topics, with a particular focus on administrative law. Case studies of specific lawsuits will often be used to illustrate fault lines in how our society attempts to balance the need to produce cheap and abundant food against the need to protect the environment and public health.

LAWS 4060 Alternative Dispute Resolution (3 Credits)

The course examines the full range of contemporize dispute resolution processes: negotiation, mediation, arbitration and formal litigation. Conceptual and functional similarities and distinctions between these processes are explored. Additionally the processes; impacts upon disputants, role of the lawyer, the legal system and social order are reviewed.

LAWS 4064 Introduction to the American Legal System (2 Credits)

This course is designed for international LLM students who have not previously had exposure to either the US legal system or other common law systems. It focuses on the American legal system, include the three branches of government, federalism, the hierarchy of courts, and the anatomy of a law suit. Students will get a rigorous writing experience, drafting at least on legal document, such as a memorandum or a brief. In doing so, students will learn about legal research, analysis, writing, and Bluebooking. Students may also be asked to deliver and oral argument.

LAWS 4065 American Legal History (3 Credits)

This course concerns itself with the interaction between the legal system and social change in what is now the United States. Chronologically, the course materials run from the colonial period to the New Deal, although the nineteenth century will receive particular emphasis. A principal focus is the interrelationship of law, social life, economy, and ideology.

LAWS 4070 Antitrust and Unfair Competition (3 Credits)

The expansion of our economy over time has required the federal government and the courts to rethink their respective roles in regulationg business conduct in the United Stares. The laws regulating business conduct are as dynamic as the notion of competition itself. This course teaches the history and fundamentals of antitrust and unfair competition laws in the United States. This course discusses the competitive problems which arise from monopolization, price and supply agreements, tying arrangements, exclusive dealings, cartel activity and mergers. The course also examines the interplay between federal, state and private enforcement of these laws.

LAWS 4080 Real Estate, Title and Finance (3 Credits)

This is an introduction to real estate transactions as they are encountered in the practice of law. We have shortened the course to a two-hour format to make it more accessible. Our emphasis will be on the representation of a client or an institution in the title and finance aspects of the real estate deal, which are central to every transaction. We will spend less time on contract formation and the role of brokers.

LAWS 4085 Trial Practice III: Trial Practicum (3 Credits)

Trial Practice III - The Trial Practicum (TP) is based upon the same educational platform as Trial Practice III - The National Trial Team (NTT). They are the same course, with the only difference being the TP students do not travel to compete against other schools, rather TP students compete in intra-school tournaments. TTP was created in response to the students who desire to benefit from the intensive study and simulated pre-trial and trial experience received by students on the National Trial Team course, and be "practice ready" upon licensure. This year-long, nine credit (three per semester), course is by invitation-only, and is demanding and intensive.

LAWS 4089 Business Development: Marketing & Client Services (3 Credits)

This course provides students with the tools to effectively market a solo practice and connect with the client. Topics include: client relationship management; social media; building a brand; networking fundamentals; website development; managing client expectations; effective communications; and referrals.

LAWS 4090 Bankruptcy (4 Credits)

This course introduces the federal bankruptcy system and Bankruptcy Code, including both the law of consumer bankruptcy and the law of corporate reorganizations. Topics include the rights of creditors in bankruptcy law and state law, the scope of the automatic stay, the treatment of executory contracts, the sale of assests in bankruptcy, the avoiding powers, bankruptcy planning, the restructuring of corporations in Chapter 11, and the procedure for confirming plans of reorganization.

LAWS 4095 Real Estate Transactions (3 Credits)

This is a problem-based course that covers both residential and commercial real estate transactions. Students will learn about the different phases of a real estate deal and examine sample documents that are involved in real estate transactions including purchase and sale agreements, brokerage arrangements, deeds of conveyance, and title insurance policies. Students will also address topics that appear on the bar exam such as the recording system and the financing of real estate acquisitions through mortgages and other tools.

LAWS 4096 Patent Law (3 Credits)

This course review the major patent law doctrines. Topics include patentability requirements under 35 U.S.C. 101, 102, 103, and 112, claim construction, various infringement doctrines, affirmative defenses and remedies.

LAWS 4100 Basic Tax (4 Credits)

This course provides students with a general understanding of tax law. Materials cover topics from personal and business deductions, to property basis and depreciation.

LAWS 4101 Fundamentals of Taxation-JD (4 Credits)

This class will cover fundamental concepts of the federal income tax system, including the definition of income, adjusted gross income, taxable income, exclusions from income, business and personal deductions, tax credits, basis, amount realized, gain and loss, capital gains and losses, depreciation, involuntary conversions, like-kind exchanges. This class is also intended to give the student a familiarity with the source materials of the tax law, including the Internal Revenue Code, Treasury regulations, case law and administrative materials.

LAWS 4105 Business & Commercial Law Sem (1-3 Credits)

Topical seminars scheduled periodically to afford students the opportunity for focused study of business and commercial law matters such as: consumer credit; mergers and acquisitions; corporate practice; bankruptcy; antitrust; quantitative evidence; representation of minority--and women-- owned business firms. Prerequisite: LAWS 4190.

LAWS 4108 Governance Workshop: Transparency and Privacy (2 Credits)

This seminar will focus on cutting-edge legal issues related to governance, with a special focus on information: transparency, government accountability, information collection, and privacy. It will also provide an opportunity for students to engage in substantial scholarship of their own, improving their writing skills and providing insights into avenues for publishing written work. Most weeks, the Workshop will host a professor from another school to present a draft of a paper that has not yet been published. Students will carefully read the draft and participate in an in-depth discussion with the author. Through this process, students will have the opportunity to engage with many of the leading thinkers in the field. Some weeks, substantive material will be covered related to the course topics, including topics related to writing legal scholarship. Students will develop their own writing both in the workshop itself, and in scholarship groups of other students that will be assigned for the semester. Students will be expected to produce a significant piece of scholarship related to the topical area of this course by the end of the semester.

LAWS 4110 Business Planning (3 Credits)

The course introduces students to the transactional lawyering considerations involved in forming and representing an emerging growth business. The course examines the life cycle of a start-up company, including selecting the appropriate entity form, structuring the economic interests and managerial control among various owners, considering the lawyer's duties to the entity in dealing with its founders and management, and documenting various approaches to raising capital. Using a simulated deal format, students will draft, review and analyze documents typically used in organizing and financing a start-up business.

LAWS 4112 Trademark Law (Advanced) (2 Credits)

This seminar focuses on complex practical and legal issues confronted by today's trademark practitioners, ranging from brand protection strategies to litigating equitable relief claims for trademark infringement. The course also covers how trademark principles are being applied to the internet and e-Commerce. The course focuses on U.S. trademark law, but includes exposure to the aspects of international trademark law that are most frequently encountered by U.S. trademark practitioners. The course calls for students to participate in hands-on exercises, such as developing a new brand and arguing a preliminary injunction motion. The course requires a basic familiarity with trademark law, but the specific Trademark Law class is not a prerequisite. Prerequisite: LAWS 4310 or equivalent.

LAWS 4115 Trademark Law (3 Credits)

This course covers common law doctrines. Topics include the acquisition and preservation of trademark rights, false advertising claims, infringement doctrines, defenses, and remedies, with attention to internet issues and recent developments in the law. Recommended prerequisite: LAWS 4310.

LAWS 4117 Taxation of Property Transactions (3 Credits)

This course includes basis of property; capital expenditures and current expense comparison; depreciable status; amortization of intangible property; depreciation methods; property casualties and losses; profit or loss computation and characterization for taxable property dispositions; limitations on passive losses; lessor and lessee reporting; tax-deferred dispositions. Cross listed with TAX 4110.

LAWS 4119 Animal Law Survey (2 Credits)

This class is an introduction to the field of law referred to as "animal law." It is a survey course; we will study a range of legal topics that implicate the status and well-being of non-human animals. The course will not simply look casually or superficially at a spattering of areas where the law intersects with animals. Rather, the goal is to demonstrate that the field of animal law, like all great topics of legal study, is relevant to understanding general trends and overarching themes in U.S. law and policy. The course is a blend of theoretical and doctrinal materials, of historical reflections and future strategies. We will explore a variety of animal law topics and approaches for understanding "animal rights," but an overriding theme of the course is to understand whether and to what extent animal protection should be considered a civil rights movement. What is the role of activists versus lawyers? What is the role of criminal law in advancing the agenda of the movement? What is the role of constitutional law, and of science? And, do some species deserve more legal protections than others, and if so why?.

LAWS 4120 Civil Procedure (4 Credits)

This required introductory course examines how Constitutional statutory and judicial rules frame the determination of court controversies. They also explore the doctrines, remedies, and other principles pertinent to judicial dispute resolution.

LAWS 4129 Comparative Corporate Law Seminar (2 Credits)

Comparative Corporate Law examines the system for forming and managing businesses in the United States and overseas. We examine the impact of culture and other factors on legal regimes and examine whether a uniform international system is developing. This course satisfies the Upper Level Writing requirement (ULW).

LAWS 4131 Commercial Law Survey (4 Credits)

This course provides an introduction to the concepts and methods of commercial law. As a survey course, it explores the major Articles of the Uniform Commercial Code, namely, Article 2 (Sales), Article 9 (Secured Transactions), Article 3 (Payment Systems), as well as Article 5 (Letters of Credit) and Article 7 (Documents of Title). In addition, the intersection of Article 9 and Bankruptcy Law will be discussed in some depth. The completion of this course gives students a firm footing for any advanced course in commercial law. Students taking only one course in commercial law receive broad exposure to the basics of commercial law.

LAWS 4132 Colorado Legal Research (2 Credits)

This course introduces students to legal materials generated by executive/administrative, legislative, and judicial branches of Colorado government. Students develop research strategies for answering legal questions using primary and secondary resources and learn to relate the various sources of authority to the structure of Colorado government. Students are required to bring laptop computers to class.

LAWS 4133 Corporate Social Responsibility (3 Credits)

Corporate Social Responsibility represents the integration of a various environmental, social, ethical, and even political considerations into basic business strategies to produce a positive impact on society while still earning profits. With increasing frequency, consumers and investors reward companies that embrace CSR by purchasing their products and stock. This seminar in Corporate Social Responsibility explores a variety of pressing legal issues involving corporate governance, sustainable development, shareholder activism, executive compensation, the role of religion in the boardroom, international regulation, and CSR certification, among other topics. Through the readings and discussions, students examine the American approach to CSR in light of international regulatory efforts and models of socially responsible business practices in various countries around the world. Students gain a greater sense of the special role lawyers play in burgeoning CSR movement by examining some sophisticated examples of corporate strategy, planning, and litigation on CSR matters. This course satifies the Upper Level Writing requirement (ULW).

LAWS 4135 Comparative Law (3 Credits)

Comparative Law is the study of the foundation of legal traditions and systems which exist in the world today. The major topics covered in this course are legal history and culture; legal structures; legal actors; and procedure and sources of law. The interactive course begins with an overview followed with coverage of each of the topics in relation to the United States legal system. We then cover the same topics in relationship to the common law tradition and the civil law tradition.

LAWS 4137 Comparative Environmental Law (3 Credits)

Comparative Environmental Law is an introduction to the growing network of international law (multilateral and bilateral treaties, customary law, adjudications, etc.) that govern environmental law. The course focuses on international legal issues including global climate change; trans boundary pollution; resource depletion; toxic waste export; biodiversity and wildlife/plant extinction; deforestation; desertification; ocean pollution; sustainable development; etc. (The internal domestic environmental laws of individual countries receive some attention as does trade law, but these are covered with more detail in Comparative Law and International Business Transactions, respectively.).

LAWS 4139 Commercial Law for Foreign Investors in Guatemala (2 Credits)

This class uses the Dominican republic-Central America-United States Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR) and the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) to examine the legal framework regulating foreign investment in Central America and Mexico. With Guatemala's ratification of CAFTA-DR, Guatemala opened its doors not only to trade but also to foreign investment, including from U.S. companies looking to do business in Guatemala. While the CAFTA-DR includes norms that govern the relationship between foreign investors and Member States, the domestic laws of each Member State continue to provide the central regulatory structure that governs relations among the parties, including in the areas of commerce, intellectual property, labor and the environment. This is an introductory course that examines the principle commercial norms that would apply to foreign investors in Guatemala, with a special emphasis on the law of contracts. The course examines the comparable norms applicable under NAFTA and introduces the topic of how CAFTA's ratification has promoted rule of law reforms in Guatemala in the areas of commerce, intellectual property, labor and the environment. This course is taught in Spanish.

LAWS 4143 Commercial Paper (2,3 Credits)

This course introduces students to Article 3 of the Uniform Commercial Code, Negotiable Instruments. After studying this part of the UCC at the beginning of the semester, students will engage in a simulated, complex business transaction for the remainder of the course. The simulation involves problem solving, extensive document drafting, client counseling and professionalism, among other topics. The simulation involves transactions in a business/banking context, but is not an overview of banking law.

LAWS 4144 Comparative Free Speech and Access to Information in the Americas (2 Credits)

This course looks at the history and text of the guarantees of free speech in the constitutions of the United States and Latin American countries, including Guatemala; at judicial decisions interpreting them; and at the actual scope of those guarantees of free speech in practice, with emphasis on the function of free speech in facilitating democracy. The course also looks at the impact of globalization on free speech guarantees, including the impact of international treaties, the activities of NGOs, and speech on the Internet. The course compares the systems for providing citizens access to government information in the U.S. and Latin America, particularly Guatemala, and looks closely at areas where interest in disclosure and secrecy conflict.

LAWS 4145 Computer and Internet Law (3 Credits)

Computers and Internet Law is designed to consider the areas in which computer technology and the legal environment intersect. This includes legal protection of computer software; contracting for computer services; computer data banks and privacy; the check-less society; and the relationships between Federal Communications Commission policies and computers.

LAWS 4160 Conflict of Laws (3 Credits)

Conflict of Laws is an analysis of legal problems arising in cases when at least one of the operative facts cuts across state or national boundaries. Topics covered include problems of interstate jurisdiction over parties and subject matter the application of principles of full faith and credit and comity on the recognition and enforcement of interstate and multinational judgments; the comparison of various theories of law choice in the context of the Constitutional threshold constraints of the due process and full faith and credit clauses.

LAWS 4164 Constitutional Law (4 Credits)

This required introductory course examines the role of the United States Supreme Court and, in particular, the Court’s power in exercising judicial review in cases interpreting the U.S. Constitution. The course focuses primarily on two topics. First is the doctrine of Separation of Powers: examining the structure and interrelationship of the three branches of the federal government, Congress, the Executive Branch, and the federal judiciary. Second is the doctrine of Federalism: the relationship and power distribution between the federal government and state governments. In addition, all sections devote part of the course to an introduction to at least one aspect of the large field of individual constitutional rights. The specific rights covered vary by instructor. Among the possible topics are: the Equal Protection Clause and Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, the First Amendment, and/or the Fifth Amendment’s Takings Clause. Students who wish to gain a deeper understanding of these topics are strongly encouraged to take Constitutional Law II.

LAWS 4166 Constitutional Law II (3 Credits)

This course provides upper level students exposure to a range of constitutional issues not covered in the basic required Constitutional Law course. At the discretion of the faculty, and in addition to a survey of constitutional law issues, this course may emphasize one or more specific topics, including but not limited to Sexuality, Causation, Poverty, First Amendment and Individual Rights.

LAWS 4168 Constitutional Litigation Seminar (3 Credits)

This course examines individual and class action litigation brought against government officials for the violation of constitutional rights under 42 U.S.C. section 1983, the primary federal civil rights statute, and other civil rights statutes. The historic interplay between substantive Constitutional law and traditional doctrines of tort liability has developed into an entire body of law under section 1983 that any civil rights or government lawyer must regularly confront. The seminar focuses on the most critical substantive issues in pursuing Constitutional litigation. This includes the history and purposes of section 1983; the elements of constitutional torts; rules governing liability of government officials and municipal liability; immunity doctrines; remedies; jurisdictional and procedural barriers to section 1983 litigation; and recovery of attorney's fees. The class also discusses the availability and viability of alternative remedial mechanisms to section 1983. Prerequisite: LAWS 4164.

LAWS 4169 Constitutional Law Writing Seminar (3 Credits)

This course satisfies the Upper Level Writing requirement (ULM). Permission by instructor only.

LAWS 4175 Contracts (4 Credits)

Consideration of the restatement of contracts and the relevant provisions of the Uniform Commercial Code. Legal protection accorded contracts: remedies and measure of recovery; damages; specific performance; restitution. Elements of agreement: preliminary negotiations; agreements unenforceable for indefiniteness; mutual assent. Consideration and the seal; bases of contractual liability; consideration; reliance and estoppel; mutuality. Problems of offer and acceptance; termination of offeree's power of acceptance; contracts concluded by correspondence; unilateral contacts--notice, knowledge, revocation of offer; contracts implied from conduct. Special problems of consideration. Third-party beneficiaries. Assignment. Effects of changes or unforeseen circumstances. Conditions in contracts--problems of draftsmanship: express and implied conditions; conditions precedent, subsequent and concurrent; severability of contract provisions. Procedures after default. The Statue of Frauds.

LAWS 4178 Contracts Drafting (3 Credits)

This course addresses the perspectives and skills that a lawyer must develop in order to assist clients with transactional work and aligning business objectives and contracts. In addition to delving deeper into selected areas of substantive contract law, students read materials that focus on writing and interpreting contractual provisions. Because a core focus of the classis is writing for contracts, students regularly engage in drafting exercises to hone their drafting skills. The course also focuses on negotiation in a transactional setting, and how discussions with both clients and other parties can distill the key business terms that are to be reflected in a contract. Although substantive law and theory is utilized throughout the course, the primary objective of the course is exposing students to some of the practical, real-world skills essential to a transactional law practice.

LAWS 4179 Construction Law (3 Credits)

This course examines the legal relationships, obligations, rights, and remedies that govern the diverse parties to a construction project, including owners, lenders, contractors, material men, sureties, insurers, subcontractors, laborers, and others. A substantial portion of construction law (and accordingly, the primary focus of this class) is advanced contract law. Experience in the construction industry is not required, but those students who are unfamiliar with construction will benefit from spending a little extra time learning basic construction concepts and processes.

LAWS 4181 Corporate Drafting Seminar (3 Credits)

Corporate drafting focuses on writing responsive, lucid, unambiguous corporate documents. Students assume the role of the in-house counsel and other members of the corporate negotiating team as the team structures, negotiates, drafts, and implements corporate transactions. This course requires extensive writing. This course satisfies the Upper Level Writing requirement (ULW).

LAWS 4182 Negotiation and Drafting in an International Business Context (4 Credits)

This course will focus on the basic principles of negotiation and contract drafting, as applied to international business transactions. Special emphasis will be placed on financial and corporate contracts, with a focus on a cross-border merger and acquisition transaction. The class will have three major components. First, we will cover the basic principles of effective contracts negotiation, paying particular attention to issues of cultural understanding and inter-cultural communication. Second, we will cover the basic principles of clear and unambiguous contract drafting and we will study and apply the basic ‘geography’ or building blocks of a cross border merger contract. Finally, we will draft and revise specific documents and agreements necessary to complete a cross border merger transaction. The seminar is taught through a combination of lectures, simulations, and hands-on drafting and negotiation exercises. This class requires extensive writing and team-based negotiations.

LAWS 4185 Business Entities (4 Credits)

The course provides an overview of the differences in the operation of a trade or a business as an LLC/LLP, an S-Corporation and a C-Corporation. The class offers an overview of the state law requirements for the operation of each type of business (Model Business act and LLC/LLP state statutes) and the difference in the tax treatment for each type of business. The objective is to give students a basic understanding of some of the do’s and don’ts for each business and how they might advise a client as to the preferred business form in typical factual situations. The class explores both the legal and tax effects during the life cycle of any business, including formation, operation, distribution, redemption, sale of an interest, liquidation, mergers and divisions, and the death of the owner. Prerequisite: LAWS 4100.

LAWS 4186 Corporate Taxation I (3 Credits)

The federal income taxation of corporations and their shareholders with emphasis on the creation of the corporation, establishment of its capital structure, operational alternatives, distribution to shareholders, stock dividends and redemptions, personal holding company, and accumulated earnings tax. Cross listed with TAX 4200.

LAWS 4187 Corporate Taxation II (3 Credits)

A continuation of Corporate Taxation I with emphasis on corporate reorganizations, operation, liquidation of subsidiary corporations and corporate division, and carryover of tax attributes. Cross listed with TAX 4300. Prerequisite: LAWS 4186.

LAWS 4188 Corporate Taxation III (3 Credits)

Advanced corporate taxation problems with emphasis on collapsible corporations; liquidations; detailed study of sections 305, 36, 307; loss carryovers and Subchapter S corporations. Cross listed with TAX 4330. Prerequisite: LAWS 4186.

LAWS 4190 Corporations (4 Credits)

Corporations provides students with a basic introduction to corporations, including the roles of shareholders and creditors. The instructor also covers the various duties and liabilities of offices and directors, and supplies a brief overview of the applicability of the federal securities laws.

LAWS 4195 Criminal Law (4 Credits)

The course explores the definition of crime and criminal liability.

LAWS 4197 Victim's Rights (3 Credits)

Victim's rights has emerged as an important arena for the criminal justice field in the 21st Century. Anyone planning a career in criminal justice will want to engage in this seminar class to learn about the law and its application to victim's rights. This class is designed to explore beyond advanced criminal procedure the role of the criminal justice system and its response to victim's. In-depth discussions will be held about victim's rights and criminal procedure.

LAWS 4200 Criminal Procedure (3 Credits)

Criminal Procedure outlines Constitutional and other rules regulating pretrial evidence acquisition by government officials in criminal matters. The course commonly includes the following topics: an overview of criminal justice administration; arrest; search and seizure; the exclusionary rule and its administration; wiretapping electronic eavesdropping; entrapment; interrogation; and confessions and lineup practices.

LAWS 4201 Death Penalty Jurisprudence (3 Credits)

The course is designed to make students aware of the substantive body of law surrounding the modern death penalty and the policy issues raised by the law. The course begins with the class constructing a fair death penalty. Students decide whether they, as the omnipotent legislature, want a death penalty. Then, students construct one that is fair, just and humane, and that achieves the goals that they have established for their death penalty.

LAWS 4202 Disability Law (2-3 Credits)

This course covers theories of disability and provides a brief history of disability rights in the United States. The course will explore the major federal laws protecting individuals with disabilities in various contexts such as housing, public accommodations, schools, and employment. Relevant federal statutes we will examine include Section 504, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Fair Housing Act, and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. The course will also provide an overview of the Supreme Court's landmark decision in Olmstead v. LC.

LAWS 4203 Elder Law (3 Credits)

The course explores a range of issues relevant to legal counseling of elderly clients, such as mental and physical impairments, public assistance, Medicaid, social security, ' nursing homes, guardianships, trusts, and right to die issues.

LAWS 4205 Employment Law Survey (3 Credits)

This course provides a broad overview of the field of employment law. It begins with an exploration of the employer/employee relationship and the "at will" rule. It then addresses various constitutional, statutory, and common law doctrines that tend to be applied to the employer/employee relationship, often as exceptions to the "at will" rule. Contract, tort, and anti-discrimination doctrines will be covered, as well as constitutional doctrines addressing free speech and privacy in the workplace, and regulatory regimes addressing wages and hours. Finally, this course explores the post-employment relationship, including trade-secrets and non-competition agreements. These topics are addressed at both a theoretical and practical level.

LAWS 4206 Environmental Law Clinic (3-6 Credits)

The goal of the Environmental Law Clinic of the Student Law Office (SLO) is to protect the environment and public health, while teaching students practical legal skills that will translate into any practice area. Students applying for the Environmental Law Clinic are asked to select between two tracks: the Federal Wildlife Project or the Colorado Urban Project. Students who select the Federal Wildlife Project (FWP) track in the Environmental Law Clinic will work on the preservation of endangered species and their habitats throughout Colorado and the western United States. Students who select the Colorado Urban Project (CUP) track in the Environmental Law Clinic will work to address the emerging environmental issues along Colorado’s urban Front Range. This course may satisfy the Upper Level Writing Requirement (ULW). Corequisite: LAWS 4802. It is recommended, but not required, that students complete Evidence and Legal Profession before registering for this clinic.

LAWS 4210 Energy Law (3 Credits)

Energy Law presents the regulation of production, conversion, transportation, distribution and pricing of fossil, hydro, nuclear, and other conventional sources of primary energy. It also offers insight into the regulation of renewable energy resources, including energy from the sun, wind, biomass, oceans, earth (geothermal), and rivers (including low-head hydro). There is an emphasis on new legislative and judicial development relating to these various energy sources. The course is taught in a seminar format, and students present and critique classmate papers as part of the class. This course satisfies the Upper Level Writing requirement (ULW).

LAWS 4212 Public Interest Capstone (0 Credits)

This is a zero-credit opportunity for JD students nearing graduation that will allow for the informal community building that is so critical for sustaining student commitment and public interest attorneys for the long term. It will be a time for sharing, refection, camaraderie, and connections, as well as advising and planning for a career in the public sector.

LAWS 4214 Copyright Law (3 Credits)

This course covers the major copyright law doctrines. Topics include the subject matter of copyright, the scope of protection, rights conferred, infringement doctrines, defenses, remedies, and attention to particular industries and recent development in the law. Recommended prerequisite: LAWS 4310.

LAWS 4215 Entertainment Law (3 Credits)

Entertainment Law focuses on issues that have an impact on the entertainment industry. Topics include copyright; service and trademark; licensing; publishing; unfair competition; antitrust; agency; and labor law. The class also explores publishing agreements.

LAWS 4218 Discovery Practicum (3 Credits)

Most civil litigations never get to trial. Instead, these cases are settled after the discovery period has revealed the strengths and weaknesses in the case. This course focuses on the instruments, rules, and case law governing discovery of information in litigation: interrogatories, document requests, requests for admissions, and depositions. It is taught in the form of a "whole-course simulation," which means students will represent a party and have an opposing counsel in a simulated litigation throughout the course. Students prepare and serve discovery documents (just as in practice), take, defend, and act as a witness in a deposition, and reach a settlement of the case at the end of the course. Because of the nature of the course and the many practice documents prepared during the semester, there is no final examination. This course will satisfy the Upper Level Writing requirement (ULW). This course is a “Carnegie Integrated Course.”.

LAWS 4219 Environmental Justice (3 Credits)

This course will introduce students to environmental injustice - the disproportionate environmental impacts to low-income and of color communities. The study of environmental injustice delves into environmental, civil rights and poverty issues. Specifically, environmental justice seeks to remove these disproportionate impacts through a combination of laws, most notably civil rights, environmental and tort. Students completing this course will understand what environmental injustice is, the history of the Environmental Justice movement in the United States and the tools used to try to level the playing field regarding environmental justice decision-making. The class will include hands-on exposure to those facing such environmental injustices. The grade for this course will be based on class participation, short assignments and a final paper.

LAWS 4220 Environmental Law (3 Credits)

Environmental Law covers the major federal laws and programs for environmental protection. These laws and programs include the National Environmental Policy Act; Clean Water Act; Clean Air Act; Resource Conservation and Recovery Act; and Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA). Although the course focuses primarily on federal statutory law, it also incorporates some discussion of common law remedies. Recommended prerequisite: LAWS 4025.

LAWS 4221 Navigating the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) (2 Credits)

The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) was the first major environmental law enacted in the United States, requiring Federal agencies to evaluate the environmental impacts of their proposed actions prior to making decisions. Both scorned and praised, familiarity with NEPA is must-know territory for any environmental lawyer. This class will leave you with a solid understanding of NEPA regulations and caselaw, categorical exclusions, environmental assessments and environmental impact statements, public involvement and public comment, interaction with other environmental laws and processes, recent and far-reaching streamlining efforts, how to write a NEPA document, and advice for working with Federal land management agencies.

LAWS 4224 Employment Law Benefits (3 Credits)

This course is a statute and case law course that introduces students to Employment Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), the important federal law that controls the design and operation of virtually all employee benefit plans. The course offers students an understanding of the application of ERISA and how ERISA issues arise in business and private law practice. The classroom scenarios include lecture, problem solving and role playing to identify the kinds of experiences students are likely to experience in private practice.

LAWS 4225 Estate and Gift Taxation (3 Credits)

This class is a study of the federal estate tax; federal gift tax; and federal generation skipping transfer tax.

LAWS 4227 Employment Discrimination Law (3 Credits)

This course concerns federal constitutional and statutory law that prohibits discrimination in the workplace, including regulation of both private employers and the federal government. The course covers theoretical issues, such as the definition of equality, and practical problems that involve the complex procedural requirements of the applicable statutes.

LAWS 4229 Employment Law Seminar (3 Credits)

Students select topics relating to current issues in labor and employment law and will write publishable articles based on independent research. Students present their papers to the class toward the end of the semester. This course satifies the Upper Level Writing requirement (ULW).

LAWS 4230 Estate Planning (2 Credits)

Estate analysis, including fact gathering and the analysis of data; the psychological aspects of “role playing” in estate planning; the members of the team (the attorney, the CPA, the life underwriter, the trust officer); life insurance in an estate and business planning context; planning with trusts, including revocable, short-term, and irrevocable; the transfer of a closely held business interest from one generation to the next, including full and partial stock redemptions, cross purchase agreements, private annuity, installment sale, retirement, recapitalization, qualified and nonqualified plans of deferred compensation; special estate planning considerations for the professional corporation, the highly paid executive, and the farmer and rancher; specific cases analyzed.

LAWS 4232 European Union Law (3 Credits)

The European Union (EU) has been described as the 21st century’s newest superpower. Bearing in mind the rapidly growing importance of the EU, this course introduces EU law, and emphasizes its historical underpinnings, institutional framework, legal procedures, and internal market. Moreover, emerging policies (e.g. enlargement, environment) are considered. The course examines these topics in the context of European political integration and where appropriate, the ongoing tension in the trans-Atlantic relationship between the EU and United States.

LAWS 4235 Evidence (4 Credits)

This required course is an introduction to procedural rules that regulate the use of evidence at trial, including coverage of the mode of examination, relevance, impeachment, character evidence, hearsay, expert evidence, and privileges. Particular attention is paid to the Federal Rules of Evidence. Non-JD students must request permission to register. Non-JD students must request permission to register.

LAWS 4236 Election Law (3 Credits)

This course examines federal and state election laws. Topics to be covered include the Voting Rights Act, redistricting, the Electoral College, gerrymandering, ballot initiatives, and campaign finance. Time permitting, we'll also cover open records laws and regulations around lobbying.

LAWS 4237 Evidence Practicum (3 Credits)

This practicum is designed to help students build trial skills and make the transition from evidence law learned in the classroom to evidence used in the courtroom. It provides simulation-type experiences requiring students to understand the foundations required to admit different kinds of evidence, to anticipate evidentiary issues, to make and to respond to objections, and to prepare examinations designed to avoid objections. The course supplements Trial Practice by focusing heavily on the rules of evidence. Prerequisite: LAWS 4235.

LAWS 4238 Exempt Organizations (2 Credits)

The statutory exemption for “charities,” social welfare and social clubs, homeowners’ associations, fraternal orders, employee benefit organizations, mutual or cooperative companies, business and professional leagues, labor unions, exempt organizations, property title companies, federally organized or chartered organizations, and political organizations’ activities, funds, and lobbying activities; prohibited transaction rules; the private foundation; the unrelated business and debt-financed income tax exposures; excise tax exemptions; administrative appeal and declamatory judgment procedures; anti-discrimination considerations; charitable contributions. Crosslisted with TAX 4430.

LAWS 4240 Family Law (3 Credits)

This course is an examination of laws that involve and/or regulate families. Students learn the legal rights of families in cases incidental to marriage or without marriage. This includes child-parent relationships and the dissolution of marriage. This class also provides students with an understanding of new familial relationships.

LAWS 4250 Federal Courts (3 Credits)

This is an advanced public law course that examines the role of the federal courts in our constitutional system. It focuses on the federal courts’ role and power in relation to the other branches of the national government (separation of powers) and in relation to state and local governments (federalism). Specific topics include: the organic judicial powers of the federal judiciary, including Article III’s Case or Controversy requirement; congressional power to restrict or expand federal jurisdiction, the Supreme Court’s power to review state court rulings on federal law by direct appeal and on collateral review (habeas corpus), federal question jurisdiction, federal civil rights law under 42 U.S.C. § 1983, and many of the doctrines that limit federal judicial power to provide remedies to parties whose federal constitutional and civil rights have been violated, including official immunity, state sovereign immunity, and the abstention doctrines. It is highly recommended for students interested in pursuing federal judicial clerkships and/or careers in federal civil rights litigation, government representation, or other federal litigation.

LAWS 4251 Wildlife Law (3 Credits)

This course covers wildlife law, with a focus on federal wildlife law. The course will cover the constitutional underpinnings of federal wildlife law and its core statutory framework, as well as looking at different conservation approaches. Time permitting, the course will also cover some state and international wildlife law.

LAWS 4259 Global Climate Change Law and Policy (3 Credits)

As concern over the threat of global climate change spreads, action on greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) is increasingly commanding attention. This seminar consists of supervised research and writing on the issue of climate change and the legal and policy responses. The course focuses on the effects of climate change on development and the environment in industrialized and developing countries and the laws in the international, regional and domestic arenas that address the problem.

LAWS 4260 Gender and the Law (3 Credits)

Ths course examines the role of gender in many areas of the law, including employment discrimination and reproductive rights. Provides perspectives on the effects of gender-based hierarchy on the structure of the law and legal processes. Explore contemporary feminist jurisprudence and the impact of women in the legal profession.

LAWS 4262 Sexual Orientation Law Seminar (3 Credits)

This seminar offers an opportunity for students of any or no sexual orientation to study the relationship between law and sexual orientation to study the relationship between law and sexual orientation. Historically, law in the United States consistently and pervasively regulated the realm of human identity and behavior we call sexuality. Questions and claims challenging traditional assumptions about sexual orientation surfaced in the last twenty-five years. Our study of sexual orientation and law allows us to view the relationship between law and society through a new lens, that of sexual orientation. Specifically, we examine issues of sexual orientation arising in areas ranging from constitutional law criminal law, employment law, family law, health law, immigration law, to tax law. We discuss some or all of the currently controversial issues relating to sexual orientation and law, including such topics as the proliferation of both nondiscrimination laws and anti-gay initiatives like amendment 2 in Colorado, the constitutionality of laws prohibiting specified sexual behavior between different-sex and same-sex adults, the constitutionality of laws limiting the right to speak about sexual identity, public and private employment discrimination against gays and lesbians including the military ban on persons who are openly gay or lesbian, and discrimination against same-sex couples with respect to marriage, parenting, health benefits, and taxes.

LAWS 4265 Government Contracts Seminar (3 Credits)

This seminar provides an in depth examination of the unique statutory, regulatory and administrative process used by the U.S. Government when it annually spends more than $1 trillion taxpayer dollars to contract for goods and services used by Federal departments and agencies. Topics include the contract award and contract administration processes, with an emphasis on practical solutions to issues which routinely confront attorneys who advise businesses that do business with the Government.

LAWS 4270 LLCs and Operating Agreements (1 Credit)

This course provides an overview of limited liability companies, including the attributes and characteristics of LLCs, the pros and cons of the LLC form, and a comparison of LLCs to other types of entities. The course also covers the structure and components of the operating agreement, including an in-depth examination of various provisions included in operating agreements. In conjunction with the course content, students will also be exposed to client interview techniques for in person client meetings, as well as client conference calls.

LAWS 4276 Health Law (3 Credits)

This survey course introduces students to how the legal environment of health care shapes both its quality and its distribution. The course begins with a foundation in how health care is both provided and financed in the U.S., including managed care, Medicare, and Medicaid. This foundation sets the stage for studying the laws and policies that impact health law, including ERISA, antitrust, fraud and abuse, the False Claims Act, Stark, and HIPAA. This course does not focus on bioethics or medical malpractice. Students must submit a publishable quality paper on a health law topic approved by the professor.

LAWS 4277 Holocaust Seminar (2-3 Credits)

This class focuses on conceptions of individual and state accountability. By understanding how the Holocaust occurred, and how individual and collective acquiescence combined with affirmative conduct, we can begin to grasp the complex web that created a moment in time where morality and civilization were abdicated and almost eradicated. We examine how law, culture, power, ignorance and fear combined to create the Final Solution, and how conceptions of moral agency and accountability were forged in flames that marked the death camps. Students read narratives of resistance and collaboration and historical accounts of how the U.S., Europe and religious institutions interacted with the Third Reich. Through the readings and discourse that follow, students have the unique opportunity to question what constitutes moral agency and how individuals and cultural systems should be held accountable for circumstances that created the Third Reich and its ideology. This class is interdisciplinary thereby integrating law with literature, political theory and philosophy. Prerequisite: instructor's permission.

LAWS 4278 Lawyering for Racial Justice (1 Credit)

This seminar provides a unique opportunity for Denver Law students to earn one credit by studying a significant topic related to the law and racial justice. The seminar will allow students to begin to develop 1) a substantive understanding of the application of critical race theory to a variety of contemporary legal and social issues, and 2) a sense of professional identity through the examination of lawyering practice in the context of critical race theory. Topics discussed generally change each semester to respond to current events and pressing needs and interests. The course may include guest lectures from faculty and practitioners in other disciplines. Students will thus have an opportunity to interact with an array of professors who have expertise and interest in critical race theory and practice.

LAWS 4279 Access to Justice (3 Credits)

This class will explore the justice gap in the United States, focusing primarily on the civil side. We will first consider what has caused the dearth of legal services available to low and moderate income people. We will then examine what solutions states have tried to address the justice gap and why those solutions have been only modestly effective. Finally, while the class is focused primarily on the civil justice gap, we will spend some time discussing the inadequacy of criminal representation for indigent defendants.

LAWS 4280 Huges Research Seminar (1-5 Credits)

Topic of Seminar to be determined by Hughes Research professor teaching the course.

LAWS 4285 Legal Research Skills - Specialized (0 Credits)

This zero-credit course introduces students to sources and methods for administrative law and legislative history research as well as subject-specific research on selected topics such as securities, natural resources, intellectual property, immigration, environmental and international law. Topics change each semester. Print and electronic materials are used throughout the course. Students must attend twelve (12) classes and pass the post-class assignments to complete the course successfully.

LAWS 4287 Legal Research Skills - Basic (0 Credits)

This zero-credit course introduces students to the basic primary sources of American law (cases and statutes), secondary sources, the Bluebook and citators and other tools for updating research. Print and electronic materials are used throughout the course. Students must attend eight (8) classes and pass the post-class assignments to complete the course successfully.

LAWS 4288 International and Human Rights: Indigenous Peoples (3 Credits)

This course explores some of the major contemporary legal issues facing indigenous peoples across the globe. The course covers issues as far ranging as: how indigenous groups are defined under the law; ethical and legal issues pertaining to indigenous self-governance including the tension between minority rights, individual rights, and democratic precepts; the uneasy application of self-determination law to indigenous self-governance; the implications of human rights, environmental, intellectual property, and international trade regimes for indigenous peoples; and international legal texts affecting indigenous peoples, such as the United Nations Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. At the option of the individual student, this course can be used to satisfy the Upper Level Writing requirement (ULW).

LAWS 4289 Legal Research Skills - International (0 Credits)

This zero-credit course introduces students to sources and methods for international, comparative and foreign law research. Topics may include treaty research, international trade law, human rights law, international intellectual property law, customary international law and private international law. Topics change each semester. Print and electronic materials are used throughout the course. Students must attend twelve (12) classes and pass the post-class assignments to complete the course successfully.

LAWS 4290 Human Rights Law (2 Credits)

The course provides an introduction to international civil and political rights and economic, social, and cultural rights in the international arena. It also covers the means available to protect such rights of the individual and groups. The focus is on the implementation part at the United Nations and other international, regional and national settings. Prerequisite: LAWS 4320.

LAWS 4292 Individual Tax Problems (3 Credits)

Using the Internal Revenue Code and the Federal Income Tax Regulations as a basis, substantive issues relating to individual taxation are covered. Areas included are general concepts of gross income, individual employee benefits and deductions, charitable deductions, alternative minimum tax, deductibility and classes of interest, office in home and vacation homes, and a general overview of the interrelationships of various statutory and non-statutory principles. Cross listed with TAX 4020.

LAWS 4295 Immigration Law (3 Credits)

This is a study of the historical development and current jurisprudence in American immigration law. The course examines such concepts as sovereign authority, exclusion, expulsion and asylum, and current developments in the area.

LAWS 4297 Forced Migration & Human Trafficking (3 Credits)

This course will examine the laws and policies governing forced migration. Students will get an overview of the scale, scope, and causes of forced migration, and will explore what it means to be a refugee according to the international conventions and U.S. law. We will ask and try to answer questions including: what conduct constitutes "persecution"? How is someone fleeing violence different from a refugee? What kinds of durable solutions exist to address the refugee crisis? In this participatory class students will also learn about human trafficking and the national and international efforts to respond to this crime. In addition to the normal substantive course work, students are required to observe 4-6 hours of refugee-related hears at the Executive Office of Immigration Review in Denver.

LAWS 4298 Immigration Law Advanced (3 Credits)

This course provides theoretical and practical approaches to the representation of non-citizens in removal proceedings. This course is designed for students who have an interest in practicing immigration law with a focus on deportation and removal practice before the Department of Homeland Security, the Executive Office for Immigration Review, and the federal courts. The goal of this course is to give students a theoretical framework for identifying and assessing immigration issues, including immigration consequences of criminal convictions, and for formulating strategies for effective prosecution and representation of non-citizens in removal proceedings. The instructor also teaches the practical tools and procedures, which students may apply to actual case representation. Prerequisite: LAWS 4295 or an immigration related externship.

LAWS 4300 Native American Tribes and Federal Law (3 Credits)

This course introduces the legal relationship between Native American tribes and the federal government. This body of law, consisting of hundreds of treaties and Presidential executive orders, thousands of Congressional statutes, and tens of thousands of reported court decisions, is also known as Federal Indian Law. The course explores the legal development of Native American tribal sovereignty and self-determination from the British Crown to the present day, including tribes’ rights to land and natural resources; the federal government’s trust responsibility to tribes; tribe’s inherent powers of self-government; modern civil and criminal jurisdiction; the relationship of tribes to state and local governments; the federal government’s legal obligation to consult with tribal leaders on decision-making by executive branch departments and agencies, including with respect to cultural resource protection; and the legal and political status and civil rights of individual Native Americans and Alaska Natives in the federal constitutional system.

LAWS 4303 International Criminal Law Practicum (3 Credits)

In this course, the class collectively analyzes the genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity charges against an accused in a major international tribunal prosecution. Each student is assigned witnesses in the case and is expected to analyze that testimony and record their work in the case database using Casemap software meticulously following previously established protocols. The work involves the students learning the nature of the conflict generally, thoroughly learning the indictment against Taylor, getting up to speed on the law of war crimes and crimes against humanity, and finally assessing the witness testimony for relevant facts and attributing those facts to the legal outline in the case.

LAWS 4304 Insurance Law (3 Credits)

A comprehensive overview of laws, standards, concepts and remedies related to Insurance, including: interests protected by Insurance; selection and control of risks; insurable interest; the principle of indemnity; types and classifications of Insurance; making, dealing with and termination of insurance contracts; underwriting and claims handling; regulation of Insurance and insurers; subrogation; and extra-contractual liability. This course will satisfy the Upper Level Writing requirement (ULW).

LAWS 4309 International Law and the Use of Force (3 Credits)

This course deals with the two aspects of the use of force by countries: the initial decision to resort to force and then the regulation of that force once the conflict begins. In 1945, the United Nations Charter set out to prohibit the resort to force by its member states except in two limited situations: self-defense or where authorized by the Security Council. The Geneva Conventions and its protocols, as well as customary international law, regulate how that force is applied. The subject of this course is how these provisions have been interpreted since 1945 and trends in the law that will guide us in the future.

LAWS 4310 Introduction to Intellectual Property (3 Credits)

This survey course covers the basics of United States intellectual property law, including patents, copyrights, trademarks, and trade secrets. The course addresses the policies underlying the protection of intellectual property and compares the different ways organizations and individuals can use intellectual property to protect their interests. This course is intended both for students who want an introduction to intellectual property and for those who intend to pursue a career in intellectual property law.

LAWS 4315 International Business Transactions: Survey Course (3 Credits)

This course provides students with a general overview of international business transactions. The course examines the legal framework of international sales transactions including the commercial terms of the sales agreements, shipping contracts, insurance, financing arrangements and customs documentation. The course also examines the foreign direct investment transaction, international franchise and distribution agreements. The regulation of international business is reviewed, with special attention to the World Trade Organization agreements and regional trade areas.

LAWS 4317 International Environmental Law (3 Credits)

This is an introduction to International Environmental Law -- the expanding field of multi-nation treaties, laws, judicial decisions, policies, practices, and politics governing the global environment. IEL backgrounds students on the 21st century’s hottest international law topics -- sustainable development, climate change, transboundary air and water pollution, natural resources development, international trade, toxic waste and recycling, and protection of wildlife, ecosystems, human life, and human rights.

LAWS 4318 International Business Transactions: Federal Regulation (3 Credits)

IBT: Federal regulation examines the ability of the federal government to control international trade. The focus of the course is US export controls, embargoes, anti-terrorism regulations that apply to international commerce, and the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. Students prepare a compliance program integrating these regulations into a workable framework for a company.

LAWS 4319 International Human Rights (3 Credits)

The seminar begins with a general overview of international human rights as put forth in the International Bill of Rights. The second part of the course focuses on the emerging area of corporate social responsibility and human rights. The last part of the seminar consists of student presentations on the topics of the research papers required for the course.

LAWS 4320 International Law (3 Credits)

International Law is the foundational course in public law, treaties, systems, and policies that bind nations into a world community of law. The class places special emphasis on the origins of international law; statehood; international responsibility and claims; use of force; and human rights.

LAWS 4341 International Commercial Arbitration Moot (3 Credits)

This course uses the Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot Competition to give students practical skills-based training in the most important aspects of international commercial arbitration and international sales law. The Vis Moot is based on a problem governed by the U.N. Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (the “CISG”).

LAWS 4342 International and Comparative Mining Law (3 Credits)

The course deals with basic concepts of mineral law, as practiced in various jurisdictions. This includes exploration, mining and environmental protection and reclamation issues. It then focuses on the current evolution and legal and policy status of mining legislation, mineral investment agreements, and major actors. Students completing this course develop a basic understanding of the general approaches, legal frameworks, policies and agreements used to regulate the mining industry in key jurisdictions outside the United States. This course is taught in Spanish.

LAWS 4343 International and Comparative Petroleum Law (3 Credits)

The course deals with basic concepts of international law relating to petroleum investment, current elements of petroleum legislation, and petroleum investment agreements (production-sharing, concession, joint venture, service, management contracts). Also, students explore such aspects of petroleum law as dispute settlement and legal status. The instructor will discuss the major actors (international petroleum companies, state petroleum enterprises, Ministries of Energy) and their legal and policy status. Students completing the course leave with a basic understanding of the general approaches, policies, and agreements used to regulate the petroleum industry in key selected jurisdictions outside the United States.

LAWS 4344 International Tax (3 Credits)

Introduction to U.S. international taxation with an equal emphasis on inbound and outbound transactions. Resident and nonresident alien taxation, withholding taxes, effectively connected (business) income, foreign investment in U.S. real estate, tax treaties, branch taxes, earnings stripping, conduit financing rules, foreign earned income exclusion, classification of foreign entities, foreign tax credit, foreign personal holding companies, controlled foreign corporations, passive foreign investment companies, export transactions, Subpart F manufacturing rules, outbound property transfers, and transfer pricing. Cross listed with TAX 4420.

LAWS 4345 Jurisprudence (3 Credits)

The course is designed to introduce several contemporary modes of legal thought. The course is an exploration and critical evaluation of these differing perspectives on law are pursued to foster an understanding of the interdependency between legal philosophy and legal decision process, the role law plays in our culture, and the social and philosophical impediments to law’s effectiveness.

LAWS 4346 International Sales (3 Credits)

This course will examine the laws governing the international sale of goods, including the Unidroit Principles, the relevant rules adopted by the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law, the Convention on the International Sale of Goods (CISG), and the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) Modern International Sale Contract. Special emphasis shall be given to the CISG as well as to comparing the law of international sale of goods with United States contract law. Issues such as international payments methods, letters of credit, customs clearing procedures, and dispute resolution will also be discussed. Two large topics - (1) the CISG and (2) letters of credit and other means of financing cross-border transactions - comprise the bulk of the course.

LAWS 4347 International Environmental Law in Latin America (2 Credits)

This course examines the role of international law in promoting cooperative solutions to some of the most pressing environmental problems confronting the planet. The course begins with an introduction to the international law framework within which international environmental law has developed, and emphasizes the relationship between international environmental law and international human rights law. The course then uses several case studies to analyze the legal regimes that have developed to address environmental problems of particular relevance to Latin America, including protection of biodiversity, climate change adaption and mitigation, and protection of water resources. This course is taught in Spanish.

LAWS 4348 International Criminal Procedure and Practice (3 Credits)

The International Criminal Court and the various international and internationalized tribunals such as the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda and for the former Yugoslavia prosecute a unique and evolving set of international criminal laws designed to end the impunity of military and political leaders engaged in mass violence. The post-World War II Nuremburg trials were the first attempt to use tribunals to hold individuals criminally responsible. Later, the Nuremberg present was the basis of the creation of ad hoc war crimes tribunals for the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda in the early 1990s, which then opened the door to other tribunals such as the Special Court for Sierra Leone, the Extraordinary Chambers for Cambodia and the International Criminal Court. The practitioners of the tribunals represent the range of cultures, mores and legal traditions of the world. These varied experiences create different expectations as to the conduct of proceedings and what amounts to procedural fairness. This course studies the rules of procedure and practice that have developed at the international tribunals in the multi-cultural context.

LAWS 4350 Juvenile Law (3 Credits)

This course examines the legal parameters surrounding juveniles. Students gain a basic understanding of juvenile law, such as the legal definition of who is considered a child and the allocation of power between the state, parent(s), and the children. The class examines what protection the Constitution provides children and the historical development and philosophy of juvenile justice to understand the foundation of juvenile law. The focus of the class also includes an examination of rights of abused children and children who are delinquents and status offenders.

LAWS 4351 International Mergers and Acquisitions (3 Credits)

Using recent articles as case studies, students will consider what motivates corporations to undertake cross-border acquisitions and divestitures, why most transactions ultimately fail to meet expectations, and how lawyers structure transactions to avoid these pitfalls, including (i) corporate forms worldwide (corporations, partnerships, LLCs); (ii) the timeline of M&A transactions from the initial idea through transfer of ownership and the 5 years thereafter; (iii) forms of acquisition (merger, asset purchase and stock purchase); and finally (iv) negotiation of the pertinent legal documents. This course has become increasingly relevant as the world becomes less open and congenial, while businesses continue to seek geographically and culturally diverse markets. This course is appropriate for both students with no business background and students with extensive business and legal experience.

LAWS 4355 Labor Law (3 Credits)

Labor Law provides a background of modern labor relations law and union pressures with an historical review of the laws that shape this field. Laws covered include the National Labor Relations Act; National Labor Management Relations Act; Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act of 1959; Civil Rights Act of 1964; employer unfair labor practices; union unfair labor practices; internal affairs of labor organizations; collective bargaining and settlement of labor disputes; and state labor legislation. Also, it explores employer and union labor practices and manners in which disputes concerning these practices may be resolved.

LAWS 4358 Land Conservation Transactions (3 Credits)

This course covers the fundamental law and principles related to land conservation. It is a research based class, and students are responsible for researching, presenting information and drafting regarding a specific conservation project. This course provides all the background necessary to allow students to conduct a meaningful research foray in and to create conservation easements for land conservation.

LAWS 4360 Land Use Planning (3 Credits)

This course examines government controls used in the regulation of land use and development and the urbanization of the built environment in cities and metropolitan areas in the United States. The course includes an analysis of state and local laws and federal constitutional issues related to the use of master plans, zoning and land development codes, growth management and smart growth development techniques, as well as the topics of subdivision regulation, eminent domain and urban renewal. Special problems in land use planning studied include exclusionary zoning, regulation of aesthetics, design controls and visual beauty, signs and billboard, religious land use, protection of natural lands and wildlife habitat, regulation of natural resources development, fair housing laws, and the protection of private property rights in the urban regulatory process.

LAWS 4362 Latin American Law (3 Credits)

This course seeks to provide students with a basic understanding of Latin American legal traditions. Intended for students who will come into contact with Latin American law in their work as lawyers, international civil servants, business executives and diplomats. The course examines the civil law tradition and constitutional law issues and current developments, such as Latin American economic integration, reform of the public sector, and the emergence of the Inter-American system for the protection of human rights.

LAWS 4365 Law and Economics (3 Credits)

This course is an examination of selected common law, regulatory law, and Constitutional law issues from the perspective of economic efficiency analysis.

LAWS 4370 International Investments (3 Credits)

The global investor is faced with a complicated task. He must deal with multiple currencies, multiple markets, multiple cultures, and multiple regulatory environments. However, the most important aspect of international investment is the use of multiple currencies. Accordingly, the first module of this course lays the foundation of foreign exchange rates: the basic facts of foreign exchange quotations, international parity conditions and arbitrage implications, and exchange rate forecasting. The second module covers the various assets and markets available for global investing: international bonds, equities, alternative investments, and optimal international portfolio selection. The third and final module develops risk control techniques available with derivatives: forwards, futures, options, and swaps. Overall, this course will emphasize conceptual understanding and applications, rather than lengthy theoretical exposition and mathematical analysis.

LAWS 4371 International Investment Arbitration Practice & Procedure (3 Credits)

International investment arbitration has a few names. It has been referred to as investor-state arbitration, investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS), and sometimes simply international arbitration. Investor-state arbitration is a powerful and relatively new form of dispute resolution. It largely originates from the many bilateral investment treaties (BITs) developed in the 1950s, and has expanded to larger and more complicated international treaties such as NAFTA, CAFTA, and the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP). Today, this is the fastest growing field for international legal practitioners. Any international transaction with the characteristics of a foreign investment implicates investment treaties. With the development of new trade agreements such as the TPP and Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) the field will only continue to grow. This course is experiential in nature. It examines the field of investor-state arbitration from the perspective of an investment dispute. The class will simulate an investment dispute in the context of an International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) proceeding. The course will move through a typical ICSID case from beginning to end (in a an abbreviated format) and focus on key areas in the field of investor-state arbitration. This course will only be taught in the spring semester and serves as the gateway to the University of Denver Foreign Direct Investment Moot Team (http://www.fdimoot.org). Students with a strong interest in joining the FDI Moot Team and attending the FDI Moot as counsel the following fall semester will be given preference to join the class.

LAWS 4373 International Practice and Procedure (3 Credits)

This course is only open to members of the current Jessup Team and focuses upon the practice and procedure before the International Court of Justice. Students will examine the ICJ’ s history, organization, competence, and role as the primary judicial organ of the United Nations and permanent institution for the pacific settlement of disputes between States. The course will be split between both theory and practice, wherein students will study the major landmark cases of the ICJ affecting the practice of international law, and be exposed to the rules of procedure and style of practice before the ICJ through the use of a hypothetical contentious case between two States. This course satisfies the Upper Level Writing requirement (ULW).

LAWS 4375 Law and Society (3 Credits)

The primary focus of this seminar is on law as a product of the structure of society. The subject matter can be divided into four distinct sections: 1) What factors affect the development of substantive law? This section examines the influence of values, beliefs and norms. 2) Given the existence of substantive law, what organizations develop to carry out the administration of law? Here concentration is on the phenomena classified as legal roles, organizations, institutions, and inter-institutional relations -e.g., juries, the legal profession, courts, legislature, etc. 3) How does law affect social behavior? and 4) What is the role of law in social change?.

LAWS 4376 Law and Emerging Technologies (3 Credits)

Technological innovations have created challenges for regulators and policymakers. This course focuses on recent emerging technologies and introduces law students to ways law interacts with technology. Students are encouraged to think creatively to address the current challenges and anticipate future legal impacts. It also familiarizes students with the recent legal scholarship in this field. Topics covered in this course include autonomous vehicles, AI and facial recognition, big data, digital privacy, deep fakes, platform governance, and quantum computing.

LAWS 4378 Race, Class & Reproductive Justice (2,3 Credits)

This course examines how race and class status affect women's reproductive rights and how both legal rules and medical practices in this area rely on stereotypes and enforce norms of "good motherhood" on women. Topics covered include some or all of the following: abortion, contract parenthood ("surrogacy"), cloning, sterilization, embryo freezing, pregnancy-based employment discrimination, criminal prosecutions of women for prenatal substance abuse, and court-ordered Cesarean sections.

LAWS 4379 International Trade Law (3 Credits)

This course examines the law of international trade in goods and services, focusing principally on the law of the World Trade Organization and the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade. We examine the trading system’s rules restraining national restrictions on trade that address, among other things, tariff and non-tariff barriers, discrimination, regionalism, anti-dumping, countervailing duties, and safeguards. The course also spends time considering the relationship between trade and other regulatory areas or social values, such as environmental protection, health and safety standards, human rights, intellectual property protection, and other facets of globalization. This course satisfies the Upper Level Writing requirement (ULW).

LAWS 4380 Hazardous Waste and Toxic Substances (3 Credits)

This practical, hands-on course reviews the major federal environmental protection programs, with an emphasis on the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA or “Superfund”) and the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). It also covers Toxic Torts, Underground Storage Tanks, the Clean Water Act, Safe Water Drinking Act, and the Clean Air Act. Other materials may be distributed by the instructor on OSHA, NEPA, TSCA, OPA, the Colorado state voluntary cleanup program (VCUP), toxicology, and immunity issues. The course emphasizes practical application of major environmental laws. Students become familiar with statutory and regulatory schemes, and are expected to be able to identify environmental legal issues and apply environmental laws and regulations to hypothetical problems. JD student prerequisites: LAWS 4220, LAWS 4450, or LAWS 4495. LLM and MRLS student prerequisites: LAWS 4220, LAWS 4450, or LAWS 4495, or be registered to take any of these.

LAWS 4382 Legislative Process: Institutions & Interpretations (3 Credits)

This course is designed to be a three credit introductory course on the legislative process. This course focuses on theories of the process through an examination of theories of representation, theories of deliberation, direct democracy, and due process of lawmaking. Finally, this course will also explore legisprudence. Legisprudence explores theories of statutory interpretation and constitutional/statutory provisions which govern the political process and its participants. This course is intended to serve very practical goals. Students considering careers as legislative drafters, legislative staffers, elected officials, lobbyists or activists should emerge from this course with an understanding of the legislative process and a sense of how courts, agencies, and the executive branch are likely to interpret statutes. This course provides litigators with the tools to convince the courts that their interpretation of a statute is the correct one. For those students whose careers will require advising others about the meaning of statutes, this course helps provide the skills needed to perform that task.

LAWS 4383 Doing Business-Latin America (3 Credits)

Taught in Spanish, this course acquaints students with the legal framework of business transactions in Latin America. The course exposes students to the civil law system used in most Latin American countries and covers selected topics of importance to lawyers advising clients doing business, or seeking to do business in Latin America. Topics may include the development of Latin American law, types of corporate and partnership organization, trade law, foreign investment, intellectual property, taxation of foreign income, environmental and labor standards, and dispute resolution.

LAWS 4385 Lawyering Process I (3 Credits)

The Lawyering Process Course provides first-year law students with a foundation in the essential lawyering skills that are necessary to be an effective, ethical, and professional member of the legal community in a rigorous, supportive learning environment that uses a client-centered approach. The first semester focuses on introducing students to the legal system, legal research, and providing client advice through written analysis.

LAWS 4386 Lawyering Process II (3 Credits)

The Lawyering Process Course provides first-year law students with a foundation in the essential lawyering skills that are necessary to be an effective, ethical, and professional member of the legal community in a rigorous, supportive learning environment that uses a client-centered approach. The first semester focuses on introducing students to the legal system, legal research, and providing client advice through written analysis. The second semester builds on students’ research, writing, analytical, and oral presentation skills in the context of advocating for a client.

LAWS 4387 Professionalism and Well-being Skills for the Effective Lawyer (2 Credits)

The objective of this course is to support professional identity formation and growth in the professionalism and well-being skills of future lawyers as they progress toward growing competence as professionals. The first half of the course focuses on law student well-being and optimizing brain health and mental strength to enhance performance. The second half of the course is devoted to the development of professionalism skills such as professional development, self-awareness, bias, social proficiency, wisdom, and leadership, essential attributes of a high-performance legal practice.

LAWS 4390 Law and Neuroscience (3 Credits)

In this survey course, we will cover some neuroscience basics, including a brief history of neuroscience, how neurons and neurotransmitters work, what is currently known about how the brain is organized, both structurally and functionally, how modern neuroscience views the so-called Cartesian dichotomy between emotion and cognition, and the basics of the most common types of neuroimaging. We will then explore the law and neuroscience of pain, memory, lie detection and criminal responsibility, discussing how neuroscientific discoveries might or might not change how the law handles these discrete problems, and the related evidentiary issues of how to get neuroscientific evidence admitted or excluded in cases involving these problems. We will finish, time permitting, with some speculations about artificial intelligence and neuroprosthetics.

LAWS 4395 Military Law (3 Credits)

This course will review the history, nature and sources of military law; the Uniform Code of Military Justice and the functions and procedures of military courts-martial, including the rights and status of military personnel. It will also cover an overview of the laws of armed conflict; national security and domestic application of operational military law; and the policies and international treaties affecting the detention and prosecution of enemy combatants and other foreign nationals. The course materials will rely on primary sources including statutes, cases, treaties, and selected law review and other articles, which will be provided electronically to each student. The course will review these military law topics with an emphasis on case studies and policy discussions in the context of recent current events.

LAWS 4400 Lobbying Law (3 Credits)

This course will focus on the role and nature of advocacy and lobbying before state and federal legislative and regulatory bodies. The areas will include but are not limited to the role of financing with emphasis on Citizens United, the issues involved in Department of Interior Policy and public lands, the structure and lobbying of new tax legislation, high frequency trading in securities markets, Dodd-Frank and the new regulations, the JOBS Act and crowdfunding, immigration law and border security, state legislative lobbying and healthcare lobbying. Some guest lecturers will be invited, including former cabinet members at the federal level, judges, former White House counsel, financial analysts who are lawyers, members of Congress and Senators. Students will be required to develop a lobbying and advocacy program in an area assigned by the Professor.

LAWS 4410 Public Sector Employment Law (2 Credits)

In Public Sector Employment Law, students will learn the law unique to public employment. Particular emphasis will be placed on constitutional legal claims brought under 42 USC Sec. 1983, including claims for violation of the freedoms of speech and association, equal protection, due process, and privacy. The class will also cover public administrative remedies, various governmental immunities, and open records laws. The course materials will be taught through a combination of traditional Socratic method and practical real world exercises, including the drafting of pleadings, interviewing of parties, and arguing of substantive legal motions.

LAWS 4411 Mergers & Acquisitions (4 Credits)

This course investigates the legal framework and strategies for structuring mergers and acquisitions (“M&A”). The class will be taught in the “modern learning” format to help students develop practical skills that will improve their readiness upon graduation for the practice of law in diverse business contexts. Among other topics, the course will address structuring various acquisition transactions, negotiating terms of the deal, drafting deal documents, conducting due diligence, advising boards on fiduciary obligations, interpreting relevant state law and federal securities laws, and exploring litigation to thwart potential business combinations. Throughout the course, students will engage in a variety of research, drafting, interviewing, counseling, and advocacy exercises. Through those exercises, group reflections on various assignments, and class discussions of other assigned readings, students will enhance their ability to think critically about a variety of M&A issues from both transactional and litigation perspectives. Pre-req: LAWS 4190.

LAWS 4412 Sustainable Cities Practicum (3 Credits)

Communities around the west are increasingly working to accommodate population growth without promoting sprawl. From transit oriented development in the suburbs to urban infill projects in the city center, cities are exploring ways of promoting new, more sustainable forms of development – sometimes in places that are not ready to accept increased density and amidst changing notions of what Americans really want. This course will explore issues of sustainability, as they relate to land use, and will help prepare students to work in the field of urban planning and development. Partnering with a local organization and utilizing the concept of "Action Learning," students will work in teams as they engage in real-time problem solving of a complex issue involving land use and sustainability. It is anticipated the course will include a field trip and work with practitioners engaged in the issue of concern. A research paper and final presentation will be required.

LAWS 4413 Trail Tactics (3 Credits)

This course is intended for those who truly desire to be a trial lawyer. It is an advanced, hands-on course which is designed to teach you how to be successful in trial – not just trial practice, but overall trial strategy. This course will teach you not just what to do in trial, but will also answer the question as to why you do what you do. It involves the strategy of trying cases, including trial themes, as well as preparation and participation in doing voir dire, opening statements, direct and cross examination of witnesses, when to make objections and when not to make objections, as well as closing. You will learn to use various trial techniques included in the text Rules of the Road, and will learn all the ins and outs of trying a case in front of a jury.

LAWS 4414 Private Equity Seminar (3 Credits)

In this course students will learn legal doctrine and practical skills through the examination of various aspects of private equity groups. The class will focus on legal issues arising in private equity investment cycles, including raising a fund, investing the fund, managing the investment, and exiting the investment. Students will consider the legal foundations of fund formation, business law, and structuring investments, including state and federal laws affecting business associations and corporate transactions. The class will also highlight tax and regulatory considerations of private equity groups and their investments. The class will have a heavy emphasis on practical skills, including critical thinking, and best practices for beginning lawyers, including structuring transactions, drafting transactional documents, and negotiating deals.

LAWS 4415 Protecting Intellectual Property in International Business Transactions (3 Credits)

The first portion of this seminar will cover topics such as general international conventions and treaties designed to protect intellectual property; conventions and treaties designed specifically for patents, trademarks and copyrights. Students will determine what protections to try to seek for a variety of intellectual property examples and, in pairs, if possible, negotiate and draft a licensing agreement, a manufacturing agreement, an employment agreement or some other agreement that embodies international intellectual property issues. Students will then choose a topic, such as patent, trademark or copyright issues in a particular region or particular industry. Each student will prepare a presentation for the class on the topic. Then the student will use the class feedback in conjunction with research for the presentation to complete a paper on the topic. The drafting and paper will take the place of a final exam. The paper qualifies for the Upper Level Writing Requirement.

LAWS 4416 Representing the Marijuana Client (3 Credits)

This class is designed to provide students with an understanding of the realities of representing a marijuana client (either private or public) in the current turbulent legal environment. We will study the background of marijuana regulation at the state and federal levels in the United States, with particular attention paid to the federalism implications of the dispute between state and federal law in this area. We will then turn to specific areas of law impacted by marijuana law reform in the states, from legal ethics, to regulatory compliance, to criminal law enforcement, to the financial and tax aspects of running a marijuana business in the current legal regime.

LAWS 4417 Representing the Spanish Speaking Client (3 Credits)

This course is a survey of the substantive law of matters likely to be encountered by attorneys representing Spanish-speaking clients in the United States. Topics may include, among others, immigration law, family law, criminal law, employment law, wills and estates, and consumer rights. The course will introduce vocabulary required to communicate with Spanish-speaking clients in the United States, as well as, survey the basic substantive law in each area. The course will be taught in Spanish.

LAWS 4418 Workplace Law Practicum: Sports & Entertainment Law (3 Credits)

This course will expose students to contemporary sports law practice as an aspect of general entertainment law from a of labor and employment perspective. Students will learn relevant doctrine regarding such matters as collective bargaining, individual contract rights, administrative law, interest and grievance arbitration and the impact of the anti-trust laws on labor and employment relations at the professional and collegiate levels. They will have the opportunity to develop practical skills by drafting documents for a simulated NLRB union organizing or unfair labor practice proceeding, reading and interpreting actual transcripts of NLRB or arbitration proceedings, acting as an advocate in a mock baseball arbitration, and engaging in simulated negotiations by drafting bargaining proposals and arguing for those proposals in a bargaining session among classmates.

LAWS 4421 Introduction to Small Practice Management (3 Credits)

This course provides an introduction to the administrative needs necessary to open and operate a solo or small legal practice. Topics include: administrative needs specific to various types of legal practice; space and facilities; technology; document management systems; malpractice insurance; outsourcing; health insurance; conflicts; and human resources issues.

LAWS 4423 Legal Databases Research (3 Credits)

This course introduces students to a variety of legal databases, both fee-based and free, that can be utilized for conducting effective legal research as a student and practicing lawyer. Students learn to analyze and critically evaluate whether or not a database provides accurate information and resources. Students learn to determine which legal databases are most useful for specific types of information and resource needs. Students learn to construct successful search strategies that can be employed to search a database and find the information required. This course equips students to become expert searchers in the online environment.

LAWS 4424 Legal Spanish for Lawyers (2 Credits)

This course prepares students with basic Spanish proficiency to represent Spanish-speaking clients in the U.S. legal system or to work in Spanish on transnational matters involving Latin America. It combines one-on-one Spanish immersion instruction with a structured classroom component. The Spanish immersion component introduces and builds on each student’s legal Spanish vocabulary in areas of law likely to require lawyering in Spanish or in areas identified as priorities by the student. The structured classroom component allows students to practice skills in Spanish, such as client interviewing, intake, and client counseling, through simulations and group exercises. This course is taught in Spanish.

LAWS 4425 Legal Profession (3 Credits)

This required course is the study of the legal profession in American society. Topics include the history, structure, and function of the legal profession; the role of lawyers in the delivery of legal services; standards of professional ethics (including the Code of Professional Responsibility and the Rules of Professional Conduct); professional responsibility problems that confront the legal profession; developments in the delivery of legal services; disciplinary procedures; and admission to the practice of law. Non-JD students must request permission to register.

LAWS 4430 Mediation and Arbitration Clinic (3 Credits)

This is a course offering clinical experience in both mediation and arbitration. The student learns mediation skills, performs mediation simulations, and mediates actual cases. Students are oriented to the role of arbitrator, perform arbitration simulations, and attend actual arbitrations. By gaining experience in both roles, students learn which process to choose for resolving a particular dispute. In addition, students learn lawyering skills such as communication, negotiation, problem solving, and drafting agreements. Application must be sent to the Student Law Office for admission to this course. Students will earn 3 out of class credits for this course and 2 in class credits through the corequisite course L4803, Mediation and Arbitration Clinic Seminar. Correquisite: LAWS 4803. Prerequisite: permission of faculty supervisor.

LAWS 4433 Media Law (3 Credits)

This course addresses the First Amendment, statutory, and common law regimes under which the news media operate in the United States, ranging from the seminal New York Times v. Sullivan to the recent decisions on anonymity for online bloggers. This course is designed to provide opportunities for serious study/discussion of legal issues affecting the news media, as well as opportunities for practical experience in the tasks confronted by today's media lawyers. This course satisfies the Upper Level Writing requirement (ULW).

LAWS 4436 Litigation Technology (3 Credits)

Litigation Technology gives students up-close, hands-on learning to prepare and effectively use electronic illustrative aids and demonstrative exhibits in trial and alternative dispute settings. Each student prepares opening statements, closing arguments, and direct and cross-examinations, utilizing litigation software. Students learn to create their own presentations, and how to advocate most effectively using technology.

LAWS 4440 Mental Health and the Law (3 Credits)

This course will help students understand how mental illness and psychopathology interface with the legal system, in both the civil and the criminal justice systems. Taught by a practicing lawyer and a board-certified forensic psychiatrist, the course will begin with an overview of approaches to diagnosing and treating mental disorders, a brief discussion of psychotropic medications, and a description of the process for conducting forensic mental examinations of the sort used in court proceedings. We then will survey the many different contexts in which mental health intersects with the law before examining some of those contexts in detail. Specific areas of focus will include risk assessment and civil commitment, the right to treatment, informed consent and the right to refuse treatment, special competency issues involving children and older people, workplace discrimination based on mental illness, and a series of criminal law issues, including competency to stand trial and mental status defenses, sentencing, mental health and the death penalty, the evaluation and incarceration of sexual predators, and mental health issues involving incarcerated persons.

LAWS 4442 Trial Practice III: Mentors Practicum (3 Credits)

Advanced Trial Practice: Mentors Practicum is a year-long, skills-based course for law school students seeking to refine their trial skills, and improve their understanding and application of evidence and criminal procedure, through teaching these skills to local area high school mock trial students. The course consists of two classes a week. The first takes place at the law school. This weekly class involves case analysis and evidentiary discussion, resulting in the law students preparing their lesson plans to be taught to the high school students. Lesson plans include trial topics such as case analysis and evidentiary discussions, direct and cross-examination, objections and the rules of evidence, opening statements, closing arguments, and development of theme and theory. The second weekly class takes place at a local area high school, where the law students act as mentor-coaches to high school mock trial teams.

LAWS 4444 Medical Malpractice (3 Credits)

This course is a study of the various types of medical malpractice claims, and special issues encountered in medical malpractice litigation. Students learn how to select and prepare medical negligence cases for trial, with focus on the use of discovery tools in medical cases, hiring and working with medical experts, and explore settlement, subrogation, and probate approval for the settled claims of a minor. Medicine is central to medical malpractice litigation, so students are also exposed to concepts in anatomy, physiology, pathology, medical terminology, and medical records in this course.

LAWS 4445 Mining Law (3 Credits)

This course provides the basic framework of mining law. It begins with the acquisition of title to and development of deposits of hard minerals and energy resources under the mining and mineral leasing laws of the federal and state governments in the western United States. Next, it emphasizes the practices and procedures of the various proprietary and regulatory agencies responsible for the management and administration of public lands. Finally, students learn how to resolve competitive demands for exclusive and multiple use of public lands for mineral production and conservation.

LAWS 4446 Multiculturalism, Race and the Law Seminar (3 Credits)

This course is designed to examine the interstices of cultures, race, identity and the law as manifested in legislation and jurisprudence. Through case law and articles, we uncover and examine the ways in which legal systems define and promote certain racial and cultural activities, identities, and classifications and discourage others. Some are advanced as legitimate, and deserving of protection, and others not so. These endorsements have a significant impact on the makeup of American society. We see ourselves as a melting pot of cultures and peoples from all over the world, but do our laws really promote this vision? Have our laws evolved to promote racial and cultural harmony, or to discourage it? While most discussion focuses on these issues as they appear in the United States, we also discuss cases and materials from other nations, including Australia, Canada, India, Israel, Europe and Africa. Race and culture have played a pivotal role in historical and current political events and these will also be examined from a global perspective. There is no final exam, but written work is assigned throughout the term, and a final research paper is required.

LAWS 4450 Natural Resource Law (3 Credits)

The course is designed primarily for students who wish to have an introduction to and an overview of the entire natural resources law area in one course. Students survey the primary natural resources subject matter areas: water law; mining law; oil and gas law; public land law; environmental law; and energy law.

LAWS 4452 Economics of Natural Resource and the Environment: Policy, Markets, and Economic Measurement (3 Credits)

This course deals with the basic concepts of financial evaluation of a natural resources project. The emphasis is on financial evaluation topics and issues relevant to a lawyer’s participation in a project. Students are introduced to the time-value of money; spreadsheet analysis; discounted cash flow; and spreadsheets, with relevancy to negotiations. Students are encouraged to consult with the director of this program before enrollment.

LAWS 4454 Psychiatry and the Law (3 Credits)

This course explores the relationships between psychiatry, psychology, medicine and the law. Subjects to be covered include: DSM-IV diagnoses and psychopharmacology; sanity and competency determinations; role of mental health experts in the court; special issues involving the mentally ill and death penalty; issues particular to juvenile offenders; third party protections and reporting requirements in child abuse and danger to third parties; civil commitment and involuntary treatment of the mentally ill; malpractice including professional misconduct and sexual boundary violations, and standards of mental health care; professional ethics in medicine and the law; law of informed consent and proxy decision making for medical treatment; confidentiality; clinical and legal aspects of end of life care; and prisoners’ rights in correctional settings including sex offender treatment. Readings include landmark state and federal decisions shaping each of these areas, along with readings from legal and mental health literature.

LAWS 4460 Negotiation and Mediation (3 Credits)

The course examines principles of negotiation, bargaining and dispute problem solving. Builds the development of skills in negotiation and later mediation. Principles of problem solving introduced in negotiation are further developed in an exploration of mediation, it's legal, economic, skills context and its propriety as a process to resolve disputes in varying circumstances.

LAWS 4462 Negotiating Natural Resources Agreements (3 Credits)

Students completing this course leave with an understanding of the general approaches, and primary issues and motivations pertaining to the negotiation of large, internationally funded petroleum and mining projects. They particularly gain a perspective on the negotiation of first-tier agreements between trans-national companies and governments, and joint venture agreements between private parties.

LAWS 4463 Qualified Pension and Profit Sharing Plans (3 Credits)

An in-depth study of ERISA, labor department rules, and Internal Revenue Code provisions relating to qualified deferred compensation. The course is geared toward an understanding of all the pension and profit sharing rules required for plan qualification, with emphasis on qualified plan planning for both incorporated and unincorporated forms of business. Cross listed with TAX 4120.

LAWS 4464 Natural Resources Distinguished Practitioner Seminar (3 Credits)

The Distinguished Natural Resources Practitioner in Residence Seminar is a “capstone seminar” taught each year in the Spring Semester by a different but prominent natural resources or environmental law lawyer who has extensive experience in energy, resources, or environmental law work. The focus of the Seminar is on skills training, where the skills taught are those that all lawyers need in order to have a successful career in the practice of law. Among the “how-to” skills typically addressed are (1) how to obtain a job, either as a lawyer or as a law-trained worker; (2) how to obtain and retain clients; (3) how to work in the private sector, government sector, business sector, and in-house sector; (4) how to write; (5) how to work with associates and colleagues; (6) how to deal with technical or scientific matters in a legal context; (7) how to work in the litigation arena, before trial and appellate courts; (8) how to practice or appear before administrative agencies; (9) how to organize and refine a mass of complicated information so that a decision-maker can make sense of it. There is no final exam or paper expected; the grade is usually by class participation and small writing exercises. Prerequisite: permission of instructor.

LAWS 4465 Oil and Gas Law (3 Credits)

This course surveys the various characteristics of oil and gas interests. Topics include mineral rights, and how ownership leases and transfers of these rights should be handled. The instructor also distinguishes the field of oil and gas law on private lands from those in the public domain.

LAWS 4468 Pre-Trial and Discovery Practicum (3 Credits)

This “hands-on” course provides students with a practical understanding of the pretrial process and how discovery procedures shape and impact civil litigation today. The progression of class topics mirror the pretrial process within the context of a hypothetical case. Starting with initial client interviews, class topics include interrogatories, requests for production, electronic discovery, depositions, and expert discovery. Students also consider ethical issues relating to discovery and the pretrial process, and what remedies or sanctions are available for discovery abuses. This course will satisfy the Upper Level Writing requirement (ULW).

LAWS 4470 Banking Law (3 Credits)

This course provides an overview of the banking system, including the economic function of banks, the role of the central bank, and U.S. banking history. This course will cover the evolution of banking regulation, as well as recent developments that have intensified scrutiny on banks. Additionally, a "Real Deal" Workshop will provide students with an opportunity to a) gain hands-on training in transactional practice, (b) experience a “deal” from a lawyer’s perspective and learn about what transactional practice entails and (c) learn to draft stock purchase agreements, credit documents and other fundamental transactional agreements. Topics that will be covered include permissible activities of banks, the role of the FDIC, the Federal Reserve Board, and the Comptroller of Currency; and the regulatory response to crises in the banking system.

LAWS 4474 Patent Prosecution (2-3 Credits)

This course explores practical and procedural aspects of patent law. These aspects include application drafting, patent examination and prosecution, and patent appeals. Students will be expected to do some role playing as inventor, patent attorney, and/or examiner. While Patent Law is not a formal prerequisite for this course, students who have not taken Patent Law should be prepared to do extra reading in the first few weeks of the semester to familiarize themselves with the basic concepts of patent law.

LAWS 4480 Professional Ethics Seminar (3 Credits)

This seminar begins with brief introductions to ethics in general and professional ethics specifically, and then turns to in depth consideration of theoretical perspectives on lawyer’s ethics. For the remainder of the semester the seminar focuses on: (1) Comparative professional ethics: comparing the ethics of other professions--medicine, journalism and business, for example--with the ethics of lawyering. (2) Narrative ethics: stories (from literature, biography, or tradition) and how they inform ethical perception and choice. (3) Topics chosen by students for research and presentation.

LAWS 4481 Partnership Taxation (3 Credits)

Tax treatment of partnership income in the hands of the partner; the conduit rule; problems associated with the formation, operation, and dissolution of the partnership; sale of the partnership interest; withdrawal and retirement of partners; basis adjustments, unrealized receivables, and substantially appreciated inventory. Cross listed with TAX 4320.

LAWS 4483 Patent Litigation (3 Credits)

This is an in-depth study of laws, strategies and tactics of patent litigation. Topics include legal principles, procedures and strategies associated with patent claim construction, infringement, invalidity and unenforceability. Also, students cover patent trial practice with a focus on both the knowledge and practical skills necessary to litigate patent cases.

LAWS 4485 Business & Commercial Law Seminar (3 Credits)

Topical seminars scheduled periodically to afford students the opportunity for focused study of business and commercial law matters such as: consumer credit; mergers and acquisitions; corporate practice; bankruptcy; antitrust; quantitative evidence; representation of minority--and women-- owned business firms.

LAWS 4487 Prosecutor as Protagonist (3 Credits)

This seminar is an in depth examination of the role of the prosecutor in our justice system. Attorney General Suthers leads wide ranging discussions about crime and punishment. Topics discussed and debated include the purpose of criminal sentencing, minimum mandatory sentences, the death penalty, the juvenile justice system, plea bargaining, prosecutor ethics, special prosecutors, criminal justice interest groups, prosecution oversight of police, forensic science, federalization of crime, attorney general activism, jury reform, reform of drug laws, and mental illness in the criminal justice system. Some of the top experts in Colorado on these subjects speak to the seminar participants.

LAWS 4489 Civil and Criminal Tax Procedure (2-4 Credits)

Statute of limitations on assessment/collection of deficiencies, definition of deficiency, restrictions on assessment and collection; statute of limitations on overpayments, claims and suits for refund, and limitations for criminal prosecutions; regulations and rulings—retroactive revocation; administrative settlements, closing agreements and compromises; civil penalties; tax return preparer penalties; civil litigation—injunctions, jurisdiction of Tax Court, District Court, and Court of Claims, small claims procedure, authority to increase deficiencies, choice of forum; jeopardy assessments and termination of taxable years; criminal tax investigations—administrative summons, document production (taxpayer and third party), constitutional protections, common law privileges, strategies; professional responsibilities and ethics for the tax practitioner. Cross listed with TAX 4310.

LAWS 4490 Property (4 Credits)

This course introduces selected topics relating to rights and interests in land and personal property. These topics include estates in land and future interests; private and/or public restriction of land use; conveyancing; interests and estates in land; and landlord/tenant relations.

LAWS 4495 Public Land & Resources Law (3 Credits)

This course provides an overview of law, policy, and procedures governing the third of United States land managed by the federal government for the benefit of all the people. The course traces the interwoven law, history, and economics controlling acquisition and allocation of public lands and resources and examines a selection of significant commercial uses and resource categories of land use practices. Recommended prerequisite: LAWS 4025.

LAWS 4497 Law & Popular Culture (3 Credits)

Why are there so many jokes about lawyers? Why is John Grisham so popular? What explains the success of the "Law and Order" franchise? Does popular culture affect the outcomes of trials? This seminar explores the role law plays in popular culture (for example, how law and lawyers are portrayed and perceived; how law shapes and defines pop culture) and the role popular culture plays in law and in the lives of lawyers (for example, the impact of cameras in the courtroom); should lawyers be allowed to write books and sell their clients' stories? The reading list includes traditional materials (case law and legal scholarship) as well as movies, novels and other popular culture materials. Recommended prerequisite: LAWS 4425.

LAWS 4498 Public Interest Practicum (1 Credit)

The Public Interest Practicum is one option for students to satisfy the Public Service Requirement. The only satisfying course offered for only zero or one credit, it requires participation of the JD student in a 50-hour, non-compensated, law-related, public interest placement under the supervision of an attorney or judge who has been in practice or on the bench for a minimum of three years. A practicum student must complete the minimum of 50 hours in one of the following settings: judicial internship; government agency; private law firm doing pro bono or low bono work; non-profit (501(c)(3)) organization; or pre-approved uncompensated research project for a faculty member. A student may decide to take the Public Interest Practicum for 1 credit or 0 credit. The Public Interest Practicum for 1 Academic Credit requires a Public Interest Practicum Online Seminar component to supplement the practical experience. The Public Interest Practicum is beneficial for students who are not planning on satisfying the Public Service Requirement through other opportunities.

LAWS 4500 Public Utility Regulation (3 Credits)

This intensive, 1-week course presents law practitioners with recent innovations in the economics and policy of utility regulation. Course features guest lectures with individuals from industry and government sectors that are involved with utility regulation. Students learn the social science of utility regulation and gain insight into how utility regulation is conducted.

LAWS 4506 Energy & Project Finance Law (3 Credits)

This course explores the legal, economic, technological, and policy underpinnings of the Renewable Energy Industry, global warming, and associated implications to the electric utility and transportation sectors. The course addresses both domestic and international perspectives on renewable energy development.

LAWS 4508 Renewable Energy for the 21st Century: Law, Policy & Markets (3 Credits)

Renewable Energy for the 21st Century helps prepare students for future involvement in this dynamic sector. Students are introduced to the policy and legal framework involving renewables and energy efficiency as well as important technological and market-based issues.

LAWS 4509 Renewable Energy: Project Development and Regulation (3 Credits)

This course examines the broad range of legal topics that a renewable energy lawyer must understand in order to practice effectively. We examine the structure, regulation, and functioning of the electric energy industry in the United States. We explore in detail the law applicable to the development, ownership and operation of renewable projects across the spectrum of technologies. Significant emphasis is placed on the practical "real world" issues encountered in developing, financing and operating these projects.

LAWS 4510 Transactional Legal Research (2 Credits)

This course will introduce the legal material, research methodologies, and resources used in conducting transactional legal research. Students will gain experience locating and using law and guidance produced by government agencies, business-oriented legal treatises, transactional materials, and company/industry research. This class will take an integrative approach between the different business-related disciplines to provide students with a well-rounded knowledge base.

LAWS 4511 Renewable Energy Law (3 Credits)

The development of renewable energy sources has grown exponentially both nationally and worldwide. The increased appetite for renewable energy sources has driven a need for more information about those sources and the significant legal implications arising from the development of those sources. This course is organized by resource--solar, wind, hydropower, biomass, and geothermal. It focuses primarily on critical legal issues in tort, property, and contract areas raised by the expansion of these key renewable energy sources. The course also addresses the role of energy efficiency and some of the broader legal hurdles facing renewable energy use from a nationwide perspective.

LAWS 4520 Remedies (3 Credits)

Remedies provides students with the basic principles and problems of damages, restitution, and equity. Students enter into an investigation of fundamental concepts, such as remedial goals, problems of proof, and the relationship between remedies and substantive rights. The course also explores equitable remedies and alternative remedial devices available in any given situation.

LAWS 4524 Russian for Lawyers I (3 Credits)

This is a unique chance to break stereotypes about Russia! This sequence of courses introduces students to the fundamentals of the Russian language, with emphasis on legal and economic vocabulary. More specifically, this includes vocabulary and reading assignments that involve finance, international trade, stock exchange, and with a special focus on Natural Resources and Environmental Law in Russia. No prior knowledge of Russian is required.

LAWS 4525 Russian for Lawyers II (3 Credits)

This course picks up where Russian for Lawyers I leaves off by continuing to introduce students to the fundamentals of the Russian language, but with an emphasis on legal and economic vocabulary. More specifically, this includes vocabulary and reading assignments that involve finance and banking, insurance, international trade, and stock exchange/securities matters. Prerequisite: LAWS 4524.

LAWS 4526 Sales and Leases (3 Credits)

This course examines the formation and terms, as well as remedies for breach, of contracts for the sale of goods under Article 2 of the Uniform Commercial Code (UCC). The course completes the coverage of Article 2 of the UCC that was introduced in the first-year Contracts course. In addition, the course also examines the provisions on leases in Article 2A, sales transactions involving the use of documents of title (Article 7) and letters of credit (Article 5).

LAWS 4527 School of Mines Exchange (3 Credits)

LAWS 4528 Securities Law (3 Credits)

Students in this course study the statues and regulations regulating the offer and sale of securities by private and public corporations. Course material information pertaining to the Securities Exchange Act of 1934; federal regulation of the public securities markets; insider trading; broker-dealer regulation; tender offers; and public corporations. Recommended prerequisites: LAWS 4190 or LAWS 4048.

LAWS 4529 Securities Litigation (3 Credits)

The main focus of this course is the granting of a security interest in collateral in exchange for a loan and the priority among creditors to the collateral in case the debtor defaults on its obligation to repay. Secured transactions can be involved in a wide variety of legal representations, including transactional matters and litigation. The Secured Transactions Class is designed to provide students with a working understanding of Article 9 of the Uniform Commercial Code and how it comes into play in these transactions. Students who have taken the Commercial Law Survey course should not take this unless they wish to study this subject in greater depth.

LAWS 4530 Secured Transactions (3 Credits)

This course covers the law of secured transactions in personal property. It is not a securities course. Students who have taken the Commercial Law Survey course should not take this unless they wish to study this subject in greater depth. The main focus of this course is the granting of a security interest in collateral in exchange for a loan and the priority among creditors to the collateral in case the debtor defaults on its obligation to repay. Secured transactions can be involved in a wide variety of legal representations, including transactional matters and litigation. The Secured Transactions Class is designed to provide students with a working understanding of Article 9 of the Uniform Commercial Code and how it comes into play in these transactions.

LAWS 4539 Social Change Lawyering (2 Credits)

This seminar explores the role of law and the legal profession in pursuing broader social causes across the political spectrum, such as the pursuit of civil rights for racial minorities or the effort to overturn the constitutional right to abortion. Distinguished from the practice of law solely advocating the interests of individual clients, social change lawyering is a major component of the legal profession of the 21st century. Known variously as “public interest law,” cause lawyering, and by numerous other labels, this area of practice implicates many important issues worthy of serious scholarly consideration. Some of the topics that may be examined include: the competing definitions of social change lawyering and the relevance of such definitions; the history of American law and social change; the role of progressive/conservative ideologies in social change lawyering; the role of government and private firm lawyers in effectuating social change; strategies and organizational models for social change lawyering groups; the relationship between social change lawyers and their clients; the economics and financing of social change lawyering; ethics and social change lawyering; legal education and social change. Throughout the course, students are asked to critically examine the role of lawyers in social change, and question whether and how lawyers have been effective agents of social change in American society. The course does not use a traditional casebook. Rather, students study a set of materials comprised of excerpts from law review articles and books, historical and sociological materials, and problems. Students are required to write short, reflective discussion board posts on each week’s readings, as well as a more comprehensive final paper. Students may elect to use this seminar to fulfill the upper level writing requirement if they submit a draft of the final paper and do a substantial rewrite after receiving the instructor’s feedback. Prerequisite: permission of instructor.

LAWS 4543 Sexual Orientation and the Law (3 Credits)

This seminar offers an opportunity for students to study the relationship between law and sexual orientation. Historically, law in this country consistently and pervasively regulated the realm of human identity and behavior we call sexuality. However, questions and claims challenging traditional assumptions about sexual orientation have surfaced in the last twenty-five years. Our study of sexual orientation and law allows students to view the relationship between law and society through a new lens, that of sexual orientation.

LAWS 4545 Sports Law (3 Credits)

The course studies the legal problems of professional athletics. It applies the application of contract law, antitrust, labor law and income tax to the functioning of a professional league. The question of governmental regulation of professional sports is a constant focus of students’ work. Special attention is given to the impact of these questions on negotiating players’ contracts.

LAWS 4550 Local Government Law (3 Credits)

Although barely touched upon in many law school courses, states and local governments play an important role in our everyday lives. They enjoy substantial law-making power; are responsible for financing and providing many public goods and services; and are the location of a great deal of political participation. This course will examine the theory behind and sources of local government power as well as the advantages and disadvantages of decentralized decision-making. Specific topics include: voting rights, local government formation and boundary change, state-local relations and local home rule, interlocal conflicts, school finance reform, and regional governance.

LAWS 4552 Securities Law Seminar (3 Credits)

LAWS 4553 The Spanish Speaking Lawyer: Introductory Legal Skills and Vocabulary in Spanish (3 Credits)

This introductory course will provide law students an avenue to become more comfortable speaking about legal matters in Spanish. Students will acquire Spanish-language vocabulary relating to the lawyer-client relationship, litigation, and various substantive areas of law, with the opportunity to utilize this vocabulary. Students can expect to gain legal skills in Spanish, including performing intake, managing good phone etiquette, interviewing clients, drafting correspondence, communicating fees, explaining civil and criminal court proceedings, and understanding ethics and confidentiality. The course will also provide students with an opportunity to begin to achieve cultural competency when representing Spanish-speaking clients. The class will be interactive, and may include: discussions of readings, small group discussions, simulations, presentations, arguments, speakers on different substantive areas of law and viewing of law-related films. This course will primarily be taught in Spanish.

LAWS 4555 Street Law (3 Credits)

Under faculty supervision, students in two-person teams will teach law in urban high schools. An underlying principle of the course is that one of the best ways to learn is to teach. There will be weekly seminars and field performances supervised by the instructor. Students will develop skills in: practical application of legal concepts; substantive topics in federal and Colorado Law; teaching techniques; classroom management; and the multi-faceted roles of lawyers in the community. Each student will participate in researching, drafting, and presenting a course in a particular field of substantive law.

LAWS 4556 Substainable Dev & Trade (3 Credits)

This seminar is designed to give an introduction to the convergence of trade, environment, and development issues and law, addressing areas of conflict and synergies among them. It focuses on rules, procedures, and institutions aimed at making globalization compatible with sustainable development by integrating trade policy and law with policies that address other aspects of “human development”, such as, environmental concerns, social concerns, human rights, gender issues, and governance. This course satisfies the Upper Level Writing requirement (ULW).

LAWS 4560 Colorado Legal Research (1 Credit)

This course will focus on Colorado-specific primary and secondary sources using a problem-based approach, so as to simulate the type of work performed at law firms. It is geared toward students who have some experience with research and want to improve their skills and writing ability before they finish law school. Students will gain hands-on experience researching judicial (case law), legislative (statutory), and executive (administrative) legal materials and will learn research methodologies and strategies to tackle research problems effectively. Classes will combine instruction with hands-on scenarios using print and electronic resources and students will complete research and writing projects for this course, which runs for the first seven weeks of the semester. Students are required to bring their laptops to class.

LAWS 4561 Crimmigration Law Seminar: The Intersection of Criminal Law and Immigration Law (3 Credits)

This seminar addresses the historical and contemporary relationship between criminal and immigration law. In particular, the course explores how individuals perceived to have violated a criminal offense are treated in the immigration law system, how individuals thought not to be citizens of the United States are uniquely affected by criminal procedure norms and substantive criminal law, and how states and the federal government have sought to police criminal activity by noncitizens. In the process, course participants will learn to analyze constitutional, statutory, and regulatory provisions concerning immigration, as well as procedural and substantive requirements concerning criminal proceedings as they affect noncitizens. Participants will also consider the motivations that resulted in various enforcement policies grounded in civil or criminal law related to immigration and immigrants.

LAWS 4562 E-Discovery (3 Credits)

Litigation is undergoing a significant transformation as technology continues to evolve and Society transitions from a “paper” to a “digital” world. That transformation inevitably impacts the legal community, confronting lawyers and clients with the choice of conducting discovery on a pre-computer, “business as usual” basis or embracing the challenges and opportunities presented by “e-discovery.” This course provides students with an understanding of the legal and practical challenges presented by “e-discovery” and how electronically stored information (“ESI”) shapes and impacts litigation and the pretrial process.

LAWS 4563 Environmental Law, Energy, & Natural Resources in Indian Country (3 Credits)

This Seminar explores energy and natural resources development on Native American tribal lands in the United States, and how tribes, states and the federal government regulate and enforce environmental quality within Indian Country. The Seminar is open to all interested students and does not require any previous study or experience in American Indian law. It provides an introduction to tribal sovereignty and self-determination, along with some of the basics of Indian Country jurisdiction and tribal sovereign immunity. Students will examine the federal governments trust responsibility to Indian tribes and nations. The Seminar also examines the legal framework used to regulate and enforce environmental quality, traditional and renewable energy development, and the use and stewardship of other natural resources on Indian lands. The goal of this Seminar is for students to gain a greater awareness of Indian tribes and nations and the critical role they play in overall U.S. environmental, energy, and natural resource law and public policy.

LAWS 4564 Immigration Law in Spanish (3 Credits)

Immigration Law in Spanish is a survey of the fundamental concepts of U.S. immigration law. In addition, students learn and practice the vocabulary required to appropriately communicate these concepts to Spanish-speaking clients. The class is taught entirely in Spanish, and requires a working-level written and spoken proficiency in the language.

LAWS 4565 Intellectual Property Capstone (1-3 Credits)

The intellectual property capstone is a simulation based course that crosses different intellectual property disciplines. Several different adjuncts are asked to prepare real world problems in different substantive and procedural contexts. The problems vary from year to year, but generally deal with patent, copyright and trademark law from litigation, administrative (i.e. representation before the patent and trademark office) and business perspectives. Students are expected to have taken at least one prior intellectual property course. This course fulfills the experiential component of the IP Certificate requirement.

LAWS 4570 Introduction to Contracts and Torts (3 Credits)

This online course provides an introduction to the foundational principles of Contract Law, including the restatement of contracts and the relevant provisions of the Uniform Commercial Code, and foundational principles of Tort Law, including intentional torts, negligence, and strict liability. This course is available to non-JD students only.

LAWS 4571 Introduction to Forensic Engineering and Construction Dispute Resolution (3 Credits)

This online course introduces students to the forensics industry and how forensics applies to claims and disputes in design and construction issues. The course addresses common disputes such as insurance claims, contract disputes, negligence claims, etc. This course will also discuss the different dispute resolution forums and venues, from insurance appraisals, to mediation, to arbitration or litigation. This course is available to non-JD students only, and is required for students in the Master of Legal Studies in Forensic Engineering.

LAWS 4572 Forensic Scheduling (1 Credit)

This online course covers the five standard forensic scheduling methods: Impacted As-Planned Method, As-Planned v. As-Built Method, Time Impact Analysis, Windows Analysis, and Collapsed As-Built Method. This class will use Primavera P6 scheduling software. This class is limited to non-JD students only.

LAWS 4574 Expert Report Preparation (1 Credit)

Forensic consultants need to understand how to outline, assemble, and clearly communicate issues and opinions within expert reports. This course reviews standard report templates and covers how to prepare report sections including-but not limited to-executive summaries, summary of opinions, assignment, documents reviewed, analysis, conclusions, and demonstratives.

LAWS 4575 Civil Trial Practice-Forensic Engineering (3 Credits)

This online class will cover the main aspects of civil litigation and trial practice as they relate to forensic engineering including discovery, trial, examination and cross-examination, and expert testimony. Pre-requisite: LAWS 4571.

LAWS 4576 Building Envelop & Civil Construction Review (1 Credit)

This course would review the components of building envelope and civil design. It would also review standard contract drawing details, manufacturer’s recommendations, and code requirements for various building components.

LAWS 4577 Introduction to Contract Law (2 Credits)

This online course provides an introduction to the foundational principles of Contract Law, including the principles and law governing the formation of contracts (offer, acceptance, and consideration), contractual terms and duty, breach of contract, and some discussion of remedies. This course is available to non-JD students only.

LAWS 4578 Introduction to Tort Law (2 Credits)

This online course provides an introduction to the foundational principles of tort law, including intentional torts, negligence, and strict liability. This course is available to non-JD students only.

LAWS 4579 Expert Witness Role (2 Credits)

Expert witnesses play a number of roles as they take on their role, including serving as consultants, writing expert reports, and providing testimony. This course will focus on the core requirements needed for this role, providing an overview of the dispute resolution setting in which they work, with particular emphasis on ethical responsibilities and the task of writing an expert report. It will also cover how to write an expert report by outlining, assembling, and clearly communicating issues and opinions within expert reports. This online course will review standard report templates and cover how to prepare report sections including-but not limited to-executive summaries, summary of opinions, assignment, documents reviewed, analysis, conclusions, and demonstratives.

LAWS 4580 Forensic & Scientific Evidence (3 Credits)

This course will cover the key elements of Evidence Law with a particular focus on evidence law governing forensic and scientific evidence. This includes an introduction to the preparation of scientific evidence, rules governing admissibility of forensic and scientific evidence in the courtroom, and rules applicable to expert witnesses and their testimony.

LAWS 4581 Remedies in Construction Law (2 Credits)

This course will address the remedies that are applicable in construction law disputes, including remedies applicable to contracts and torts disputes. It will cover the basic principles and problems of damages, restitution, and equity. Prerequisites: LAWS 4179.

LAWS 4589 LLM and Master's Internship (0 Credits)

The Sturm College of Law encourages students to gain practical experience and to develop professional skills in the legal and policy fields. Some students may elect to pursue externships for credit while others may choose to pursue paid opportunities during their study in the program. Internships are supervised by faculty and GLS department who interact with the eligible student and the employer or organization that provides the externship. The internship should provide a new learning experience for the student intern and must be related to their field of studies (e.g. business and commercial law; environmental law and policy). Satisfactory completion of the internship will result in a passing grade for the externship. The Program Director and/or GLS Advisor may serve as Supervisor for non-JD interns.

LAWS 4590 JD Internship (0 Credits)

The Sturm College of Law encourages students to gain practical experience and to develop professional skills in the legal and policy fields. Some students may elect to pursue externships for credit while others may choose to pursue paid opportunities during their study in the program. The internship should provide a new learning experience for the student intern and must be related to their field of studies (e.g. business and commercial law; environmental law and policy). Satisfactory completion of the internship is determined by review of an Internship Assessment Form submitted to the externship office at the end of the term.

LAWS 4599 Expert Witness Practicum (3 Credits)

This class will cover the main aspects of civil litigation and trial practice as they relate to forensic engineering and the process of being an expert witness including discovery, trial, examination and cross-examination, and expert testimony. The course will be taught in a practicum style, with students taking on the role of expert witness. Prerequisites: LAWS 4579.

LAWS 4605 Taxation of Natural Resource (2 Credits)

This course outlines the financial, business, and legal tax problems that may be encountered during the acquisition, operation, and disposition of natural resources properties. It is a strong course for students to develop skills in general tax planning for natural resources ventures.

LAWS 4610 Torts (4 Credits)

This introductory course considers compensation for private wrongs, covering harm to persons and property, with attention to legal theories of intentional torts, negligence and strict liability.

LAWS 4615 Torts (Advanced) (3 Credits)

Advanced Torts combines practical and theoretical discussion of issues that personal injury lawyers face in practice. The topics in the seminar vary but generally include fee agreements, damages, use of experts, medical malpractice, hospital and other liens, subrogation, and governmental immunity. The seminar emphasizes the empirical reality of injuries, claims, and litigation. Prerequisite: LAWS 4610.

LAWS 4618 Representing Clients Before the SEC (3 Credits)

SEC insiders explain the processes and practices of the Division, intertwined with discussion and analysis of SEC enforcement actions past and present. This course gives students critical information to effectively represent a wide variety of clients before the Division, among them public companies, regulated entities, defrauded investors, and perpetrators of crime.

LAWS 4631 Commercial Space Law (2 Credits)

This course is designed to provide a basic understanding of legal principles and issues in international and domestic space law, with a focus on commercial space law. You will study issues of importance to the Colorado space industry. Those issues, however, touch everyone in the world. For example, we will evaluate issues relating to the use of GPS timing and location signals, remote sensing of the earth from space, and the use of satellite communication. These technologies and associated legal issues reach every country in the world. We start with a survey of the international laws that govern outer space activity. You will be introduced to space law treaties addressing the use of outer space for peaceful purposes, liability for damage caused by space objects, jurisdiction and control of space objects, the rescue and return of astronauts and space objects, property rights in space, and other matters. We will discuss the influence on space laws of cold war politics, developing versus developed country tensions, and the impact of sovereignty interests on technologies that can broadcast television signals direct to homes and extract information about a country’s natural resources – all from space. Then we will address U.S. space laws and regulations impacting space activities. Finally, the class will explore specific commercial space activities such as satellite communication, space stations, space tourism, space launches, remote sensing of the earth from space, and the financing and insuring of space activities.

LAWS 4633 Day One: Civil Practice Lab (3 Credits)

Day One: Civil Practice Lab is designed to take students from client intake through to the eve of trial, simulating the research, analysis, drafting, and verbal argument that lawyers encounter every day in civil cases. Through the course, students learn about the practical aspects of running a firm, valuing cases, and managing client and firm expectations. They also learn how to draft memoranda, disclosures, discovery, motions and mediation statements, while practicing the skills of examining witnesses, negotiating, and oral argument through mock depositions, mediation, and evidentiary hearings. The classes provide a procedurally chronological picture of a civil case and weave throughout practical considerations and application of the rules of professional conduct. In short, the class prepares students to practice on day one of their new career.

LAWS 4634 Motions Practice (3 Credits)

In this class, students learn how to present and argue pre-trial motions. These motions include motions from civil practice (motion for preliminary injunction, motion to dismiss, motion for summary judgment, etc.) criminal practice (motion to suppress, Rule 35 (c), etc.) and evidentiary motions (Rules 403, 404, and 405.) In addition, the course covers both legal and evidentiary motions in limine. Each student is asked to prepare, present, and argue a motion, as well as decide motions presented by others after making appropriate findings of fact and conclusions of law. Because a number of the motions involve the presentation of witnesses and appropriate case and statutory law, students learn trial skills, as well as refresh their knowledge of criminal and civil procedure, and the rules of evidence. Students are not asked to draft motions or prepare written briefs.

LAWS 4635 Trial Practice I: Basic Courtroom Skills (2-3 Credits)

The course is designed to teach the concepts and organizing principles of the formal trial process. It emphasizes the understanding necessary to develop, evaluate, prepare, and present a case for trial before a judge, jury, or other fact-finder. Exercises and simulations are used to demonstrate the importance of theory building and teach the functions of each stage of a trial. Students develop the advocacy skills appropriate to adversary adjudication. Prerequisite or corequisite: LAWS 4235.

LAWS 4637 Civil Litigation Practicum (3 Credits)

This course provides students a practical, hands-on approach to civil pretrial litigation. Students draft pleadings, motions and discovery requests essential in the litigation process prior to the actual trial stage.

LAWS 4638 Trial Practice III: Mentor's Practicum (3 Credits)

The Mentor's Practicum employs and relies upon integrated teaching, feedback, student collaboration, and multiple assessment. The practicum is designed for law school students who have exhibited advanced skills in trial advocacy, client advocacy, case analysis and communication.

LAWS 4639 Survey of Trusts and Estates (3 Credits)

This course will provide a broad introduction to trusts and estate planning, including an overview of property disposition through intestate succession, wills, and trusts.

LAWS 4640 Trusts and Estates (4 Credits)

Students enrolled in this course learn the ins-and-outs of trusts and estates planning. The course surveys everything involving succession wills, trusts, the role of third parties to a trust or estate, and property disposition.

LAWS 4651 Advanced Legal Writing and Research (3 Credits)

This course provides students with practical experience in drafting various documents they will likely encounter in the practice of law, including both objective and persuasive writing. Students will learn the advanced research skills they need to locate relevant legal materials, including an in-depth knowledge of legal research methods and resources. Students will then use their research results to create precise, clear, effective, and legally sound written documents for a series of modern law practice situations. There will be in-class exercises designed to develop student expertise with particular legal research and writing skills. Course assessments include an internal memorandum, a pleading, a motion, and a decision. This course satisfies the upper-level writing requirement. Laptops are required for this course.

LAWS 4660 Scientific Evidence (3 Credits)

The course begins with the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (113 S.Ct. 2786 (1993)). This decision threw out the Frye Rule that had governed the admission of scientific evidence in federal courts since 1923. While the Daubert rule now applies in all federal courts, states are free to either stay with the Frye Rule, adopt the new Daubert Standard or adopt some combination of the two. Students discuss the implications of these evidentiary changes in a number of areas of legal controversy. The course concentrates primarily on the use of social science evidence; however, topics include tort litigation involving Bendectin, and the controversy over the use of DNA testing in criminal cases. Other topics include the use of scientific evidence in consumer confusion cases; obscenity cases and the question of community standards; and the number of syndrome evidence cases, including post-traumatic stress disorder, battered woman syndrome, and rape trauma syndrome. Constitutional law cases include coverage of death penalty issues, jury size cases, and school segregation by race and gender (including the controversy over single-sex education, and the ending of school busing mandates by the federal courts). The goal of this course is to increase the proficiency of lawyers to use scientific evidence on behalf of clients and be able to defend against such evidence when presented by the opposing counsel.

LAWS 4670 Water Law (3 Credits)

Water Law is an introductory course for students interested in pursuing water law. It covers private property rights in water, and the legal and environmental controls surrounding it. Recommended prerequisite: LAWS 4025.

LAWS 4672 International Water Law (3 Credits)

This course presents a global overview of water law, systems, and practice in the modern world. It includes coverage of hydrology, history, national legal systems, and modern international treaties and cases. It has a special emphasis on sustainable development, equitable utilization, pollution control, and ecosystem protection utilized for multi-nation water basins. LAWS 4670 Water Law and LAWS 4320 International Law courses are not a prerequisite, as basics will be covered.

LAWS 4674 White Collar Crime (3 Credits)

This course is designed for students with an interest in advanced criminal law practice, particularly the growing legal field of white collar crime. This seminar course will introduce students to the major substantive legal areas that make up the white collar field, including mail and securities fraud, bribery, health care fraud, conspiracy, and money laundering. In addition, students will learn the basics of conducting a corporate internal investigation, dealing with search warrants and subpoenas, criminal pre-trial matters, special considerations for criminal discovery, and common ethical issues. By the end of the course, students will have learned the basic substantive and procedural issues involved in white collar practice. Students will learn from and interact with a variety of practitioners drawn from the private and government sector. Instructor permission is required for enrollment.

LAWS 4686 Wills Lab (1 Credit)

This lab is designed to provide students with practical experience with interviewing and drafting for a real client while under the close supervision of a practicing attorney. Clients come primarily from Legal Aid. Each student is individually supervised by a volunteer attorney or by Prof. Marsh. The attorney goes with the student to the first interview with the client to assist the student if any difficulties come up in the interview. Then the student drafts the appropriate documents from scratch, and the attorney helps the student determine what revisions are necessary. When documents are in final form the attorney assists the student in having the documents properly signed. Documents include will, living will, and medical or financial powers of attorney, as appropriate. Letter grades are given by Prof. Marsh. Note that no student is allowed to drop the Wills Lab after the first interview with the client unless there is a severe medical emergency. There will be one introductory meeting scheduled during lunch time. All the rest of the work is scheduled individually by the student, supervising attorney, and client. NOTE: Students will NOT be allowed to drop the course after the first interview with the client. Prerequisite: LAWS 4640 or LAWS 4639.

LAWS 4700 Special Topics (1-5 Credits)

LAWS 4701 Special Topics (1-5 Credits)

LAWS 4702 Special Topics (1-6 Credits)

LAWS 4703 Special Topics (1-5 Credits)

LAWS 4704 Special Topics (1-5 Credits)

LAWS 4705 Special Topics (1-5 Credits)

LAWS 4706 Special Topics (1-5 Credits)

LAWS 4707 Special Topics (1-5 Credits)

LAWS 4708 Special Topics (1-5 Credits)

LAWS 4709 Special Topics (1-15 Credits)

LAWS 4800 Criminal Defense Clinic (3-6 Credits)

This clinic offers students the opportunity to defend low-income clients charged with various criminal offenses. These offenses include DUI/DDWAI; domestic violence; assault; theft; disturbance; child abuse and neglect; menacing; etc. Students represent their clients in various municipal and county courts in the area. This course requires numerous court appearances for arraignments, pre-trial motions, and sentencing. Students should be prepared for an intense litigation experience in misdemeanor criminal defense. Corequisite: LAWS 4801. Prerequisite: permission of faculty supervisor.

LAWS 4801 Criminal Defense Clinic Seminar (3-4 Credits)

The Criminal Law Clinic Seminar must be taken in conjunction with the Criminal Law Clinic. Class sessions will be devoted to a variety of topics, including classes on lawyering skills, substantive law, issues of lawyering and society, and case review sessions, in which student attorneys will present information about their cases/projects to each other and give and solicit feedback about issues they are confronting in the representation of their clients. The classes include simulation exercises that are critiqued by faculty, and field exercises that involve trips to the Denver jail. Classes are taught by clinical faculty and by guest speakers who include area judges, practitioners, interpreters and other court personnel. Co-requisite: LAWS 4800.

LAWS 4802 Environmental Law Clinic Seminar (3 Credits)

THE ELCP clinic seminar must be taken in conjunction with the ELCP Clinic. During class, students will review federal civil procedure through a lecture series entitles "anatomy of a lawsuit," have specific lectures on effective legal writing, and commonly used statues such as the Freedom of Information Act, and Endangered Species Act. Each student must also prepare a class presentation on their assigned major case, and participate in random, less formal docket meetings. Students must also attend four guest lectures from lawyers and other professionals on environmental law advocacy issues. Students earn 3 in class credits for this course and 3 out of class credits through the corequisite course. Corequisite: LAWS 4206.

LAWS 4803 Mediation & Arbitration Clinic Seminar (2 Credits)

The Mediation and Arbitration Clinic Seminar must be taken in conjunction with the Mediation and Arbitration Clinic. The seminar meets once a week for 90 minutes. Students read articles on mediation issues and receive intensive training in the classroom that is reinforced with classroom simulations. Students are also required to critique each other in the simulations. The seminar focuses upon identifying and resolving issues that arise during actual mediations. Students will earn 2 in class credits for this course and 3 out of class credits through the corequisite course. Corequisite: LAWS 4430.

LAWS 4805 Civil Litigation Clinic (5 Credits)

The Civil Litigation Clinic students represent low-income clients in a variety of civil disputes. The clinic permits students to participate in the selection of cases and problems they work on. Students have represented clients in areas involving wage and hour claims, housing discrimination, eviction defense and domestic violence protection orders. Additionally, the Civil Litigation Clinic requires some form of community outreach project enabling the student to learn about the client populations they serve. Students will earn 5 out of class for this course and 4 in class credits through the co-requisite course. Corequisite: LAWS 4806.

LAWS 4806 Civil Litigation Clinic Seminar (4 Credits)

The Civil Litigation Clinic students represent low-income clients in a variety of civil disputes. The clinic permits students to participate in the selection of cases and problems they work on. Students have represented clients in areas involving wage and hour claims, housing discrimination, eviction defense and domestic violence protection orders. Additionally, the Civil Litigation Clinic requires some form of community outreach project enabling the student to learn about the client populations they serve. Students will earn 4 in-class credits for this course and 5 out-of-class credits through the co-requisite course. Corequisite: LAWS 4805.

LAWS 4807 Child Advocacy Seminar (2 Credits)

The Child Advocacy Externship Seminar is a course and taught by the Rocky Mountain Children’s Law Center. In the fall semester, the seminar course focuses on the laws surrounding advocacy for children in dependency & neglect, delinquency, civil protection order, and education cases. In the spring, students can enroll in a 2-credit Advanced Child Advocacy seminar to expand on the fall semester with topics such as the overlap of child welfare and family law, immigration advocacy, appellate advocacy for children, trial practice in the child welfare context, ethical issues in the represenation of children, and a variety of other hot topic child advocacy issues. Students can choose to also enroll in a corresponding externship for credit. For more information on the field work component, please visit http://www.law.du.edu/index.php/legal-externship-program/specific-externship-programs/child-advocacy-externship-program.

LAWS 4809 Civil Rights Clinic (3-6 Credits)

The Civil Rights Clinic (CRC) represents individuals and groups in civil and human rights matters. The CRC’s current cases address a range of complex constitutional issues litigated before the Federal District Court for the District of Colorado. Some of the claims currently being litigated in the CRC will impact constitutional jurisprudence nationwide. The current CRC docket is focused on the constitutional rights of prisoners. These cases challenge prison conditions and policies pursuant to the First, Fifth, Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments on issues such as: indefinite solitary confinement, failure to provide prisoners with adequate medical or mental health care, long-term denial of outdoor exercise, and the prison’s refusal to provide meaningful process to individuals placed in long-term segregation. Co-requisite course LAWS 4812, Civil Rights Clinic Seminar. Pre-requisite or co-requisite course: LAWS 4425, Legal Profession. This course meets the Upper Level Writing requirement (ULW).

LAWS 4812 Civil Rights and Disability Law Clinic Seminar (3 Credits)

The Civil Rights Clinic (CRC) represents individuals and groups in civil and human rights matters. The CRC's current cases address a range of complex constitutional issues litigated before the Federal District Court for the District of Colorado. Some of the claims currently being litigated in the CRC will impact constitutional jurisprudence nationwide. The current CRC docket is focused on the constitutional rights of prisoners. These cases challenge prison conditions and policies pursuant to the First, Fifth, Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments on issues such as: indefinite solitary confinement, failure to provide prisoners with adequate medical or mental health care, long-term denial of outdoor exercise, and prison's refusal to provide meaningful process to individuals placed in long-term segregation. Students will earn 3 in class credits for this course and 3 out of class through the corequisite course L4805, Civil Rights Clinic. This course meets the Upper Level Writing requirement (ULW).

LAWS 4813 Low Income Taxpayer Clinic-JD (1-4 Credits)

Using a focused series of classes related to issues facing individual low income taxpayers embroiled in conflict with the Internal Revenue Service or in litigation before the United States Tax Court (innocent spouse relief, earned income credit, dependency exemptions, appeals of audits and collection due process issues, tax litigation), this course first prepares tax students to represent taxpayers regarding such issues, then provides the opportunity to practice before the IRS and in the Tax Court. In a clinical setting, students are trained in all facets of practice before the IRS and the Tax Court. Once trained, under the supervision of clinical staff, the students undertake representation of low income taxpayers in tax audits, appeals, collection proceedings, and, if necessary, before the Tax Court. All facets of client representation, including initial client meetings, representation agreements, client advocacy, and ending the representation, are experienced by each clinic participant. Cross listed with TAX 4415.

LAWS 4825 Immigration Law and Policy Clinic (5 Credits)

For the fieldwork component of the Immigration Law and Policy Clinic (ILPC), student attorneys appear in immigration court representing indigent, detained clients in bond and/or removal proceedings. Students may also provide consultations with student counsel in the Criminal Defense Clinic on the immigration consequences facing CDC clients. There may be additional opportunities for advocacy in post-conviction and/or federal habeas litigation, and in matters in which the ILPC will provide counsel and legal assistance to non-profit advocacy organizations pursuing policy or legislative reform or other non-litigation (or possibly litigation) matters. Throughout their fieldwork, student attorneys apply knowledge gained through the ILPC seminar by practicing lawyering skills such as interviewing, client counseling, fact investigation, legal research and writing, oral advocacy, negotiation, policy advocacy, and preparation for, and advocacy in, contested hearings. Through the ILPC fieldwork, students will have opportunities to explore systemic problems in the immigration enforcement system—particularly where immigration and criminal enforcement are conflated and entwined—such as racial and economic bias, law enforcement accountability, hyperincarceration, and access to justice. Credit Hours: 5 out-of-class credits (Fall term) / 2 to 7 out-of-class credits (Spring term) ULW: This course does not automatically meet the Upper Level Writing (ULW) requirement. Students who, in the course of their fieldwork, complete written work sufficient to meet the ULW requirement may obtain certification from their instructor.

LAWS 4826 Immigration Law and Policy Seminar (2-4 Credits)

The Immigration Law and Policy Clinic (ILPC) seminar provides timely instruction in topics relevant to student attorneys appearing in immigration court representing indigent, detained clients in bond and removal proceedings. In seminar, students will learn lawyering skills such as interviewing, client counseling, fact investigation, legal research and writing, oral advocacy, negotiation, policy advocacy, and preparation for, and advocacy in, contested hearings. Some classes may address issues that have not yet arisen in their clinic cases, with the goal of exposing students to different lawyering methods and advocacy tools. Through the ILPC seminar classes and related fieldwork, students will have opportunities to explore systemic problems in the immigration enforcement system—particularly where immigration and criminal enforcement are conflated and entwined—such as racial and economic bias, law enforcement accountability, hyperincarceration, and access to justice. This course does not meet the Upper Level Writing (ULW) requirement. Credit Hours: 4 in-class credits (Fall) / 2 in-class credits (Spring).

LAWS 4835 Community Economic Development Clinic (3 Credits)

The Community Economic Development ("CED") Clinic is a clinical legal education program that provides free transactional (non-litigation) legal services to small businesses, low-wealth entrepreneurs, community-based enterprises, nonprofit organizations, and artists. The Clinic is designed to simultaneously teach student attorneys the fundamentals of transactional practice while providing high-quality and invaluable legal representation to its clients. Through the representation of the Clinic's clients, student attorneys are exposed to the intersection of business law concepts and CED practice. Student attorneys learn that transactional lawyering is preventive lawyering, which involves avoiding conflict, litigation, and other negative outcomes. The Clinic's focus on the legal practice of CED will expose student attorneys to the variety of social systems, government programs, and federal, state, and local government laws that impact their clients. Client work includes drafting corporate formation documents; assisting nonprofit organizations with tax-exempt applications and maintenance of tax-exempt status; drafting and negotiating contracts; and acting as general counsel to both small businesses and non-profit organizations. In addition, students may research issues related to public policies that affect clinic clients and provide community education workshops on substantive law issues pertinent to one of the clinic's practice areas. Co-req: LAWS 4836, co-req/pre-req: LAWS 4425.

LAWS 4836 Community Economic Development Clinic Seminar (3 Credits)

The Community Economic Development ("CED") Clinic is a clinical legal education program that provides free transactional (non-litigation) legal services to small businesses, low-wealth entrepreneurs, community-based enterprises, nonprofit organizations, and artists. Clinic students are required to attend this bi-weekly 75 minute seminar while participating in the clinic. The seminar focuses on both substantive corporate law and transactional lawyering skills and is reinforced with complex simulations that students perform and then critique with faculty. Co-req LAWS 4835, pre-req/co-req LAWS 4425-Legal Profession.

LAWS 4867 Advising the Adviser: Compliance and Enforcement under the Investment Advisers Act (3 Credits)

This class will focus generally on investment adviser (IA) compliance with the federal securities laws and the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) role with respect to that compliance. We will focus on how to advise an IA with respect to SEC regulations, touching on topics such as an IAs role as a fiduciary and an IAs requirements with respect to marketing, best execution, and principal and cross trading. We will also focus on what’s necessary to establish and operate a robust IA compliance program.

LAWS 4880 DU Law Journal (0-3 Credits)

Scholarly journals are edited at the College of Law, allowing students to participate in research in various fields. Permission to enroll is obtained from the managing editor for credit of 0-3 semester hours.

LAWS 4884 Int'l Law Journal (0-3 Credits)

Scholarly journals are edited at the College of Law, allowing students to participate in research in various fields. Permission to enroll is obtained from the managing editor for credit of 0-3 semester hours.

LAWS 4885 Preventive Law Journal (0-6 Credits)

An enrollment card obtained from the Managing Editor is required.

LAWS 4888 Transportation Law Journal (0-3 Credits)

Scholarly journals are edited at the College of Law, allowing students to participate in research in various fields. Permission to enroll is obtained from the managing editor for credit of 0-3 semester hours.

LAWS 4889 Water Law Review (0-3 Credits)

Scholarly journals are edited at the College of Law, allowing students to participate in research in various fields. Permission to enroll is obtained from the managing editor for credit of 0-3 semester hours.

LAWS 4900 Introduction to Clinical Pedagogy & Scholarship (1-2 Credits)

The purpose of this yearlong, two-credit (total) seminar is to introduce graduate teaching fellows to fundamental concepts of teaching and scholarship. Upon completion of this course, students understand: theoretical frameworks for supervision of J.D. students in the fieldwork portion of a clinic; the goals of seminar teaching, including the theory of backward design and the use of case rounds and other signature pedagogies; and the key differences between legal writing and academic scholarship, with an emphasis on developing a habit of and timeline for scholarly writing.

LAWS 4905 Scholarship Seminar I (4 Credits)

This is a semester-long, four-credit, intensive course taken after completion of the first academic year in which students produce and present drafts of scholarly articles along a timeline set out at the start of the semester.

LAWS 4910 Co/Shadow Supervision Practicum (1-8 Credits)

During their first academic year enrolled in the clinical LL.M. program, fellows will “shadow” or “co-supervise” law students with experienced faculty. Throughout the fellowship term, the fellows will receive instruction and feedback about their supervision that will continue to facilitate their development as clinical teachers. Clinical fellows are expected to participate in mid-semester or mid-year evaluation sessions with students and to participate in a traditional grading process.

LAWS 4920 Supervision Practicum II (1-4 Credits)

During their first academic year enrolled in the clinical LL.M. program, fellows “shadowed” or “co-supervised” law students with experienced faculty (for which they will receive four credits per semester). In their second year, fellows supervise on their own two students and in their third year, four students. Throughout the fellowship term, the fellows will receive instruction and feedback about their supervision that will continue to facilitate their development as clinical teachers. Clinical fellows are expected to participate in mid-semester or mid-year evaluation sessions with students and to participate in a traditional grading process.

LAWS 4921 Clinical Pedagogy & Design I (1 Credit)

The purpose of this yearlong, two-credit course is to explore more deeply the pedagogy and methods for teaching in both student supervision and classroom seminar settings. This series of courses accomplishes two important goals: (1) building a learning community through which a group of faculty come together and increase faculty collaboration around a shared enterprise of teaching; and (2) improving teaching. Graduate fellows will talk about events in their classrooms/supervision sessions, present “problems” to be unpacked and re-conceptualized, solicit ideas about what and how to teach, and share innovative assessment tools. Fellows reflect with supportive colleagues about the relationship between what they have done and their teaching goals and formulate plans with the benefit of the insights of others. The objective of this course is to have discussions that will facilitate the development of both concrete solutions and broader themes in the fellows’ teaching.

LAWS 4925 Scholarship Seminar II (4 Credits)

This is a semester-long, four-credit, intensive course taken after completion of the second academic year in which students produce and present drafts of scholarly articles along a timeline set out at the start of the semester.

LAWS 4930 Supervision Practicum III (1-6 Credits)

The expectations for student supervision increase in the third year. Throughout the fellowship term, the fellows will receive instruction and feedback about their supervision that will continue to facilitate their development as clinical teachers. Clinical fellows are expected to participate in mid-semester or mid-year evaluation sessions with students and to participate in a traditional grading process.

LAWS 4931 Advanced Clinical Pedagogy & Design (1 Credit)

The purpose of this yearlong, two-credit course is to explore more deeply the pedagogy and methods for teaching in prior years; hone methods to fellows’ unique professional, academic identities; and reflect on these and their experiences teaching in both supervision and classroom settings to articulate and design their own clinics. This course accomplishes two important goals: (1) building a learning community through which a group of faculty come together and increase faculty collaboration around a shared enterprise of teaching; and (2) improving teaching. During rounds, graduate fellows talk about events in their classrooms/supervision sessions, present “problems” to be unpacked and re-conceptualized, solicit ideas about what and how to teach, and share innovative assessment tools. Fellows reflect with supportive colleagues about the relationship between what they have done and their teaching goals and formulate plans with the benefit of the insights of others.

LAWS 4950 Scholarship (1 Credit)

The transition from legal advocacy writing to academic legal scholarship is challenging. In addition to learning a new style of writing and new methods of research, fellows must devote substantial time to the academic writing endeavor. Most students (and faculty) reflect in hindsight that writing a law review article for the first time takes substantially longer than they anticipated. Over the course of the fellowship, fellows earn one credit per semester for making progress toward completion of a paper of publishable quality. In this course, fellows apply theories of research and writing to the activities of writing (choosing topics, creating timelines, researching, and drafting sections of their articles).

LAWS 4991 Corporate Apprenticeship Program (4 Credits)

The Corporate Apprenticeship Program’s purpose is to provide the opportunity for law students to learn about the distinct challenges facing corporate counsel. This program is offered solely in the spring term and consists of four mandatory seminars and 15 hours of work per week (preferably on consecutive days) in the legal department of sponsoring corporations. The interactive seminars are designed to introduce students to the practice environment and operations of an in-house corporate legal department.

LAWS 4996 Thesis (1-10 Credits)

The program is designed to allow students the opportunity to gain experience working in legal programs of concern to the legal profession and the the community. Example placements include public defenders' offices; prosecutors' offices; the Attorney General's office; Legal Service offices; judicial clerkships; and selected private firms. Need special enrollment permission from Internship/Externship Office. A maximum of 10 credit hours may be awarded for this program.

LAWS 4999 Directed Research (1-5 Credits)

Direct Research is an opportunity for students to research and write on any area of law approved by a full-time faculty member who agrees to direct the project. The research project must be completed within the semester for which the student is registered. The research is compiled into a paper of publishable quality. A copy is delivered to the supervising faculty member for grading and a second copy is delivered to the associate dean for academic affairs by the last day of exams for that semester. Students may petition for either two or three semester hours. A maximum of five semester hours credit for Directed Research is permitted in satisfaction of the 90-credit degree requirement. A Directed Research application form (available in the registrar’s office) signed by both the faculty supervisor and student is required for enrollment. The registrar’s office will register the student for his or her directed research once the student’s application form has been approved. All directed research projects must conform with the upper level writing requirement, which involves a mandatory rewrite, in addition to any other requirements. This course satisfie the Upper Level Writing requirement (ULW). Permission is required from the faculty supervisor and the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs to increase credit hours to 4 or 5.

LAWS 5025 Externship (1-10 Credits)

The program is designed to allow students the opportunity to gain experience working in legal programs of concern to the legal profession and community. Example placements include public defenders’ offices; prosecutors’ offices; the attorney general’s office; legal service offices; judicial clerkships; and selected private firms. Externship Seminar: In conjunction with the above field placement each student shall meet in a seminar under the supervision of a member of the law faculty to explore common and contrasting areas of professional responsibility, professional tasks and skills, decision making and dispute resolution presented in the various extern settings.

LAWS 5026 Trial Practice III: National Trial Team (3 Credits)

The Trial Teams Course is for the new and veteran students who are selected to represent the school on one of the national trial teams. The course meets one night a week during the summer session for five hours each night. The course is split into two sections, one for returning team members, and one for the newly-selected team members. The course is an advanced courtroom-simulation course in which students work intensely with other students and the instructor, delving into increasingly complex areas of case analysis, evidentiary interpretation and application, examination drafting and presentation, and ethical dynamics of fact patterns. The veteran section begins the first class with students presenting both sides of a criminal case. The new member section begins with refreshers on case analysis, evidence, and courtroom strategies, and culminates with final trials. There is weekly out-of-class case analysis, drafting, and preparation required. Grading is based on classroom participation, written homework, simulated courtroom presentations, and a final trial.

LAWS 5027 American Association for Justice Trial Team (3 Credits)

Sturm’s American Association for Justice Trial Team (AAJ) is one of four of the school’s advanced courtroom-simulation based “team-courses” in which students find themselves working intensely with five other students and an instructor, delving deeply into increasingly complex areas of case analysis, evidentiary interpretation and application, examination drafting and presentation, and ethical dynamics of fact patterns. Students must invited to be on one of Sturm’s National Trial Teams, after tryouts that are held every spring (April). The team-courses meet all three semesters (fall, spring and summer). Being invited onto one of the teams is a two-year commitment. Starting the first week of each semester, and continuing throughout the entire semester, the AAJ team-course meets once a week in a classroom environment, for a total of 2.5 classroom hours per week. The AAJ team-course also meets a second time each week for courtroom simulation performances and video review, for an additional four (4) hours. There is also substantial out-of-class case analysis and examination drafting required. The team competes on the national level in the fall at an “invitational” tournament, and in the spring in the AAJ tournament against other ranked law schools from around the country. Grading is based on classroom participation, written homework, and simulated courtroom presentations. Prerequisite: LAWS 4635.

LAWS 5028 ABA Trial Team (3 Credits)

Sturm's ABA/NTC team is one of four of the school's advanced courtroom-simulation based "team-courses" in which students find themselves working intensely with five other students and an instructor, delving deeply into increasingly complex areas of case analysis, evidentiary interpretation and application, examination drafting and presentation, and ethical dynamics of fact patterns. Students must be invited to be on one of Sturm's National Trial Teams, after tryouts that are held every spring (April). The team-courses meet all three semesters (fall, spring, and summer). Being invited onto one of the teams is a two-year commitment. Starting the first week of each semester and continuing throughout the entire semester, the ABA/NTC team-course meets twice a week in a classroom environment, for a total of five (5) classroom hours per week. The ABA/NTC team-course also meets a third time each week for courtroom simulation performances and video review, for an additional four (4) hours. There is also substantial out-of-class case analysis and drafting required. The team competes on the national level in the fall at an "invitational" tournament, and in the spring in the ABA/NTC tournament against other ranked law schools from around the country. Grading is based on classroom participation, written homework, and simulated courtroom presentations.

LAWS 5029 Semester in Practice (1-12 Credits)

The Semester in Practice program is designed to allow students the opportunity to develop practice skills by working full-time in legal programs of concern to the legal profession and community. This is a capstone experience offered to students in their last year of law school, where students have significant exposure to the substantive law in their externship. Example placements include public defenders' offices; prosecutors' offices; the attorney general's office; legal service offices; judicial clerkships; and selected private firms. As this is an externship, credit may vary, up to 12 credits, depending on the student. Externship Seminar: In conjunction with the above field placement, each student shall meet in a three-credit graded seminar under the supervision of a member of the externship faculty to explore common and contrasting areas of professional responsibility, professional tasks and skills, decision making and dispute resolution presented in the various extern settings.

LAWS 5030 Semester in Practice Seminar (3 Credits)

This seminar is the classroom component of the Semester in Practice (SIP) course. Through class discussion, we explore a variety of issues that provide students with the opportunity to reflect on the legal profession and how they perceive their role in the profession - currently and prospectively. We focus primarily on professional identity and ethical issues of key importance to the practice of law.

LAWS 5031 Legal Externship Seminar (1-3 Credits)

The Legal Externship Program is divided into practice-specific programs. Students enrolled in each of these programs are required to also enroll in an accompanying for-credit seminar that addresses topics specific to each practice area.

LAWS 5035 Public Service Externship (2-6 Credits)

The externship program is designed to allow students the opportunity to gain experience working in legal programs of concern to the legal profession and community. Example placements include public defenders’ offices; prosecutors’ offices; the attorney general’s office; legal service offices; and judicial clerkships. To ensure that the College of Law remains in the forefront of public service, every Juris Doctor student is required to perform a minimum of 50 hours of supervised, uncompensated, law-related public service work during his or her law school career as a prerequisite to graduation. This requirement may be fulfilled by registering for, and passing, an externship for credit at a government agency, judicial chambers, or nonprofit organization via the Legal Externship Office, as long as no financial compensation of any kind whether from the employer or outside source was received for the externship.

LAWS 5999 Law Consortium Visit (0-18 Credits)

This is a placeholder course that allows students to remain actively enrolled at Sturm College of Law for purposes of enrollment reporting and financial aid disbursement while students are participating in an approved visit at another ABA approved law school per a consortium agreement. Credits associated for this course are replaced by transfer credit once a final transcript is received by the host institution.

MSLA 4050 The Impact of Court Governance (1 Credit)

This course informs students on the policy making process of local court governance and the impact of the process on court operations and public services. Various governance structures are explored to include the benefits of principle based governance. Students gain in-depth insight into the roles and relationships of judges and court administrators as leaders and governing authorities within the judicial system. Course knowledge is applicable to all levels of national and international court jurisdiction.

MSLA 4080 Law Firm Information Technology (2 Credits)

This course is designed to inform the student on the complexities of information technology in a law firm setting. Topics include time and billing, assessing the IT needs of the office, networking abilities, creating a paperless office, security, case management, outsourcing, and knowledge management.

MSLA 4090 Court Information Technology (2 Credits)

This course is designed to introduce students to the intricacies of information technology in a court setting and the importance of an efficient and effective system. Topics include communications technology (internal and external), virtual courthouses, electronic case filing, legal research systems, information and systems security, networking abilities and needs, court reporting/recording and accessibility to the public (website).

MSLA 4100 Court Fiscal Management (3 Credits)

This course focuses on the key aspects of fiscal management in a court setting. Students learn models of public budgeting, internal controls, procurement, outsourcing, RFPs, internal and external auditing, and government funding models. Prerequisite: MSLA 4410.

MSLA 4121 Human Res & Perfomance Mgmt (3 Credits)

This course will provide a broad overview of the field of human resource and performance management. Students learn what managers and administrators need to know to effectively address Human Resource issues in today’s workplace. The course will provide major concepts and techniques of performance management in law and court environments. By employing perspectives of both the employer and employee the class will focus on “best practices” utilized by managers and administrators and emphasize decision-making skills and processes in the context of Human Resources law and policy. Students will learn how to achieve organizational goals via management of a company’s most precious resource, their people. This textbook provides an overview of the content upon which the most common HRCI certifications (SPHR, PHR) are based.

MSLA 4151 Applied Leadership and Management Theory (3 Credits)

This course is designed to provide the student with an understanding of the importance of effective leadership and management in the workplace. Students will learn the tools necessary to manage conflict, build strong teams, function as a team, manage performance, create and maintain a positive work environment, and motivate others.

MSLA 4180 Court Case Flow and Load Management (2 Credits)

This course is designed to provide the student with the fundamental principles of managing an effective case management system. Students will learn the importance of an efficient case flow management system, the history of case management, electronic case filing, civil and criminal rules of procedure, case assignment, quality assurance and time standards and major case, records management and reporting systems, strategies necessary to gain judicial support, leadership and cooperation to effectuate effective case flow management practices, and improve judicial performance as it relates to the disposition of actions.

MSLA 4181 Inclusiveness in the Legal Profession - The Next Generation of Diversity Efforts (1 Credit)

Diversity and inclusiveness are hot topics in the legal profession. This highly interactive course will educate students about the state of diversity and inclusiveness within the legal profession, the systemic underpinnings of the lack of diversity, how to create inclusive environments for successful retention and advancement of female and diverse attorneys and staff, as well as the importance of diversity and inclusiveness to the viability of the legal profession. Students will be challenged to draw upon their own life experiences, to consider different perspectives, and provide thoughtful analysis on how they can incorporate diversity and inclusiveness practices with their career path and future legal organizations.

MSLA 4200 The Business of Courts (3 Credits)

This course is designed to provide the student with the fundamental principles and elements of the key functions performed by the courts. These functions include jury management, court based mediation and arbitration programs, court reporting, client expectations, contingency planning, continuity of operations planning, needs and expectations of litigants without lawyers, interpreter services, court and staff performance measurement and management, and the role of the court administrator.

MSLA 4201 Law Firm Administration (3 Credits)

This course informs the student of the fundamental principles, elements and day-to-day operational processes of law office management. Topics covered in this course include law office culture, law firm organization, succession planning, practice areas, client communication flow, collection challenges, and understanding and working with law office timekeeping, accounting, and billing systems.

MSLA 4205 Lawyer Recruitment, Development, and Advancement in Law Firms (2 Credits)

This course will focus on the key aspects of lawyer recruitment, development and advancement in law firms. Students will learn the primary methods for recruiting and hiring lawyers at all experience levels, and the most important elements of lawyer development, including orientation, integration, legal and core skills training, experiential learning, mentoring, performance management, and evaluations. Traditional compensation and advancement models, as well as emerging trends in all of these areas, will also be covered during the course.

MSLA 4215 Court Space, Facilities and Security (2 Credits)

This course is designed to inform the students of the fundamentals of managing the court's space, facilities and security. Aspects of this course include: facilities management, operational standards and management, safety and security, assessing courthouse building needs, developing space planning reports, the management of all types of space projects, building and personnel security issues, contingency planning, and disaster recovery.

MSLA 4300 Introduction to the United States Judicial System (3 Credits)

This course provides the student with an overview of the United States judicial system. Students learn the fundamentals of our legal system, historical basis of the U.S. judicial system, the foundation, structure, purpose, what it stands for, and the varying levels of the U.S. court system.

MSLA 4301 Judicial Performance and Evaluation (1 Credit)

This course informs students on the complexities of judicial performance and evaluation. Students learn the fundamentals of developing a judicial performance program, measuring the effectiveness of performance recommendations, commissions on judicial performance, and the components of the evaluation process.

MSLA 4310 World Judicial Systems (3 Credits)

The goal of this course is to compare and contrast the role of the judiciary in various legal systems. Topics include types of courts and court systems (including domestic, supranational, i.e., the European Union, and international courts), judicial independence, separation of powers, and challenges facing the judiciary such as miscarriages of justice. Students also compare court procedures (civil, criminal, appellate review) in different types of legal systems.

MSLA 4320 Fundamentals of Comparative Law (3 Credits)

This course introduces the classifications of the world’s legal systems: (civil law, common law, Islamic law, customary law, and mixed law systems). Students will learn the general elements of a legal system then compare and contrast these features in different types of legal systems as they are used in various countries or other jurisdictions including the European Union. Students will also explore internet and electronic resources to research and analyze foreign legal systems.

MSLA 4330 Specialty Courts (2 Credits)

This course will provide the students with an understanding of the purpose, functionality and effectiveness of specialty courts. Topics will include the types of specialty courts and how to create them, maintaining sustainability, treatment options, demographics, budgeting and measuring specialty court performance.

MSLA 4380 Communication, Writing, and Research in Legal Business (3 Credits)

This is a foundation course is designed to provide students with effective, productive, and relevant communication, writing, and research skills used in legal business today. Topics will include writing press releases, social media news/headlines/updates, executive summaries, email strategies based on audience, etc.

MSLA 4384 Court Comm & Media Relations (2 Credits)

This course will inform the students how to address communications and manage media relations for the courts. Topics will include views of the court from multiple perspectives, communicating to different constituencies, public relations and customer satisfaction, and educational outreach programs.

MSLA 4385 Law Firm Communications and Technology (3 Credits)

This course is designed to build student's foundation knowledge of technology in the legal environment. The competitive landscape3 in the law firm setting is stronger than it ever has been, and this competitiveness forces law firms to find efficient and innovative ways to conduct business in this new landscape through the use of technology. Topics of this course will include identification of technologies used in law firms and legal departments as well as thoughts about how to leverage those technologies to help gain efficiencies.

MSLA 4386 Law Firm Client Services and Satisfaction (2 Credits)

This course is designed to inform the student of the importance of client service and satisfaction and its value to the law firm. Topics covered in this course include external communication, client feedback, partnering with clients, client relationship management, and evaluation and survey design.

MSLA 4410 Accounting and Financial Management in Legal Business (3 Credits)

This course will explore the principals and practices of financial accounting including the standards that govern the preparation of financial statements in legal business. Students will gain a comprehensive overview of double entry accounting, a detailed understanding of assets, liability, equity, revenue and expenses and how they affect the income statement, balance sheet, and statement of cash flows. Special attention will be given to the unique attributes of financial reports related to law firms.

MSLA 4415 Statistics for the Legal Administrator (2 Credits)

This course will introduce the fundamentals of statistics for the legal administrator. Students will learn how to measure efficiencies and work performance, perform and analyze needs assessment, track productivity; measure cases flows, and assess client needs.

MSLA 4420 Legal Practice Seminar-Law as a Business (3 Credits)

This course provides an overview of the business functions of a law practice. Students learn how effective law practice administrators and managers base policy and management decisions on a comprehensive understanding of the law firm as a complex and interdependent equation. MSLA course, open to JD students with approval from Associate Dean.

MSLA 4640 ADR for the Court and Law Firm Administrators (3 Credits)

This course has been designed for the Court/Legal Administrator to explore and understand the skills essential when negotiating/mediating conflict and to examine the ADR system designed for court-annexed, Federal/state agency and private sector arbitration/mediation programs. Students will have an opportunity to explore issues related to ADR in the public and private sector by actively participating in weekly online discussions and experience hands-on learning buy developing an ADR system to include the process for selecting a panel of ADR specialists, and a process for implementing and managing the program.

MSLA 4700 Special Topics (1-5 Credits)

Special topics courses are used for timely offerings of specialized courses not otherwise found in the course catalog. Titles will vary. Please see law.du.edu/registrar for more information.

MSLA 4901 Law Firm Financial Management (3 Credits)

This course focuses on the key aspects of financial management in a law firm setting. Students analyze financial reports/data, work flow analysis and assessment, understand trust accounts, client billing and internal controls, to ultimately recognize and understand the financial health of the law firm. Prerequisite: MSLA 4410.

MSLA 4950 Strategic Planning in Courts (2 Credits)

This course is designed to prepare the student in creating a strategic plan for the courts. Students learn to think strategically, design surveys, perform an environmental analysis, set goals, develop action plans, and measurement tools.

MSLA 4954 Project Management (3 Credits)

This course is designed to provide students with the tools to effectively manage a project regardless of its size. Topics include clarifying the project goals, using objectives to define responsibilities, understanding GANTT and PERT charts, goal setting, prioritization, time management, consensus building, developing creative teams, empower the project team, motivating the team, communications tools, how to handle conflicts, and how to celebrate your success.

MSLA 4999 Directed Research MSLA (1-3 Credits)

MSLA Directed Research is an opportunity for students to research and write on any area of legal administration approved by an approved faculty member who agrees to direct the project. The research project must be completed within the semester for which the student is registered. The research is compiled into a paper of publishable quality that is delivered to the supervising faculty member by the last day of exams for that semester. A Directed Research application form (available in the Registrar’s Office) signed by both the faculty supervisor and student is required for enrollment.

MSLA 5010 Capstone: Externship/Project (3 Credits)

The externship or creative project is designed to complement the student’s area of study. The externship enables the student to work in a practical setting and acquire the experience in a legal environment. The creative project option provides students, already working in the legal environment, an opportunity to complete a project or research paper on a topic determined by student and MSLA office. A grade of “pass” is given after the work is completed, and a letter from the supervisor summarizing the student’s experience is submitted to the MSLA Office.