An introduction to the role of law in governing businesses, including substantive law that controls different forms of business formation, employee vs. contractor designations, business ethics, and the evolving role of intellectual property in a globalizing and increasingly technological economy. The course provides perspectives on how lawyers can add value to business relations.

This course aims to help students understand the role of law in society from a comparative perspective, including the role of law in international relations and trade, particularly for governments and multinational firms.

This course introduces students to the fundamentals of contract law, including contract formation, claims for breach, and affirmative defenses. It approaches contracts from a practical perspective and uses real world examples from the private sphere. Basic approaches for and pitfalls in drafting contracts are also addressed.

This course surveys a wide array of approaches to handling conflict, as well as conflict prevention and management strategies. Particular emphasis will be placed on the role of law in resolving conflict in society, including through litigation, negotiation, mediation, facilitation, and arbitration, although the course approaches these tools as only part of broad spectrum for problem solving, conflict avoidance, and resolution. Students in the course will work through case studies of both public and private organizations that have faced legal dilemmas and crises.

A general overview of the substantive law of crimes, including general principles and the elements of specific offenses and defenses. Students will also learn how the criminal system differs from the civil system in practice, learn how police interact with prosecutors, and receive an overview of the juvenile court system.

This course introduces students to the fundamentals of property, including different forms of property, rights in property, and how property can be leveraged for private and public good. The course puts a particular emphasis on the role of government in relation to property, including zoning, regulation, and takings.

This course will cover issues such employment agreements, independent contractors, employee rights, discrimination and harassment, retaliation, FMLA and other legally required leave, the Americans with Disabilities Act, benefits, wage and hour law, and safety. Students will learn the basic terminology and concepts of employment law so that they can work as a human resource professional or work with HR professionals or legal counsel to spot issues, create compliant policies and procedures, and solve employment problems.

This course introduces the role of civil lawsuits in society, with a particular emphasis on how the court system affects business, individuals, and public interest issues. Students in this course will learn about the role of the judiciary, the structure and function of trial and appellate courts (as well as specialized courts), and the basics of procedures that govern how lawsuits are resolved, including jurisdiction, pleading, motions practice, discovery, summary judgment, and trials. This course will also introduce basic elements of criminal law.

This course will introduce non-lawyers to the basic elements of legal research and writing. Students will learn how research answers to legal issues using free and commercial databases. The basics of primary and secondary legal materials will be taught. Students will learn how to prepare and write professional, structured legal materials, including memoranda, letters, and other professional communications.

This course focuses on how to identify and work effectively and collaboratively with attorneys, particularly from the perspectives of managers and clients. What roles can attorneys best serve on collaborative business and problem-solving teams? What role can they play in public and private organizations, either as internal team members or as external advisers and counselors? The course also addresses questions of how to know when legal services are required, and how to manage the acquisition of legal services, including maximizing the value and cost-effectiveness of those services, ensuring efficiency, working collaboratively with lawyers, and understanding the legal lens that attorneys bring to problem solving.

For nearly a century now, administrative agencies have played an ever-increasing role in lawmaking and governance in the United States. This course surveys the history of regulation in the United States, the rise of the administrative state, and the role and power of executive agencies at both the federal and state levels. It outlines the basic administrative process, including both regulatory and adjudicative actions taken by administrative agencies and the ability of outside parties to participate in and influence or challenge those decisions, addresses procedural and substantive limits on those agencies, and explores the complex relationship between regulators and regulated entities.

In this class, students will gain an understanding of how law is made. The role of judges in making law, resolving disputes, and interpreting statutes is a primary focus, as is the relationship between statutes, regulations, and judicial review. Students should leave the course with an understanding of how judicial opinions are structured, how to read and interpret them, and what their effect is, the difference between factual and legal issues, and the process for making laws and the tools for interpreting them. It will also explain the various levels of courts and the degree of authority reflected in opinions issued at each level.