Course Descriptions
[A-B, C-D, E-F, G-H, I-J, K-L, M-N, O-P, Q-R, S-T, U-V, W-X, Y-Z]
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Accounting for Lawyers (2)
502
(Formerly DCL 508)
Accounting for Lawyers covers the basic topics in accounting that are relevant to a business lawyer's practice and to other practice areas as well. The class covers principles of double-entry bookkeeping and accrual accounting, GAAP and GAAS. The basic financial statements are studied and basic financial statement analysis is reviewed. More detailed analysis is made of revenue recognition and expense, contingencies and intangibles. Finally, drafting of legal documents using accounting concepts is explored. This course is designed for those students with little or no prior accounting training or experience.
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Administrative Law (3)
532
Formerly DCL 300)
This course examines the place of administrative agencies in American government, and surveys the legal rules and principles governing agency regulation, adjudication, investigation, and enforcement; agency structure; and judicial review of agency action. Students who have taken Administrative Law: Food Safety and Labeling (810K) may not take this course
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Administrative Law: Food Safety and Labeling (2)
810K
Administrative law is the body of constitutional, statutory, and common law principles that both constrain and seek to legitimize the exercise of powers by governmental agencies. The history of food safety and labeling regulations in the United States begins in the late 1800s and continues through present day, culminating recently in the 2011 enactment of the Food Safety Modernization Act, which creates a new system of federal oversight of domestically produced and imported food products. This course introduces students to the essential elements of administrative law and follows the basic structure of an administrative law course, but diverges from the traditional study by using cases and problems that are specific to food safety and food labeling issues in the United States. The primary goal of the class is to provide students with knowledge of the fundamental administrative law principles applied in matters involving the regulation of food and food products, and the ability to apply these principles to problems similar to those encountered in actual practice. To the extent possible, this class will be taught from a practice-oriented approach, requiring students to engage in problem-solving exercises online.Students who have taken Administrative Law (532) may not take this course.
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Advanced Civil Procedure (2)
530T
The course (a) augments the fundamentals of civil procedures taught in the Civil Procedure I class, covering recent legislation and Supreme Court jurisprudence involving subject matter and personal jurisdiction over domestic as well as international disputes and defendants; (b) explains procedures for discovery practice under the newly-amended Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, including the scope of discovery, discovery plans, and sanctions for failure to preserve electronic records; (c) reviews in greater depth the use of discovery methods, domestically and internationally; (d) describes the new judicial management requirements in federal courts under the new Rules (service of process, court scheduling orders) (e) examines choice of forum and choice of law, as well as conflict of laws (important for transactional lawyers as well as for litigators); (h) explains class action and multi-district litigation practice; and (e) discusses how to enforce judgments, domestically as well as against international defendants with overseas assets.
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Advanced Legal Research (2)
586
(Formerly DCL 509)
The course will focus on the process and goals of legal research. Special emphasis will be placed on Internet research, but instruction will be based on function rather than format. Students will learn how to find information through the Web, on Lexis and Westlaw, and in paper. By contrasting form, speed, cost and accuracy, students will learn how to integrate these sources for the most comprehensive and economical research product. Equal emphasis will be placed on conceptual structure and practical application.
Prerequisite(s): Research, Writing & Analysis or RWA: IP or RWA: SJ or RWA: CL and Advocacy
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Advanced Topics in Indian Law: Native American Natural Resources Law (2)
635A
This course explores issues relating to property rights, environmental protection, and natural resources in Indian country. The topics addressed will include land use and environmental protection; natural resources development; water rights: tribal, cultural and religious relationships with the land; and land ownership and property rights of tribes.
Prerequisite(s): Federal Law and Indian Tribes
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Advertising Law-Food Focus (3)
810T
This course covers the regulation of advertising consumer products in the United States with a focus on the advertising of food products. Topics may include the general rules governing advertising, the various types of claims, including claims associated with food and FDA regulated claims, understanding claims vs. puffery, comparative advertising, evaluating the required substantiation required to support various types of claims, environmental marketing claims (“green” claims), the use of endorsements and testimonials, issues in advertising in social media, the right of publicity (use of one’s name and likeness in advertising activities), the regulation of consumer contests and sweepstakes, intellectual property issues in advertising, and some miscellaneous topics such as ambush marketing and native advertising.
Prerequisite(s): This course intended for students in the Global Food Law program
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Advocacy (2)
530J
(Formerly LAW500K) Students learn the art of persuasive argumentation by drafting a 30-page appellate brief on a topical legal issue, complying with appellate court rules and then presenting a simulated oral argument to members of the bench. During the semester, students also attend appellate arguments or trial court motion sessions and prepare brief synopses of cases heard.
Prerequisite(s): Research, Writing & Analysis Research, Writing and Analysis, OR Research, Writing and Analysis: Intellectual Property Perspective OR Research, Writing and Analysis: Social Justice OR Research, Writing and Analysis: Criminal Law
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Agricultural Law (2)
566N
Students will learn about the regulatory framework of the food and agriculture sector at the federal, state, and local levels and how the application of this framework impacts all citizens. This includes the production, processing, and distribution of food, fiber, and other products that make up a large portion of the economies of the nation and the State of Michigan. Students will learn about the origins and impacts of these regulatory components and how evolving trends and public opinion are changing the food and agriculture sector
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American Indian Children & the Law (2)
635D
(This course replaced Advanced Topics in Indian Law: Indian Child Welfare Act) A focus on American Indian children and the law, including the implementation, interpretation and understanding of the federal Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) and other state ICWA laws. ICWA, a federal statute interpreted almost entirely in state courts, applies to all terminations of parental rights if the child involved is an Indian child under the law's definition. Attorneys and social workers need to know when ICWA applies and how the application of ICWA makes for a fundamentally different family law case. In addition, this course will cover tribal law and children, and the role of international law and the rights of American Indian children.
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American Legal History Seminar (3)
636
(Formerly DCL 552)
This seminar will analyze the tension between the rights of the individual and the role of government in society as the central theme in the development of the American legal system. Rather than a strict chronological review, the course will consist of a series of studies of the development of legal and political institutions and their effect on the citizenry. Classes will be discussion-based and will rely on extensive reading of original sources. Students should gain an understanding of how the evolution of legal rules reflects institutional change, and should learn to see law as a dynamic process rather than a collection of static concepts.
Fulfills ULWR
Prerequisite(s): Constitutional Law I or Constitutional Law and the Regulatory State
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Analytical Methods for Lawyers-Microeconomics (1)
509A
(Formerly DCL 607A)
Condensed principles of microeconomics to serves as a primer that provides law students the tools necessary to succeed as 'lawyers' in the various fields that use these principles.
Prerequisite(s): Students who have taken Law and Economics (515) may not take this course.
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Animal and Natural Resources Law Review (2)
629C
The Journal of Animal Law was the second legal journal established in North America specializing in animal law and is currently one of only three existing that is dedicated to the specialized topic of animal law. The Journal of Animal Law has been able to welcome editors from other ABA-accredited law schools in addition to MSU College of Law.
The goals of the Journal of Animal Law are:
-To provide volumes of legal policy materials that relate to animal law and animal welfare.
-To provide expert explanation of the materials for both legal and non-legal audiences.
-To be an education resource for both the lawyer and the non-lawyer.
-To provide historical perspective about social and legal attitudes toward animals, and how we as a society have arrived at its present perspective.
Students must satisfy the following criteria to receive Journal credit: (1) two year participation on the Journal staff/board; (2)editing and cite-checking of papers submitted to the Journal; (3)satisfy editing obligation during the first-year on Journal staff; (4)election to Journal board for final year at the Law College; and (5) fulfill leadership obligations of Board position.
Prerequisite(s): (LAW 530D or LAW 530E or LAW 530N or LAW 530Q) and LAW 530J and permission from editorial board
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Animal Health, World Trade, and Food Safety (3)
810E
The objective of this online course is to familiarize students with the history, development and workings of the OIE, with particular emphasis on its role as the organization responsible for setting international standards for animal health and zoonoses, and attention to its new mandates for animal welfare and food safety.
Prerequisite(s): This course is restricted to students in the Global Food Law Program.
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Animal Law (3)
565A
(Formerly DCL 501)
A survey of animal legal issues including property status, zoning and criminal anti-cruelty laws. Additionally, legal policy issues will be discussed, such as what to do with dangerous dogs, and what level of animal welfare should be provided to agricultural animals. The distinction between animal welfare and animal rights will be considered.
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Animal Welfare Clinic I (6)
631R
Students will work on animal human legal issues in a variety of contexts including private and public law disputes, government administrative action and policy development. Through direct client representation and systemic advocacy, student will engage in activities such as litigation, regulatory comments, policy and legislative drafting, and creation of educational materials.
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Animal Welfare Clinic II (3)
631S
Continuation of Animal Welfare Clinic I.
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Antitrust Law (2)
504
(Formerly DCL 310)This course will explore the role of antitrust law and analysis of restraints of trade and competition in various markets. Beginning with an analysis of the goals of antitrust law, and their operation in society, the requirements of antitrust claims will be explored through historical and current examples. Highlights will include problems in market power, monopoly, price fixing, tying, bundling, and special problems with patents. The course will include discussion of recent issues in antitrust law.
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Appellate Competition (2)
627Q
This is a performance and presentation-based course that serves as the intensive training component for the law school’s Appellate Competition Team. The course covers the mechanics of appellate practice with a focus on preparation for interscholastic or bar association advocacy competitions. Topics in the course include development of case theory, effective advocacy skills, and appropriate professional conduct. Students must complete at least 24 credits to be eligible for invitation to participate.
Prerequisite(s): Research, Writing and Analysis, and Advocacy
Permission Only
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Arbitration Competition (2)
627P
This is a performance and presentation-based course that serves as the intensive training component for the law school’s Arbitration Competition Team. The course covers the mechanics of arbitration with a focus on preparation for interscholastic or bar association advocacy competitions. Topics in the course include development of case theory, effective advocacy skills, and appropriate professional conduct. Students must complete at least 24 credits to be eligible for invitation to participate.
Prerequisite(s): Research, Writing and Analysis, Advocacy, and Trial Practice Institute: Trial Practicum Permission Only
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Artificial Intelligence & Law (3)
537R
Artificial Intelligence is experiencing a “golden age” of rapid development. As the use of AI increases, people and computers are knowingly and unknowingly interacting in new ways. Lawyers are confronting computer issues in every practice area. Smart contracts. Autonomous vehicles. Creation and ownership of property. Robot policing and warfare. Interconnected products. Autonomous devices. AI requires updated and new regulations, new ways of practicing, and an understanding of how laws and code interact as a new regulatory system within society. This class will look at how computers are affecting the law and what lawyers should know to provide legal services in this hybrid world.
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Artificial Intelligence: Legal Research and Writing (2)
586B
This course introduces students to the use of generative artificial intelligence in legal research and writing. The course will examine the strengths and weaknesses of artificial intelligence as compared to traditional methods of research and writing.
During the semester, students will complete multiple research and writing assignments. The course will be co-taught by a legal writing professor and a law librarian.
Prerequisite(s): First year research and writing
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Assisted Reproductive Technologies Seminar (2)
558N
This seminar will examine the legal, medical, and ethical issues surrounding assisted reproductive technologies.
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Automated Vehicles and the Law (2)
537S
The development of automated vehicles, which can assume all driving functions, as well as connected vehicles that communicate with each other to help avoid crashes, represents a fundamental transformation of transportation. These technologies present a myriad of legal issues, including product liability, cybersecurity, privacy, insurance, criminal law and procedure, federal and state regulation, and patents. The technologies are complex – artificial intelligence, machine learning, human-machine interface, and ethical decision-making designs are all involved. This course explains how the technologies are designed, tested, and developed; the real-life deployments of the vehicles; product liability risks stemming from development decisions; means for mitigating liability risks in design and warnings; liability for cybersecurity breaches including hacking; protection of privacy and liability for illicit intrusions; criminal liability for illicit use of vehicles; and a new paradigm for insurance law when the vehicle becomes the driver. Trial practice likely will also be affected because of the extraordinary complexity of the artificial intelligence design evidence that juries will need to understand. The course will explain how discovery and evidentiary presentation at trial may be managed.
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Bankruptcy (3)
506A
This course is designed to provide students with an understanding of bankruptcy law, the bankruptcy code, and the creditor/debtor relationship.Students who have taken Consumer Bankruptcy 506E or Chapter 11 Reorganization 506F may not take this course.
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Bar Exam Success Fundamentals (1)
604
This course introduces and reinforces bar examination study and test taking skills. It provides in depth exploration of each part of the bar exam (multiple choice (MBE), essay (MEE) and multi state performance exam (MPT)) and builds students’ skills regarding each part of the exam. This course also devotes time to skills associated with analyzing, studying and memorizing substantive information.
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Basic Income Taxation (2)
501K
This survey course introduces the basic concepts of federal income taxation and is ideal for students interested in learning basic information about tax law but who are not yet certain if they want to specialize in tax or business fields. Students will get practice in the skills of statutory construction and applying a broad range of legal authorities to clients’ concrete problems, skills which are valuable for all law students regardless of whether they ultimately specialize in tax. In this course, students will be exposed to tax issues that affect individuals, including sole proprietorships, and will gain an understanding of various forms of income, exclusions from income, capital gains and losses, various deductions, and other topics. The course uses a modified Socratic approach with an emphasis on problem solving that will allow students to develop facility in analyzing cases, statutes, and administrative materials. Sample examination questions are provided to allow a student to determine how well he or she learned and retained the material. The grade in the course is based on a final examination with consideration given to class participation. Students who enroll in Basic Income Taxation for 2 credits are ineligible to enroll in Basic Income Taxation for 3 credits.
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Basic Will Drafting (3)
540A
(Formerly DCL 391)
This course is designed to familiarize students with the interviewing function and the drafting of wills and other basic estate planning vehicles for clients whose estates are not subject to federal estate tax. An evaluation of usable forms and discussion of when and how to use them intelligently will be a focus of the course. A client interview and drafting exercises, including an entire basic estate plan, are contemplated.
Prerequisite(s): Decedents' Estates and Trusts
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Bioethics and the Law (2)
558A
An analysis of legal, ethical, & economical problems generated by current & projected advances in biomedical technologies.
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Biotechnology Law and Food Products (3)
810P
This course explores the impact of biotechnology on food production and food safety. After an introduction to biotechnology and the breadth of biotechnology-created foods available, the class will focus on the regulation of food safety and its environmental impact, both in the U.S. and internationally. Students will discuss the impact of public perception on the biotechnology agriculture and transgenic animals industries. No scientific or other class pre-requisites are required.
Prerequisite(s): This course is restricted to students in the Global Food Law Program.
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Biotechnology Law Seminar (2)
558S
This seminar will examine some of the many ways that biotechnology impacts the law as well as the ways that the law has impacted the growth of biotechnology. Current biotechnology innovations or controversies will be used to explore the impacts of this technology on a selection of legal topics which may include intellectual property, business, federal regulations, property, criminal law, indigenous law, evidence, bioethics and international law. No science background is required for the course.
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Blockchain Technology, Law and Policy (3)
537V
Blockchains—decentralized databases that are maintained by a distributed network of computers—present manifold challenges and opportunities, including unprecedented potential to disrupt financial systems, to support civic participation and democratize access to resources, and even to change what we understand “law” to be. As this set of technologies rapidly emerges, we must consider the extent to which we allow regulation and government intervention, balancing the maintenance of social norms against the need to let a nascent technology innovate. This course aims to help each of us unpack the various legal and regulatory levers potentially applicable to these technologies and to consider the design trade-offs inherent in adopting them as part of policy-making and governance.
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Business Enterprises (4)
500M
This course deals with issues relating to common forms of business organization, including corporations, limited liability companies and closely held corporations. The four credit version of Business Enterprises also includes an introduction to mergers and acquisitions.
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Business Ethics and the Law (3)
593K
This seminar will explore how prominent moral and ethical codes are expressed in U.S. business law and policy. The course begins by exploring the work of John Rawls, Robert Nozick, John Stuart Mill and other moral philosophers. Students will then compare these moral theories to several legal doctrines, including “unfair competition,” “unjust enrichment,” and “the morals of the marketplace.” In addition, students will explore the policy debates over whether corporate governance should focus on benefiting a broad group of stakeholders or focus on maximizing shareholder profits.
Prerequisite(s): LAW 500M Business Enterprises
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Campaign Finance & Regulation (2)
580A
Campaign Finance & Regulation will provide an in-depth analysis of the campaign finance structure at the state and federal level by analyzing case law, rules, regulatory trends and reviewing the institutions that govern candidates, political parties, political action committees, corporations, unions, non-profits organizations and individuals. The course will provide a guide to the practice of campaign finance from a practitioner’s perspective and emphasize practical preparation by focusing on the practical, policy and political aspects of campaign finance and its regulations.
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Capital Punishment (3)
579Y
A focus on federal constitutional law, primarily the 8th Amendment and its regulation of capital punishment. The federal constitutional law largely regulates state criminal law. Using the 8th Amendment and state criminal laws, the course will consider how death eligibility is defined and administered. It will explore the limits imposed by the Constitution and by various state and federal statutes. The course also will consider larger questions including, Why have the death penalty? Is the system working? Is it necessary? Is it fair? What changes should be made? As part of this inquiry we will consider the role of race in capital punishment, the impact of wrongful convictions, and recent moves to abolish or limit capital punishment in several jurisdictions. The course also examines the law of federal habeas corpus in the context of the death penalty. This section engages in a close reading of a complicated set of statutes, as well as the Supreme Court decisions construing those statutes.
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Capstone Intellectual Property and Communications Law Seminar (1)
535E
This course uses presentations by leading scholars of their works-in-progress in the area of IP and communications law. Students will be responsible for reading the papers, writing a critique, preparing questions and participating in the seminar.. This course is highly recommended for all students who wish to write a ULWR or law review note in intellectual property, information, or communications law in a subsequent semester.
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Chance at Childhood Clinic I (4)
631F
The Clinic provides a setting for law and social work students to gain experience in child advocacy. The Clinic provides a forum for advocating for children, both in individual cases and through seeking to affect public policy and practice within the state of Michigan. Student teams will serve in a variety of roles to effectively advocate for children.
Prerequisite(s): Research, Writing and Analysis,or Research, Writing and Analysis: Intellectual Property Perspective,or Research, Writing and Analysis: Criminal Law Perspective,or Research, Writing and Analysis: Social Justice Perspective and Advocacy
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Chance at Childhood Clinic II (0)
631G
A continuation of Chance at Childhood Clinic I.
Prerequisite(s): Chance at Childhood Clinic I
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Civil Procedure (4)
530A
(Formerly Civil Procedure I) A survey of civil procedure, primarily addressing jurisdiction, venue, the Erie doctrine, pleadings, simple joinder, discovery, sanctions, summary judgment, judgment as a matter of law, and former adjudication (claim preclusion and issue preclusion). Primary emphasis is placed on the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure with some potential discussion of state deviations from the federal model.
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Civil Rights Clinic I (4)
630X
Students will receive a versatile and well-rounded education in the intricacies of civil rights law and hone client management, case management, negotiation, and trial skills. Students will use their knowledge and skills to litigate civil rights cases in federal District Court (WD, MI) for their clients, prisoners who are incarcerated in Michigan and have asserted claims about the conditions of their confinement. Under the supervision of clinic faculty, students will represent their clients at all stages of these cases, including case development and strategy, discovery, motion practice, and trial. In addition to class times, students enrolled in this clinical program must work a minimum of 14 hours at the clinic each week NOTE: (1) Enrollment is by application only (please see student announcements for the application deadline). Preference will be given to students who commit to participate in the clinic for two semesters. (2) Enrolled students may be required to attend a mandatory two-day clinic "boot camp" that takes place on the Saturday and Sunday immediately before the first day of class. Please see the clinics' website for additional information. Prerequisite(s): All student clinicians enrolled in Civil Rights Clinic I must have successfully completed RWA and Advocacy. In addition, they must have successfully completed the first year (six credits) of the Law Colleges TPI program or must have successfully completed at least six credits in Evidence, Civil Trial Advocacy I, Civil Rights Seminar, Complex Civil Litigation, or Constitutional Law II.
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Civil Rights Clinic II (4)
630Z
This is a continuing opportunity to students who have successfully completed coursework in Civil Rights Clinic I to enable them to further refine their skills in counseling clients, managing a caseload, and litigating civil rights cases on their clients’ behalf in federal District Court. Typically, students who are enrolled in Civil Rights Clinic II assume a more in-depth role in their clients’ litigation. As in Civil Rights Clinic I, students further their experience under the supervision of clinic faculty and enhance their knowledge of civil rights law and trial practice. In addition to class times, students enrolled in clinical programs must work a minimum of 14 hours at the clinic each week (in general, each student puts in an additional 12 to15 hours weekly). NOTE: (1) Enrollment in Civil Rights Clinic II is by invitation only. (2) Enrolled students may be required to attend a mandatory two-day clinic "boot camp" that takes place on the Saturday and Sunday immediately before the first day of class. Please see the clinics' website for additional information.
Prerequisite(s): Civil Rights Clinic I
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Client Counseling and Interviewing (2)
591A
(Formerly DCL 450)
This course adopts a client-centered approach in looking at legal problems and examines how to make clients partners in problem solving. Attention is paid to the economic, social and psychological aspects of clients' legal problems. The course starts with an examination of fundamental counseling skills, followed by an analysis of the information gathering process and ultimate decision making.
Because this course duplicates the content of courses in the Geoffrey Fieger Trial Practice Institute program, students in the FTPI may not receive academic credit for this course.
Prerequisite(s): Civil Procedure, Evidence
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Commercial Arbitration (3)
505A
(Formerly Arbitration) A course dealing with all aspects of arbitrating disputes under collective bargaining agreements, including judicial review of arbitration procedures and analyses of the concepts applied by arbitrators in reaching their respective decisions. Students will have an opportunity to observe an actual arbitration in process and participate as an advocate in a mock arbitration.
Prerequisite(s): Evidence
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Commercial Transactions Survey (2)
501M
This course is designed, in particular, for third-year students who have not taken Sales and Leases (or the combined Sales and Secured class) and who want a review, for purposes of the bar exam, of Contracts law. The course will cover the Uniform Commercial Code rules on contract formation, the Statute of Frauds, the parol evidence rule, excuse, anticipatory repudiation, and damages. These UCC rules will be compared and contrasted with common law rules learned in first-year Contracts. The course is an excellent one for students preparing for the bar exam, because it provides a comprehensive examination and review of concepts tested on both the MBE and often by state-law essay questions. The class is not open to students who already have taken Sales and Leases, or the 4-credit hour Sales and Secured Transactions class.
Prerequisite(s): Contracts. Students who have taken Sales and Leases or 4-cr. Sales and Secured Transactions may not take this course.
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Comparative Free Expression (2)
549F
This course may be taught in either a lecture or seminar format. When taught as a lecture course it is case based. A number of topics in free expression are examined to see how they are differently treated in various democratic states. When taught as a seminar, there will be readings that will be discussed as a class in the first half of the course. Students will also research a topic involving free expression and its treatment in selected countries. In the second half of the course, papers the students develop will be presented to the class.
Prerequisite(s): Advocacy, Constitutional Law I, Research, Writing and Advocacy I, Research, Writing and Advocacy II, Research, Writing & Analysis
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Conservative Legal Thought Reconsidered (3)
537W
This seminar explores how the Anglo-American and European conservative intellectual tradition, interacting with liberalism, Progressivism, and Marxist-inspired thought, affects legal analysis, including deference to precedent, law’s role in promoting virtue, centralization versus decentralization, individual autonomy, and the appropriate role of the criminal law. These broad theoretical issues will be brought to bear on specific legal questions in criminal procedure, administrative law, free speech, technology and civil rights law.
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Constitutional Law and the Regulatory State (4)
530S
This course examines the constitutional, statutory, and administrative foundations of American government. The course has two separate, but interrelated goals: First, to introduce students to the structure of and principles behind the American constitutional order. Topics covered under this heading include the sources of federal regulatory authority, separation of powers, federalism, judicial review and theories of constitutional interpretation. Second, the course offers a basic understanding of the workings of the legislative and regulatory process, with special emphasis on the role of agencies, the policy tools at their disposal, and the scope of legislative and judicial oversight of administrative action. In this fashion this course seeks to highlight the intersection between constitutional and administrative law principles across American history and within contemporary debates.
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Constitutional Law II (4)
500N
(Formerly DCL 172)
A study of procedural and substantive due process of law, equal protection of the laws and the Bill of Rights, including freedom of expression.
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Constitutional Law of the European Union (Study Abroad) (1)
545C
This course is dedicated to the main problems of the structure and law of the European Union. Students will be introduced to the evolution of the European Communities and European Union and the present comparison to the federal structure of the United States. The course will also explain the specificity of the supranational character of the EU law, including the sources of law, the principles governing the legal order and the implementation of the EU law in the member states. In addition, the judicial institutions will be presented, with special emphasis on the Court of Justice of the European Union and its role in the interpretation of the EU law.
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Constitutional Law Seminar (2)
579C
This seminar on constitutional theory goes beyond the doctrinal analysis of the topics covered in introductory constitutional law courses to ask deeper normative questions about the United States constitutional system.
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Constitutional Litigation (3)
579X
This course provides a rigorous examination of the intricacies initiated by individuals seeking to vindicate federal constitutional rights. Primary emphasis will be placed on suits under 42 U.S.C §1983 against state and local governmental entities and their officials. Through a careful study of the many doctrines that the U.S. Supreme Court has pronounced and developed in connection with litigation under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 and Bivens, students will gain a significant understanding of and appreciation for the challenges that confront a constitutional claimant both in establishing liability and in obtaining a remedy. In particular, the course will focus on the essential elements of a § 1983 action, such as the requirement that the defendant have acted “under color of†state or local law, as well as the need to demonstrate that the constitutional violation at issue flowed from an official policy or custom in cases where the defendant is a municipality. There will also be substantial treatment of the various defenses that officials sued in their individual capacity may assert, including absolute immunity (available to those who perform legislative, judicial, and prosecutorial functions), qualified immunity, and res judicata. In addition, the availability of remedies such as damages, injunctive relief, and attorney fees will be explored.
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Construction Law (2)
601
(Formerly DCL 314)
In order to avoid costly delays and prolonged disputes that can arise during a construction project, all stakeholders in a construction project need to be aware of the legal issues that can arise in the construction process. This course will provide an overview of the laws concerning contracting and construction including project delivery methods, important contract clauses found in proprietary and industry standard contract documents, private and public contracts, bidding, mechanic's lien, performance and payment bonds, standard construction insurance products for risk mitigation, and dispute resolution. By the end of this course, you will possess a framework for recognizing, understanding and mitigating legal issues that could arise during a construction project.
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Consumer Law (2)
593G
This course examines special requirements for consumer transactions. It includes deception in the marketplace, including many disclosure requirements; credit (discrimination, accuracy, and other limitations),; debt collection practices; and consumer remedies. Both federal and state laws will be covered. One focus will be how these requirements supersede normal contract, tort, and property laws. Civil, administrative, and criminal actions will be addressed.
Prerequisite(s): Contracts, Contracts I, Contracts II, Property, Torts I
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Contract Drafting (3)
594A
The specific purpose of this class is to use contract principles that the student has learned in the first year as a vehicle to develop the student's abilities as a planner and counselor. It will involve the study of some of the common pitfalls encountered in contract drafting and called upon to perform specific exercises in which the student will use her/his basic knowledge of contracts to draft various documents. In the course of the drafting, the student will be required to predict what may happen, provide for that contingency and attempt to protect the client.
Prerequisite(s): Contracts
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Contracts (4)
530B
(Formerly LAW500D and LAW500E)
A study of the basic law relating to the formation of a contract. Additional topics include: the Statute of Frauds; the avoidability of contracts; performance obligations; contract breach and remedies for breach. Article 2 of the Uniform Commercial Code covering sales of goods will be introduced; however, the primary focus of the course is on the common law.
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Copyright Law (3)
533B
(Formerly DCL 375)
According to Article 1, Section 8, Clause 8 of the U.S. Constitution, Congress has the power to promote the "progress of science and useful arts, by securing for limited times to authors and inventors the exclusive right to their respective writings and discoveries." Congress has adopted copyright statutes to protect forms of expression, which include computer software. This course will explore the history of copyright protection, with a particular emphasis on entertainment litigation.
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Corporate Finance (3)
508B
(Formerly DCL 380)
In Corporate Finance the principles of accounting and valuation and the basic financial environment of closely held companies and public companies will be examined. Building on this foundation, the fundamental issues surrounding common stock, preferred stock and debt will be analyzed. Finally, all these fundamentals will be applied in examining financial issues with mergers and acquisitions and tender offers and in understanding how "deals" are done. Students who have not taken Business Enterprises are permitted to enroll in this course if they are simultaneously enrolled in Business Enterprises.
Prerequisite(s): Business Enterprises
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Corporate Governance and Compliance (2)
508F
(Formerly Corporate Law and Policy: Corporate Governance and Compliance) A survey of issues in corporate governance and compliance in light of the legal risks faced by corporations and corporate directors and officers in the legal environment presented by securities law, antitrust, tort law, environmental law, and other sources of liability. Specific topics include risk management, Section 404 of Sarbanes-Oxley, internal compliance programs, and corporate codes of conduct and codes of behavior.
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Corporate Income Taxation (3)
508C
(Formerly DCL 465)
The course will focus on federal income taxation of corporations and shareholders, the tax consequences of choice of entity, the formation and liquidations of corporations, the taxation of corporations and shareholders, and the tax aspects of S corporations. EITHER Basic Income Tax A OR Basic Income Tax B fulfills the prerequisite. If the system will not let you register with either of these prerequisites, please contact the Registrar's Office.
Prerequisite(s): Basic Income Taxation
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Corporate Law Colloquium (2)
508M
This Colloquium is for students who have an interest in a specific corporate law topic, triggered by their participation in Business Enterprises, Mergers & Acquisitions, Corporate Finance or another course and who wish to delve deeply into their topic. Students will independently research their approved topic and educate Colloquium members through formal presentations. Each participant will also present a discussion draft and final paper on their topic. ULWR credit is available.
Prerequisite(s): Business Enterprises
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Criminal Law (3)
500F
(Formerly DCL 131)
An examination of the criminal justice system, including emphasis on the role of defense counsel and prosecutor; the adversary system; ethical considerations; sources and aims of the criminal law and construction of criminal statutes; specific crimes against person, property and the state; inchoate crimes; defenses negating culpability; and the principles of responsibility and justification.
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Criminal Procedure: Adjudication (3)
616C
Concentration(s): Criminal Law
(Formerly Criminal Procedure II) This course examines various issues associated with criminal adjudications with a focus on federal constitutional rights. The course covers issues such as the exercise of prosecutorial discretion, bail and pretrial detention, discovery, the plea bargaining process, speedy trial rights, federal sentencing guidelines, and post-conviction review. Students can take Criminal Procedure: Adjudication and Criminal Procedure: Investigation in any order or at the same time. Students who have taken Criminal Procedure II are ineligible to enroll in this course.
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Criminal Procedure: Investigation (3)
616B
(Formerly Criminal Procedure I)This course provides students with an introduction to federal constitutional limits on police investigation under the Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Amendments. This includes the governance of search and interrogation, and the right to counsel. Students can take Criminal Procedure: Investigation and Criminal Procedure: Adjudication in any order or at the same time. Students who have taken Criminal Procedure I are ineligible to enroll in this course.
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Criminal Trial Advocacy - PreTrial (2)
617A
(Formerly Criminal Trial I: Pre-Trial)
This practical course is designed to familiarize the student with the criminal justice process. The course consists of lectures and exercises covering criminal case initiation, the initial appearance, indictments, plea negotiations, pretrial discovery and pretrial motions leading up to up to a trial. Special emphasis will be placed on criminal procedure.
Because this course duplicates the content of courses in the Geoffrey Fieger Trial Practice Institute program, students in the FTPI may not receive academic credit for this course. The Criminal Trial Advocacy classes are not sequential and may be taken in any order.
Prerequisite(s): Criminal Law
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Criminal Trial Advocacy Post-Conviction Remedies (2)
617C
(Formerly Criminal Trial Advocacy III Post-Conviction Remedies) This course focuses on the representation issues raised during the critical stage of sentencing. The following topics are covered: duties/function of counsel, statutes, types of sentencing, indeterminate sentencing, length, sentencing plan, credit for time served, concurrent/consecutive, PSIs, considerations, habitual offender, altering sentences, probation, violations, restitution, alternatives, plea bargaining, guilty pleas, Proposal B, good time); sentencing guidelines demonstration; post-conviction motions; criminal appeals; parole; habeas corpus, state and federal; prisoners' rights; and sentencing reform/capital punishment. Criminal Trial Advocacy classes are not sequential and may be taken in any order.
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Cyber Law/Network Regulations (2)
533S
This course examines legal policy issues arising from the Internet, with an emphasis on three broad areas: (1) impact of the Internet on traditional legal causes of action; (2) government regulation of the Internet; (3) international aspects of the Internet and the interplay among United States and foreign jurisdictions.
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Cybersecurity and Data Protection (2)
535S
This course introduces students to the inter-related topics of cybersecurity, data protection, and data privacy, considering both practical and legal aspects of these topics. This course helps students recognize, explain, and critique how the law and legal profession responds to the challenges raised in these topics. This course will survey personal and organizational cybersecurity, how data is created, collected, stored, and used, governmental and non-governmental approaches to data protection, and new approaches to data and data protection. This course will examine the current and future roles of lawyers and the framework of a lawyer’s duty of technology competence. This course will consider new legal roles (e.g., product counsel and legal operations), challenges these topics bring to traditional delivery of legal services, and how lawyers advise clients about managing risks in a rapidly-changing environment. This course will be particularly useful for students who are contemplating representing business or technology clients, using their law degree in non-traditional ways, or working in a data or cybersecurity practice. This course assumes students may (or may not) arrive with a range of knowledge and experience with cybersecurity and data protection, and we will provide the necessary introduction to these topics in class.
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Delivering Legal Services: New Legal Landscape (2)
537Q
This course is an introduction to modern legal services delivery. It exposes students to legal data collection and metrics, legal operations, and legal project leadership. We continue with legal supply chain management, pricing legal services, and legal services technologies. Throughout the semester we cover two key areas. We (1) discuss current and emerging legal services ideas (such as how to charge less but earn higher profits from your services), and (2) work on developing legal services skills. This course uses the lean thinking philosophy, the fastest growing method of legal services management. However, no prior experience in lean is required; you will learn what you need in class. Lean thinking includes process mapping and process improvement. We also complete exercises in agile project management and design thinking. Students pursuing traditional legal careers in legal aid, not-for-profit, corporate, government, criminal prosecution or defense, or law firms, will find this course very useful. Students interested in nontraditional legal services careers, such as legal consulting, legal marketing, legal technology, and legal operations, will find it essential. The ideas and skills covered in this course give students an advantage in marketing themselves and in their future careers.
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Directed Study (0)
624
(Formerly DCL 690)
Students may receive credit for research and writing in areas of interest to them. This must be worked out in advance with a member of the full-time faculty. Ordinarily a paper of at least 20 pages is required, not counting endnotes, for two hours credit. A maximum of four credit hours may be applied towards graduation. Students on Reexamination Probation II are ineligible for directed studies.
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Domestic Violence (2)
541B
(Formerly DCL 427)
A historical background of Domestic Violence. Focus will be placed on understanding the nature of domestic violence, the prevention of domestic violence, and the survivor and batterer behavior.
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Draft, Amend & Update Food Law (1)
811E
This course provides an analysis of the steps required to draft, amend and update food laws and regulations from a global perspective. Students learn how stakeholders from varying constituencies impact global food laws and regulations; appropriate input from government agencies, the food industry, and consumers involved along the food supply chain; understanding of the role and resources available from international agencies in influencing food laws and regulations; and identification of the need for a new or amended law are discussed.
Prerequisite(s): This course intended for students in the Global Food Law program only.
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E-Discovery (2)
537D
This course will cover the rules and procedures for conducting discovery of electronically stored information (ESI). This course will examine the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, with their relatively recent amendments. This course will focus on the rules and caselaw, and is an experiential course built around exercises using discovery software.
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Education Law (2)
579D
(Formerly DCL 456)
This course provides an overview of students’ rights in K-12 public schools in the United States with a focus on federal constitutional law. Specific topics covered can include free speech, search and seizure, racial and ethnic equity including desegregation, gender equity, corporal punishment, school finance, and federal statutory law including the No Child Left Behind Act. The course can be benefit individuals interested in representing districts or students, and also those who may represent a public sector client, even if employed by a private firm.
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Elder Law (2)
541C
An introduction to the needs of elder clients & their families.
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Election Law (2)
579E
(Formerly DCL 318)
This course involves the study of election issues, including voting; redistricting; candidacy, ballots and ballot access; party organization; initiative, referendum and recall; campaign finance; and recounts.
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Employment Discrimination Law (2)
511B
A study of the development of individual employee rights. The course will look at at-will employees as well as protected employees under NLRA and FLSA.
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Employment Law (3)
511C
(Formerly DCL 522)
This is an introductory employment law course, which will begin with the
foundations of employment law, including an examination of the employment relationship and terms and conditions of employment. A substantial portion of the course will cover federal legislation and related case law, such as
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Family
and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA), and the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA).
Prerequisite(s): Students may not take this course if they have taken Labor and Employment Law.
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Entrepreneurial Lawyering (2)
537E
This course helps students understand the economic pressures, technological changes, and globalization facing the legal profession in the 21st century, and to assist students in successfully navigating their legal career given these challenges. The course explores the concept of a virtual law practice as well as the use of technology and cloud-computing in building a law practice; free and low-cost resources and tools will be shared that will help the entrepreneur-minded student identify ways to leverage leading-edge technology to defray start-up costs associated with launching a practice and to control overhead. Ethics, licensing, and malpractice issues will also be discussed. The course will be particularly useful for students who are contemplating solo practice, consulting, or engaging in an entrepreneurial venture, as well as those who are considering non-traditional uses for their law degree. Other topics to be covered include client development and networking, case studies of innovative legal services delivery mechanisms and alternative business structures, and work/life balance including the study of emotional intelligence and mindful lawyering practices. This course assumes students may (or may not) arrive with a range of experience in the use of technology we will provide training for everything needed to succeed in this course.
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Environmental Justice (2)
566S
Environmental justice draws from environmental law and civil rights law principles to focus attention on the disparate environmental harms experienced by low-income communities and communities of color. This course will provide students with a comprehensive introduction to environmental justice by examining topics such as the development of the environmental justice movement, the empirical evidence of the unequal distribution of environmental benefits and burdens caused by hazardous waste facilities and other types of industrial activities, theories of causation for disparities in environmental impacts across communities, special issues relating to American Indian communities and tribal governance, environmental justice perspectives on regulation and the administrative state, and issues relating to risk assessment. In the second half of the course, students will study environmental justice claims that arise in several areas of environmental law, including standard setting, program design, facility permitting, enforcement, contaminated site cleanup, and brownfield redevelopment. Students will also study the role of the lawyer in private enforcement actions, and they will learn how environmental justice claims can be framed as constitutional and civil rights claims.
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Environmental Law (3)
566A
(Formerly DCL 323)
This course provides an introduction to the legal principles, institutions, and policy debates central to American environmental regulation. The course begins with an overview of economical and ethical justifications for environmental regulation, historical and contemporary common-law-based approaches to environmental problems, and the evolution of federal environmental law. Next the course surveys the regulatory programs enacted under major environmental statutes, including the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the Clean Air Act (CAA), the Clean Water Act (CWA), the Resources Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA), and the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The course will focus in this connection on differences in the statutory criteria used to determine the stringency of regulation (risk-based, technology-based, and cost-benefit standards), and the choice between direct regulation and economic-incentive-based means of meeting environmental goals. Finally, discussion will turn to the challenges of environmental enforcement, and the role of agencies, courts and citizens groups in the implementation of environmental law.
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Equitable Entrepreneurship & Innovation Law Clinic I (6)
631V
Equitable Entrepreneurship & Innovation Law Clinic I provides opportunities for students to develop a professional identity and ethically manage uncertainty while experiencing the practice of entrepreneurial and intellectual property law in a well-supervised and academically rigorous program. Students will learn the skills and values to work with entrepreneurial for-profit, hybrid, or non-profit ventures, led by and/or serving underrepresented individuals or groups, on projects related to intellectual property and entrepreneurial law. Students will engage in direct client representation and systemic advocacy through activities such as client counseling, research, transactional analysis, planning, drafting, and educational materials development and outreach.
Prerequisite(s): Note: (1) In addition to class times, students enrolled in this clinical program may be required to work additional clinical hours each week (including but not limited to weekly supervision meetings with clinic faculty, if any) in order to meet ABA requirements for completing an amount of work that reasonably approximates the required coursework per credit hour awarded; (2) some clinical hours (including but not limited to orientation) may be performed remotely consistent with ABA requirements, in order to ensure an accessible and equitable practice environment for both students and clients, as well as one which adequately prepares students with necessary remote communication skills; (3) students may be required to attend mandatory clinic orientation(s) that takes place before the first day of class; (4) some travel time to clinic clients or partner organizations in Mid-, Northern, Southeast or West Michigan may be required; (5) strong preference will be given to students who both have completed recommended coursework and demonstrate interest in EEILC II; and (6) enrollment is by application only.
Clinic faculty will give strong preference to selecting applicants for enrollment in the clinic who have coursework or experience demonstrating interest in public service, and who have completed or will be concurrently enrolled in recommended courses for Equitable Entrepreneurship & Innovation Law Clinic I: (1) Business Enterprises; (2) either Professional Responsibility, or Lawyer Regulation and Ethics in a Technology-Driven World; and (3) one or more of Patent Law, Intellectual Property Survey, Patent Application Preparations, Trademark and Unfair Competition Law, Copyright Law, or Licensing IP. As with standard clinic practice, enrollment by application only. In addition to the standard clinic requirements of completion of the first year RWA courses and eligibility for student practice under Michigan Court Rule 8.120, clinic faculty will give strong preference to selecting applicants for enrollment in the clinic who have coursework or experience demonstrating interest in public service, and who have completed or will be concurrently enrolled in recommended courses for Equitable Entrepreneurship & Innovation Law Clinic I: (1) Business Enterprises; (2) either Professional Responsibility, or Lawyer Regulation and Ethics in a Technology-Driven World; and (3) one or more of Patent Law, Intellectual Property Survey, Patent Application Preparations, Trademark and Unfair Competition Law, Copyright Law, or Licensing IP. In addition to co- or prerequisite courses, coursework or experience demonstrating interest in public interest is strongly recommended.
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Equitable Entrepreneurship & Innovation Law Clinic II (3)
631W
Equitable Entrepreneurship & Innovation Law Clinic II is a continuing opportunity for students who have successfully completed coursework in Equitable Entrepreneurship & Innovation Law Clinic I, and who seek to build upon their prior clinic experience to develop skills of leadership, self-reliance, and independence in the practice of entrepreneurial and intellectual property law. Advanced students will be expected to more independently conduct work with entrepreneurial for-profit, hybrid, or non-profit ventures, led by and/or serving underrepresented individuals or groups, on projects related to intellectual property and entrepreneurial law. Advanced students will also work with clinic faculty to provide mentoring to those enrolled in the clinic for the first time, in areas in which advanced students have already acquired some expertise, as well as coordinate community outreach and informational programs.
Prerequisite(s): Note: (1) Clinic faculty may require that advanced students avoid scheduling classes or commitments that conflict with EEILC I seminar in order to attend from time to time (for example, to participate in project rounds); (2) in addition to attending clinic seminar from time to time, students enrolled in this clinical program may be required to work additional clinical hours each week (including but not limited to mandatory weekly or biweekly supervision meetings with clinic faculty, if any) in order to meet ABA requirements for completing an amount of work that reasonably approximates the required coursework per credit hour awarded; (3) some clinical hours (including but not limited to orientation) may be performed remotely consistent with ABA requirements, in order to ensure an accessible and equitable practice environment for both students and clients, as well as one which adequately prepares students with necessary remote communication skills; (4) students may be required to attend mandatory clinic orientation(s) that takes place before the first day of class; (5) some travel time to clinic clients or partner organizations in Mid-, Northern, Southeast or West Michigan may be required; (6) preference will be given to students who both have completed coursework recommended for EEILC I; and (7) enrollment is by instructor invitation only. Completion of Equitable Entrepreneurship & Innovation Law Clinic I and permission of the instructor are required for enrollment in Equitable Entrepreneurship & Innovation Law Clinic II.
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Equity (3)
579F
(Formerly DCL 333)
Considered are the history and development of equity, equity jurisdiction, remedies available in equity and contempt powers.
Prerequisite(s): Students who have taken Remedies may not take this class.
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Estate and Gift Taxation (3)
540D
(Formerly DCL 381)
This course will examine a decedent's gross estate and the determination of appropriate deductions therefrom, including the marital deduction, as well as how the tax is computed. Issues regarding taxable gifts, deductions, exclusions and exemptions will be explored, as well as computation of gift tax.
Prerequisite(s): Although not a formal prerequisite, students who have not completed coursework in both Basic Income Tax and Trusts and Estates are recommended to not take this course.
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European Union Law (3)
548C
(Formerly DCL 447)
This course provides an introduction to the legal institutions of the European Economic Community. The subjects covered include the Treaty of Rome and other relevant legal instruments, the major institutions and characteristics of community law, internal community policies, external trade policies, competition law and the future of the community. A student may not take both this and Constitutional Law of the European Union.
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Evidence (4)
500P
(Formerly DCL 220)
A study of the means and methods of proof or disproof of a proposition as either permitted, required or prohibited under the Anglo-American system of jurisprudence. The rules respecting problems of remoteness and prejudice of evidence, circumstantial proof, the employment of writings, their authentication and proof of their contents. A study in depth of hearsay evidence and its status in the evidence. A thorough inquiry into the so-called "evidential preferences" of our legal system and the deficiencies of hearsay evidence as related to these preferences.
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Evolutionary Analysis and Law (3)
537U
Evolutionary analysis can provide insights into the practice and understanding of law. We will learn basic computer techniques to analyze legal texts to develop metrics to measure similarity, influence, and sentimen—techniques that lawyers can use in their own practices. We will ask whether the insights of cultural evolution elucidate common law development. More theoretically, evolutionary analysis helps to understand law’s purpose, its role in group evolution, as well as the biological nature of its human subjects.
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Family Law: Child, Family and the State (3)
541F
(Formerly Family Law II; Child, Family and the State) This course examines a host of issues confronting today's modern families. For example, we will discuss how to define family - including marriage and parenthood - in the 21st century. Some specific topics include: defining family for distribution of "family" benefits; balancing work and family; paternity; domestic violence; child abuse and neglect; surrogacy; adoption; and artificial insemination. Students may take Family Law: Child, Family, and State and Family Law: Marriage & Divorce in any order or at the same time.
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Family Law: Child, Family and the State (2)
541F
This course examines major constitutional, statutory, and practical frameworks that establish and regulate the rights and conduct of children and parents. Students will explore issues such as children’s rights and parent’s rights; state interventions into the parent-child relationship; the ability of children to make independent economic and medical decisions; and juvenile delinquency. Students will analyze existing legal frameworks as situated within broader social, economic, and policy considerations, and recognize implications involving race, culture, community, and diverse family structures. Students may take Family Law: Child, Family, and State and Family Law: Marriage & Divorce in any order or at the same time.
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Family Law: Marriage & Divorce (3)
541E
(Formerly Family Law I: Marriage & Divorce) This course examines laws governing entry into marriage, access to divorce, the economics of divorce (property distribution, alimony and child support), child custody, premarital agreements, and cohabitation. Students may take Family Law: Marriage & Divorce and Family Law: Child, Family, and State in any order or at the same time.
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Federal Jurisdiction (3)
579G
(Formerly DCL 349)
The focus of this course is the operation of the federal court system. It will cover not only the usual bases of federal court jurisdiction, such as diversity, federal questions and removal, but also other doctrines that impact federal courts, including standing, ripeness, mootness, abstention and state sovereign immunity. Significant attention will be focused on federal litigation under the Civil Rights Acts. This course will be of benefit to those intending to practice in federal courts and to those seeking a federal court clerkship.
Prerequisite(s): Civil Procedure
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Federal Law and Indian Tribes (3)
635B
(Formerly DCL 486)
An examination of the law and policy of the United States regarding Indian tribes and their citizen members. Study the relationships between the federal, state, and tribal governments; and examine the source and scope of federal, state and tribal authority in Indian Country
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Food and Drug Law (2)
558B
(Formerly DCL 357)
This course is designed to provide a basic working knowledge of domestic laws regulating food, drugs, cosmetics, biologics/blood and medical devices. It has an administrative overtone, providing an understanding of the legislative and regulatory processes through an in-depth look at the relationship between the FDA, industry, consumer interest groups and Congress.
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Food Law and Regulation in Latin America and the Caribbean (1)
811J
Companies seeking to export food products to Latin America and the Caribbean may encounter a host of legal issues that require familiarity with the national and international food laws and regulations and applicable trade agreements in these regions. Understanding the variety of governing legal frameworks and potential legal issues related to doing business in Latin America and the Caribbean in the food space can help facilitate efficient and compliant commercial transactions. In addition, knowing which type of local experts to enlist and when can help improve supply chain and administrative issues related to importing or exporting the food product. Finally, learning key business terms in Spanish can help improve cross-cultural understanding in commercial transactions related to the sale of food products in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Prerequisite(s): This course intended for students in the Global Food Law program
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Food Law Current Issues Seminar (2)
810S
Food law is a dynamic area of law, with rapidly evolving technologies, frequent revisions to the global regulatory landscape, and continually changing consumer demands. This course augments a three-day seminar on current and emerging issues food law. The course requires students to engage with expert speakers and with one another to analyze international, transnational, and national food law and policy. Emphasis is placed on understanding the cutting-edge and controversial aspects of food law and policy. The course will be offered to students in the Global Food Law Program and will be offered online, as is typical of all courses in the program.
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Food Law: Preventing Fakes and Counterfeits (3)
810Z
Protection from fake food is increasing in importance on a global scale. The crime of product, or trademark, counterfeiting for food has exploded with increased use of e-commerce and it has become even more challenging to protect a company’s food product and brand. While reactive legal responses remain important in the combatting of counterfeit food, a proactive approach will be necessary for a lawyer in this field. This class will explore both the reactive and proactive steps to protect a brand’s food product through trademark law, criminal law, administrative law, and contract law.
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Food Regulation in Canada (3)
810C
This course is designed for anyone who must understand the legal and regulatory complexities of the flow of food and agricultural products as they make their way from the farm gate to the grocery store shelves in Canada. This course will examine federal statutes and regulations including the Canada Agricultural Products Act, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency Act, the Consumer Packaging and Labeling Act, the Fish Inspection Act and the Meat Inspection Act.
Prerequisite(s): This course is restricted to students in the Global Food Law Program.
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Food Regulation in the European Union (3)
810B
This online course enables students to study the factors influencing the development of food regulation in the EU. By making full use of the internet, students will gain access to relevant documentation in support of their professional needs and, having followed the course, students will be able to make an informed interpretation of the content.
Prerequisite(s): This course is restricted to students in the Global Food Law Program.
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Food Regulation in the U.S. (3)
810A
An online course designed for anyone who must understand the legal and regulatory complexities of the regulation of food products in the United States including issues such as food and food safety regulation, regulatory compliance, HACCP, the regulation of genetic modifications, food additive regulation, food labeling, dietary supplements, the protection of the food supply, and the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act.
Prerequisite(s): This course is restricted to students in the Global Food Law Program.
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Food Regulatory Law: Counseling and Advocacy (3)
811F
In the modern regulatory state, attorneys, regulatory affairs managers, and similar professionals either directly counsel or provide assistance and interfacing for food industry firms regarding both legal requirements and proactive guidance dealing with agencies, particularly in adverse or high-stakes situations. This course explores the law and administrative process that governs the regulation of the food industry, with a particular focus on strategic and tactical decisions by lawyers and food industry professionals to promote sound regulation of the food industry by federal and state agencies. Among other aspects of the regulation of food, this course will cover: the nature of the administrative process; legal strategy and analysis; the role of regulatory affairs; the practical application of regulatory affairs; tools and strategies concerning regulatory affairs; the nature of assessing and communicating risk; quality controls and management; compliance; and judicial review of agency decisions.
Prerequisite(s): Suggested to take: LAW 810A, U.S. Food Laws and Regulations
Can not be taken if already taken: LAW810U, Regulatory Leadership in Food Law
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Foundations of Law (0)
530K
The primary focus of this course is to provide first-year students with an introduction to the study of law, with preliminary exposure to legal reasoning, the structure of the American legal system, and fundamental legal-theoretical concepts. This course also seeks to put students who come to the law from a variety of academic backgrounds on a more equal footing.
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Foundations of Law and Legal Research (2)
807A
This online course provides an introduction to the American legal system with a special focus on the research and writing needs of international scholars and non-lawyers (focus on American jurisprudence and Global Food Law).
Prerequisite(s): This course is restricted to students in the Global Food Law Program.
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Free Speech, Technology, and Society (2)
537X
This course examines the major aspects of current First Amendment law, its historical development, and philosophical foundations. Special focus will be placed on application of First Amendment law to the internet and new technologies. In addition, the course will study the First Amendment’s role in current political conflicts, including campus free speech and the conflict between free speech and anti-discrimination law.
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FSMA FSVP Rule (3)
810V
This course provides students with the legal perspective of FDA’s Foreign Supplier Verification Program of the Food Safety Modernization Act. This course has an administrative overtone, providing an understanding of the legislative and regulatory processes through an in-depth look at the relationship between the Food and Drug Administration, industry, consumer interest groups, and science communities.
Prerequisite(s): This course is restricted to students in the Global Food Law Program.
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FSMA Preventive Controls Rule (3)
810W
This course provides students with the legal perspective of FDA’s Preventive Controls for Human Food Rule of the Food Safety Modernization Act. This course has an administrative overtone, providing an understanding of the legislative and regulatory processes through an in-depth look at the relationship between the Food and Drug Administration, industry, consumer interest groups, and science communities.
Prerequisite(s): This course is restricted to students in the Global Food Law Program.
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FSMA Produce Safety Rule (3)
810X
This course provides students with the legal perspective of FDA’s Produce Safety Rule of the Food Safety Modernization Act. This course has an administrative overtone, providing an understanding of the legislative and regulatory processes through an in-depth look at the relationship between the Food and Drug Administration, industry, consumer interest groups, and science communities.
Prerequisite(s): This course is restricted to students in the Global Food Law Program.
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Fundamentals of Food Science and Safety for Lawyers (2)
811C
This course provides lawyers with a fundamental understanding of food science and safety in order to better understand the impact they have on food laws and regulations. Students gain an understanding of the core concepts of food science, food safety and the ability to understand the intersection of the science, manufacturing, food law, impact to consumers. Lawyers will be able to better understand and interpret the science and research used in the food industry and in turn, apply the knowledge to help their clients reduce risk.
Prerequisite(s): Intended for students in the Global Food Law Program
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Gaming Law (2)
635F
(Formerly titled Advanced Topics in Indian Law: Indian Gaming Law) This course will introduce students to the unique legal issues that govern Indian gaming activities. Indian Gaming has been the largest economic development tool available to Indian tribal governments over the past 30 years. Today, the Indian gaming industry generates more than $25 billion per year, nationwide. Students in this class will learn about the federal and tribal regulatory structures that govern tribal gaming, the interplay of federal, state, tribal, and local laws in this regulatory structure, the process by which tribes and states negotiate gaming compacts, and the nuanced classification of tribal gaming activities.
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Global Food Laws: Role of the International Agencies (3)
811G
The World Trade Organization (WTO), World Health Organization (WHO), Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Codex Alimentarius, World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH), International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) and other global agencies are important in the creation and implementation of national and international food laws. These laws protect the health of humans and animals, and in international disputes involving food. Students learn how lawyers, scientists, and consumers benefit from an understanding of the roles of these organizations and how national governments interact with these organizations.
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Global Food Packaging Laws (1)
811K
Review why food packaging is regulated as Food Contact Substances (FCMs) in the United States and as Food Contact Materials in the European Union. Review of the chemicals in food packaging causing cancer, hormonal disruption, and other health problems in humans. A detailed review of current food packaging laws and regulations in the United States, Canada, European Union, United Kingdom, and China. An overview of food packaging laws in Japan, India, Korea, Australia/New Zealand and some developing countries. Current and future developments in food packaging requiring laws and regulations will be examined. This will include plastics, recyclable plastics, edible packaging, nanomaterials, printing inks.
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Global Perspectives on Indigenous Peoples (2)
635G
(Formerly titled Advanced Topics in Indian Law: Global Perspectives on Indigenous Peoples) There are nearly 400 million indigenous peoples throughout the world. Historically, many indigenous peoples have experienced displacement, loss of control over resources, forced assimilation, and genocide. Students will study the place of indigenous peoples within the international legal system and the rights of indigenous peoples within the domestic legal systems of several countries. A portion of this course will focus on international law and institutions principally focused on indigenous peoples; challenges of asserting indigenous rights using the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, the ILO Conventions 107 and 169, the Draft American Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and the World Bank\'s Operational Policy 4.10 and related Bank Procedures; and indigenous claims brought before the Inter-American Human Rights System. Students also will study the comparative law of indigenous peoples. The law of several jurisdictions, including the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Norway, and Colombia will be examined to compare their treatment of indigenous rights. The themes of indigenous rights to self-determination and rights to land, resources, and cultural survival will be addressed throughout the course.
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Government Relations and Lobbying Law (2)
551D
This course provides an overview of governmental relations and lobbying law. It will address topics such as compliance with state and federal statutes and regulations that govern the practice and ethics of lobbying. The course will explore distinctions among legislative, administrative and grassroots lobbying and the professional norms of appropriate behavior that apply to lobbyists.
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Great Lakes First Amendment Law Clinic I (4)
630T
The Great Lakes First Amendment Law Clinic has three components. Students will teach First Amendment workshops to faculty advisors and student journalists at Michigan high schools covering censorship, libel, and privacy issues, as well as copyright and libel matters involving Facebook and Internet postings. Students also will provide pro bono legal representation to high school and community college journalists whose free speech rights have been challenged. In addition, clinic students will conduct a Freedom of Information Act survey of school district regulations that govern First Amendment rights of student journalists. Students will receive targeted instruction on First Amendment press issues on a weekly basis. As workshop instructors, students will use interactive teaching methodologies such as small group exercises, role plays, and simulations of legal proceedings. Students will be responsible for developing lesson plans and executing those plans once they are approved by a Law College faculty member and a high school teacher. In addition to class time, students must work a minimum of 12 hours each week in representing pro bono clients and preparing First Amendment workshops. Some travel time to high schools may be required. Students are selected to participate through an application process. NOTE: Enrolled students must attend a mandatory two-day clinic "Boot Camp" that takes place on the Saturday and Sunday immediately before the first day of class. Please see the clinics' website for additional information.
Prerequisites: RWA I and II; (successful completion of Media Law is preferred, but not required)
Prerequisite(s): Advocacy, Research, Writing and Advocacy I, Research, Writing and Advocacy II, Research, Writing & Analysis
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Great Lakes First Amendment Law Clinic II (0)
630U
course description forthcoming
Prerequisite(s): Great Lakes First Amendment Law Clinic I
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Halal Food: An Introduction to Islamic Laws and Ethics (3)
545K
Current and expected growth in halal foods has necessitated that scientists, legal practitioners and other professionals, and thought leaders active in global food markets be conversant with Islamic dietary laws and ethics. This course will introduce students to the religious foundations of Islamic dietary laws, ethics and customs relating to food generally, and as they particularly relate to consumption and to commercial food production. We will study certain discreet topics as well, such as alcohol and gelatin, and the interaction of national laws with Islamic ethics, and the process of halal certification. The study of many topics will include consideration of kosher laws and practices.
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Health Care Fraud and Abuse (2)
558J
(Formerly DCL 594)
The course will cover federal and state laws that impose criminal and civil penalties on health care providers for a variety of activities, ranging from payment for referrals to the submissions of false claims. The course would cover the federal and state illegal remuneration statutes, the federal civil monetary penalty and exclusion laws, the federal anti-referral (Stark) law, and the federal false claims laws as they apply to the health care industry.
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Health Care Law (2)
558C
(Formerly DCL 458)
THIS COURSE MAY BE OFFERED AS EITHER 2 OR 3 CREDITS.
Survey of major aspects of substantive health care law and regulation. Topics include: 1) Health care economics, including the Employee Retirement Income Security Act, health insurance, Medicare and Medicaid; 2) Health facility regulation, including quality assurance programs, licensing and Medicare-imposed operational requirements; 3) Health professional (practitioner) regulation, including board certification, licensure, medical staff credentialing and corporate practice of medicine; 4) Managed care, including organizational structures, regulation, contracting practices and vicarious liability; 5) Regulation of human subject research; 6) Personal autonomy, surrogate decisionmakers and death and dying; 7) Kickback, Fraud and Abuse and Stark II regulation of referral patterns; 8) Corporate structure and federal tax exemption of health care institutions. Medical malpractice and tort liability will not be emphasized. A final examination is required.
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Health Law and Policy Seminar (2)
558V
In the midst of a global pandemic, public health response efforts are dominating the policy agenda for Congress, within federal agencies, and at the state and local levels. At the same time, a range of other initiatives—related to health care coverage, access and disparities, quality improvement, and underlying costs in the system—have the potential to profoundly impact the sector over the next decade. Health care stakeholders of all types must remain sharply attuned to how the myriad, ongoing policy changes will change the way they do business. This course will offer an overview of basic concepts and principles in health law and policy from within this contextual landscape.
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Healthcare Compliance (2)
558W
This course will explore the healthcare environment’s complex regulatory landscape and the role of compliance programs in managing the risks and challenges posed by this highly regulated industry. “Healthcare compliance” is a rapidly expanding domain, and an effective compliance program is not just an expectation but a requirement for most healthcare organizations. This course will explore the history, necessity, and organization of compliance programs in healthcare and the major areas of law and regulation managed by these programs, including fraud, waste, and abuse laws, patient privacy and data protection requirements (such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act), and other state and federal requirements. In addition, students will learn the essential elements of an effective compliance program, including how to identify compliance risks, how to conduct auditing and monitoring, and how to respond appropriately to issues and take corrective action.
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Higher Education Law & Policy (2)
580D
Forty years ago, a handful of large institutions of higher education had in-house legal staff. Now all but the smallest schools do. However, in modern higher education, few major decisions are made without considering the layered set of statutes, regulations, case law, and institutional rules implemented to limit and address the legal consequences. The course will provide the history of higher education law, an overview of legal governance in higher education and how to weigh and balance the often-competing rights and responsibilities of institutions, faculty, staff, and students. Examples include: the tension between academic freedom and tenure; using affirmative action to create a diverse campus; creating an equitable and inclusive campus while also promoting free speech or the right to carry a weapon; and legal compliance Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), and Title IX; to name a few. The course will examine topics from a variety of perspectives to inform those who desire a role in general law practice, policy making, in-house university counsel, higher education administration, or as a member of the faculty.
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Hospitality Law (2)
605A
Students learn to identify and manage the legal issues raised by clients providing lodging, food, and alcohol to the public, with a focus on entrepreneurship and small business models, and particular attention to the intersection of local, state, and federal regulation. Topics would include choice of business form, duties to guests and others, food and alcohol regulation, lodging and land use regulation. The course will include several case studies requiring students to consider clients’ business plans and provide appropriate legal analysis and advice.
Prerequisite(s): Torts (Law 500R) and Contracts (Law 530B)
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Housing Law and the Public Interest (2)
603B
This is an introductory course that focuses on the significant laws, cases and policies formulated in the 21st century to address housing issues in the United States. The focus is on laws that were a response to economic, racial, and immigration issues and laws and policies designed to provide more access and opportunity to obtain safe, fair, and affordable housing. The course will examine legal and policy areas relating to housing and the problem of providing housing to the population in an effort to bring the issue of a society providing housing for its citizens full circle.
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Housing Law Clinic I (6)
630V
(Formerly Rental Housing Clinic I - LAW 630A)
Housing Law Clinic I is a comprehensive housing clinic that will cover a variety of housing areas for students. Students will have the opportunity to master the basics of local landlord-tenant law, and to focus on how the clinic can best serve the community in the housing area based upon the overall needs of the community and the problems facing consumers with respect to their housing choices. Other areas of clinic development and student advocacy will entail, but will not be limited to, foreclosures, fair housing, affordable housing, home ownership, and homelessness. Students can be expected to be assigned actual clients with housing problems and will, with supervision, act as legal counsel for these clients in a variety of settings. This will include advocacy in local housing courts and judicial tribunals in the state of Michigan. However, students will be mainly trained to be advocates, in and out of a judicial setting, with the overall goal to provide the student with a more expansive and well-rounded experience regarding housing law in a legal education setting. Students also will have the opportunity to consider other areas of housing advocacy where they might be able to have an impact on the lives of consumers, and will be supervised and supported in pursuing these goals on behalf of consumers.
Enrollment in Housing Law Clinic I is by application only. Details about the application process will be provided to students in advance of each semester's enrollment period. In addition to class times, students enrolled in clinical programs must work a minimum of 12 hours at the clinic each week (in general, each student works between 12-15 hours weekly in addition to instructional time). NOTE: Enrolled students must attend a mandatory orientation session that will likely take place on the Saturday and Sunday immediately before the first day of class. Please see the clinics' website for additional information.
Prerequisite(s): Research, Writing and Advocacy I, Research, Writing and Advocacy II,Research, Writing and Analysis, Advocacy
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Housing Law Clinic II (4)
630W
(Formerly Rental Housing Clinic II - LAW 630B)
Housing Law Clinic II provides an opportunity for students, upon approval of the supervising faculty, to continue work Housing Law Clinic. The selected students will be expected to provide support and work more independently than students enrolled in Housing Law Clinic I. Expectations are high and ongoing projects and cases that these students are engaged in will be a core responsibility.
Prerequisite(s): Housing Law Clinic I, Rental Housing Clinic I
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Immigration Consequences of Crime (2)
541T
This course will examine the immigration consequences of criminal activity through analysis of statutes, regulations, case law, and official federal agency publications. Students will gain the knowledge needed to identify, analyze, and provide advice and counsel with regard to substantive and procedural immigration and naturalization issues that arise from criminal law matters.
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Immigration Law (2)
541G
(Formerly DCL 353)
This course provides a general overview of U.S. immigration law and policy. The course will examine the admission, exclusion, deportation and naturalization of noncitizens in the United States, from constitutional foundations to daily practice issues. The course also will explore the rights of immigrants in employment, education, and public benefits, and will analyze the interaction of immigration law with other areas of law such as criminal law.
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Immigration Law Clinic I (6)
630R
Students engage with immigrant communities through direct client representation and systemic advocacy. The Immigration Law Clinic provides opportunities for students to experience the practice of law in a well-supervised and academically rigorous program that both prepares them for the practice of law and enables them to critically assess social justice issues. In addition to client representation and advocacy, students participate in a clinic seminar. Students are required to work an average of 20 hours per week. Enrollment is by application only (please see student announcements for details of application process).
Prerequisite(s): Research, Writing and Advocacy I, Research, Writing and Advocacy II or Research, Writing & Analysis, Advocacy
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Immigration Law Clinic II (0)
630S
A supplement to Immigration Law Clinic I, open to students who have successfully completed Immigration Law Clinic I, and who have been invited to participate for a second semester. Students work on a clinic-based project developed in consultation with the professor. Credits for this course will be accorded on a sliding scale of one to three credits.
Prerequisite(s): Immigration Law Clinic I
Prerequisite(s): Immigration Law Clinic I
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Indian Law Clinic I (4)
631J
This course provides students with the opportunity to work the environment of a small law firm dedicated to the practice of indigenous law. Students in the Clinic conduct legal research and write briefs for appellate cases, research legal matters for tribes, and develop policy papers for tribal governments and organizations.
Prerequisite(s): Research, Writing and Analysis Advocacy
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Indian Law Clinic II (0)
631K
A continuation of Indian Law Clinic I.
Prerequisite(s): Indian Law Clinic I or Indigenous Law and Policy Center I
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Information Privacy and Security Law (3)
535P
Examines the regulation of information flow with particular attention to statutory and compliance issues. Topics include the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, Fair Credit Reporting Act, Stored Communications Act, and the Banking Secrecy Act. The course is designed to prepare students to take the privacy certification examinations offered by the International Association of Privacy Professionals. Note: Students who have taken Cyber Law (533C) are not permitted to enroll in this course.
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Insurance Law (2)
514
Insurance Law addresses (i) the history and function of a variety of types of insurance (including property, life, annuities, directors and officers, and errors and omissions) (ii) issues regarding contract formation (including critical and common elements of an insurance contract), (iii) state, federal and international insurance regulation (focusing on regulation under Michigan law), (iv) reinsurance and other forms of risk transfer, (v) the insurance claims process, and (vi) defense and settlement of insurance claims. If time permits, the course may also address actuarial assumptions, predictive modeling, risk management, and sales and marketing of insurance products.
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Integrative Law & Social Work (3)
541J
(Formerly DCL 474)
The Integrative Law and Social Work Seminar is offered only to law students
and second year master-level social work students accepted into the one-year
Chance at Childhood Program which begins each fall semester.
The spring course is a continuation of this two semester seminar that is
part of the Chance at Childhood Certificate Program. The certificate
program is designed to strengthen the knowledge base, practice and advocacy
skills of law students and master-level social work students interested in
working with abused, neglected and at-risk children and families. The
seminar emphasizes select issues related to child abuse and neglect from a
multi-disciplinary perspective.
Major: CHLD.
Must be in the Child and Family Advocacy Certificate program.
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Intellectual Property & Entrepreneurial Law Clinic I (3)
631T
The Intellectual Property & Entrepreneurial Law Clinic provides opportunities for students to experience the practice of law in a well-supervised and academically rigorous program. Students will work with entrepreneurial or non-profit ventures on matters related to intellectual property and entrepreneurial business law. Students will engage in direct client representation and systemic advocacy through activities such as client counseling, research, transactional analysis, litigation, regulatory comments, educational materials, and outreach. Enrollment is by application only.
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Intellectual Property & Entrepreneurial Law Clinic II (3)
631U
Continuation of Intellectual Property & Entrepreneurial Law Clinic I.
Prerequisite(s): Intellectual Property & Entrepreneurial Law Clinic I
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Intellectual Property Practicum (1)
535F
This class will revolve around the skills that young intellectual property attorneys are often forced to learn on the job while in practice as taught by practicing attorneys. Classes may involve lecture or class exercises as the topic dictates. The focus of the practicum will vary depending on practicing attorney availability. Assignments will encompass many types of topic-appropriate readings, including cases, practitioner guides, and CLE materials. Students are recommended to have taken either Patent Law, Intellectual Property Survey, or Patent Application Drafting.
Prerequisite(s): It is recommended to have taken at least one other IP course prior to this course.
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Intellectual Property Survey (3)
535D
(Formerly DCL 321 and LAW 533V)
Formerly known as Intellectual Property Law. This course could be offered for 2 or 3 credits.
This course is a survey of all Intellectual Property law, including patents, copyrights, trademarks, and trade secret law. No technical degree is necessary.
Prerequisite(s): This course is not open to students who have taken 2 of the 3 following courses: Copyright Law, Patent Law, or Trademark Law and Unfair Competition Law.
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International Alternative Dispute Resolution (0)
512N
The two main types of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) - arbitration and mediation - have had a long history of development in the United States (US). However, the use of both forms of ADR at the international level has increased exponentially in recent years, and the rules applicable to international arbitration and mediation have developed quite differently than in the US. This course will examine the law and procedure of international ADR, with a focus on ADR in the European Union (EU) and its similarities and differences with US ADR law. The New York Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Awards will be covered, along with the procedural rules of the major ADR service providers, especially the International Chamber of Commerce and the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce, and the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) arbitration rules. With respect to mediation, the UNCITRAL mediation rules will be analyzed, together with applicable EU mediation law. Special attention will be given to the national mediation laws of East European states.
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International Business Transactions (2)
512B
This course is an introduction to international business transactions. We will explore the following general topics: agreements for the international trading of goods, financing the international sale of goods, establishing and operating a foreign investment, the resolution of international business disputes and enforcement of dispute settlement awards.
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International Children’s Rights Lab (3)
542A
This course offers students an opportunity to engage in children’s rights research and advocacy,
learn nontraditional legal analysis and writing skills, and interact with lawyers and policymakers
about issues affecting children. Through the classroom component of the course, students will
explore how human rights of children implicate local government policies and the statutory and
political environments in which they operate, with the aim that students gain comfort reading,
critiquing, editing, and writing various documents relating to the rights of the child. These skills
will translate into the field component of the course, in which students will work with partner
organizations and Governments on a real-world drafting project involving children’s rights, law,
and policy.
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International Commercial Arbitration (3)
512K
International commercial arbitration is the most popular alternative dispute settlement mechanism for resolving disputes between parties arising out of international commercial transactions. The basic goal of this course is to give students a thorough understanding of the international commercial arbitration process and the role of national courts in supporting that process. The rules of international commercial arbitration institutions, such as the International Chamber of Commerce, and international conventions on commercial arbitration will be studied, including the New York Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Awards. The UNCITRAL Model Law on International Commercial Arbitration -- enacted by more than 60 countries -- will also be examined.
Prerequisite(s): Civil Procedure I
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International Environmental Law (3)
548E
Concentration(s): I
(Formerly DCL 417)
This course introduces the student to the use of bilateral and multilateral treaties and other international mechanisms for dealing with international environmental problems such as ozone in the upper atmosphere, the greenhouse effect, destruction of forest and trade in endangered species. Normally, a paper is required.
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International Food Laws and Regulations (3)
810D
This course provides an advanced introduction to international food law. After covering general concepts in global food regulation, the course covers the World Trade Organization framework of international food law, the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS) Agreement, the Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT), and the role of international food agencies, such as Codex Alimentarius, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and World Health Organization (WHO). While comparing and contrasting the similarities and differences in food laws around the world, the course develops tools for analysis of international food law and comparative analysis of food laws around the world.
Prerequisite(s): This course is restricted to students in the Global Food Law Program.
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International Food Standards — WHO and FAO (3)
810F
(Previously titled Codex Alimentarius) This course is to familiarize students with the history, development and workings of the Codex Alimentarius Commission in formulating and harmonizing food standards and ensuring their global implementation. This course will focus both on the content of the Codex Alimentarius and on legal application of the Codex Alimentarius.
Prerequisite(s): This course is restricted to students in the Global Food Law Program.
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International Human Rights (2)
548F
(Formerlty DCL 418)
This course explores human rights and the international legal order, background, concepts and the future. It will also consider major international agreements and their relation to local law, and remedies for the implementation of human rights.
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International Intellectual Property Law (2)
533E
International Intellectual Property Law begins with overview of the purposes of intellectual property under U.S. law, then looks at rapidly developing treaty regimes, reciprocal international legislation particularly focusing on patent law, and international cases for the protection of scientific invention and ownership issues in the global markets that affect the rights of authors and inventors. Some attention will also focus on United States export control laws.
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International Law Review (2)
629A
(Formerly Journal of International Law)
Participation by writing competition upon satisfactory completion by day students of two full semesters and by evening students of three full semesters. Two credits of ungraded credit earned upon completion of a student article, a comment, required production work and participation in the organization of the International Law Symposium and the International Achievement Award Dinner.
Prerequisite(s): (LAW 530D or LAW 530E or LAW 530N or LAW 530Q) and LAW 530J and permission from editorial board
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International Sale of Goods (2)
548G
(Formerly DCL 478)
A study of international sales law under the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG). Similarities and contrasts with sales law under Article 2 of the Uniform Commercial Code will be investigated. Also addressed are the UNIDROIT Principles of International Commercial Contracts.
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International Taxation and Tax Treaties (0)
545P
The course surveys U.S. taxation of U.S. and foreign persons engaged in international activities. Topics will include U.S. jurisdiction to tax, tax treaties, allocation of income, transfer pricing, foreign tax credits, etc. It will also explore issues of tax policy in a variety of settings to provide students with the background necessary to understand basic tax principles as well as to contribute to the formation of tax laws and policies at home and abroad.
Prerequisite(s): Basic Income Tax (2 or 3 credit)
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International Trade Regulation (3)
512E
(Formerly DCL 368)
The course has as its primary focus the international trade regime of the World Trade Organization to which the United States and 144 other countries are parties. The following topics are covered in this course:
- Introduction: Why trade? Why not protect?
- An overview of the GATT-WTO system
- WTO dispute settlement
- The unconditional, most-favored-nation obligation
- Tariff bindings
- The national treatment obligation
- The prohibition on quantitative restrictions (quotas)
- Transparency of national laws and regulations
- Regional trade arrangements (customs unions and free trade areas)
- Special and differential treatment of developing countries
- Trade in agricultural goods, including farm subsidies
- Trade and the environment
- Human, animal, and plant health and safety issues
- Trade and labor rights
- The General Agreement on Trade in Services
- The Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights
- The new agenda: trade and investment, trade and competition policy
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Internet Law (3)
533C
(Formerly Cyber Law)
This course gives a broad overview of some of the main areas in which technology has challenged traditional legal doctrines and the way we practice law. Technology law is more than just "computer law" or "cyberlaw." It is Internet law and information law. Some of the topics that will be covered are: 1) privacy issues; 2) liability of online information providers; 3) conducting business in cyberspace; 4) Internet and computer use policies in business, university and government; 5) cybercrimes and law enforcement; 6) technology license agreement and software purchase contracts; and 7) using computer-generated evidence or data.
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Introduction to Islamic Law (1)
545F
The study of Islamic legal philosophy and the historical evolution of Islamic legal and jurisprudential systems that will include origins, nature, sources, and interpretive methodologies of classical Islamic law, and the main institution for upholding this law, the madhhab, or school of law, examining its development from the formative to the post-formative periods and highlighting important controversies generated along the way; Early encounter of Islamic law with modernity; and Exploration of several contemporary topics that have served as catalysts for new tensions and alternative approaches and interpretive theories.
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IP Brand Protection (2)
535V
This course is designed to introduce students to the procedures, tools, and strategies attorneys and business professionals need to work with businesses regarding protecting their brand and developing comprehensive business strategies relating to their intellectual property. The course examines the fundamentals of brand protection, including trademark registration, prosecution, enforcement, infringement, licensing, and overall business and marketing strategy. The class involves a mix of lectures, discussions, presentations, and simulations, including a final capstone.
Previously titled Brand Protection Practicum.
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IRS Practice and Procedure (3)
572J
This course examines IRS practice and procedures from initial audit through appeals and judicial review. These procedures are applicable to all taxpayers, whether they are an individual, family, or business. Students will apply the Internal Revenue Code, Internal Revenue Manual, Treasury Regulations, Revenue Procedures, and case law to simulated tax problems. Ethical considerations will be discussed throughout the semester.
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Japanese Legal System (2)
512M
This course is a study of the Japanese Legal System. The course will provide an overview of the structure of the Japanese Legal System, the place of the legal system within the broader governmental system in Japan, Japanese Constitutional Law, Criminal Law, Business Law and Civil Law.
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Jurisprudence (3)
579J
(Formerly DCL 385)
This course surveys several views of law and the legal process. It also examines the judicial decision-making process and the social, political and moral contexts that influence and are influenced by judicial decision.
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Juvenile Law (2)
541K
(Formerly DCL 378)
A survey of the law related to juvenile courts in the areas of delinquency and child neglect, including jurisdiction and waivers thereof, arrest, pre-trial, and trial procedure and disposition.
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King Scholars Jurisprudence (2)
626C
(Formerly DCL 359)
Prerequisite: King Scholar A course in jurisprudence available to King Scholars as part of the King Scholarship Program.
Students entering with a King Scholarship must enroll for the King Scholars Jurisprudence class during their third semester at the Law College. Matriculating students receiving a King Scholarship must enroll for the King Scholars Jurisprudence class in their next regular semester.
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King Scholars Seminar (2)
626D
(Formerly DCL 404)
Students who have a King Scholarship must enroll for the King Scholars Senior Paper course in their last regular semester at the Law College.
Prerequisite(s): King Scholars Jurisprudence
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Labor and Employment Law (4)
511E
This is an introductory labor and employment law course, which will initially explore the application of the National Labor Relations Act as amended. Subjects include the jurisdiction, organization and procedures of the National Labor Relations Board; the protection of the right of self-organization; company domination of or assistance to the union; discrimination against employees; remedies for unfair labor practices; unit determinations including micro-units; strikes, boycotts and picketing; judicial review of labor arbitration awards; successorship and the impact of bankruptcy on the duty to bargain; the duty of fair representation; union security agreements/fair share contracts; and, the union’s power to compel concerted activities. The course also will cover foundations of employment law, including an examination of the employment relationship and terms and conditions of employment. A substantial portion of the course will cover federal legislation and related case law, such as Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA), and the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA).
Prerequisite(s): Students may not take this course if they have taken Labor Law or Employment Law.
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Land Use Planning (3)
566B
(Formerly DCL 401)
THIS COURSE MAY BE OFFERED AS EITHER 2 OR 3 CREDITS.
Explores the principal methods of local government control of land use, with special emphasis on the theory and practice of zoning and eminent domain. Analyzes judicial response, through the use of nuisance and "takings" doctrines, to local land use planning efforts.
Prerequisite(s): Property
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Law and Economics (3)
515
Law & Economics or as sometimes named The Economic Analysis of Law or the New Law and Economics consists of the application of economic theory – primarily microeconomics and the basic concepts of welfare economics – to examine the formation, structure, processes, and economic impact of law and legal institutions. The purpose of this course is: (A) to provide a brief review of i) microeconomic theory and ii) the history of law, sufficient to (B) undertake a survey of the dominant schools of thought that comprise the field of Law & Economics. The various schools of thought that compete in this marketplace of ideas, include i) the Chicago approach to law and economics, ii) public choice theory, iii) social norms and law and economics, and iv) the new institutional economics. The goal is to have students understand the jurisprudential niche occupied by the several schools of thought that comprise the field of Law & Economics in present-day legal scholarship ... to come to appreciate the history of the people, the places, the ideas, and the resources that established prestigious Law & Economics Programs and Centers at the nation’s elite law schools ... always with a focus on their impact on the nation’s political economy. Each of these schools of thought places a significant emphasis on the interrelations between law and economy. The schools of thought presented are both competing and complementary perspectives on, or approaches to, the study of the development and the reformulation of law. Each is devoted to its own examination of the interrelations of legal and economic processes and thus, the nation’s political economy. As such, the materials covered in the course are of fundamental importance not only for those working in the fields of economics and law, but also to those in the contiguous disciplines of political science, philosophy,
psychology, and sociology.
Prerequisite(s): After taking this course, students may not take Analytical Methods for Lawyers - Microeconomics (509A), nor may they be taken concurrently.
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Law and Gender (2)
541N
This course will focus on Sex, Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, and the Law. The seminar will explore privacy, the regulation of sexual activity, marriage, religious exemptions, employment discrimination, education, and legal theory. Students will be encouraged to examine law and sexuality in the context of constitutional and statutory protections and limitations that could inform multiple areas of study or work on behalf of LGBTQ clients in the future. This semester long course meets once per week and will require regular class participation, an oral argument, and a final paper or appellate brief.
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Law and Interpretation (2)
579R
This course will explore the ways in which judges and other legal actors interpret the law. Anyone who has studied law for even a short period of time quickly becomes aware that there are a variety of legal and jurisprudential tools that judges can use in interpreting the law. In this course we will explore the various tools judges use in interpreting cases, as well as a number of the theoretical schools that influence or help us understand judicial decision-making. We will do this by analyzing cases and by studying the various tools/theories relevant to legal interpretation. The course will cover legal interpretation in the contexts of constitutional, statutory, and common law. The hope is to look underneath the cases and try to understand how great legal minds (judges, lawyers, and scholars) can look at the same or similar facts and law, yet reach significantly varied interpretative results.
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Law and Religion (3)
579K
(Formerly DCL 530)
This course will focus on church/state law -- the legal doctrines that have arisen in cases under the Establishment Clause and Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment. The course will explore the role of law in various religious traditions and the role of religion in law and public discourse. Topics addressed include school prayer, government aid to religious institutions (including school vouchers and charitable choice), government endorsement of religious symbols, the role of public forum doctrine in religion cases, freedom of religious expression, and the freedom to practice one's religion.
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Law and the Family in the Digital Age (2)
540F
This seminar will explore how recent changes in society and the increasing use of technology like smart devices, social media, and surveillance technology has changed and shaped family. The course will examine how law is responding to these changes or failing to respond and the consequences for one of the foundational institutions of society. Topics may include: family use of social media, family law and privacy in the digital age, regulation of children’s privacy, the use of digital evidence in family law.
Prerequisite(s): Family Law
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Law Externship (3)
625A
An externship is a voluntary, for-credit opportunity with government agencies, judiciary, and non-profit or public interest agencies. Students are able to complete two 3-credit externships during their law school careers, if desired, after earning 24 law school credits. Externships require a minimum of 12-15 hours per week, for the duration of the semester, a bi-weekly report of legal work performed, a mid-semester seminar, and a final paper. The Career Services Office holds informational meetings each semester about the Externship Program. Additional information regarding externships is found at http://www.law.msu.edu/career/externships.html
Students who have earned six (6) credits in the Canadian Summer Externship Program in Ottawa (course 634) are not eligible to enroll in another externship.
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Law Externship Seminar (0)
625D
Classroom component for students enrolled in an externship.
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Law Practice Management (2)
592
This course focuses on the business fundamentals needed to build a strong law practice of sustaining value, regardless of firm size. It introduces students to the common forms of private practice (partnership, professional corporations and sole practitioners), governance, economic considerations, compensation systems, personnel management, necessary capital investment, systems development and compliance issues. It also examines individual practice management challenges, such as personal marketing, client management, pricing and project management, personal business planning and managing professional relationships.
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Law Practice Technology (2)
572N
This course helps students understand how technology is changing the day-to-day practice of law and the tools they will be most likely to use in practice. This course will survey a number of law practice technologies (e.g., case management, document management, litigation, transactional, back office, and other legal-specific tools) and what roles they play in today’s day-to-day legal work. The emphasis will be on learning the various categories of law practice technologies. Students will also see demonstrations and get some hands-on experience with some of these tools. This course will be particularly useful for students who want to know what technologies they will be expected to use when they start their legal careers. This course assumes students may (or may not) arrive with a range of knowledge and experience in the use of technology and will provide the necessary introduction to the technologies in class.
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Law Review (4)
628
Participation is by invitation or writing competition upon satisfactory completion by full-time students of two full semesters and by part-time students of three full semesters. Four semester hours of ungraded credit earned upon successful completion of a casenote, a comment and all required production work.
Prerequisite(s): (LAW 530D or LAW 530E or LAW 530N or LAW 530Q) and LAW 530J and permission from editorial board
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Law, Science, and Technology (2)
535W
This course is about the role that science and technology play in the law. As scientific knowledge and technology advance, law is increasingly called to rely on them, to adjudicate disputes about them, to employ experts, and to regulate them. Law is embroiled in science and technology from copyright disputes to the use of forensics, from the use of algorithms to the use of surveillance technology to police and regulate society. International law has had to grapple with the use of autonomous weapons and the possible use of robots and cyberattacks. This course examines law’s interaction with science and technology in specific fields like criminal law, evidence, family law, bioethics, employment and labor, environment, and international law. It relies on a law and society approach to explore both what the law has done and what it should do. We will explore both traditional legal texts, social science, science, and popular artistic explorations in science fiction. This course is not a technical approach to either science or technology and no scientific background is required. The emphasis is on law.
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Legal Analysis and Writing (3)
600J
This course will prepare students for success on the bar exam by focusing on three subjects tested on the MBE. Students will improve their ability to respond to multiple-choice MBE questions and narrative MEE questions, receiving formative feedback on essay writing. At the end of each of the three sections of the class, an exam will test students' mastery of the material through multiple-choice and essay questions. A cumulative final will not be given.
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Legal Issues with Energy Development and Wildlife (2)
565C
This course will explore emerging issues in energy law and policy that relate to fish and wildlife. The class is responsible for publishing The Wildlife Law Call, a newsletter on current case law and articles pertinent to energy development and wildlife issues. Students are graded on their individual contribution to this publication.
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Legal Operations (2)
572P
Recent surveys suggest that corporate law department hirings fall 20% into the category of lawyers and 80% into the category of “legal operations.” This course helps students understand what is meant by legal operations, what legal operations professionals (often lawyers) do, and why and how this area is changing the delivery of legal services. This course will survey legal operations categories (e.g., technology, process improvement, project improvement, business of law, litigation support, innovation, et al.). The emphasis will be on learning the various categories that constitute legal operations, what legal operations professionals do, the benefits of legal operations groups, and the growing number of career opportunities for law school graduates. This course will be particularly useful for students who want to know non-practice and nontraditional career paths might be available to them. This course assumes students may (or may not) arrive with a range of knowledge and experience in the use of technology and will provide the necessary introduction to the technologies in class.
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Legislation (3)
579P
(Formerly DCL 329)
This course starts with the premise that understanding the legislative process is important for sophisticated legal analysis in an age of legislation. The course therefore studies different theories of the legislative process, as well as the accompanying doctrines and theories of statutory interpretation. It also examines structures of representative democracy and deliberative decision making, including the principle of "one person, one vote," reapportionment of legislative districts, term limits, the line-item veto, and regulations of campaign finance. Finally, the course considers the use of direct democracy as an alternative to republican government and examines the role of administrative agencies in the implementation and interpretation of statutes. By the end of the semester, students will have a greater understanding of the various public law institutions in the United States, their relationships to one another, and how this knowledge can be used to construct persuasive arguments regarding the application of positive law to particular legal problems.
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Licensing Intellectual Property (2)
533F
(Formerly DCL 516)
The class focuses on managing an intellectual property portfolio to maximize a client's return on investment in intellectual property assets. Unlike other intellectual property courses that focus on obtaining intellectual property rights, the scope of those rights, and the remedies for infringing, this course emphasizes the identification, valuation, and management of intellectual property assets both as a source of revenue and as part of a larger offensive or defensive litigation strategy. Topics covered also include intellectual property assets, management, and licensing in the context of tax and antitrust law. Students will be required to draft part of a license agreement or agreement to transfer ownership of an intellectual property asset. Time permitting, this course will also cover cross-border intellectual property transactions. At the conclusion of this course, a student should appreciate the role of intellectual property as part of creation and management of a larger enterprise.
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Local Government Law (3)
580C
The level of governance closest to the people, local governments play a central role in many of the most important decisions affecting civic life today, including where we live, how our neighborhoods develop, and how we educate our children and police our communities. This course is designed to introduce students to the legal world of local government. By examining and discussing a variety of materials—ranging from legal opinions to scholarly writings to news articles—we will explore sources of local government authority, limits on local government power, and the context in which local governments operate. Our course will cover three core topics. First, we will aim to understand and define the concept of local government. Second, we will consider the relationships that define local government law—relationships with the state, with the federal government, and with other nearby localities. And third, we will turn our focus to local government administration, with an emphasis on how municipalities govern and the stakeholders who exercise local power. At the conclusion of the semester students will possess foundational tools for future practice in local law and policy.
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Local Government Policy Lab (3)
537Y
This course offers students an opportunity to engage in local government practice, learn nontraditional legal analysis and writing skills, and interact with lawyers and policymakers about issues affecting residents and local administrators across Michigan. Through the classroom component of the course, students will explore how local government policies are written and interpreted and the statutory and political environments in which they operate, with the aim that students gain comfort reading, critiquing, editing, and writing operative governance documents. These skills will translate into the field component of the course, in which students will partner with attorneys who work within (and with) local governments across Michigan on a real-world drafting project involving a local government policy, regulation, procedure, or executive order.
Prerequisite(s): LAW 580C Local Government Law
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Marijuana Law (2)
566T
Marijuana Law and Policy continues to be an exciting and rapidly evolving field of study and practice area. Currently, 24 states and Washington DC have legalized recreational marijuana use for adults 21 years of age. Significantly, 41 states, District of Columbia Guam, Puerto Rico, and U.S. Virgin Islands have laws permitting marijuana for medical use and application. Rapidly strict prohibitions of the past are being legislated into history by the states, as federal legislative and regulatory prohibitions remain in place and highly debated.
Marijuana Law and Policy includes student debates of proposed or pending state and federal legislation and whether now is the time to “de-schedule” or “reschedule” marijuana from the federal schedule.
Marijuana Law and Policy Fall course provides a brief history of cannabis (marijuana and hemp), ethics for law practice considerations, elements and application of marijuana laws in Michigan as the primary study model, government regulation, labor and employment issues, and vehicle operations and marijuana use. The course utilizes a case study identifying the applicable state laws and local laws that allow for cannabis businesses.
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Marijuana Law (1)
566T
Marijuana Law – Global Food Law (GFL) is an on-line module course learning via Desire to Learn. This summer course dives into an exciting and rapidly evolving field of study and practice area. Currently, 24 states and Washington DC have legalized recreational marijuana use for adults 21 years of age. Significantly, 41 states, District of Columbia Guam, Puerto Rico, and U.S. Virgin Islands have laws permitting marijuana for medical use and application.
Marijuana Law – Global Food Law (GFL) Summer course is focused on products through a brief history of cannabis (marijuana and hemp), elements and application of marijuana laws in Michigan as the primary study model and information to other state laws and Canada. The summer course utilizes a case study identifying the applicable state law and local law, and addresses cannabis product development within state law.
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Matrimonial Practice (3)
541M
(Formerly DCL 532)
This course provides the practical knowledge and skills necessary to develop expertise in handling matrimonial matters from initial client contact through each step of the proceedings, including Motion Practice and Temporary Orders, Discovery, Custody, Equitable Distribution, Support, Negotiations/Settlement, Mediation, and Settlement Drafting.
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Media Law (3)
534A
This course explores the law that applies to the media as it gathers and disseminates information in a democratic society. Topics may include the historic roots of freedom of the press and speech; libel and invasion of privacy suits; the protection of confidential sources; access to government proceedings and records; student press and speech rights; “citizen journalists” on social media; shield laws, obscenity and sexually explicit speech in media; IP law, including copyright infringement/fair use concerns; and definitional challenges raised by internet news/blogging.
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Media Law Online (2)
533G
The online Media Law course will include recorded lectures punctuated by several videos, recorded music, visual images and news clips to illustrate legal concepts such as defamation, copyright infringement, intrusion into privacy, false light, right to publicity, and other causes of action covered by the course. The online class will include recorded talks by special presenters. A taped panel discussion featuring journalists, bloggers and First Amendment attorneys would also be included.
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Mediation Advocacy (3)
587D
This course gives an overview of the ADR processes and practices with a focus on mediation advocacy. It covers types of mediation, Med-Arb processes, mediation agreements, confidentiality protocols, advocates in mediation, selecting a mediator, structure, strategy of proposed mediation and mediator’s proposals, ethical issues, and impartiality. In addition to these concepts, Michigan Court Rule 2.411 will all be covered. Students will learn the different types of mediation in theory and practice, and learn to effectively advocate for clients in mediation. This course will be offered as part of experiential learning and include simulation exercises.
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Mediation Advocacy and Civil Facilitative Mediator Training (3)
587E
This course meets the civil facilitative mediator training requirement as required by Michigan Court Rule and the Michigan State Court Administrative Office (SCAO). With this training, and the completion of additional requirements, students will be able to apply for inclusion on court mediation rosters. The course includes a variety of graded assignments, including drafting an agreement to mediate (with adequate confidentiality provisions), a post-mediation agreement (with mediation clause), and a mediation representation plan. By balancing theory with practice and paying particular attention to mediation ethics, students completing this course will be prepared to both mediate civil cases and effectively advocate for clients in mediation. Students who have taken Mediation Advocacy and Domestic Relations Mediator Training may not take this course.
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Mediation Advocacy and Domestic Relations Mediator Training (3)
587F
This course meets the domestic relations mediator training requirement as required by Michigan Court Rule and the Michigan State court Administrative Office (SCAO). With this training, and the completion of additional requirements, students will be able to apply for inclusion on court mediation rosters. The course includes a variety of graded assignments, including drafting an agreement to mediate (with adequate confidentiality provisions), a post-mediation agreement (with mediation clause), and a mediation representation plan. By balancing theory with practice and paying particular attention to mediation ethics, students completing this course will be prepared to both mediate domestic relations cases and effectively advocate for clients in mediation. Students who have taken Mediation Advocacy and Civil Facilitative Mediator Training may not take this course.
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Mediation Competition (2)
627M
This is a performance and presentation-based course that serves as the intensive training component for the law school’s Mediation Competition Team. The course covers the mechanics of mediation with a focus on preparation for interscholastic or bar association advocacy competitions. Topics in the course include development of case theory, effective advocacy skills, and appropriate professional conduct. Students must complete at least 24 credits to be eligible for invitation to participate.
Prerequisite(s): Research, Writing and Analysis, Advocacy, and Mediation Advocacy and Civil Facilitative Mediator Training Permission Only
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Mergers and Acquisitions (3)
516
(Formerly DCL 505)
Overview of issues relating to business combinations. The course includes a transactional perspective on mergers and acquisitions, with some consideration of the social and economic significance of business combinations. Attention will be paid to relevant statutes, negotiation, acquisition documents, valuation methodologies, and characteristic problems in negotiated acquisitions, in addition to careful examination of takeover defenses and Delaware case law. Simulations and drafting exercises may be a component.
Prerequisite(s): Business Enterprises
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Michigan Civil Procedure (2)
593A
(Formerly DCL 438)
This course is a survey of Michigan civil procedure at the trial and appellate levels. The purpose of the course is to acquaint students who intend to practice in Michigan with the nuances of state procedural law. Focus will be placed on the differences between the Michigan court rules and the federal rules of civil procedure. Also, the subject matter jurisdiction of the various courts within the state system, as well as Michigan's long-arm statute, will be examined.
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Michigan Statutory Personal Injury Practice (1)
600C
The course will examine the key statutory provisions necessary to analyze Michigan personal injury cases including: no-fault, automobile negligence, owner's liability, dram shop, wrongful death, governmental immunity, and workers' compensation, and the major cases interpreting the statutory provisions. The course covers Michigan bar examined topics and is helpful to students who plan to practice in Michigan.
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Moot Court Competition (Class) (2)
627A
(Formerly DCL 700)
An intramural Moot Court Competition open to all students after their first year. Students who wish to continue in the Moot Court Program must elect Moot Court Competition (Class) during their third semester. The class is a prerequisite for inter-school competition and staff positions.
Prerequisite(s): Advocacy, Research, Writing and Advocacy I, Research, Writing and Advocacy II, Research, Writing & Analysis
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Mortgage Finance (2)
517A
(Formerly Mortgage Banking Law)
This course will explore in depth the various legal issues in the mortgage banking industry, a trillion dollar industry at the heart of the U.S. economy. The focus will be primarily on the residential mortgage segment, as that is the larger and more familiar part of the industry. (Formerly DCL 466)
The course will examine the "life" of a residential mortgage loan, including its origination between a consumer and a mortgage lender, on the one hand, and its metamorphosis into part of the international capital market, on the other. More particularly, the course will involve analysis of the uniform note and mortgage; examination of non-conventional types of residential finance; survey of applicable federal laws and regulations (including Truth-in-Lending, Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act, Equal Credit Opportunity Act, etc.); review of agreements used in the origination and sale of residential mortgage loans; and consideration of the mechanics of securitization of mortgage loans. This will be an interdisciplinary course where students will be able to use concepts of real estate law, consumer law, commercial transactions and securities law.
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Mortgages (2)
593C
(Formerly DCL 406)
This course considers various aspects of the law of suretyship and real property security, including land mortgages, land contracts, right to rents and profits before and after foreclosure sale, redemption, subordination agreements, circuity problems under contradictory systems of priorities pursuant to state and federal law, and security interests in fixtures under Article 9 of the Uniform Commercial Code and the land law.
Prerequisite(s): Property
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Natural Resources Law (2)
566C
Concentration(s): Env. & Nat. Resource Law
(Formerly DCL 463)
This course will explore the legal regimes under which public natural resources are allocated and managed. In addition, this course will consider the laws governing federal public lands, which constitute one-third of the nation. Special attention will be given to the costs and benefits of resources development and conservation, and to the philosophical, historical and constitutional underpinnings of natural resources law and policy. Resources studied will include forests, minerals, oil and gas, rangeland, recreation, water, wilderness and wildlife.
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Negotiation (2)
591C
(Formerly DCL 520)
This course introduces principles of negotiation. Students will be required to engage in multiple mock negotiations, with frequent feedback from the instructor.
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Negotiation Competition (2)
627N
This is a performance and presentation-based course that serves as the intensive training component for the law school's Negotiation Competition Team. The course covers the mechanics of negotiation with a focus on preparation for interscholastic or bar association advocacy competitions. Topics in the course include development of case theory, effective advocacy skills, and appropriate professional conduct. Students must complete at least 24 credits to be eligible for invitation to participate.
Prerequisite(s): Research, Writing and Analysis, Advocacy, and Contract Negotiation Permission Only
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New Horizons in Food Laws in Africa and the Middle East (3)
811A
This online course, introduces food law and regulation as it is currently practiced in the region. Students gain an understanding of the numerous factors influencing the development of food laws and regulations, legal and regulatory complexities, and the flow of food and agricultural products across Africa and the Middle East. Perspectives from legal, regulatory, scientific, and trade interests are considered. The linkage of law and regulatory developments in Africa and the Middle East to broader movements underway on an international basis is explored.
Prerequisite(s): Open to students in the Global Food Law (GFL) Program and others with approval of the college. Requests for enrollment from non-GFL (JDs and other guests) should be sent to foodlaw@law.msu.edu for processing.
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New Technologies and the Law (2)
535T
This course helps students recognize, explain, and critique how the law and legal profession responds to new technologies, and assists students in successfully navigating their legal careers given these challenges. This course will survey a number of new technologies (e.g., APIs, artificial intelligence, blockchain, cloud computing, data analytics, Open Source licensing, quantum computing, and other technologies of growing interest or application). Approximately 25% of this course will focus on application of new technologies in the area of Access to Justice. This course will consider new legal roles (e.g., product counsel and legal operations), challenges technologies bring to traditional delivery of legal services, and practicing law in areas where technology is outpacing the ability of law to stay current. How do lawyers advise clients about managing risks in this new environment? This course will be particularly useful for students who are contemplating representing business or technology clients, using their law degree in non-traditional ways, or working on Access to Justice efforts. This course assumes students may (or may not) arrive with a range of knowledge and experience in the use of technology and will provide the necessary introduction to the technologies in class.
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No-Fault Insurance Law (2)
595
(Formerly DCL 319)
This course will provide an in-depth look at Michigan's version of the no-fault concept. Statutory and case precedent dealing with such issues as coverage, first-party benefits and limits on recovery will be explored. Also, the policy behind and practical application of the no-fault "threshold" will be studied.
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Nonprofit and Tax-Exempt Organizations (2)
572K
This class will examine the formation, governance, operation and the legal framework of nonprofit, tax-exempt organizations. Topics include the state and federal law governing nonprofits; the skills necessary to create, operate, and advocate for nonprofit organizations; determining the legal form of the organization; tax-exempt status under the Internal Revenue Code; fundraising (charitable giving, solicitations, charitable gaming, legal regulation of such activities); limitations on lobbying and political activities; unrelated business income tax rules & planning; duties and responsibilities of the board of directors; liability of nonprofit organizations; and, ethical issues for nonprofits.
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Partnership Taxation (2)
519
(Formerly DCL 316)
Through the use of the problem-solving method, this course will focus on the tax issues associated with the formation, operation, termination and liquidation of partnerships, as well as the sale of partnership interests, related party transactions and classification problems.
EITHER Basic Income Tax A OR Basic Income Tax B, along with EITHER Business Enterprises OR Agency and Partnership, fulfills the prerequesite. Recommended but not required: Business Income Taxation or Corporate Income Taxation
Prerequisite(s): Business Enterprises
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Patent Application Preparation (2)
533J
(Formerly DCL 556)
This course provides a structure and methodology for preparing a universal patent application suitable for filing in patent offices throughout the world. The course provides: 1) application drafting tools for implementing the requirements of Sections 102, 103 and 112 of Title 35, USC; 2) procedures in drafting the application to avoid issues raised in many litigated patents; 3) steps to be taken before actually drafting the application including inventor interview and searching; and 4) actual drafting of a patent application. An engineering or equivalent degree is recommended, i.e., the technical background required to take the patent agents examination to practice before the US Patent Office. PREREQUISITES OR TAKEN CONCURRENTLY: Patent Law OR approval of faculty program chair.
Prerequisite(s): Patent Law
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Patent Law (3)
533K
(Formerly DCL 564)
This course provides a general introduction to patent law, introducing students to the basic legal rules and policies that constitute this important field of intellectual property law. Subjects covered include claim interpretation and patentable subject matter. Students will then spend the majority of the course studying the specific requirements for a valid patent, including the utility, written description, enablement, novelty, and non-obviousness requirements. Patent litigation topics such as infringement, defenses and damages will be covered as time permits. The course will focus on the new America Invents Act (AIA) but will also incorporate older rules as many currently existing patents will be analyzed under pre-AIA standards for the foreseeable future. Although patent cases often involve complicated scientific discoveries or technologies, the essential legal principles or policies rarely depend on understanding the underlying science or technology. Accordingly, students with non-technical backgrounds are encouraged to take this course, particularly given that intellectual property assets, such as patents, are increasingly important to commercial clients the world over.
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Patent Litigation (2)
533R
This course shall consider strategies and procedures pertaining to patent litigation in the U.S. federal courts. Details of the Patent Act and case law shall be analyzed with regard to discovery, motion practice, trial practice, infringement, invalidity and remedies. No technical degree is required. It is recommended students complete Civil Procedure I and II and Patent Law before enrolling in this course.
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Payment Systems (3)
501G
“This course, which is a subject tested on Bar Exams, deals with negotiable instruments pursuant to Article 3 of the UCC along with bank deposits and collections under Article 4, electronic funds transfers under Article 4A and letters of credit under Article 5, all being matters with which attorneys are regularly concerned. Included in the curricula are the related federal regulations, clearing house rules and permissible credit card transactions. The course alerts the student to the proper use, care and pitfalls attendant to negotiable instruments and will include teaching professional and practical aspects of recognizing them, how they are created and how they must be handled so as to avoid losses and liabilities. There is no prerequisite course.”
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Perspectives on U.S. Immigration Law (3)
541V
This interdisciplinary course will examine immigration law and policy from a variety of perspectives such as historical, social, public policy, economic, human rights, and legal perspectives. This approach allows students to explore the development and frameworks that underpin contemporary legal and social issues for more engaged analysis.
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Political Systems and Human Rights in Central and Eastern Europe (1)
545J
This course will focus on the political systems and human rights in selected countries of Central and Eastern Europe having political systems far from democracy. Students will be introduced to the specifics of the political systems of chosen states. Selected comparative issues concerning human rights and their protection will also be introduced.
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Problem-solving Approaches to Conflict Resolution (2)
505C
(Formerly DCL 553)
(Formerly ADR Survey)
This interactive course will cover the following topics: critical perspectives of ADR, negotiations (strategies, positioning for influence, and truthfulness), mediation (structuring enforceable agreements to mediate, confidentiality, mediator liability, and professional responsibility issues in mediation), third party evaluation and fact-finding, settlement perspectives, including the use of class actions, arbitration (preemption, enforceability of agreements to arbitrate, defenses to arbitration, due process, remedies and judicial review, judicial immunity), and alternative dispute resolution in state and federal courts. Teaching modalities will include lecture, simulations, video and exercises, along with selected book readings.
Prerequisite(s): Civil Procedure I
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Products Liability (2)
522
(Formerly DCL 514)
This course will focus on the fundamentals of product liability law practical skills. It examines cutting edge issues that product liability trial lawyers deal with every day in litigation including automotive, pharmaceutical, medical device, consumer products, and toxic tort cases, with an emphasis on automotive design defect litigation that forms a major part of the law. Real-life, current major cases in litigation will be used so that students will be exposed to how product liability litigation is managed. Students will analyze federal legislation and recent case law, including U.S. Supreme Court decisions, learn about regulatory agencies such as NHTSA, FDA and the CPSC, and consider how regulatory agency rules and regulations have a substantial impact on product development and litigation. Students will develop expertise in important topics including expert witness testimony; complex demonstrative exhibits like accident reconstruction, biomechanics, and crash testing; federal preemption; and punitive damages. The course will also cover what companies must do to promote product safety and avoid potential civil and criminal liability. This course provides the perspective of a professor experienced in international product liability law who managed high-exposure litigation and advised clients about liability prevention during product development. The course will equip students with the skills needed to prosecute or defend product liability litigation and also to counsel manufactures to avoid help litigation. The class uses an interactive discussion and is highlighted by distinguished guest speakers and the use of high-technology classroom capabilities, including video-conferences with actual expert witnesses.
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Professional Responsibility (3)
500Q
(Formerly DCL 260)
A course designed to acquaint the law student with many of the obligations owed by the lawyer, both individually and as a member of the legal profession, to the society in which he/she lives. In addition to a discussion of ethical problems involved in the practice of law, an overview of all phases of the profession will be undertaken, including disciplinary proceedings, the functions of Bar organizations and unauthorized practice. Students who have already taken Lawyer Regulation and Ethics in a Technology-Driven World may not take this course.
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Property (4)
500G
(Formerly DCL 113)
This is a survey course of the fundamentals of property law. Possessory interests of real and personal property including findings, bailments and adverse possession are discussed and analyzed. Topics also include future interests, concurrent ownership, lease holds, transfers of land and land use controls.
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Public International Law (3)
548N
Concentration(s): Int'l & Comparative Law
(Formerly DCL 341)
This course involves the study of the international legal system, sources and organizations. It also examines the relationship of individuals and states in international law and transnational legal and economic problems.
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Public Law Colloquium (2)
551C
The Public Law Colloquium offers students an opportunity to examine current issues in Constitutional, Administrative and Regulatory Law at an advanced level. The Colloquium will focus on a significant Public Law issue each week and may include guests working or writing in the area. The specific topics of inquiry will be chosen at the beginning of the semester with an eye to important cases working their way through the courts or before the Supreme Court this term, but generally they will include public law’s role in overseeing the actions of Congress, the President (the institution and the person), and administrative and regulatory agencies; how public law can create a more competitive arena for democratic politics; how administrative and regulatory agency design can improve political accountability, effectiveness, and policy coordination; the extent and limits of the President’s enforcement power as a means of implementing policy; and the role of private enforcement of public rights and public enforcement of private rights.
Students taking the class for 2 credits will be responsible for writing several short “reaction papers†to the readings or “concurring/dissenting opinions†to recent judicial decisions along with one in-class presentation. Students taking the class for 3 credits will also write and present an independent research paper that qualifies for ULWR credit.
Prerequisite(s): Constitutional Law I and The Regulatory State.
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Racial Justice - Legal and Societal Dimensions of Truth & Reconciliation (2)
541W
This class is designed for two cohorts of students (JD students and MSU graduate/undergraduate Honors students) to learn about the concept of racial justice in America, and to explore processes of truth and reconciliation that can help bring about the goals of racial healing and transformation. Students will analyze materials from a number of perspectives, including the legal issues involved in truth and reconciliation, as well as the societal ramifications of such efforts.
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Refugee and Asylum Law Seminar (2)
541U
This course will provide an overview of refugee and asylum law in the United States. It will explore the contours of the refugee definition and each element of an asylum claim by looking at statutes, regulations, treaties, and relevant case law. The course will compare the related protections of withholding of removal and relief under the Convention Against Torture. Finally, the course will discuss U.S. asylum procedure generally, and bars to asylum, both substantive and procedural.
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Regulating Environmental Risk (2)
566Q
This course examines regulatory responses to environmental and other risks to human life and health. It aims to familiarize students with the particular challenges regulators face in responding to such risks, and the spectrum of regulatory choices available to them. Topics to be covered include: Judicial v. administrative regulation of risk, risk assessment and risk management, direct and indirect regulation, cost-benefit analysis, the precautionary principle, and environmental justice. The course will analyze the range of policy, political, and legal-cultural factors behind current American approaches to the regulation of environmental risk.
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Regulation of Agricultural Production & Marketing (3)
810M
This course highlights laws and regulations relevant to agricultural production and distribution of food. Focus is on understanding how laws and regulation influence what farmers raise, how they raise it and market it, and how that affects food quality and value. Topics include current and past methods of supporting production and profitability, agricultural production standards relevant to food products, including organics, and regulation of relationships between produces and buyers.
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Regulatory Leadership in Food Law (3)
810U
In the modern regulatory state, the attorney or regulatory affairs manager is looked to for counsel on more than just the meaning of black letter law, but also for guidance and leadership in dealing with agencies, particularly in adverse or high-stakes situations. This course will provide students with an introduction to regulatory affairs through the regulation of food. Among other concepts, this course will cover: the nature of the regulatory process; the role of regulatory affairs; the practical application of regulatory affairs; tools and strategies concerning regulatory affairs; the nature of assessing and communicating risk; quality controls and management; compliance; and judicial review of agency decisions.
Prerequisite(s): This course is restricted to students in the Global Food Law Program.
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Remedies (2)
593D
(Formerly DCL 423)
This course provides an overview of the main types of remedies available in the American legal system following a determination of liability for violation of contract, tort, property, or constitutional law. The course will cover monetary damages, equitable relief, and examine the implications of choosing particular remedies, when such choice is available.
Prerequisite(s): Students who have taken Equity may not take this course.
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Research, Writing & Analysis (3)
530D
(Formerly LAW500J)
Students begin by learning the basics of the U.S. court system, common law, case briefing and legal analysis. They are then taught the fundamentals of non-electronic legal research and writing through the assignment of problems geared to exercise their analytical and problem-solving abilities. Throughout the semester, students produce several legal research assignments, objective office memoranda and a client letter.
Additional $200 for lab fee will be assessed.
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Research, Writing & Analysis: Intellectual Property Perspective (3)
530E
(Formerly LAW500V)
Students begin by learning the basics of the U.S. court system, common law, case briefing and legal analysis. They are then taught the fundamentals of non-electronic legal research and writing through the assignment of problems geared to exercise their analytical and problem-solving abilities. Throughout the semester, students produce several legal research assignments, objective office memoranda and a client letter, with a focus on trademark, copyright and patent law.
A section fee of $350 will be assessed. This fee supports simulated exercises, including program's final trials.
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Research, Writing & Analysis: Social Justice Perspectives (3)
530Q
This course covers the same curriculum as Research, Writing, and Analysis, but the written projects focus around social justice issues. The topics of assignments may include, but are not limited to, any of the following areas of law: human rights issues, equal access to education and health care, child welfare, human trafficking, immigration, or issues surrounding the Native American community. The problems will give students an opportunity to reflect on what social justice means, and how we can utilize the justice system to achieve equity for marginalized populations. This course is for students who have an interest in social justice issues or who will likely seek positions with public interest organizations.
A section fee of $350 will be assessed. This fee supports simulated exercises, including program's final trials.
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Research, Writing & Analysis: Criminal Law Perspective (3)
530N
This course covers all the same curriculum as Research, Writing, and Analysis, however, all of the written projects, including a closed memorandum, a client letter, and a research memorandum, are placed in the setting of criminal litigation. This course is for students who have an interest in criminal law and/or wish to produce writing samples for a position with a prosecutor or public defender's office, with a private firm that handles criminal litigation, with a state or federal appellate court, or with a trial court that handles a criminal docket.
A section fee of $350 will be assessed. This fee supports simulated exercises, including program's final trials.
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Responsible Lawyering (2)
580E
The course will examine the ethical challenges facing the legal profession today, including maintaining lawyer independence despite litigation funding by non-lawyers and alternative business structures for law firms. The course will also examine how the profession should respond or changes in science and technology that affect law practice, such as AI, electronic data storage and retrieval and the availability of DNA evidence. Each student will be asked to choose and research a particular subject in depth, and write their final paper on it course credit.
Prerequisite(s): Professional Responsibility
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Rethinking Intellectual Property in a Technological Age (2)
535R
A selected topics seminar that considers how intellectual property law (with an emphasis on copyright and trademark) might respond to changing technologies and new models of cultural production.
Prerequisite(s): Past or current enrollment in one or more intellectual property course is recommended.
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Rule of Law and Jurisprudence (1)
579W
This course discusses Rule of Law concepts and surveys various views of law and the legal process. It also examines the judicial decision-making process and the social, political and moral contexts that influence and are influenced by judicial decisions.
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Sales and Leases (3)
501F
This course examines the information and terms, as well as remedies for breach, of contracts for sales of goods, under Article 2 of the Uniform Commercial Code (UCC). The course also examines Article 2A's provisions on leases and provides an overview of the similarities and differences between Article 2 of the UCC and the United Nations Convention on the International Sale of Goods. Other topics that the course may cover include documents of title under Article 7 of the UCC, Magnuson Moss Warranty Act, or the Uniform Computer Information Transactions Act (UCITA). The class is not open to students who already have taken Commercial Transactions Survey (LAW 501M), or the 4-credit hour Sales and Secured Transactions class.
Prerequisite(s): Contracts. Students who have taken Commercial Transactions Survey or 4-cr. Sales and Secured Transactions may not take this class.
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Sales and Secured Transactions (4)
501N
The course is designed for students interested in some of the basic issues arising under Articles 2 and 9 of the Uniform Commercial Code. The course will begin with Sales, and will cover issues to which students are not exposed in the first-year Contracts course, including title and risk of loss. The class also will examine UCC remedies in more depth. The second half of the course will cover Secured Transactions. Students will learn about creation and perfection of security interests, as well as the various rules determining priority among secured creditors. The course also will cover the intersection between Article 9 and the Bankruptcy Code, e.g., preferences.
Prerequisite(s): Students who have taken either Sales and Leases or Secured Transactions may not enroll in the course.
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Secured Transactions (2)
501E
(Formerly DCL 240)
Covers the process of financing the sale of goods, the secured transaction under Article 9 of the Uniform Commercial Code, including creation, perfection, priority of security interests in personal property and default procedures.
Prerequisite(s): Students who have taken Sales and Secured Transactions may not take this class.
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Secured Transactions and Practice (3)
501J
Students may not elect this course after taking the two credit Secured Transaction course (501E). This course examines the intricacies of a secured transaction under Revised Article 9 of the Uniform Commercial Code. The basic course content is the same as that covered in Secured Transactions (501E) including the creation, perfection and priority of security interests in personal property. Additionally, this course will include a drafting exercise and a more in-depth examination of the secured party’s practice in the bankruptcy arena. Students will draft a security agreement and complete all necessary companion paperwork based upon the sale of a business. Prerequisites: Contracts II (500E) OR Contracts (530B)
Prerequisite(s): Contracts, Contracts II
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Securities Regulation I (3)
524B
(Formerly DCL 428)
This course examines the registration requirements applicable to public offers of securities under the Securities Act of 1933 and the Michigan Blue Sky Law. Primary emphasis will be placed upon the various types of securities that are subject to registration and the exemptions from registration requirements. In addition, the course will explore, in further depth, the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934. Business Enterprises may be taken concurrently.
Prerequisite(s): Business Enterprises
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Seminar in Race, Law and American Culture: From Slavery to Post Civil Rights (3)
541S
This course examines race history in the United States, with primary reference to the culture and the law affecting African-Americans from slavery to post-Civil Rights. The objective of the course is to provide insight of the evolution of legal doctrine relating to race, examining and critically analyzing continuities and discontinuities; and equip students with the ability to debate, as lawyers and public citizens, the contemporary issues in race relations, with reference to the history of all racial and ethnic minorities and the complications of increasing diversity in racial, ethnic, and cultural traditions in the U.S.
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Shareholder Democracy (2)
593M
This course examines a wide range of legal issues pertaining to shareholder democracy. Shareholders actively influence corporate decision-making processes through various channels, including informal negotiations with management, voting on director elections, and shareholder proposals. Through this course, students will gain an in-depth understanding of the governing laws and key players for each engagement mechanism, and they will also consider how much shareholder democracy should be embraced in the realm of corporate decision-making.
Prerequisite(s): LAW 500M Business Enterprises
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Special Topics in Comp Law: Comparative Constitutional Law (1)
549C
This course covers special topics in law that may be taught in conjunction with MSU Law programs, visiting professors or other reasons.
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Special Topics in Global Food Law (3)
811B
Designed to explore the rapidly evolving technologies, frequent revisions to the global regulatory landscape, and continually changing consumer demands of food law, this online course focuses on current, emerging and controversial issues. The course emphasizes understanding current issues as well as their long term implications. The impact of these changes are felt along the entire food supply chain and a special focus is given to food production and sourcing as well as the policies impacted.
Prerequisite(s): This course is intended for students in the Global Food Law Program.
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Sports and Inequality (2)
609A
This seminar will examine legal and social implications of various forms of discrimination in both professional and amateur sports. Legal efforts to address discrimination in sports based on race, gender, disability, and sexual orientation will be discussed. Specifically, the seminar will dive into racial and gender inequities both on the field and in front offices, gender segregation and exclusion in professional sports, NCAA eligibility criteria, the effects and future of Title IX, sexual orientation discrimination in sports, and sports opportunities for people with disabilities. There will be class discussion postings, presentations, and a final paper and presentation to the class.
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Sports Law (2)
609
(Formerly DCL 351)
This course explores the legal structure of and problems surrounding amateur and professional sports leagues and associations. Included will be an examination of the role of the collective bargaining process, representation of the professional athlete, individual contracts and arbitration in professional sports, anti-trust law implications and common problem areas, including the particular place of tort and criminal law in professional and amateur sports.
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State and Local Taxation (3)
501P
Concentration(s): Tax
This course covers the requirements of uniformity and equality in addition to other constitutional limitations on taxes exacted by state and local governments. Specific topics include interstate and foreign commerce, due process, equal protection, privileges and immunities of state citizenship, and intergovernmental immunities. The course will examine differences among income sales, and property taxes and their distinctive contributions to public finance at the state and local levels. If time permits, the course will also cover exemptions, refunds, and other remedial aspects of state and local taxation.
Note: Previously offered as 572B.
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State Constitutional Law (3)
573A
In an era of increasing ideological and political polarization, as well as vigorous debates over how to interpret the U.S. Constitution, the attention of advocates, policymakers, and legal reformers has increasingly focused on state constitutions. Though every state has a constitution, they look significantly different—they create different structures, require different processes, protect different rights, and provide different opportunities for voter input on important questions about governance.
This course takes students on a fifty-state survey of state constitutions, including their significance and role in our federal system, how to read and interpret state constitutional texts, and the structures created and rights protected by state constitutions. Students will learn more about the unique separation-of-powers questions that are presented at the state level, state court decisions to guarantee individual rights and liberties that are unprotected by the U.S. Constitution, and how state constitutions fit into our federal system. By the end of the course, students will have a familiarity with the important principles that animate state constitutional development and litigation and will understand how to interpret a state constitution.
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Strategic International Transactions (3)
512G
This course introduces students to an array of contemporary issues which can be encountered in cross border transactions, including acquisitions, joint ventures and foreign direct investment, project finance, international equity financing transactions, overseas activities of NGOs, etc. The course will discuss broad questions relating to international transactions generally, such as corruption, money laundering, currency risk, political upheavals, dispute resolution, etc. Students select a current international topic or question of particular interest to research and will make a formal presentation of their paper.
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Street Law - Teaching Law to High School Students (3)
630K
The class is a three-credit course and includes up to 12 law students who teach in pairs in various Lansing high school social studies classes. The substance of the course utilizes discussion of landmark Supreme Court cases in the context of hypothetical fact patterns that relate to the high school students' lives. The topics of the classes can include the American Legal System, Constitutional Law, and Criminal Law. The law student instructors use interactive teaching methodologies such as small group exercises, role plays, and simulations of legal proceedings that the student instructors practice in a weekly seminar at the law school. The course has two components: a 100-minute weekly seminar, and a field component in which the law students teach in one-hour increments. Law students are responsible for developing lesson plans and executing those plans once the plans are approved by both the Law School faculty member and the high school teacher. Students' grades are based in part on their performance during the training and seminar portions of the course and in part on their performance in the high school classrooms that are monitored by the law school faculty member.
The credit/no credit option cannot be elected.
Prerequisite(s): Constitutional Law I, Constitutional Law II, Criminal Law
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Supply Chain Law (2)
572M
The path from sourcing raw materials to delivering products directly to your door is now a vast and complex web of transactions. Our increasingly global supply chains raise many new legal issues. This course helps students understand both supply chains and the current and future legal issues arising from our supply chains. Students will learn the many areas of law that play a role in supply chains and what a supply chain law practice might look like. This course will be particularly useful for JD/MBA students and JD students wanting to pursue careers in business law. This course assumes students may (or may not) arrive with a range of knowledge and experience in the supply chains and will provide the necessary introduction to the supply chains in class.
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Supreme Court Seminar (2)
580B
This seminar focuses on significant issues pending before the Supreme Court of the United States during the current term. Students will act as attorneys and justices, presenting oral arguments, questioning advocates, and deliberating and deciding cases. Students will be responsible for writing one majority opinion, one concurring or dissenting opinion, and one short analytical paper. The seminar will also consider the place of the Supreme Court in our governmental system, including the appropriate role of judicial review in a constitutional democracy and how the Court decides cases. Students may also write an independent research paper that qualifies for ULWR credit.
Prerequisite(s): The first-year curriculum, including Constitutional Law and the Regulatory State. Constitutional Law II and Administrative Law are recommended but not required.
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Survey of Hemp (1)
811D
This course provides an overview of the laws and regulations related to hemp at the state and federal levels. Covers the history and decriminalization of hemp. Introduction to agency battles, unique issues encountered in production, various uses of the plant and its extracts, and a look at how the rest of the world views hemp.
Prerequisite(s): This course intended for students in the Global Food Law program only.
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Survey of Intellectual Property in Agriculture (3)
810N
This course is a survey of the intellectual property concepts that are important in the Agriculture Industry. Beginning with an introduction to intellectual property generally, the class will focus on utility patents, plant patents, and Plant Variety Act certificates, including international perspectives. Trade secrets and trademarks will also be discussed. Once students are grounded in the applicable intellectual property law, the class will turn its focus to the impact that intellectual property rights have on access to food products and food safety. No scientific or other class pre-requisites are required.
Prerequisite(s): This course is restricted to students in the Global Food Law Program.
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Tax Clinic I (4)
630C
(Formerly DCL 476)
Students enrolled in Tax Clinic I become "client ready" by representing clients with respect to a broad range of federal, state, and local tax controversies. Students advocate for their clients by working through a variety of administrative determinations, as well as by routinely participating in collection due process and Appeals hearings before the Internal Revenue Service and informal conferences before the Michigan Department of Treasury. In addition, they litigate cases in the United States Tax Court, the Michigan Tax Tribunal, the United States District Courts, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, and Michigan appellate courts. Students also counsel ESL taxpayers about their rights and responsibilities under the Internal Revenue Code, and engage in numerous outreaches designed to educate the public about tax issues and requirements. All work takes place under the guidance and close supervision of experienced clinical faculty. Class sessions focus not only on substantive tax issues, but also on professional development, ethical considerations, policy matters, and client and case management. Students must work a minimum of 196 hours - in addition to class time - during the semester, and are expected to participate in a one-day orientati1n scheduled before the beginning of the semester.
Prerequisite(s): For students admitted before Fall 2011, Research, Writing & Advocacy I and II; for students admitted in Fall 2011 and later, Research, Writing & Analysis and Advocacy.
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Tax Clinic II (4)
630D
(Formerly DCL 515)
Tax Clinic II is a continuing opportunity to students who have successfully completed coursework in Tax Clinic I to enable them to further refine their skills in counseling and representing clients, to take on more complex assignments, and to assist in mentoring Tax Clinic I students. Students must work a minimum of 196 hours during the semester.
Prerequisite(s): Tax Clinic I
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Tax Policy Seminar (2)
572D
(Formerly DCl 517)
This seminar covers a range of tax policy issues arising from Federal Taxation. The specific issues studied will vary but, in general, will focus on progressivity and redistribution. Topics likely to be covered include: the use of the income tax as a fiscal policy tool; the concept of income; imputed income; progressive versus flat tax rates; taxation of families; income versus consumption taxation; tax expenditures, exclusions, and deductions; taxation of business and investment income; capital gains and losses; and transfer or wealth taxes. A paper will be required. The topic will be determined after consultation with the instructor.
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Technology Transactions Skills (3)
537T
This course introduces students to the core laws that affecting technology transactions and the way transactions are structured, documented and completed in contemporary transactional legal practice. The course will teach students the rudimentary skills of transactional drafting, including such skills as identifying the objectives or purposes of any given document, drafting to accomplish those objectives or purposes, and negotiating and collaborating to arrive at a final document acceptable to all parties involved in the transaction. Student will learn to analyze, revise and draft contracts in light of the unique substantive legal environment applicable to both consumer-to-business and business-to-business technology transactions.
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The Law of American Chattel Slavery: Origins and Development (2)
541Y
Law played a critical role in creating and perpetuating American chattel slavery. This course examines the origins, development, and legacy of the laws that built and sustained a slave society. It will explore the legal efforts that slaveowners made to protect their property and the role of judges and lawyers in treating people as property. This class will also examine resistance to slavery through the legal system, following abolitionists, politicians, and enslaved people as they attempted to make a legal case for freedom. The historical law of slavery will be placed into context in light of its continued relevance for American law.
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Topics in Comparative Copyright (1)
535J
This course will expose students, from a comparative perspective, different national treatments of copyright and trademark law. Beginning with an examination of various justifications for IP protection, the court sees how countries share and differ over the purposes and function of copyright law and trademark within their jurisdictions. Special attention will be paid to the role of IP in protecting food and local cultural production.
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Topics in Constitutional Law (0)
579U
Special topics in constitutional law that may be taught in conjunction with MSU law program
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Topics in Constitutional Law: Judicial Biographies (2)
579U
This course will be an examination of the form, sources, and purpose of judicial biographies and other primary materials about judges, with particular reference to the U.S. Supreme Court. Students will study inside stories of the Supreme Court or other courts, archival materials from judges’ papers, and historical interpretations of the dynamics among judges within court and by judges with political actors.
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Topics in Constitutional Law: Comparative Citizenship (1)
579U
After providing an overview of the ways in which individuals become citizens in a formal sense, this course will explore what citizenship means in a substantive sense and how those meanings have been created and changed through constitutional provisions, legislation, and judicial interpretation in various democracies.
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Topics in Constitutional Law: International Perspectives on Speech (2)
579U
This course will examine a number of free speech issues in a variety of democratic countries. There will also be a paper that meets the ULWR.
The first half of the course will examine material in the course text. The second half will consist of presentations of student papers.
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Topics in Constitutional Law: Leadership Transitions (2)
579U
The seminar will examine the following hypothesis, using historical patterns across dimensions of political systems, as well as organizational settings: In democracies, defined as non-dictatorships with some element of consent in the social and political culture for the selection of leaders, there must be a basis for forced endings of leader terms of office. A particular focus will be the use of votes of no confidence in nonprofit institutions to force the expulsion of leaders against the preferences of the governing body.
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Topics in Constitutional Law: Presidential Powers (2)
579U
This course examines the scope and limits of presidential power in the United States. It considers leading theories of presidential power, including unitary executive theory, and covers related topics such as executive orders, presidential pardons, diplomatic appointments and foreign affairs, White House control of the regulatory state, special counsel investigations, executive privilege, and impeachment.
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Topics in Constitutional Law: The Supreme Court's October Term 2021 (2)
579U
This seminar will exam important cases before the Supreme Court in 2021-2022 with a focus on constitutional and public law. Students will be responsible for writing several short reaction papers or judicial opinions along with one in-class presentation. Students may take the class for ULWR credit.
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Topics in Criminal Law: Theories of Punishment (2)
618
Through the close reading of philosophical texts, this seminar will examine the moral foundations of criminal law and sentencing. The overarching question is this: Why, if at all, is the state entitled to intentionally harm someone when they commit an offense?
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Topics in Cyberlaw from an International Perspective (1)
535K
This course will cover international aspects of cyber law, including problems in international jurisdiction, the Conventional on Cybercrime, the role of ICAAN in internet regulation, and the WIPO Internet Domain Name resolution process. In addition, we will cover several issues in international e-commerce, such as international recognition of valid e-signatures. Students will examine how the unique features of the internet affect both international and national regulatory regimes.
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Topics in European Private Law and Intellectual Property Law (2)
535M
This course is intended to provide students with the basic knowledge and general understanding of fundamental concepts in European private law and particularly in European intellectual property law. Where appropriate the course includes comparisons to the US law. In addition, the course aims at identifying specific issues in the field of IP which emerged in the course of Croatian preparation for the accession to the European Union.
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Topics in International IP (1)
535G
This course will examine how international legal regimes affect international property rights on a global basis. The course will cover the major IP regimes: copyright, patent, and trademark. The course will pay special attention to the TRIPS Agreement, how it affects national IP regulation and how it works as an international treaty mechanism. Other topics will include exhaustion of trademarks, different national approaches to the protection of data, and geographical indicators.
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Topics in Tort Law (0)
525B
Special topics in tort law that may be taught in conjunction with MSU law program.
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Torts I (4)
500R
(Formerly DCl 141)
The study of the protection that the law affords against interference by others with one's person, property or intangible interest. It is broadly divisible into three areas of liability: intentional interference, negligence and strict liability. Specific tort actions and defenses are analyzed. Each is examined in the context of underlying social and economic factors that provide the framework in which law develops and social conflict is managed.
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Torts II (2)
525
This course surveys specialized torts such as nuisance, defamation, privacy, civil rights, misuse of legal procedure, misrepresentation, interference with advantageous relationships, torts in the age of statutes, and alternative compensation systems.
Prerequisite(s): Torts
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Trade Secrets, Restrictive Covenants, and Unfair Competition (2)
535U
This course will explore the origin, theory, elements, and practice of trade secret, restrictive covenant, and unfair competition law, as well as the recent developments, and controversies, in these areas. This subject involves the intersection of many different types of law including contract, tort, intellectual property, employment, anti-trust, and international. It will examine the natural tension between the desire to protect legitimate business interests and the freedom to pursue jobs and other opportunities, which has lately resulted in the expansion of trade secret protection, and the judicial, legislative, and regulatory limitation on non-competition agreements. Topics include what makes something a trade secret under the federal Defense of Trade Secrets Act and the Uniform Trade Secrets Act, how this right differs from others, and the remedies available. The course will analyze the traditional and evolving treatment of non-competition, non-solicitation, and other restrictive covenants. There will be a special emphasis on the actual litigation of these cases, which often involves speed, forensics, and drama, as well as the proper drafting of enforceable restrictions.
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Trademark Counterfeiting (3)
533Y
Trademark counterfeiting is currently one of the most lucrative transnational crimes, with revenue surpassing the illegal drug and weapons trade. The importance in combatting it is becoming increasingly important to industry, the legal community, law enforcement, and government. Trademark counterfeiting has exploded with increased use of e-commerce and continuing globalization of the supply chain and it has become even more challenging to protect a company’s product and brand. Above all, the law, in the US and abroad, is the main basis for keeping this phenomenon at bay. Without incentive for companies to protect their consumers, governments to protect their citizens, and the legitimate business to prevent illicit trade, consumers worldwide can be injured or even die from counterfeits. Additionally, proceeds from the trafficking and sale are linked to organize crimes, narcotrafficking, slave-like labor practices and in some cases terrorism. Both reactive and proactive legal responses will be explored in this class through trademark law, criminal law, and contract law.
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Trademark Law and Unfair Competition Law (2)
533N
(Formerly DCL 461)
This course addresses current issues and developments such as the constitutional foundations and limitations of trademark protection, domain names and cybersquatting.
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Trial Competition (2)
627R
This is a performance and presentation-based course that serves as the intensive training component for the law school’s Mock Trial Team. The course covers the mechanics of trial practice with a focus on preparation for interscholastic or bar association competitions. Topics in the course include development of case theory, effective advocacy skills, and appropriate professional conduct. Students must complete at least 24 credits to be eligible for invitation to participate.
Prerequisite(s): Research, Writing and Analysis, and Advocacy Permission Only
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Trial Practice Institute - Trial I (3)
623D
(Formerly DCL 534)
Must be in the Trial Practice Institutue program.
Because certain non-TPI courses duplicate the content of this course, students may not also receive academic credit for the following courses: Applied Evidence, Civil Trial Advocacy I, Civil Trial Advocacy II, Client Counseling and Interviewing, Criminal Trial Advocacy I - Pre-Trial, Criminal Trial Advocacy II - Trial II.
A section fee of $350 will be assessed. This fee supports simulated exercises, including program’s final trials.
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Trial Practice Institute – Scientific Evidence & Legal Technology (3)
623N
Concentration(s): Trial Practice Institute
Scientific Evidence & Legal Technology reviews the maximization of technology in the delivery of legal services. This course requires students to develop a competence in the use of experts during litigation, the e-discovery process, and new legal delivery methods.
Prerequisite(s): Because certain non-TPI courses duplicate the content of this course, students may not also receive academic credit for the following courses: Applied Evidence, Civil Trial Advocacy I, Civil Trial Advocacy II, Client Counseling and Interviewing, Criminal Trial Advocacy I - Pre-Trial, Criminal Trial Advocacy II - Trial II.
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Trial Practice Institute – Trial Presentation (2)
623M
Concentration(s): Trial Practice Institute
This course reviews the efficient use of courtroom technology and the presentation of electronic evidence, effective verbal and nonverbal communication skills, and proper courtroom etiquette and decorum during the various stages of litigation.
Prerequisite(s): Because certain non-TPI courses duplicate the content of this course, students may not also receive academic credit for the following courses: Applied Evidence, Civil Trial Advocacy I, Civil Trial Advocacy II, Client Counseling and Interviewing, Criminal Trial Advocacy I - Pre-Trial, Criminal Trial Advocacy II - Trial II.
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Trial Practice Institute-Pretrial II (2)
623C
(Formerly DCL 513)
Must be in the Trial Practice Institute program. Pretrial II focuses on the fundamental approaches of persuasion, elements of advocacy and methods of effective presentation. The class is divided into four teams of four people which are then assigned depositions of witnesses in a problem with fact, lay and expert witnesses. At the conclusion of the deposition phase of the problem, motions in limine are prepared and argued by each team. Additionally, a facilitative mediation brief is prepared by all teams and argued. At the conclusion of the class, opening statements are prepared and presented by each one of the teams. The students will be prepared at the end of the course for the elements of the Trial I course that will commence in the second year of the program. Must be in the Trial Practice Institute program.
Because certain non-TPI courses duplicate the content of this course, students may not also receive academic credit for the following courses: Applied Evidence, Civil Trial Advocacy I, Civil Trial Advocacy II, Client Counseling and Interviewing, Criminal Trial Advocacy I - Pre-Trial, Criminal Trial Advocacy II - Trial II.
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Trial Practice Institute-Trial II (3)
623E
(Formerly DCL 542 and DCL 565, Formerly Trial Practice Institute-Trial IIA and Trial Practice Institute-Trial IIB )
Must be in the Trial Practice Institute program. This course caps the trial training program at Michigan State University-DCL College of Law. The purpose of the course is to provide graduating seniors with the opportunity to use the skills and education they have received to handle a complete criminal case, from their initial interview with the client (or making the charging decision based upon a law enforcement investigation and request for warrant). This program is unique in that the defendant, law enforcement witnesses, civilian witnesses, and expert witnesses will be students from the Michigan State University, Department of Theatre. The expert witnesses will be students from the Michigan State University Medical School. The objective for all students involved is to have hands on experience related to their particular college and curriculum at Michigan State University. Law students will have an opportunity to take a criminal case from start to finish, investigating the facts of the case, preparing for all aspects of the case through the development of the theory of the case, interviewing witnesses, conducting the preliminary examination, motion practice and culminating with the trial itself. The goal is to provide an opportunity to put into practice what students have learned over their law school career at MSU College of Law. Must be in the Trial Practice Institute program.
Because certain non-TPI courses duplicate the content of this course, students may not also receive academic credit for the following courses: Applied Evidence, Civil Trial Advocacy I, Civil Trial Advocacy II, Client Counseling and Interviewing, Criminal Trial Advocacy I - Pre-Trial, Criminal Trial Advocacy II - Trial II.
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Trial Practice Institute: Pre-Trial I (3)
623B
(Formerly DCL 506)
Must be in the Trial Practice Institute program.
Because certain non-TPI courses duplicate the content of this course, students may not also receive academic credit for the following courses: Applied Evidence, Civil Trial Advocacy I, Civil Trial Advocacy II, Client Counseling and Interviewing, Criminal Trial Advocacy I - Pre-Trial, Criminal Trial Advocacy II - Trial II.
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Trial Practice Institute: Trial Practicum (0)
623J
This course will provide the foundation for trial work to all TPI students, but is designed for TPI students who do not have advocacy experience through the Moot Court & Trial Advocacy Board (Board). The course includes instruction on the component parts of a trial, such as opening statement, direct examination, cross examination, and closing argument. It also explores introducing exhibits, impeachment, the mechanics of refreshing recollection, and the recorded recollection hearsay exception. It will also provide students with an opportunity to refine these skills on their feet.
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Trial Practice Institute: Expert and Scientific Evidence (2)
623F
(Formerly DCL 543)
This course will present students with a discussion of the nature of forensic science and scientific evidence. Topics include: forensic science, scientific evidence, admissibility of scientific evidence, quality assurance and control. There will also be lectures on certain areas of forensic science that are often the subject of litigation. These include DNA, inferential statistics, traffic accident reconstruction, forensic engineering, forensic pathology, paternity testing and drunk driving. Must be in the Trial Practice Institute program. Because certain non-TPI courses duplicate the content of this course, students may not also receive academic credit for the following courses: Applied Evidence, Civil Trial Advocacy I, Civil Trial Advocacy II, Client Counseling and Interviewing, Criminal Trial Advocacy I - Pre-Trial, Criminal Trial Advocacy II - Trial II.
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Trial Practice Institute: Theatrical Skills - Advocacy as a Performing Art (1)
623A
(Formerly DCL 533)
A 7 week workshop designed to enhance a students' advocacy skills through application of actor training techniques by increasing student awareness of the ability to communicate effectively with both voice and body. The course consists of one 1 hour 50 minute session per week for 7 weeks in which students will participate in various acting exercises and improvisations emphasizing effective use of body language and physical expressiveness, developing spontaneity in presenting prepared material, exploring the rhetorical hooks and vocal nuances essential to persuasive speaking and strengthening storytelling skills. At the end of the workshop, students will present a public speech by a current or historical speaker as if it was an opening or closing argument to a jury. Must be in the Trial Practice Institute program.
Because certain non-TPI courses duplicate the content of this course, students may not also receive academic credit for the following courses: Applied Evidence, Civil Trial Advocacy I, Civil Trial Advocacy II, Client Counseling and Interviewing, Criminal Trial Advocacy I - Pre-Trial, Criminal Trial Advocacy II - Trial II.
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Tribal Law (2)
635E
(This course replaces Advanced Topics in Indian Law: Tribal Law) A survey of the laws that tribes enact to govern themselves. It considers issues ranging from governance (elections, justice systems, and tribal constitutions), to conflicts between individuals (contracts, property, domestic relations, torts), to regulation of a tribal community's economy.
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Trusts and Estates (4)
501D
(Formerly Decedents' Estates and Trusts) A study of the pattern of practices for transmitting wealth in view of death. The course surveys probate jurisdiction and administration; intestate succession; limitations on testamentary power; execution requirements for wills; revocation, revalidation and revival of wills; incorporation by reference; contest of wills and related remedies. Also covered are the private express trust, inter vivos and testamentary, including functions, prohibited trust purposes and requisites for creation; informal and incomplete trusts, including resulting, constructive and savings bank trusts; termination of trusts; gifts to charity, including historical backgrounds, nature of charitable purposes
and cy pres; powers and duties of the fiduciary; and remedies of beneficiaries in case of breach of duty.
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Water Law (2)
566U
This course will explore the various legal frameworks that govern the protection, allocation, and distribution of water within the United States. Beginning with the early-American common law water right of “first come, first served,” which still exist in many states today, students will learn about the most significant laws aimed at regulating water, as well as the environmental conditions that necessitated the passage of such landmark legislation as the Clean Water Act and the Safe Drinking Water Act. This course will also cover the public health and social justice implications of inequitable access to clean affordable water which are driving recent water law reforms at the state and federal levels prompted by a series of water crises throughout the country –including the Flint Water Crisis.
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Wildlife Law (2)
565B
(Formerly DCL 376)
A study of how the legal system deals with wildlife issues. While federal law affecting wildlife is studied, this course's primary focus will be on the authority of the state fish and wildlife agencies to manage wildlife and the relationship of the federal and state governments as managers of the public’s wildlife. It will review wildlife related laws from a variety of perspectives, including those that recognize sustainable use as a valid conservation tool, and regulated hunting as a component of conservation and sound wildlife management.
The class is responsible for publishing The Wildlife Law Call, a newsletter on current case law and articles pertinent to wildlife issues. Students are graded on their individual contribution to this publication.
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Wine, Beer, & Spirits Laws and Regulations (3)
810Y
The course emphasizes federal laws, specifically regulation by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau. Among other concepts, this course will cover: industry’s primary regulators, the classification of beverages, the regulation of labeling and advertising, three-tier distribution system, excise taxes, and liability.
Prerequisite(s): This course is intended for students in the Global Food Law Program.
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Workers' Compensation (3)
610
This course approaches workers’ compensation from a national perspective, exposing students to the varied laws across the country while focusing on the common principles of this area of law in all states. With its “no fault” status, workers’ disability compensation is a unique type of law which impacts businesses and most workers in the United States. The Michigan Workers’ Disability Compensation Act is used as the model law for the class and several important Michigan cases are included as additional course materials.
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Wrongful Convictions Seminar (2)
617E
Thousands of innocent defendants who were convicted of crimes have been exonerated and released from prison in the United States in the past few decades, and the pace of exonerations is increasing. This seminar will focus on what we have learned about the conviction and exoneration of innocent defendants and where we may be heading. We will particularly focus on prosecutorial discretion as a feature of the system that both contributes to the problem and offers paths to prevent and remedy false convictions.
Prerequisite(s): Criminal Procedure Adjudication and Criminal Procedure Investigation are recommended.
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