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Spring 2019 Class Descriptions

California Civil Discovery Practice (LWLP521)

Instructor(s): Virginia Nelson

2 credit(s), H/P/L/F Graded
Requirement(s): Experiential
Concentration(s): Civil Litigation (JD)

This course focuses on the primary written discovery procedures in California, a major component of pre-trial litigation. Students will learn the critical references, rules and resources required to create a discovery plan as well as the appropriate use of interrogatories (form and special), requests for production, requests for admission, and requests for physical and mental exams. Objections to these discovery devices, responses to discovery requests, meet and confers, protective orders and sanctions will also be covered. The form and format for depositions will be examined as well as demonstrations in conducting a basic deposition. The California Civil Discovery Act will be compared to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure in all the written discovery devices described above as well as depositions. The class will follow a hypothetical and be exposed to the perspective of all sides in conducting discovery. Students will discuss a plan for discovery, draft discovery devices, formulate objections to discovery requests, analyze use of a privilege log, and participate in mock depositions. Students who complete this course will gain an understanding of the broad framework of California pre-trial discovery, effective and ineffective discovery devices, some of the key differences between the state and federal discovery systems, and the requirements and practical tips for taking depositions. This class does not cover E-discovery. This class is limited to 20 students.

Child Advocacy Clinic: Delinquency I (LWVL503)

Instructor(s): Robert Fellmeth, Jessica Heldman

4 credit(s), H/P/L/F Graded
Requirement(s): Experiential
Concentration(s): Children's Rights (JD)
Prerequisite(s): See course description

Students work with assigned attorneys from the San Diego Office of the Public Defender, representing juveniles in delinquency court proceedings. Students are exposed to a wide variety of experiences, such as interviewing their minor clients; preparing briefs and motions; participating in hearings and conferences; coordinating with probation officers, investigators, etc.; and making court appearances as necessary and appropriate. Delinquency Clinic students must commit 20 hours per week to their Clinic work, and there is an additional one-hour classroom component each week. Students must have completed or be enrolled in Evidence, Civil Procedure and Child Rights and Remedies. Clinic slots are limited; students must obtain a permission slip from Professor Robert Fellmeth or Elisa Weichel before registering for the course.

Note: This clinic may be applied as the required clinic for the Children's Rights Concentration (JD).
Additional Information: Children's Rights JD Concentration

Child Advocacy Clinic: Dependency I & II (LWVL507)

Instructor(s): Robert Fellmeth, Jessica Heldman

4 credit(s), H/P/L/F Graded
Requirement(s): Experiential
Concentration(s): Children's Rights (JD)
Prerequisite(s): See course description

Students work with assigned attorneys from the Dependency Legal Group of San Diego, representing abused and neglected children in dependency court proceedings. Students are exposed to a wide variety of experiences, such as interviewing child clients; presenting evidence during bench trials; preparing briefs and memoranda; participating in settlement conferences; conducting field work with investigators; and making court appearances as necessary and appropriate. Dependency Clinic students must commit 16 hours per week to their Clinic work, and there is an additional one-hour classroom component each week. Students must have completed or be enrolled in Evidence, Civil Procedure and Child Rights and Remedies. Clinic slots are limited; students must obtain a permission slip from Professor Robert Fellmeth or Elisa Weichel before registering for the course.

Note: This clinic may be applied as the required clinic for the Children's Rights Concentration (JD).
Additional Information: Children's Rights JD Concentration

Child Advocacy Clinic: Policy I & II (LWVL505)

Instructor(s): Robert Fellmeth, Jessica Heldman

1-3 credit(s), H/P/L/F Graded
Requirement(s): Experiential
Concentration(s): Children's Rights (JD)
Prerequisite(s): Child Rights & Remedies

Students work with CAI professional staff on legislative and regulatory policy advocacy projects, impact litigation, public education projects, and/or policy research and analysis of current applications of law and regulations as they affect children. Policy Clinic students are also able to serve as Educational Representatives for at-risk youth and/or assist CAI’s Homeless Youth Outreach Project. Students must have completed or be enrolled in Child Rights and Remedies. Clinic slots are limited; students must obtain a permission slip from Professor Robert Fellmeth or Elisa Weichel before registering for the course.

Note: This clinic may be applied as the required clinic for the Children's Rights Concentration (JD).
Additional Information: Children's Rights JD Concentration

Civil Clinic I (LWVL510)

Instructor(s): Allen Gruber, Joe Villasenor

2-4 credit(s), H/P/L/F Graded
Requirement(s): Experiential
Concentration(s): Civil Litigation (JD)
Prerequisite(s): Civil Procedure, Evidence
Recommended Class(es): Trial Advocacy or Practicum

Students interview, counsel and represent clients at Superior Court or in administrative hearings in a wide variety of cases under the supervision of an attorney. Students draft pleadings and correspondence, as well as confer and negotiate with opposing counsel/parties. Weekly group meetings are combined with individual case conferences to provide intensive personal training in litigation techniques, problem solving and case management. Students also learn general civil litigation practice and procedures. Prerequisites: Civil Procedure, Evidence Recommended: Practicum or Trial Advocacy. The clinic is graded on a 4-tier Pass-Fail basis.

 

Note: There are limitations on JD concentration eligibility. Please check the Civil Litigation Concentration web page for more information.
Additional Information: Civil Litigation Concentration

Civil Clinic II (LWVL511)

Instructor(s): Allen Gruber, Joe Villasenor

1-4 credit(s), H/P/L/F Graded
Requirement(s): Experiential
Concentration(s): Civil Litigation (JD)
Prerequisite(s): Civil Procedure, Evidence
Recommended Class(es): Practicum or Trial Advocacy

Clinic II interns refine their skills, working on complex cases and cases already begun as Clinic I interns. Students may mentor first time clinic participants, serve as lead attorney on cases, and have additional opportunities to appear in court or administrative proceedings. Supervising attorneys/adjunct professors provide individualized coaching, based on the Clinic II interns’ needs and interests. Prerequisite: Successful completion of Clinic I in the same clinic. The clinic is graded on a 4-tier Pass-Fail basis.

Note: There are limitations on JD concentration eligibility. Please check the Civil Litigation Concentration web page for more information.
Additional Information: Civil Litigation Concentration

Civil Rights Law & History (LWPP519)

Instructor(s): Gail Heriot

3 credit(s), Letter Graded
Concentration(s): Public Interest Law (JD)

This course will explore the legal history of civil rights from the 19th century to the present and will also cover civil rights issues that confront federal and state policymakers today, including human trafficking, hate crimes and same-sex marriage. Among the questions that will be explored will be, “What are ‘civil rights’ and how has the meaning of that term changed over time?” The Reconstruction amendments to the Constitution will be discussed with special emphasis on the Thirteenth Amendment, given that its sesquicentennial is coming up in 2015. Legislation like the New York Married Women’s Property Act of 1848, the Mississippi Black Code, the Reconstruction civil rights acts, the Civil Rights Act of 1957, the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and the Americans with Disabilities Act as well as failed efforts like the proposed Equal Rights Amendment will also be explored. Some non-legal historical reading will also be included. This course is aimed at enhancing student understanding of how foundational concepts such as "civil rights" endure and as well as evolve over time and are translated into constitutional and statutory texts, legal institutions and public policy.

Community Property (LWTE544)

Instructor(s): Michael Kelly

3 credit(s), Letter Graded

In this course the non-tax aspects of estate planning are integrated, combining wills, trusts, future interests, and community property. Methods of family wealth transfer in both community property and non-community property jurisdictions are considered, including: inter vivos gifts, wills, trusts, intestate succession and will substitutes. Fiduciary administration; class gifts; powers of appointment; the rule against perpetuities; charitable trusts; classification, control and management of community property; and the distribution of property on dissolution of the community are studied.

Comparative Con Law (LWIC515)

Instructor(s): Laurence Claus

3 credit(s), Letter Graded
Requirement(s): Writing
Concentration(s): International Law (JD), International Law (LLMUS), LLM in International Law (LLMI)

This course considers how sophisticated political systems limit and channel the exercise of governmental power. We do this primarily by taking the great issues of American constitutional law and asking how those issues are treated elsewhere. The course is open to all upper-class students, and may be taken concurrent with Constitutional Law. A research paper is required.

Complex Litigation (LWLP523)

Instructor(s): Scott Metzger

3 credit(s), H/P/L/F Graded
Requirement(s): Experiential
Concentration(s): Civil Litigation (JD), Employment and Labor Law (JD), Employment and Labor Law (LLMG)
Prerequisite(s): Civil Procedure

This experiential course will offer instruction and practice in the areas of class actions (both under FRCP Rule 23 and CCP Section 382), together with instruction and practice in the areas of multi-district litigation, Qui Tam actions; Private Attorney General Actions, and the arbitration of class actions. The class will be graded based on class participation and at least two opportunities for each student to argue motions covering topics covered in class.

Constitutional Law I (LWAA515)

Instructor(s): Michael Rappaport, Michael Ramsey, Steven Smith

4 credit(s), Letter Graded

This course provides an introduction to the United States Constitution, stressing the theory and practice of judicial interpretation and review, the separation of federal powers, the relation of the states to the federal government, and specific powers of the federal government. It also provides an introduction to the Bill of Rights and its limitations on the exercise of governmental power, with emphasis on freedom of speech.

Constitutional Law II (LWPP525)

Instructor(s): Maimon Schwarzschild, Miranda McGowan

3 credit(s), Letter Graded
Prerequisite(s): Constitutional Law I

This courses covers the Fourteenth Amendment's equal protection and due process clauses. Specific topics include race discrimination (including school desegregation and affirmative action), gender discrimination, discrimination against gays and lesbians, voting rights, privacy (including abortion, sexual freedom, and the right to die), and property. A final exam is required. 

Contract Drafting (LWGC563)

Instructor(s): Staff

2 credit(s), Letter Graded
Requirement(s): Experiential OR Writing
Concentration(s): Business and Corporate Law (JD), LLM in Business and Corporate Law (LLMB), Business and Corporate Law (LLMUS), Business and Corporate Law (MSLS)

Transactional drafting is a skill used in most areas of law. It refers to the process of composing documents to formalize agreements and settlements between parties. This course will train students to be comfortable with the drafting process, which includes expressing agreements and settlements in language that will benefit clients, and composing documents that contain this language in a form that will maximize favorable interpretation in court. The course emphasizes both cooperative and individual drafting work. Each week in class, students will learn about selected components of the process, draft a document or exercise requiring the use of that component, and receive feedback on that day’s drafting activity. Students will have weekly individual homework assignments that reinforce that week’s skill. Grades will be based on individual weekly written homework assignments and an end-of-semester individual drafting project, and are subject to the upper class curve requirements. Students may only enroll in two of the following during their law school career: Advanced Legal Writing OR Contract/Legal Drafting. Students desiring to add the second class in this series must receive a signature on their add/drop form from the Office for JD Student Affairs, and provide the form to the Registrar's office (that is, students cannot add the second class themselves online.) Note: This course may fulfill either the Experiential OR Upper Division Writing requirement. Students will be asked in class at the beginning of the semester to elect which requirement they would like this course to fulfill. The student's election is final.

Note: This course may fulfill either the Experiential OR Upper Division Writing requirement. Students will be asked in class at the beginning of the semester to elect which requirement they would like this course to fulfill. The student's election is final. This class will be taught by Adjunct Professor David Leatherberry.

Contract Drafting (LWGC563)

Instructor(s): Staff

2 credit(s), Letter Graded
Requirement(s): Experiential OR Writing
Concentration(s): Business and Corporate Law (JD), LLM in Business and Corporate Law (LLMB), Business and Corporate Law (LLMUS), Business and Corporate Law (MSLS)

Transactional drafting is crucial to the legal profession. It refers to the process of creating documents to formalize agreements between parties. This course trains students to be able to use the process comfortably. You will learn to structure agreements, and express them in clear and concise language that will benefit clients and maximize the likelihood of favorable interpretation. The course emphasizes both cooperative and individual drafting work. Each week in class, you will focus on selected components of the drafting process, and prepare a document or exercise requiring you to practice what you learn. You will receive immediate feedback on that day’s drafting activity, and written comments on individual weekly homework assignments. Visits by attorneys who draft contracts in their practice will provide a view of how the legal profession depends on this skill. This class will use various types of contracts that touch on various areas of substantive law: contracts for the sale of goods, business or property (contract law, commercial transactions); residential and commercial leases (landlord-tenant and real estate law); settlement agreements (torts); employment, non-disclosure and non-compete agreements (employment law); retainer agreements (legal ethics); intellectual property rights (intellectual property); corporate acquisitions (corporations, securities law); entertainment contracts (entertainment law); vendors’ contracts (sports law). Grades are based on the scores on individual weekly assignments. Students may only enroll in two of the following during their law school career: Advanced Legal Writing OR Contract Drafting. Students desiring to add the second class in this series must receive a signature on their add/drop form from the Office for JD Student Affairs, and provide the form to the Registrar office (that is, students cannot add the second class themselves online.)

Note: This course may fulfill either the Experiential OR Upper Division Writing requirement. Students will be asked in class at the beginning of the semester to elect which requirement they would like this course to fulfill. The student's election is final.

Contracts (LWAA520)

Instructor(s): David McGowan, Chris Wonnell

4 credit(s), Letter Graded
Concentration(s): Business and Corporate Law (LLMUS), Business and Corporate Law (MSLS)

An introduction to legal reasoning and analytical skills through an investigation of how the law enforces agreements. Included are such topics as: the requirements for the formation of a contract; problems of interpretation; damages for breach; the statute of frauds; illegality; and problems which arise during the performance stage of a contract, such as the creation and failure of express and implied conditions, excuse through impossibility or frustration of purpose, and discharge. Article II of the Uniform Commercial Code is introduced and compared with the common law of contracts.

Controlled Substances (LWGC518)

Instructor(s): Donald Dripps

3 credit(s), Letter Graded
Concentration(s): Criminal Litigation (JD), Criminal Law (LLMUS), Criminal Law (LLMG), Criminal Law (MSLS)

This course examines the criminal law’s treatment of recreational drug use and the policy controversies attending the law. The course should be of special interest to students interested in taking up criminal practice, whether as prosecutors or defenders, but should also appeal to students interested in our criminal justice system generally. Specific topics covered will include the Nature of Intoxicants, the Development of Legal Prohibitions, and Continuing Debate over Legalization; The War on Drugs, Mass Incarceration, and Questions of Equal Justice; Possession versus Distribution; Manufacture and Conspiracy Offenses; Mens Rea in Drug Crimes; Drug Testing at Work and School; Sentencing under the Guidelines; Criminal Procedure--Informants and Wiretaps; Criminal Procedure—Search and Seizure, with special emphasis on suppression hearing practice; The Controlled Substances Act and the FDCA; Medical Marijuana; and International Aspects of Drug Control.

Copyright Law (LWIP525)

Instructor(s): Abraham Bell

3 credit(s), Letter Graded
Concentration(s): Intellectual Property (JD), Intellectual Property (LLMUS), Intellectual Property Law (LLMG), Intellectual Property Law (MSLS)

This course surveys the law relating to rights in expressive works. We will study what copyright covers – such as books, movies, musical recordings, and software – and distinguish copyright from other forms of intellectual property, such as trademark and patent. We will focus on the exclusive rights granted in copyrightable works, rules governing the transfer of those rights, what acts infringe those rights, what remedies the law provides for infringement, and what limitations the law places on those rights, such as the fair use doctrine. We will discuss some topics of current interest, such as the rules governing the copying and distribution of music over peer-to-peer networks, digital rights management, and open-source software development.  This class features a take home final exam.

Note: May be applied as part of the six required credits for the Intellectual Property Concentration (JD).
Additional Information: Intellectual Property JD Concentration

Corporate Counsel Externship I (LWVL591)

Instructor(s): Beth Baier

1-6 credit(s), P/F Graded
Requirement(s): Experiential
Concentration(s): Business and Corporate Law (JD), Employment and Labor Law (JD), Health Law (JD), Intellectual Property (JD), LLM in Business and Corporate Law (LLMB), Business and Corporate Law (LLMUS), Environmental and Energy Law (LLMUS), Intellectual Property (LLMUS), Employment and Labor Law (LLMG), Environmental and Energy Law (LLMG), Intellectual Property Law (LLMG)

The Corporate Counsel Externship Program consists of a work component and a class component and allows students to earn academic credit working in the legal department of a corporation, company or other business entity. Students may also work in other departments of a corporation as long as they are supervised by an on-site licensed attorney. Students must work during the academic session for a minimum of 50 hours per unit of credit and may receive 1-6 credits. For purposes of corporate counsel externship work, the academic session is from the official start of classes to the last day of final exams. No academic credit may be earned for corporate counsel externship work outside this time period.

Academic requirements include: mandatory orientation, student journals submitted to the professor relating to the field placement work; discussion boards on legal practice topics; a three-five page reflective paper at the end of the semester; an externship work product for professor review; and an on-site supervisor evaluation showing satisfactory completion of work experience. The Externship is graded on a Pass-Fail basis.

If you have been offered and have accepted a field placement, meet the eligibility requirements, agree to meet the course obligations and want to register for the Externship course, fill out the Field Placement Form. The Office of Career and Professional Development will then confirm your placement and instruct you on registering for the course.

Contact lawcareers@sandiego.edu with placement questions. Contact Professor John Sansone, Academic Director, at jsansone@sandiego.edu with academic questions.

Note: There are limitations on JD concentration eligibility. Please check the JD concentrations web pages for more information. Contact Law Student Affairs to find out if your work in this internship qualifies for a concentration.
Additional Information: Concentrations, Law Student Affairs

Corporate Counsel Externship II (LWVL589)

Instructor(s): Beth Baier

1-4 credit(s), P/F Graded
Requirement(s): Experiential
Concentration(s): Business and Corporate Law (JD), Employment and Labor Law (JD), Health Law (JD), Intellectual Property (JD), Business and Corporate Law (LLMUS), Intellectual Property (LLMUS), Employment and Labor Law (LLMG), Intellectual Property Law (LLMG)

Externship II students refine their skills, with a longer opportunity to specialize their training in a specific area. Externship II is limited to students who have previously worked at a Corporate Counsel Externship placement. Please refer to Corporate Counsel Externship I description for additional requirements.

Contact lawcareers@sandiego.edu with placement questions. Contact Professor John Sansone, Academic Director, at jsansone@sandiego.edu with academic questions.

Note: There are limitations on JD concentration eligibility. Please check the JD concentrations web pages for more information. Contact Law Student Affairs to find out if your work in this clinic qualifies for the concentration.
Additional Information: Concentrations, Law Student Affairs

Corporate Reorganization (LWTE510)

Instructor(s): Staff

3 credit(s), Letter Graded
Concentration(s): Business and Corporate Law (JD), LLM in Business and Corporate Law (LLMB), Business and Corporate Law (LLMUS), Taxation (LLMUS), LLM in Taxation (LLMT), Business and Corporate Law (MSLS), Taxation (MSLS)
Prerequisite(s): Tax I
Recommended Class(es): Corporate Tax

This course considers the tax treatment of corporations and shareholders in corporate acquisitive reorganizations, single corporation reorganizations and corporate divisions, including carryovers. Prerequisite: Tax I.  This class will have a take-home final exam.

 

Corporate Tax (LWTE560)

Instructor(s): Staff

3 credit(s), Letter Graded
Concentration(s): Business and Corporate Law (JD), LLM in Business and Corporate Law (LLMB), Business and Corporate Law (LLMUS), Taxation (LLMUS), LLM in Taxation (LLMT), Business and Corporate Law (MSLS), Taxation (MSLS)
Prerequisite(s): Tax I

The course involves a study of the basic concepts of federal income taxation of C corporations and their shareholders, including organization of corporations; cash and stock dividends; redemptions of stock; partial and complete liquidations; sales of corporate businesses and reorganizations. Taxation of corporations is compared with taxation of partnerships, limited liability companies and S corporations. The emphasis is on careful analysis of Code provisions, Treasury Regulations, other administrative materials and important judicial decisions in relation to problems that are frequently assigned in advance of class discussion. 

Note: This is a required course for the Business and Corporate Law Concentration (JD).

Corporations (LWBC545)

Instructor(s): Thomas Smith

4 credit(s), Letter Graded
Concentration(s): Business and Corporate Law (JD), Employment and Labor Law (JD), LLM in Business and Corporate Law (LLMB), Business and Corporate Law (LLMUS), Business and Corporate Law (MSLS)

This course examines the structure and the rights and obligations of directors, officers, and shareholders mainly under state corporations law. Other topics include partnerships and limited liability entities. The course covers, among other subjects, the characteristics of the corporation as distinct from other forms of business association, the special problems of the closely-held corporations (a corporation owned by a few persons), the fiduciary obligations of directors and controlling shareholders in closely-held and public corporations, procedures for decision making by directors and shareholders, shareholder voting rights, and certain federal securities law subjects, such as insider trading.

Note: This is a required course for the Business and Corporate Law Concentration (JD) and the LLM in Business & Corporate Law.

Corporations (LWBC545)

Instructor(s): Mark Lee

4 credit(s), Letter Graded
Concentration(s): Business and Corporate Law (JD), Employment and Labor Law (JD), LLM in Business and Corporate Law (LLMB), Business and Corporate Law (LLMUS), Business and Corporate Law (MSLS)

The real subject matter of this course is the business issues that arise when people work together, how the laws of business organizations resolve these issues, and what a lawyer can do to custom tailor these resolutions. We will examine the laws of sole proprietorships, partnerships, limited liability companies, and especially corporations. When we turn to the law of corporations, we will focus on the relationships among shareholders, directors, and officers, their respective rights and duties. These rights and duties vary with context, one critical element of which is whether the corporation’s shares are publicly traded. To understand the significance of this element, one must understand some elementary financial economics, so the course will cover this topic.

Criminal Procedure I (LWCR520)

Instructor(s): Donald Dripps

3 credit(s), Letter Graded
Concentration(s): Criminal Litigation (JD), Criminal Law (LLMUS), Criminal Law (LLMG), Criminal Law (MSLS)

This course is limited to pre-trial matters, as effected by the fourth, fifth, and sixth amendments. Coverage will include arrest, search and seizure, wiretap, lineups, interrogation, and the exclusionary rules.

Note: This is a required course for the Criminal Litigation Concentration (JD).

Criminal Procedure II (LWCR525)

Instructor(s): Knut Johnson

3 credit(s), Letter Graded
Concentration(s): Criminal Litigation (JD), Criminal Law (LLMUS), Criminal Law (LLMG), Criminal Law (MSLS)
Prerequisite(s): Criminal Procedure I

In this advanced criminal procedure class, students will continue the study commenced in Criminal Procedure I, focusing on the processing of a criminal defendant through the criminal justice system. The course will address a number of issues regularly presented in criminal cases, including the charging process, the right to a speedy trial, criminal discovery and disclosure, the right to jury trial, the right to effective assistance of counsel, the right to confrontation and the exercise of the privilege against self incrimination at trial. In addition the course will include discussions of the principles of the right against double jeopardy, and post conviction remedies such as direct appeal and petitions for habeas corpus. The purpose of the course is to develop an understanding of the basic structure of the criminal process in a federal system of government as well as the basic principles underlying the constitutional and procedural protections of the criminal justice system.

Note: This is a required course for the Criminal Litigation Concentration (JD).