Summer 2013 Class Descriptions : Electives
LWAA520 Business Planning (Hon. David Laro)
3 credit(s)
Requirement: Skills
Concentration(s): Business and Corporate Law (JD), Business and Corporate Law (LLMC), LLM in Business and Corporate Law (LLMB)
Prerequisite(s): Corporations, Tax I
This course combines advance work in corporations, securities and tax law using a problem approach in the context of business planning and counseling. Several problem situations involving common business transactions are examined extensively. Some of the problems considered may include: (i) determining the proper choice of business entity and jurisdiction; (ii) incorporating a sole proprietorship, partnership or professional practice; (iii) buying and selling a business; (iv) raising private capital for a new business venture; (v) planning for an initial public offering of securities; (vi) valuing a business and (vii) planning corporate turnarounds. Students will engage in simulations giving them practical experience in representing a business.. From time to time, students are required to submit memoranda on certain aspects of the problems under consideration. On occasion, students will work together in small groups, and at other times are responsible for individual work. Students will be expected to perform work similar to attorneys in private practice. The written work is in lieu of an examination.
LWLP529 Evidence (Jeffrey Bellin)
4 credit(s)
Concentration(s): Criminal Law (LLMC), Criminal Law (LLMG)
This course is intended to provide students with the ability to identify and correctly analyze evidentiary issues under the Federal Rules of Evidence and analogous state evidence codes, with reference to constitutional provisions where applicable. The course also provides a framework for evaluating the policy rationales that animate evidence doctrine. Primary topics will include: relevance, character evidence, witness impeachment and corroboration, hearsay (and the hearsay exceptions), the Confrontation Clause, and expert and lay opinion testimony.
Note: This is a required course for the Civil Litigation (JD) and Criminal Litigation (JD) concentrations.
LWTE532 Federal Income Tax Reporting (Joshua Maxwell)
2 credit(s)
Concentration(s): Taxation (LLMC), LLM in Taxation (LLMT)
Prerequisite(s): Tax I
When giving tax advice, working in a corporate tax department, working in a public accounting firm, or advising on other tax issues, it is necessary for tax lawyers to be able to understand compliance obligations and be able to analyze information reported on IRS forms. This course will discuss federal tax compliance, forms, and common issues, with a focus on extracting information from the face of the forms and how common transactions are reported for both individuals and businesses. The class will cover Form 1120, Form 1120S, Form 1065, Form 1040, foreign reporting considerations, common elections and disclosures, tax income adjustments (Schedule M), financial reporting, and other related topics. Class attendance will be required and essential to learning the topics. Grade based on a final exam covering common issues, basic compliance logistics, and the ability to analyze and gather information from IRS reporting while understanding the underlying data. Prerequisite: Tax I. This is an advanced tax course with priority enrollment for LLM in Taxation students.
LWIP572 Intellectual Property & Business (Ted Sichelman, Marcel Saucet)
3 credit(s)
Requirement: Writing
Concentration(s): Intellectual Property (LLMC), Intellectual Property (JD), Intellectual Property Law (LLMG)
Recommended Class(es): IP Survey or any course in patent law
The best intellectual property and tech-focused corporate lawyers have a thorough understanding of the ways clients use and are affected by IP in their daily business. This seminar will provide an introduction to how patents, copyrights, trademarks, and trade secrets (1) are used by IP owners to further their business strategies and (2) affect non-IP owners, who must often license IP rights at substantial cost. Specific topics include: the role of trademarks in promoting product “branding”; the use of patents in commercializing inventions; the effects of trade secrecy on R & D investment and employee mobility; IP and the emerging field of “microinnovation”; the effects of copyright on Internet business models; the use of IP by startup companies; private markets for buying, selling, and licensing IP rights; the role of patents in biotech deals; copyrights in the entertainment industry; and trademarks and “luxury” goods. The course will be co-taught by a law professor (Sichelman) and a business school professor (Saucet). The majority of the course will consist of lectures and classroom discussions. The only assignment is a paper, which students will present at the end of the course. Prerequisites: None. Either a course in intellectual property law or some work experience at a technology company is recommended, but not required.
LWLP560 Negotiation (Dennis L. Sharp)
2 credit(s)
Requirement: Skills
Concentration(s): LLM in Business and Corporate Law (LLMB), Business and Corporate Law (LLMC), Labor and Employment Law (LLMG)
This class is about negotiation and dispute resolution: how not to lose when thinking win-win. Many negotiators fail to maximize their outcomes because they either take extreme, unyielding positions or because they look for an optimal ‘win-win' solution and in the process give their counterpart value that they could capture themselves. This course focuses on the strategy behind dispute resolution (negotiation, mediation, arbitration) and speaks in a practical way about how to use that strategy to maximize what can be achieved in those situations. Through a combination of lectures, in-class exercises, class discussions and guest speakers, the class will explore the different methods of dispute resolution, and how to maximize your outcome in each. The first part of the course highlights the difference between the different types of dispute resolution. We'll then focus on game theory and its role in negotiation. We'll then focus on how to maximize the potential overall value of the outcome to all parties in a dispute… and subsequently how to capture a disproportionate share. Grade determined by weekly assignments, class participation and a take home final examination. This class will be graded on the four-tier pass/fail grading system.
Note: Students may only elect this course or Alternative Dispute Resolution to count towards the Civil Litigation Concentration (JD).
LWLP560 Negotiation (Gregg Relyea)
2 credit(s)
Requirement: Skills
Concentration(s): LLM in Business and Corporate Law (LLMB), Business and Corporate Law (LLMC), Labor and Employment Law (LLMG)
Effective negotiation skills are essential to the successful practice of law. Most legal disputes are resolved through direct negotiation. This course will teach students effective communication techniques and negotiation strategies in a workshop style setting. The course will introduce students to different types of bargaining, different approaches to bargaining, specialized communication techniques used by effective negotiators, and techniques for overcoming negotiating impasses. Negotiation practices will be taught using both lecture and experiential methods (interactive exercise, role play exercises). This course will be practical in its orientation, with an emphasis on prevailing negotiation techniques and strategies customarily used by practicing lawyers. Due to the participatory nature of the course, enrollment will be limited. Grades will be based on a written final examination, homework assignments, and class participation. The course is graded on a 4-tier Pass/Fail basis.
Note: Students may only elect this course or Alternative Dispute Resolution to count towards the Civil Litigation Concentration (JD).
LWIP579 Trademark Strategy Skills (Dana Robinson, Marcel Saucet)
3 credit(s)
Requirement: Skills
Concentration(s): Intellectual Property (LLMC), Intellectual Property Law (LLMG)
Brand and trademark strategies are primary skills not only in for-profit companies, but also non-profits, including non-governmental organizations (NGOs). This hands-on, skills course will provide an introduction to how trademarks are used by NGOs, specifically the World Council of Peoples for the United Nations (WCPUN), to protect its brands internationally. Specific topics include the role of trademarks in promoting sustainable development, the role trademarks play in international brand strategy, and the various U.S. and international trademark laws and procedures NGOs must follow. The majority of the course will consist of lectures and a study case. Students will prepare legal memoranda in teams for WCPUN. The course will be graded on a 4 tier pass-fail basis. Prerequisites: Students must have taken IP Survey, Trademark Law, Trademarks Seminar, or International IP to be eligible for this course.
LWTE555 Trusts & Estates; Wills & Trusts (Dennis Lilly)
3 credit(s)
This survey course provides an introduction to non-tax aspects of estate planning and the law of gratuitous transfers, including inter vivos gifts, intestate succession, wills, will substitutes, trusts, fiduciary administration, and future interests.
