2014-2015 Graduate Course Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]
College of Law Courses
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College of Law
LAW 841 - Real Estate Planning Seminar 3 credit(s) Irregularly
Through the use of case studies, basic financial analysis, and preparation and simulated negotiation of documents, this course will address selected topics in commercial real estate transactions, and will focus on the development of business knowledge and legal skills related to commercial real estate acquisition, financing and investment.
COREQ: LAW 747
LAW 846 - History of Regulation of Trade and Business 2-3 credit(s) Irregularly
This course explores the legal and moral principles of business and trade regulation over 5,000 years, including: ancient regulation of prices, usury laws, licensing, and other concepts as they evolved into our current system.
LAW 852 - Affordable Care Act Seminar 2 credit(s) Irregularly
This seminar explores four aspects of the Affordable Care Act also known as Obamacare. The first is the long history of advocacy for the federal government to declare health care a right and to provide public funding for all medical and hospital attention. The second will be a study of the contents of the ACA, attempting to understand how the legislation was conceived, written and passed. The third will be a study of the implementation of the law including the experience of the failed roll-out using the Internet. Finally, legal decisions arising from the law will be examined. This course can be used to fulfill the legal writing requirement.
LAW 854 - Law & Social Sciences 3 credit(s) Irregularly
Legal study is increasingly interdisciplinary, making use of various other fields to challenge, inform, and assist legal theory and doctrine. This seminar will cover a number of social sciences - e.g. psychology, economics, sociology, political science, and anthropology - to examine the connections between law and other disciplines. Topics to which these social science approaches will be applied may include capital punishment, juries, race, gender, paternalism, media violence, obscenity, expert witnesses, judicial decision-making, and others based on students’ interest.
LAW 857 - Jessup Mini-Course 1-2 credit(s)
The Jessup mini-course is designed to prepare student for effective participation in the Jessup International Moot Court Competition. Classes will focus on general principles of international law, research skills, and discrete international law topics arising from the Philip C. Jessup International Law Competition problem set. All class participants must be members of the SUCOL Jessup International Moot Court Team as advocates, memorialist or alternate. Arguing members and the memorialist receive two (2) total credits for this class. Alternates receive one (1) credit for the course.
LAW 858 - Property Law in the 21st Century: Advanced Topics in Property Law 2-3 credit(s) Irregularly
This seminar will examine current important issues in property law and theory, topics to which students may have been introduced during their first year, but that warrant investigation in further detail. The course will first review different notions of what property actually is, using historical and modern analyses both from political theory and from law. We will then consider the extent to which property concepts can be usefully employed to resolve an array of current social issues, such as the enforcement of surrogacy (parenting) contracts, the sale or other control of body parts, the fate of human embryos, eminent domain and takings, an individual’s control of personal information, employment rights, and environmental rights. Students will be exposed to and discuss the relevant law, where it exists, but will also pursue in more depth the conceptual and policy-based arguments that shape and underlie the public debates currently underway. A final paper will be required, designed to meet the college’s writing requirement.
LAW 859 - Advanced Issues in Copyright Law 1 credit(s) Irregularly
LAW 860 - Business Valuation Law 3 credit(s) Irregularly
An understanding of the principles of valuation is essential to a wide array of legal practice areas ranging from corporate law to marital dissolution. This course will focus on the concepts and methodologies employed to evaluate privately held and publicly traded enterprises. The fundamental and market-based business valuation theories and techniques will be examined, including the capitalization of earnings method, the dividend discount model, the discounted cash flow method, the capital asset pricing model, and the efficient capital market hypothesis. Additional topics will include the applicability of minority and marketability discounts and the exclusivity of appraisal rights. Students will have the opportunity to analyze business valuation problems and discuss the implications of the various business valuation models.
COREQ: LAW 712
Repeatable
LAW 862 - Public Health Law Seminar 3 credit(s) Irregularly
This course deals with the law which empowers, tailors and limits federal, state and local governmental efforts to enhance and protect the health of the general population. It will make use of case studies of government educational and regulatory efforts in several areas of historic and very current controversy to examine issues which commonly arise with that law. The course will introduce students to the constitutional foundations and limits on the essential power of national, state and local governments and their officials to protect the health of individuals in areas where such protection may conflict with other important rights, such as with abortion, `immoral behavior, religious practices and beliefs, and with seat belts, ferrets and fluoridation. It will examine the use of peculiarly public-health-protective techniques such as quarantine and other liberty-restricting methods in the context of traditional diseases such as tuberculosis, newer diseases such as HIV/AIDS, and more recent threats of pandemic (including the H1N1 flu) and biological terrorism. Recognizing the public health system’s needs for accurate information in fashioning government responses and programs, the course will look at the law related to public health surveillance the law about the effective collection and maintenance of information and its use in biomedical research. In examining case studies about contagious diseases, environmentally-related cancers and DNA-banking, students will be exposed to tensions between the public health system’s need for information and the privacy rights of individuals about whom such information is gathered.
LAW 864 - Estate Planning 3 credit(s) Irregularly
This course will explore estate planning from two perspectives. First, it will deal with the substantive aspects of estate and gift tax and property law (including joint interests, life insurance, and retirement plan proceeds) which must be considered in developing an estate plan. Wills, trusts, and other planning techniques will be considered in detail. Second, the practical aspects of dealing with estate planning clients will be considered in depth, including how to explain difficult technical matters to the client, how to present documents to clients in an understandable format, and issues of ethics and professionalism. Short drafting and writing exercises as well as a substantial paper, consisting of a package of client memoranda and documents, will be required.
COREQ: LAW 715 AND LAW 717
Repeatable
LAW 865 - Natural Resources Law 3 credit(s) Irregularly
This course examines the law governing the use and conservation of natural resources, primarily (but not exclusively) on federally owned land. Natural Resources Law addresses wilderness preservation, forestry, mineral extraction, protection of wildlife, environment impact analysis, and water allocation.
LAW 866 - Banking Law 3 credit(s) Irregularly
Federal and state laws and regulations affecting banks in the United States.
LAW 867 - Property and Tax from Ancient Athens to Modern America 3 credit(s) Irregularly
This course covers how the ancients developed concepts of private property and tax, adjudicated disputes, and developed concepts that influence the law today. Development of legal theory assists in understanding practical applications of the law.
LAW 872 - International Criminal/Civil Practice and Procedure Seminar 2 credit(s)
International Criminal/Civil Practice and Procedure prepares a student for the real world of practicing before international criminal courts and federal district courts related to human rights violations, as well as seeking redress before other world judicial bodies to include the International Court of Justice and the various regional human rights courts. This seminar will be an intensive study of case studies taking the student from initial allegations of war crimes or crimes against humanity, developing an investigative plan, drafting of indictments, preparing pre-trial motions, preparing for trial, and trial practice. Ancillary considerations related to civil suits before regional human rights courts and US federal district courts will be studies as well. The student written work product and presentations will form the basis of the grade at the end of the course.
LAW 882 - Judicial Decision Making 3 credit(s) Irregularly
To understand what the law actually is in practice, and to understand how it evolves over time, it is necessary to understand how judges decide cases. Understanding judicial decision-making also helps policy-makers develop beneficial policies regarding the courts, including selecting judges who may or may not be influenced by politics or ideology, and developing educational opportunities for judges. Insight into the “judicial mind” also helps attorneys craft persuasive arguments. Thus, in this seminar we survey the legal, political science, and empirical literature on how judges make decisions. Topics to be studied, both from a theoretical and practical perspective, include: theories of judicial decision-making; judicial election and appointment; constraints under which judges operate; the impact of court structure on the decision-making process; judicial writing; clerks’ role in the decision-making process; the relationship between the media and the courts; judicial education; and the influence of public perceptions of the court. Class attendance and participation are required. Brief weekly responses and a final research paper are required; the paper will satisfy the College of Law Writing Requirement. The seminar complements other courses at the College of Law (e.g., LCR III: Judicial Writing or Law, Politics, and the Media), as well as opportunities at the Maxwell School and with the Institute for the Study of the Judiciary, Politics, and the Media.
LAW 883 - Central Challenges in National Security Law and Policy 3 credit(s) Irregularly
Using a series of case study modules that jump off the front page, the course examines critically the hardest U.S. national security law and policy challenges of the decades ahead. The case studies range from decisions to intervene and what laws apply if we do intervene in humanitarian crises, insurrections, or civil wars, and what laws should govern when we are involved; dealing with the Arab Spring; dealing with Iran and North Korea related to nuclear weapons; anticipating and controlling new technologies in warfare and surveillance; managing civil/military relations in protecting the homeland; countering the cyber threats to our infrastructure and cyber attacks waged by nation states, such as China and Russia; managing public health as a national security issue; resource depletion and global warming as a national security issue. Students will learn to integrate legal and policy analyses, and will gain lessons in how policy is made and implemented with significant legal guidance. Students will present analyses of case studies to the class, and will write briefing memoranda concerning some of the case study modules.
COREQ: LAW 700
LAW 886 - Animal Law 2 credit(s) Irregularly
This course addresses the status and treatment of nonhuman animals in numerous areas of law, as well as the history and theory of advocacy on behalf of non human animals.
LAW 889 - International Human Rights and Comparative Disability Law 3 credit(s) Irregularly
This course introduces students to recent developments in international human rights and comparative disability law, including an analysis of the UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities (CRPD). The CRPD was entered into force in 2008 as the first treaty to protect the rights of people with disabilities under international law. This course is for law students and other graduate students who are interested in disability rights and international human rights law, generally. The course uses disability as a case study for the study of the development of international human rights protections for certain groups; the adoption, monitoring, and implementation of UN treaties; the role of regional human rights tribunals in enforcing human rights protections for people with disabilities; and the relationship between international human rights laws and domestic disability-related laws in selected countries.
LAW 891 - Climate Change: Science, Perception & Policy 3 credit(s) Irregularly
Climate change (global warming) is rapidly becoming one of the most pressing issues of the twenty-first century. This course introduces students to the challenges posed by climate change through a unique multidisciplinary exploration of the scientific, economic, policy, communicative, and even philosophical dimensions of the issue. The course will cover topics such as the current state of scientific knowledge about climate change, the role of the media in shaping public opinion on the issue, competing discourses of climate change, risk and uncertainty in decision-making, costs and benefits of different types of policies, the Kyoto protocol and other policy initiatives, actions being taken to address the issue, and the ethical dimensions of the choices facing humanity. Faculty from SU and ESF in law, economics/public administration, earth science, and environmental studies will co-teach this course and bring to students a unique dialog that crosses traditional disciplinary boundaries. Moreover, emphasis will be placed on drawing out the general lessons obtained from a multidisciplinary approach to climate change: many of the insights will be applicable to other complex, highly technical environmental problems. This course is intended to bring together students from a diverse range of backgrounds and does not have specific prerequisites.
LAW 892 - Capital Punishment Seminar 1-2 credit(s) Irregularly
The death penalty is society’s ultimate legal sanction, meant to be used for the worst of the worst. Given the finality and enormity of the State’s deliberate taking of a human life, the United States Supreme Court has developed a complex jurisprudence in an attempt to ensure that the death penalty is administered fairly and reliably. In this seminar, we will study this jurisprudence and evaluate its effectiveness. We will also explore issues concerning the actual administration of the death penalty, such as methods and timing of executions, conditions on death row, women on death row, mental illness and competence to be executed, the sentencing of innocent persons to death, and clemency. In addition to traditional Casebook materials, we will use documentaries and case studies to get a fuller understanding of capital punishment.
LAW 895 - Problems in Case Analysis and Appellate Advocacy Skills 2 credit(s) Irregularly
Legal reasoning through practice in developing written and oral arguments and reaching solutions to legal questions taken from actual cases. The emphasis will be on analysis and reasoning, not on learning legal rules. Many of the problems will be modeled on cases in the New York Court of Appeals which resulted in four to three decisions where there is no “right answer.” A discussion of some of these cases will inevitably entail arguments concerning social policy and legal philosophy.
LAW 899 - Atrocity Law and Policy: Practicing before International Criminal Tribunals 2 credit(s) Irregularly
International criminal law is a new discipline within the legal profession. Over the past 12 years, the discipline has developed at an exponential rate. Cutting edge rulings and decisions are setting the cornerstones in international criminal law for years to come. It is a rare opportunity for teachers, students, practitioners, and policy makers to be present at the beginnings of a new area of the law. Rarer still is the opportunity for students to be able to take a seminar from one of the senior international practitioners in the field, using his work as the basis for this seminar. Drawing upon unique experiences in West Africa, a great deal of the new ideas and fresh thinking began with our work as the Chief Prosecutor of the international war crimes tribunal in Sierra Leone, called the Special Court for Sierra Leone. The seminar will use, as a case study, the entire creative process in West Africa of establishing the Office of the Prosecutor of the Special Court for Sierra Leone; from planning, preparation, and executing the many tasks necessary to prosecute war criminals in a forgotten and tragic land. Using real world and contemporary cases, vignettes, and scenarios this 2 credit hour seminar will give students a rare opportunity, to study and do research with the practitioner who created the entire prosecutorial plan to prosecute those who bore the greatest responsibility for war crimes and crimes against humanity that resulted in the murder, rape, maiming, and mutilation of over 1.2 million human beings.
LAW 901 - Washington Lawyer Externship Seminar 1-2 credit(s)
Client problems brought to a good D.C. attorney are almost always solved through a combination of legislative pressure, executive branch pressure, and perhaps ultimately litigation against either another party and/or an agency of the executive branch. Very often the best solutions to these problems are forged behind the scenes, the opposite of the way lawyers in other jurisdictions often serve their clients¿ interests. This seminar will feature influential and successful D.C. attorneys ¿ distinguished guest lecturers ¿ to discuss one or more client problems brought to them and how they went about a solution. In preparation for each seminar, a packet of reading assignments will be uploaded. Each week, we will go through a real case study problem set that the distinguished guest lecturer encountered in his or her practice, whether in government, a nonprofit, in-house at a corporation or a law firm. Once we establish the fact pattern, we will discuss the various options for solving the legal problem. Finally, we will hear from the distinguished guest lecturer how he or she actually went about attacking the legal problem with the outcome if known. This will take up the first hour of the seminar. Once the distinguished guest lecturer departs, we will hear from each student participant about projects he or she has been working on that week, along with any issues that may have arisen. Other students are encouraged to comment.
LAW 902 - Law in D.C. Externship Program Placement 5-12 credit(s)
The Syracuse Law Semester in D.C. Program will provide an elite professional and educational experience in a job market in which many of our students aspire to pursue careers. This externship experience provides students with an incredible opportunity to be exposed to the legal market of D.C., one that is unlike many others. With placements ranging from the Federal Bureau of Investigations, the U.S. Department of Justice, NASA, Securities Exchange Commission, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Senate and House offices, the D.C. Public Defender Service, the United Nations High Commission for Refugees, and a host of other non-profit, federal military, federal government, hill, political party, judicial and law firm placements, the options are premier and vast. Currently, there are over 65 placements for students to choose from. The program will be offered every summer, fall and spring semesters. The fall and spring semester programs will award 12 pass/fail credits for the 14-week externship placement and two graded credits for the Washington Lawyer seminar. The summer program will award 5 pass/fail credits for the 8-week externship placement and one graded credit for the Washington Lawyer seminar. Students will be expected to work a minimum of 35 hours per week in their placement, with attendance at the weekly seminar and post-seminar networking events. The networking events allow students to build a professional network of contacts in the D.C. market
LAW 903 - Criminal Defense Law Clinic 6 credit(s) Every semester
Student attorneys represent clients charged with misdemeanors and violations in Syracuse City Court. They engage in extensive fact investigation, interviewing, client counseling, and plea negotiations, and appear regularly in local courts. They also assist clients with civil matters related to the pending criminal charges
COREQ: LAW 746
LAW 909 - Bankruptcy Clinic 0-1 credit(s)
The pro bono bankruptcy clinic consists of a clinic open to secondand third year students, and a pro bono volunteer program open to first yearstudents. The upper division clinic students will representing an indigentclient in filing a bankruptcy case, and will be in charge of the teamsupervising the first year student volunteers. The clinic students will be responsible for obtaining from the clients all of the information required by the Bankruptcy Code for filing a bankruptcy case, organizing that information, drafting the petition and schedules, and representing the client at the official meeting of creditors. Students will also address any legal issues that arise in the case. The class component will involve formal training basic consumer bankruptcy law and practice, and an open discussion of issues that arise in the cases.
LAW 910 - Law in London: Clinical Internship 6 credit(s) Only during the summer
Students will spend the first week of the seven week program attending lectures by authorities in English law. This introduction to the English Legal System will prepare the students for their internships by providing an overview of the fundamental tenets of English law, with an emphasis on English legal institutions, court structure, the legal profession, and adjudicative procedure in both civil and criminal cases. Classes during this first week will meet for a minimum of 15 hours and will be supplemented by visits to one of the Inns of Court and the Houses of Parliament and by a guided tour of Legal London. Following this first week of classes, students will undertake six-week internships with barristers, solicitors, public agencies or other legal organizations, under the supervision of Syracuse University College of Law faculty. Internships are full-time jobs, and students are expected to work the normal hours at their placements.. During this six-week period these internship experiences are augmented by once-a-week, two-hour evening seminars conducted by the program faculty and cooperating English practitioners.
Repeatable
LAW 912 - Elder Law Clinic 6 credit(s) Every semester
This clinical course will focus on representation of the elderly in a variety of substantive areas, with initial focus on administrative proceedings regarding public benefits, especially Medicaid. Students will have substantial opportunities to interview and counsel clients, conduct fact investigation, grapple with thorny ethical issues unique to elderly clients, and advocate for clients in a variety of settings, including in administrative proceedings. Students will have primary responsibility for their cases, under the guidance of the faculty member. There may be opportunities for collaboration with medical staff from the SUNY Upstate Geriatric Clinic and other professionals working with the elderly.
COREQ: LAW 746
LAW 914 - Low Income Taxpayer Clinic 3 credit(s) Every semester
The Low Income Taxpayer Clinic offers legal assistance to low income taxpayers who have controversies with the I.R.S. The controversies may include collection, examination, appeals or Tax Court matters. Student attorneys will also be involved in community outreach and education regarding income tax matters.
PREREQ: LAW 722
COREQ: LAW 746
LAW 920 - Externship Program 2 credit(s) Every semester
The Externship Program provides students with the opportunity to work with lawyers. The program consists of a two-credit seminar that meets once a week which discusses lawyering as a profession and a 2 or 3 credit yearlong externship placement during which students work under the supervision of a lawyer in offices throughout Upstate New York.
COREQ: LAW 746
LAW 921 - Externship Placement 2-3 credit(s) Every semester
This is a 2 or 3 credit externship placement where students work under the supervision of a lawyer in offices throughout Upstate New York.
LAW 922 - Securities Arbitration Clinic 6 credit(s) Every semester
Provides legal assistance to small investors who have lost some or all of their investments as a result of improper conduct on the part of stockbrokers, investment advisors, securities firms, and mutual funds. Students enrolled in the SAC provide representation to eligible investors who are required to use the arbitration process for the resolution of their disputes.
COREQ: LAW 746
Repeatable 1 time(s)
LAW 923 - Disability Rights Clinic 6 credit(s) Every semester
The Disability Rights Clinic is dedicated to providing representation to individuals and groups in our community who are unable to secure representation elsewhere. One reason DRC clients are unable to find other lawyers to represent them is due to their lack of financial resources. In our community, as elsewhere, the vast majority of lawyers provide legal assistance only to those who can afford to pay for their services. And in recent years, federal funding, the major source of funding for legal services for people with low or no incomes, has been reduced dramatically. A second reason DRC clients are unable to find lawyers elsewhere relates to the types of cases they may have which may involve controversial issues or conflicts of interest for other lawyers. DRC student attorneys practice in federal and state courts, and before administrative agencies in a broad range of civil rights matters, including race, gender, age and disability discrimination, sexual harassment, prisoners rights, immigration, accessibility under the Americans with Disabilities Act, and employment matters.
COREQ: LAW 746 AND LAW 763
LAW 925 - Social and Economic Justice in South Africa 1 credit(s)
The week-long visit to South Africa will study the constitutional, economic, and social history of South Africa as it has moved from apartheid to a multi-racial republic. Students will visit the Constitutional Court; government agencies including the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration; several townships and municipalities; and a historically Black and historically White University. The students will meet with Constitutional Court justices, government officials, and University faculty involved in social and economic justice issues and learn about the entrenched systemic poverty, racism, and injustice that is the legacy of apartheid, and the efforts including legislation, policies, and programs to reverse the effects of apartheid. Applications for this course must be completed and approved before registration.
LAW 955 - Community Development Law Clinic 6 credit(s) Every semester
The Community Development Law Clinic is one of only a handful of law school clinics nationwide which provide students the opportunity to represent not-for-profit housing and community organizations involved in affordable housing development and community economic development for people with low incomes. The Community Development Law Clinic was founded in 1988 with a grant from the United States Department of Education Clinical Legal Experience Program. Since 1989, Associate Professor Deborah Kenn has directed the Community Development Law Clinic, which upon the conclusion of the United States Department of Education grant in 1992, has been funded in full by the College of Law.
COREQ: LAW 746
LAW 957 - Childrens Rights & Family Law Clinic 6 credit(s) Every semester
This combined clinical offering is designed for students interested in developing legal skills in the area of children’s rights and in handling various civil cases. Students will assist in cases pertaining to education, school disciplinary hearings, suspension hearings, children’s access to public education and public housing. Students will also represent clients in court and in negotiations to enforce child and spousal support and on divorce and custody cases. Representation of the clients includes interviewing witnesses, gathering evidence, negotiation settlements, appearing in court, and conducting hearings and trials. During the seminar, students will discuss the fundamentals of interviewing, counseling, negotiation, and written and oral advocacy as well as the substantive areas of family and public interest law, public assistance, and social security.
COREQ: LAW 746
Repeatable
LAW 959 - Advanced Legal Research 3 credit(s) Irregularly
Advanced Legal Research expands upon the foundation of research skills acquired in the first year. The course addresses effective research methods and strategies, examines the structural and theoretical underpinnings of traditional and automated research systems, and explores specialized areas of research (such as legislative history, administrative law, and non-legal resources). Students will have ample opportunities to refine research techniques through hands-on practice sessions in the law library.
LAW 972 - Topics in Foreign, Comparative & Int’l Law Research 3 credit(s) Irregularly
The purpose of this course is to offer students a working knowledge of legal bibliography and research methods, both in traditional print sources and in electronic formats, for conducting research in the laws of foreign countries, international law, and comparative law.
LLM 900 - American Legal System 3 credit(s) At least 1x fall or spring
This course is designed to introduce students to United States law. The course will offer a survey of the United States legal system, an introduction to United States constitutional law and provide an overview of multiple areas of United States doctrinal law both substantive and procedural.
LLM 901 - Legal Writing for International Students 2 credit(s) At least 1x fall or spring
This course will instruct the student in legal research, writing and analysis. It is specifically designed for LLM students.
LLM 902 - International LL.M. Prep Course 1 credit(s)
An introduction to the process of American legal education and assessment. The class will teach an introduction to the Socratic method, the case briefing system of legal analysis and introduce skills in preparation for common legal assessment methods, including case briefing, case analysis, exam taking methodology, and other essential skills.
LLM 914 - Technology Innovation Law & Practice 3 credit(s) Every semester
This course provides LLM students with an integrated understanding of the technical, business, and legal factors involved in bringing new technologies to market. This is a year-long course that combines traditional and applied learning on topics ranging from basic intellectual property law and performing patent searches to economics to finance and business areas such as financing technology innovation. The course includes multiple guest lectures from practicing professionals involved in technology transactions at universities as well as private companies and in law firms. At the conclusion of the course, students will have a broad knowledge of technology innovation law and practice. Students will apply knowledge to actual new technology commercialization projects. Students work in teams consulting with companies, entrepreneurs or universities that are seeking to commercialize new technologies. Finished products include an in-depth report and presentation covering such things as: analyzing the technology, investigating intellectual property protection, examining the market landscape, identifying any regulatory concerns, and exploring opportunities for funding or licensing. Students will also engage in client consults and short term research projects.
Repeatable 1 time(s), 3 credits maximum
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