LAW - Law
LAW 601 Civil Procedure
Credits 4.
4 Lecture Hours.
Rules and doctrines that define the process of civil litigation in American courts; primary emphasis on the U.S. Constitution, federal judicial code and Federal Rules of Civil Procedure; topics may include the jurisdiction and competence of courts, conflicts between state and federal law, pleading, discovery, joinder of claims and parties, disposition without trial, trial and post-trial process, appellate review, and the effects of judgment.
LAW 602 Constitutional Law
Credits 4.
4 Lecture Hours.
Provisions in the U.S. Constitution governing the form of government and powers of the federal judiciary, legislature and executive; relations between the federal government and states; limitations on governmental power over individuals inherent in constitutional provisions relating to due process and equal protection; restrictions on private action mandated or permitted by these constitutional provisions.
LAW 603 Contracts
Credits 4.
4 Lecture Hours.
Enforceability of promises; creation of contractual obligations; performance and breach; impact of the contract on the legal relationships of nonparties; examination of contract doctrine in personal service, sales of goods and construction contracts.
LAW 604 Criminal Law
Credits 4.
4 Lecture Hours.
Examination of the sources and goals of criminal law; concepts of actus reus and mens rea; characteristics of specific offenses; inchoate crimes; accomplice liability; general defenses.
LAW 605 Property
Credits 4.
4 Lecture Hours.
Introduction to personal property and real property laws; estates and future interests in land; landlord-tenant problems; issues relating to private and public land use.
LAW 606 Torts
Credits 4.
4 Lecture Hours.
Basic principles of civil liability for harm to persons or property; includes intentional torts, negligence, strict liability, defenses, and damages; additional topics may be included.
LAW 607 Business Associations I
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Basic principles of varying business entities used to conduct ventures for profit; fundamental agency principles, partnerships, limited liability companies, and corporations; how business organizations are formed; powers and responsibilities of their respective partners, members, officers or directors; shareholder's rights and liabilities; primary focus on corporation and corporate law; includes pre-incorporation issues, the corporate formation process, and corporate capital and financing; business entity taxation concepts may be covered as well; foundational and practical knowledge of how business organizations work; assessing which type of business organization is best suited for a particular client's objectives; legal formalities necessary in forming said organization; understanding the rights, duties and obligations for those affiliated.
LAW 609 Criminal Procedure
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Issues relating to constitutional constraints on the investigation and prosecution of criminal offenses.
LAW 610 Wills and Estates
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Principles of testate and intestate succession; drafting, execution and construction of attested and holographic wills; testamentary capacity, undue influence and fraud; revocation of wills; distribution of intestacy; nonprobate transfers of property; ethical issues that arise during estate planning; significant focus on Texas law.
LAW 611 Evidence
Credits 4.
4 Lecture Hours.
Examination of the problems of proof; study of the admission and exclusion of evidence on the basis of relevancy, policy and protection of the individual or state; examination of witnesses; substitutes for evidence; procedural considerations.
LAW 612 Professional Responsibility
Credits 3 to 4.
3 to 4 Lecture Hours.
Rules regulating the practice of law.
LAW 614 Principles of Secured Transactions
Credits 1 to 3.
1 to 3 Lecture Hours.
Examination of the rules governing transactions in which personal property is used as collateral to secure an obligation; primary source of authority is Article 9 of the Uniform Commercial Code and introduction to certain provisions of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code; addresses not only the rights of the debtor and creditor inter se but also the rights of third parties with an interest in the collateral.
LAW 615 Retirement Planning and Employee Benefits
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Overview of retirement planning basics, retirement plans, Social Security provisions and government healthcare plans along with the basics of employee benefits; focus on both quantitative and qualitative aspects of retirement.
LAW 616 Administrative Law
Credits 2 to 3.
2 to 3 Lecture Hours.
Study of the legal principles and procedures an unelected bureaucracy must conform to achieve legitimacy; problems inherent in a relatively disunited body of law derived from disparate sources; concentration on the Constitution and other federal law as the primary sources of organizing principles for administrative law and procedure; topics may include constitutional underpinnings of the federal bureaucracy, judicial review of agency fact finding and legal interpretation, extra-statutory administrative common law, grounds for dividing administrative actions into adjudication and rule making, essential components of due process in agency adjudication, and availability of judicial review of agency action.
LAW 618 Contract Law and Strategies
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Foundational study of contracts, contract formation, requisites of contract enforceability, defenses to enforcement, terms and interpretation, performance and breach and remedies.
LAW 619 Principles of Regulatory Law
Credits 2.
2 Lecture Hours.
Introduction to legislation and administrative regulations and interpretive and lawmaking roles of the three branches of government; statutory interpretation; delegation and administrative agency practice; and regulatory governance.
LAW 620 European Union Tax Risk Management
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Study of the European Union (EU) general framework of compliance tax risk management. Course topics include: parent subsidiary directive, interest, royalties, The European Union proposal on a carbon border tax and its compatibility with the World Trade Organization rules, free movement of capital including investment funds and others' fundamental freedoms, cross-border losses, The European Anti-Tax Avoidance Directive (ATAD), Council Directive (EU) 2018/822 amending Directive 2011/16/EU (DAC 6), and abuse of law.
LAW 621 Foundations of Business Law
Credits 2.
2 Lecture Hours.
Basic principles of the varying business entities used to conduct ventures for profit and fundamental agency principles, partnerships, limited liability companies and corporations.
LAW 622 Principles of Intellectual Property
Credits 1 to 3.
1 to 3 Lecture Hours.
Examination of the various types of intellectual property protection available under United States law; primary sources of authority are The Patent Act (35 U.S.C. §§ 101, et seq.), The Lanham Act (15 U.S.C. §§ 1051, et seq.) and The Copyright Act of 1976 (17 U.S.C. §§ 101, et seq.); discussion of the Manual of Patent Examining Procedure, The Trademark Manual of Examining Procedure, Compendium of U.S. Copyright Office Practices (Third Edition), Chapter 37 of the Code of Federal Regulation, The Copyright Act of 1909, the Defend Trade Secrets Act of 2016 (18 U.S.C. §§ 1836, et seq.), state law regarding rights of publicity and state trademark law; addresses various ways individuals and companies can obtain intellectual protection and enforce intellectual property rights.
LAW 623 Digital Forensics
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Examination of the collection of digital evidence and analytics, analysis of log data, malware triage, recovering digital evidence, writing technical reports on malware and incidents, legal and ethical components of digital forensic science for both private sector and law enforcement incident scenes.
LAW 625 Transfer Pricing l - Tangibles, Services, and Risk
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Introduction to theoretical and practical aspects of transfer pricing, the valuation of cross-border transactions between units of a multinational enterprise; including valuation of cross-border transactions between units of a multinational enterprise; internal and external motivations for transfer pricing, managerial and economic approaches, estimates of transfer manipulation, arm's length standard, U.S. and OECD rules and procedures, tax court cases and ethical dilemmas.
LAW 626 Transfer Pricing II - Tax of Intangibles
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Introduction to the theoretical and practical aspects of transfer pricing; comparability, functional analysis and global value chain analysis, and the transfer pricing methods for tangibles and service, as well as the transfer pricing methods applicable for intangibles, and on documentation, CbCR.
LAW 627 International Tax Risk Management I - Data, Analytics, and Technology
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Examination of base erosion and profit shifting (BEPS); general anti avoidance and abuse provisions; thin capitalization and related interest related limitations; dual loss; controlled foreign company and related rules; beneficial ownership; substance requirements; tax rulings, advance pricing agreements (APAs), and mutual agreement procedure (MAP).
LAW 628 Enterprise Risk Analytics
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Focus on measuring, quantifying, and predicting risk from the viewpoint of the enterprise, and not isolated areas of risk; development of an ontology of the enter risk management (ERM) domain; how three major types of risk, financial, operational and strategic, are further deconstructed into other areas of risk such as cyber, reputational, etc.; analysis of risk at the enterprise level that spans different business lines of the enterprise, with a drill down within a business line, and the relationships between the different risk domains; discussion of certain technologies such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, Monte Carlo simulation and Bayesian Belief Networks as data analytics mechanisms for enterprise risk data analytics and the strengths, weaknesses and opportunities for each within the field of risk management.
LAW 630 Foundations of Cybersecurity
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Basic terminology, concepts, technology and trends of cybersecurity; cryptography, public key infrastructure, standards and protocols, physical security and network fundamentals; workings of systems, networks and infrastructure; legal and ethical issues in cybersecurity.
LAW 631 Copyright
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Study of federal and international laws protecting the innovative endeavors of authors; history of copyright law; fair use of copyrighted materials; what can be copyrighted; interaction of copyright law with other concepts of unfair competition and intellectual property.
LAW 632 Fraud and Abuse
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Examination of the intricate federal and state regulatory structure governing healthcare fraud and abuse, including applicable civil and criminal penalties.
LAW 633 Art Law
Credits 2 to 3.
2 to 3 Lecture Hours.
Introduction to legal practice known as art law; examination of legal and ethical issues relating to the creation, discovery, ownership, transfer and use of works of visual art, from ancient to contemporary; stakeholders include artists and their subjects, individual and corporate collectors, museums, dealers, auction houses, cultural institutions, treasure hunters, scholars, indigenous groups, sovereign nations, and the general public; examination, discussion, and debate of applicable civil and criminal laws and regulations, case law, international treaties and codes of ethics, as well as contracts and other documents used in art law practice.
LAW 635 Health Information Management and Liability
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Introduction to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) which protects and secures patient health information; general overview of HIPAA, the privacy and security rules for protected information and guidance for compliance and breach management.
LAW 636 Internet Law
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Examination of transference or absence of brick-and-mortar legal principles to new methods of communications; recent developments in cyberspace law; survey of legal issues on the internet; policy and pragmatic application of jurisdictional principals; intellectual property laws; privacy rights; computer crime; proprietary information; freedom of speech issues; full-scale analysis and explication of the question "Is Google really God?.
LAW 637 Education Law
Credits 2 to 3.
2 to 3 Lecture Hours.
Dynamics of the legal rights, responsibilities and relationships between parents, students, teachers and administrators; understanding the balance between these rights and the smooth, efficient operation of schools; separation of church and state; the instructional program and the balance between the substantive rights of parents and the compelling interest of the state in educating children; student on-campus First Amendment expression rights; student privacy rights; application of the Fourth Amendment; rights of students with disabilities; common law student rights; teacher certification requirements; contractual issues arising from employment relationships.
LAW 638 Employment Discrimination
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Examination of federal law concerning discrimination in employment on the basis of race, sex, religion, national origin, age, and disability; includes Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Age of Discrimination in Employment Act, the Reconstruction Era Civil Rights Act, the Equal Pay Act, the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.
LAW 639 Employment Law
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Study of law of employer-employee relations in a nonunion context; examination of issues such as employment at will, retaliatory discharge, and wage and hour laws; introduction to employment relationship laws.
LAW 640 Incident Response
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Examination of the policies, procedures and guidelines for responding to cybersecurity incidents effectively and efficiently; focus on detecting, analyzing, prioritizing and handling incidents; skills-based training in planning, resources and exercises.
LAW 641 Legal Research for Clients
Credits 1 to 3.
1 to 3 Lecture Hours.
Initiation of the non-lawyer professionals in legal research authorities and information available in commercial electronic legal resources, including Westlaw, Lexis Advance and Bloomberg Law and in free electronic legal resources used by lawyers.
LAW 642 Entertainment Law
Credits 2.
2 Lecture Hours.
Examination of basic legal concepts that govern transactions in the entertainment industry; constitutional protections of entertainment speech; the rights of individuals who restrict it; copyright fundamentals; contract issues peculiar to the field; prevailing standards and practices of "the Business.
LAW 643 Property Law and Transactions
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Overview of ownership and possession of land and incidental rights included in such ownership, including restrictions on use and development, nuisance, trespass, concurrent ownership interests, financing, easements, title documents and eminent domain.
LAW 644 Environmental Law
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Study of various approaches for dealing with adverse environmental effects, including private litigation, regulation, and financial incentives; survey of air and water pollution, solid and hazardous waste problems, and the National Environmental Policy Act; judicial review of legislative and administrative action; special problems raised by the U.S. federal form of government; administrative regulatory process in pollution control.
LAW 645 Healthcare Organizations and Professional Relationships
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Introduction to the legal structures in the business of healthcare in the United State of America, including organizational models, professional relationships and professional credentialing.
LAW 646 Family Law
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Study of legal problems related to the establishment, dissolution, reorganization, and evolving definitions of the family and family-like relationships in America; includes premarital arrangements, marriage (formal and informal), divorce, parent-child relationship, division of marital property, spousal and child support, domestic violence within the family, and same-sex unions. May be repeated for credit.
LAW 647 International Taxation and Treaties I
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Focus on residency-based taxation; primer for the concentration area of risk management addressing the tax function within a multinational enterprise; comparative overview of the tax law and accounting of significant trade nations, an overview of the application of tax treaties among countries and a global holistic perspective for multinational tax risk planning.
LAW 648 Agricultural Law
Credits 2 to 3.
2 to 3 Lecture Hours.
Study of major areas of agricultural law; practical approach including discussions and hands-on assignments; legal issues relating to animal agriculture, food safety, landowner rights, the interaction between agriculture and energy production, agricultural leases, agricultural policy and estate and succession planning for farm families.
LAW 649 International Taxation and Treaties II
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Focused on sourced based taxation; primer for the concentration area of risk management addressing the tax function within a multinational enterprise. Prerequisite: LAW 647.
LAW 650 Nonprofit and Fiduciary Administration
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Introduction to the role of fiduciaries and the charitable sector in the United States; the responsibilities and duties expected in fiduciary administration; selected federal and state laws governing charitable organizations; available remedies for breach of fiduciary duties; and basic and advanced planning techniques for facilitating gifts to charitable organizations.
LAW 651 Criminal Procedure Trial Rights
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Constitutionally mandated judicial processes for determining the guilt or innocence of those accused of crime and selecting an appropriate penalty; topics may include bail and pretrial detention, the prosecutor's charging decision, pretrial publicity, the defendant's competency to stand trial, jury selection, trial by jury, the defendant's right of confrontation and compulsory process, the right to effective assistance of counsel, sentencing, direct attacks on criminal convictions, and double jeopardy.
LAW 652 Mineral Title Examination and Real Estate Transactions
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Examination of land title to the mineral estate to determine the ownership of oil, gas and other minerals found below the surface; focus on various aspects of the law and how those laws pertain to the mineral estate, while also working through practical exercises.
LAW 653 First Amendment
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Study of the U.S. Constitution's First Amendment; addresses the First Amendment's effect on government attempts to regulate content of speech and to restrict speech by regulating one's method of speaking; the right of free speech in various physical settings; freedoms of assembly and press, free exercise of religion, and the prohibition on governmental establishment of religion.
LAW 654 Oil and Gas Contracts
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Examination of the main contracts used in the oil and gas industry.
LAW 655 Modern Topics in Human Resources and Employment Law
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
. Examination of laws that govern the rights and duties between employers and employees with particular focus on the application of the legal knowledge to scenarios that human resources professionals will encounter in both the private and public sectors; hiring processes, non-compete agreements, trade secrets, unemployment, at-will employment, electronic privacy and grievance procedures.
LAW 656 Federal Income Taxation
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Study of the basic principles of federal income tax; concentration on individuals, businesses, and investors as taxpayers; use of the Internal Revenue Code and federal tax regulations emphasized.
LAW 657 Healthcare Transactions and Antitrust
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Examination of the transactions prevalent in healthcare; Includes common business entities and ownership models; common types of healthcare organizations and the transactions common to each, including compensation models, mergers and acquisitions, key contracting terms, and value-based arrangement; and fundamentals of tax-exempt issues and antitrust considerations.
LAW 658 Immigration Law
Credits 2 to 3.
2 to 3 Lecture Hours.
Basic immigration statutes, including cases and doctrines that control immigration and naturalization; explores the treatment of undocumented immigrants and those seeking protection from persecution.
LAW 659 Water Law and Regulation
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Legal control of water resources; includes riparian rights, the water permit system, groundwater issues, water as a regional and shared resource, beneficial uses versus waste, underground conservation districts, and navigability.
LAW 660 Payer Systems and Reimbursement
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Examination of the legal and regulatory framework governing health insurance in the United States, including individual health insurance, employer health benefits, Medicare, and Medicaid; consideration of the interplay between state and federal regulation, with a particular focus on the impact of the Affordable Care Act and ERISA on health care risk and payment arrangements.
LAW 661 Intellectual Property Survey
Credits 2 to 3.
2 to 3 Lecture Hours.
Overview of the basic principles of intellectual property law; includes coverage of trade secret, trademark, patent, and copyright fundamentals.
LAW 662 International Intellectual Property
Credits 2 to 3.
2 to 3 Lecture Hours.
Presents a study of the international fabric of patent, copyright, and trademark law under both domestic laws and international treaties. Students will examine the foundation of international intellectual property policies underlying medicinal herbs, counterfeit goods, genetic material, and traditional knowledge; examines heightened tensions on international intellectual property law due to flow of information and content across borders; harmonizing diverse legal frameworks.
LAW 663 Quality Control - Risk Management and Liability
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Focus on the legal structure of the healthcare provider-patient relationship and the duties and potential liabilities that arise in the context of the relationship; Review of the sources and types of liability of healthcare institutions and professionals, including the foundational elements of healthcare liability, commonly referred to as medical malpractice; exploration of the primary measures and regulatory approaches aimed at quality control and preventing patient harm and the changing impact that technology and data generation have on the efforts to improve healthcare.
LAW 667 Legal Analysis and Writing for Clients
Credits 1 to 3.
1 to 3 Lecture Hours.
Experiential survey of methods by which lawyers analyze issues in the U.S. common-law-system and of the documents produced in connection with such analysis, including memoranda, court filings and contracts; overview of effective management of legal series by empowering client-side perspective on the work that lawyers do.
LAW 669 United States International Tax Risk Management
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Overview of the basic principles and policies governing the United States (U.S.) taxation of international transactions using a risk management case-study approach addressing data; consideration of both inbound, foreign investment in the U.S., and outbound, U.S. investment abroad, transactions analysis of the U.S. tax rules and the interaction between U.S. and foreign tax systems through the operation of the tax credit and tax treaties; outbound and foreign-derived intangible income, inbound and base erosion and anti-abuse tax (BEAT), form 1120 documentation and check the box, subpart F and global intangible low-taxed income (GILTI), previously-taxed earnings and profits (PTEP), Form 5471, mergers and acquisitions, and finally, foreign tax credits (FTCs).
LAW 671 Advanced Business Law
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Examination of the legal and economic principles related to the organization and operation of modern business entities as well as the laws governing the various types of business associations; topics include governance, financial structure, management, alteration and dissolution of the business entity; securities regulation; anti-trust and unfair competition law. Prerequisite: LAW 621.
LAW 672 Juvenile Justice
Credits 2 to 3.
2 to 3 Lecture Hours.
Review of the juvenile's substantive and procedural rights.
LAW 674 Land Use Law
Credits 2 to 3.
2 to 3 Lecture Hours.
Study of private and public means of controlling land use; emphasis on the areas of planning and zoning, including the emerging problem of exclusionary land use controls; includes subdivision controls, restrictive deed covenants, eminent domain proceedings, and urban renewal.
LAW 677 Energy Law
Credits 2 to 3.
2 to 3 Lecture Hours.
Introduction to energy law and regulation in the United States; basic principles of public utility regulation; the division of jurisdiction between federal and state governments; key regulatory statutes and case law governing energy resources such as water, coal, oil, natural gas, nuclear and renewable energy; analysis of the environmental, regulatory, land use and economic concerns as they relate to each energy source; introduction to electricity and electric power competition in the United States.
LAW 678 Employee Benefits Law
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Overview of the comprehensive employee benefits regime under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA); history and policies driving the legislative and regulatory efforts, the range and types of benefit plans affected, and the issues and challenges facing employers, employees, and fiduciaries; primary focus on retirement plans - including traditional pension plans, 401(k)s and individual retirement accounts (IRAs), and who is responsible for the funding and stewardship of private retirement systems.
LAW 679 Workplace Conflict Management
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
. Examination of the conflict management processes available to resolve disputes in the workplace; special emphasis on mandatory employment arbitration, an out-of-court process in which involved parties submit disputes to an arbitrator who will determine the arbitration award and in doing so, waive certain rights, such as the ability to appeal a decision.
LAW 683 Wind Law
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Examination of federal and state wind law; advanced knowledge in specific wind law issues and development of practical skills and analysis of issues in a professional context.
LAW 685 Directed Studies
Credit 1.
0 Lecture Hours.
1 Other Hour.
Specialized reading or research in an area of interest under a full-time faculty member's supervision. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisite: Approval of instructor.
LAW 686 Mergers and Acquisitions
Credits 2 to 3.
2 to 3 Lecture Hours.
Examination of legal issues related to corporate mergers and acquisitions; mechanics and structure of merger and acquisition transactions, shareholder rights, fiduciary duties, federal securities laws, accounting and tax issues, anti-takeover defenses and antitrust considerations.
LAW 687 Oil and Gas Regulatory Practices
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Exploration of the regulation of the oil and gas industry; history of oil and gas conservation and its regulation, proration and allowable regulation, compulsory pooling and unitization, permitting and environment regulation, and the interplay between federal, state and local regulation.
LAW 689 Special Topics In...
Credits 0 to 4.
0 to 4 Other Hours.
Special topics in identified areas of law. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisite: One year of law school in the full-time or part-time program.
LAW 694 Insurance Law and Risk Transfer
Credits 2 to 3.
2 to 3 Lecture Hours.
Study of fundamental legal principles relating to the construction of various types of liability and first-party insurance contracts; includes insurance regulation, application for coverage and acceptance of risk, rules of construction, bad faith, and insurance litigation strategy.
LAW 696 Oil and Gas Law
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Study of oil and gas law; interests that may be created in oil and gas; transfer and conveyance of such interests; rights of operators and landowners; provisions in the oil and gas lease; rights of assignees; regulations dealing with exploration, production, and conservation.
LAW 699 Patent Law
Credits 2 to 3.
2 to 3 Lecture Hours.
The study of how proprietary interests in technology are protected by patent law, with a focus on issues relating to validity, the nature of the subject matter protected, and enforcement of proprietary rights.
LAW 7001 Analysis, Research, and Writing I
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Study of skills essential to law practice and the solution of legal problems; essential analytical skills; methods of legal research through hands-on library experience; two legal memoranda and a trial brief to be completed.
LAW 7002 Analysis, Research, and Writing II
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Analysis, Research, and Writing II. Study of skills essential to law practice and the solution of legal problems; essential analytical skills; methods of legal research through hands-on library experience; two legal memoranda and a trial brief to be completed.
LAW 7005 Civil Procedure
Credits 4.
4 Lecture Hours.
Rules and doctrines that define the process of civil litigation in American courts; primary emphasis on the U.S. Constitution, federal judicial code and Federal Rules of Civil Procedure; topics may include the jurisdiction and competence of courts, conflicts between state and federal law, pleading, discovery, joinder of claims and parties, disposition without trial, trial and post-trial process, appellate review, and the effects of judgment.
LAW 7007 Alternative Dispute Resolution Survey
Credit 1.
1 Lecture Hour.
Examination of law and ethics of mediation, relevant social psychology and economic theories and empirical research, dynamics, law and ethics of representing clients in mediation; focus on mandatory mediation, requirement to mediate in good faith, enforceability of mediated agreements, confidentiality and the mediation privilege, legal or mediation malpractice occurring in context of mediation, lawyers' and mediators' ethical obligations.
LAW 701 Preparing for the Bar Exam
Credits 2 to 3.
2 to 3 Lecture Hours.
Overview of the contents of the bar exam; critical skills and strategies necessary for success on each day of the exam; covers selections from several MBE and essay-tested subjects; simulation of portions of the bar exam with performance feedback.
LAW 7010 Constitutional Law
Credits 4.
4 Lecture Hours.
Provisions in the U.S. Constitution governing the form of government and powers of the federal judiciary, legislature and executive; relations between the federal government and states; limitations on governmental power over individuals inherent in constitutional provisions relating to due process and equal protection; restrictions on private action mandated or permitted by these constitutional provisions. Prerequisite: One year of law school in the full-time or part-time program.
LAW 7017 Contracts
Credits 4.
4 Lecture Hours.
Enforceability of promises; creation of contractual obligations; performance and breach; impact of the contract on the legal relationships of nonparties; examination of contract doctrine in personal service, sales of goods and construction contracts.
LAW 702 Real Estate Transactions and Commercial Development
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
. Examination of the structuring, negotiation and documentation of commercial real estate transactions, including leases, letters of intent, sale contracts and related financing documents, and rights and obligations stemming from real estate liens and mortgages; exploration of development-related matters, including the legal aspects of site acquisition, design and construction.
LAW 7021 Criminal Law
Credits 3 to 4.
3 to 4 Lecture Hours.
Examination of the sources and goals of criminal law; concepts of actus reus and mens rea; characteristics of specific offenses; inchoate crimes; accomplice liability; general defenses.
LAW 7032 Property
Credits 4.
4 Lecture Hours.
Introduction to personal property and real property laws; estates and future interests in land; landlord-tenant problems; issues relating to private and public land use.
LAW 704 Remedies
Credits 2 to 3.
2 to 3 Lecture Hours.
Review of the forms of legal and equitable relief a court is equipped to grant by way of redress to those who have been or may be injured; alternative choices and tactical advantages of each; may also cover the scope of judges' powers of contempt.
LAW 7042 Torts
Credits 4.
4 Lecture Hours.
Basic principles of civil liability for harm to persons or property; includes intentional torts, negligence, strict liability, defenses, and damages; additional topics may be included.
LAW 705 Secured Transactions
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Study of personal and commercial financing by loans and credit sales under agreements creating security interests in the debtors' personal property (Article 9 of the UCC and relevant provisions of the Bankruptcy Code). Prerequisites: Graduate classification.
LAW 7056 Business Associations I
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Basic principles of varying business entities used to conduct ventures for profit; fundamental agency principles, partnerships, limited liability companies, and corporations; how business organizations are formed; powers and responsibilities of their respective partners, members, officers or directors; shareholder's rights and liabilities; primary focus on corporation and corporate law; includes pre-incorporation issues, the corporate formation process, and corporate capital and financing; business entity taxation concepts may be covered as well; foundational and practical knowledge of how business organizations work; assessing which type of business organization is best suited for a particular client's objectives; legal formalities necessary in forming said organization; understanding the rights, duties and obligations for those affiliated. Prerequisite: One year of law school in the full-time or part-time program.
LAW 706 Securities Regulation
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Review of federal and state regulation of the public distribution, offer, and sale of corporate securities; study of the Securities Act of 1933 and portions of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934; types of securities and underwriting techniques; key definitions and exemptions in the statutes; state securities law with emphasis on the securities registration and anti-fraud aspects of the Texas Securities Act.
LAW 7065 Criminal Procedure
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Issues relating to constitutional constraints on the investigation and prosecution of criminal offenses. Prerequisite: One year of law school in the full-time or part-time program.
LAW 7076 Wills and Estates
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Principles of testate and intestate succession; drafting, execution and construction of attested and holographic wills; testamentary capacity, undue influence and fraud; revocation of wills; distribution of intestacy; nonprobate transfers of property; ethical issues that arise during estate planning; significant focus on Texas law. Prerequisites: One year of law school in the full-time or part-time program; LAW 7032.
LAW 708 Taxation of Business Entities
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Study of the federal income tax treatment of C corporations and pass-through entities such as partnerships, S corporations, and limited liability companies; examines on a comparative basis the formation, operation, and sales and liquidation of these entities; corporate reorganizations and related transactions also covered.
LAW 7080 Evidence
Credits 4.
4 Lecture Hours.
Examination of the problems of proof; study of the admission and exclusion of evidence on the basis of relevancy, policy and protection of the individual or state; examination of witnesses; substitutes for evidence; procedural considerations. Prerequisite: One year of law school in the full-time or part-time program.
LAW 7091 Professional Responsibility
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Rules regulating the practice of law. Prerequisite: One year of law school in the full-time or part-time program.
LAW 7101 Immigrant Rights Clinic
Credits 2 to 6.
2 to 6 Other Hours.
Engagement in direct representation of immigrants before the Immigrant Courts, Board of Immigration Appeals and U.S. Courts of appeals on cases related to deportation defense, particularly for individuals in immigration detention, as well as affirmative filings for survivors of crimes and abuse; clients include asylum-seekers fleeing persecution in their home countries, permanent residents facing deportation due to a criminal conviction, unaccompanied children who have been abused, neglected or abandoned by a parent and undocumented individuals with substantial ties to the United States. Prerequisite: LAW 7091 or concurrent enrollment.
LAW 7104 Advanced Torts
Credits 2 to 3.
2 to 3 Lecture Hours.
Advanced topics of tort law based on material covered in LAW 7042; includes products liability, defamation, invasion of privacy and business torts; misrepresentation and interference with contractual relations. Prerequisites: One year of law school in the full-time or part-time program; LAW 7042.
LAW 7108 Accounting for Lawyers
Credits 2 to 3.
2 to 3 Lecture Hours.
Fundamental understanding of accounting principles; importance of accounting issues to the practice of law; introduction to critical techniques of financial analysis, including time value of money, leverage, return metrics and business valuation. Prerequisite: One year of law school in the full-time or part-time program.
LAW 7110 Professional Identity
Credits 0 to 2.
0 to 2 Lecture Hours.
Development of skills in areas relating to everyday legal practice; including professionalism, leadership, interpersonal communication, teamwork, leveraging diversity, creating inclusive climates, cross-cultural and cross-generational lawyering, mentoring and public service. May be repeated one time for credit.
LAW 7113 Administrative Law
Credits 2 to 3.
2 to 3 Lecture Hours.
Legal principles and procedures an unelected bureaucracy must conform to achieve legitimacy; problems inherent in a relatively disunited body of law derived from disparate sources; concentration on the Constitution and other federal law as the primary sources for administrative law and procedure; may include constitutional underpinnings of the federal bureaucracy, judicial review of agency fact finding and legal interpretation, extra-statutory administrative common law, grounds for dividing administrative actions into adjudication and rule making, essential components of due process in agency adjudication, and availability of judicial review of agency action. Prerequisite: One year of law school in the full-time or part-time program.
LAW 7114 Adoption Law
Credits 2 to 3.
2 to 3 Lecture Hours.
Aspects of adoption law; consent of birthparents; termination of parental rights; Indian Child Welfare Act; transracial and transcultural adoption; international adoption; access to information; effects of adoption; actions for wrongful adoption. Prerequisite: One year of law school in the full-time or part-time program.
LAW 7116 Low Income Tax Clinic
Credits 4 to 6.
4 to 6 Other Hours.
Representation of clients before the Internal Revenue Service or in U.S. Tax Court to resolve disputes concerning federal tax liabilities; representations may include tax examinations (audits), administrative appeals, collection matters or tax litigation; interview and counsel clients; management of all aspects of client matters; instruction in substantive and procedural law, drafting and other core lawyering skills; opportunities to practice during class and clinic office hours; supervision provided by a licensed attorney. Prerequisite: LAW 7091 or concurrent enrollment.
LAW 7117 Federal Tax Practice and Procedure
Credits 2.
2 Lecture Hours.
Procedure and practical aspects of a tax practice, focusing primarily on all stages of a federal tax controversy; audits, appeals, litigations and collection; aspects of practice before an administrative agency and the professional/ethical obligations associated with tax transactional or controversy work. Prerequisite: One year of law school in the full-time or part-time program; LAW 7116 or LAW 7319 or concurrent enrollment.
LAW 7120 Ethics for the Criminal Law Practitioner
Credits 1 to 2.
1 to 2 Lecture Hours.
Unique ethical and moral dilemmas that arise in criminal law from both defense counsel and prosecutor perspectives; bridging the gap between traditional substantive professional responsibility and the application of criminal law practice standards; problem-solving approach. Prerequisite: One year of law school in the full-time or part-time program.
LAW 7121 Advanced Clinic
Credits 2 to 4.
2 to 4 Other Hours.
Continuation of same clinic after one semester; advanced skills in interviewing, counseling, dispute resolution, law practice management, legal drafting and other core lawyering skills; all other clinic hours in addition to class meeting times are determined in consultation with faculty supervisor. Prerequisites: Approval of instructor.
LAW 7123 Advanced Legal Research
Credits 2.
2 Lecture Hours.
Development of strategies and skill sets required to perform efficient, cost-effective and exceptional research in a professional and academic environment. Prerequisite: One year of law school in the full-time or part-time program.
LAW 7124 Core Commercial Concepts
Credits 2 to 3.
2 to 3 Lecture Hours.
Understanding the key concepts from the Uniform Commercial Code; critical provisions of Uniform Commercial Code Article 2 (Sales), Article 9 (Secured Transactions) and Articles 3 and 4 (Payment Systems). Prerequisite: One year of law school in the full-time or part-time program; LAW 7032.
LAW 7125 Advanced Legal Research Boot Camp
Credit 1.
1 Lecture Hour.
Development of strategies and skill sets required to perform exceptional research in a professional and academic environment. Prerequisite: One year of law school in the full-time or part-time program.
LAW 7127 Antitrust
Credits 2 to 3.
2 to 3 Lecture Hours.
Examination of the major contours of U.S. antitrust law; focus on issues that will likely be encountered in practice; issues include private litigation, analysis of pricing systems and distribution plans and the relationship of antitrust law to economics and other bodies of law. Prerequisite: One year of law school in the full-time or part-time program.
LAW 714 Trademark and Unfair Competition Law
Credits 2 to 3.
2 to 3 Lecture Hours.
Principles of unfair competition law; examination of the creation, maintenance, and enforcement of trademark rights; related doctrines of rights of publicity, trade dress, trade secrets, and false advertising; exploration of public policies and economy underlying trademark law. Prerequisite: One year of law school in the full-time or part-time program.
LAW 7145 Bankruptcy
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Study of law relating to individual and business liquidations; reorganizations under the Bankruptcy Code. Prerequisite: One year of law school in the full-time or part-time program; LAW 7032.
LAW 7154 Children and the Law
Credits 2 to 3.
2 to 3 Lecture Hours.
Exploration of the three-sided relationship between children, their parents (or other conservators), and the state; examination of complex problems inherent in the questions of when a state should, must, or should not interfere in the parent-child relationship; defining what that relationship includes and the ways it is evolving in the United States today; examination of the parent-child relationship through the many forms of Suits Affecting the Parent-Child Relationship (SAPCR), common to most states today in their statutes/codes; excludes questions of tort liability of parents to or for their children. Prerequisite: One year of law school in the full-time or part-time program.
LAW 7155 Fashion Law
Credits 1 to 2.
1 to 2 Lecture Hours.
Overview of the legal issues related to the fashion industry; emphasis on the analysis of the intellectual property aspects for the protection of fashion items, primarily but not exclusively trademarks, design and copyright; addresses the business aspects of the fashion industry and some emerging issues including the growing movement of sustainable and slow fashion as well as the potential impact of disruptive technologies such as 3D printing on the manufacturing and distribution of fashion items. Prerequisites: One year of law school in the full-time or part-time program.
LAW 717 White Collar Crime
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Exploration of the substantive and procedural problems connected with the federal prosecution and defense of white collar crime; examination of selected federal statutes, including the Racketeer-Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO); mail and wire fraud, securities fraud, money laundering, corporate criminal liability, and grand jury investigations.
LAW 7174 Trusts and Fiduciary Responsibilities
Credits 2 to 3.
2 to 3 Lecture Hours.
Comprehensive study of the law of trusts: includes creation, administration, amendment and termination of trusts; powers, rights and duties of settlors, trustees and beneficiaries; fiduciary duties and liability of trustees; creditors rights; emphasis on Texas law. Prerequisites: One year of law school in the full-time or part-time program; LAW 7032.
LAW 7175 Transfer Pricing
Credits 2.
2 Lecture Hours.
Addresses cross-border intracompany pricing as a multidisciplinary subject of law, accounting and economics in order to value cross-border tangibles, services and intangible transactions among units of a multinational enterprise; examination from a U.S. law perspective compared to OECD, UN and other country approaches, especially Brazil; includes arm's length standard, jurisprudence, comparability analysis, risk analysis for tangibles and intangibles, transactional methods (CUP, CUT, Cost Plus, Resale Minus, Commodity), profit methods, functional analysis, industry economic data gathering and analysis, cost-sharing arrangements, profit splits and residuals, platform contributions, safe harbors, documentation, advance pricing agreement procedures and mutual agreement procedures. Prerequisites: One year of law school in the full-time or part-time program.
LAW 718 Construction Contract Administration and Liens
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
. Examination of the various facets of construction law and construction contract administration; contract components, types of construction contracts, subcontracts and supply contracts, design and build contracts, bidding and award of contracts, negotiation, claims and disputes, changes to the work, time and cost, correction of the work, contract completion, mechanic’s and materialmen’s liens and surety bonds.
LAW 7188 Construction Law
Credits 2 to 3.
2 to 3 Lecture Hours.
Examination of construction law and legal relationships; causes of action between owners, contractors, subcontractors, engineers, architects and their insurers, and construction contracts; emphasis on practical aspects of construction practice; reenactment of real construction dispute cases. Prerequisite: One year of law school in the full-time or part-time program.
LAW 719 Domestic Tax Systems Risk Management
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Study of the interaction of international taxation risk management and domestic systems. Prerequisite: LAW 647.
LAW 7195 Consumer Law
Credits 2.
2 Lecture Hours.
Current state of the law as it applies to consumer transactions; debt collection practices; credit disclosure and regulation; product liability; the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act; work of the Federal Trade Commission; truth in lending laws; fair credit laws. Prerequisite: One year of law school in the full-time or part-time program.
LAW 7196 Case Evaluation and Client Relationships
Credit 1.
1 Lecture Hour.
Practical, real life workshop that includes evaluation of a case and then maintaining the client relationship; case may be any new legal matter, whether transactional or litigation; obtaining the new case, evaluating the new case and then maintaining the client relationship throughout the case; includes rejecting a new case and why. Prerequisites: One year of law school in the full-time or part-time program.
LAW 7199 Trial Advocacy for Mock Trial Students
Credits 1 to 3.
1 to 3 Lecture Hours.
Designed to teach mock trial team participants effective trial advocacy skills necessary to persuasively present a case to a decision maker; focus on the principles, concepts and rules of trial advocacy and evidence; facilitated by experienced litigators who will offer their insight into the realities of trial work. Prerequisites: Approval of instructor.
LAW 720 International Tax Risk Management II - Data, Analytics, and Technology
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Interaction of international taxation risk management, data, technology and analytics; global supply chain and value allocation and apportionment, DEMPE, customs, taxation of IP and technology and tax technology. Prerequisite: LAW 627; LAW 719.
LAW 7200 Moot Court Appellate Advocacy
Credit 1.
1 Lecture Hour.
Substantial experience of engaging in tasks to help develop skills that will be utilized as advisors and advocates in litigation and appellate matters; designed to provide basic oral and writing skills required to effectively participate in a moot court competition. Prerequisites: Approval of instructor.
LAW 7201 Arbitration
Credits 1 to 3.
1 to 3 Lecture Hours.
Introduction to the arbitration process; examination of the legal framework governing arbitration, policy implications of its expansion and the skills necessary to be a successful advocate in domestic arbitral forms. Prerequisite: One year of law school in the full-time or part-time program.
LAW 7203 Copyright Law
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Study of federal and international laws protecting the innovative endeavors of authors; history of copyright law; fair use of copyrighted materials; what can be copyrighted; interaction of copyright law with other concepts of unfair competition and intellectual property. Prerequisite: One year of law school in the full-time or part-time program.
LAW 7204 Advanced Criminal Procedure
Credits 2 to 3.
2 to 3 Lecture Hours.
Critical analysis of processes, other than trials, used in the U.S. criminal justice system to resolve criminal cases; includes plea bargaining, therapeutic justice, restorative justice and juvenile justice; examines the policy goals supporting continuing, starting or expanding the use of these processes to resolve criminal cases. Prerequisite: One year of law school in the full-time or part-time program; LAW 7065 or concurrent enrollment.
LAW 7205 Art Law
Credits 2 to 3.
2 to 3 Lecture Hours.
Introduction to the growing area of legal practice known as art law; examination of legal and ethical issues relating to the creation, discovery, ownership, transfer and use of works of visual art, from ancient to contemporary; stakeholders include artists and their subjects, individual and corporate collectors, museums, dealers, auction houses, cultural institutions, treasure hunters, scholars, indigenous groups, sovereign nations, and the general public; examination, discussion, and debate of applicable civil and criminal laws and regulations, case law, international treaties and codes of ethics, as well as contracts and other documents used in art law practice. Prerequisite: One year of law school in the full-time or part-time program.
LAW 721 Duties, Obligations and Workplace Rights
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
. Study of laws created to defend and protect workplace rights including the National Labor Relations Act, the Family Medical Leave Act, the Pregnancy Discrimination Act, the Genetic Information Non-Discrimination Act, the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act, the Equal Pay Act, the Occupational Safety and Health Act, and the Fair Labor Standards Act.
LAW 7217 Post-Conviction Actual Innocence Claims
Credits 2.
2 Lecture Hours.
Practical applications of the law in petitioning the judiciary for relief based on facts garnered through an initial post-conviction investigation; understanding a post-conviction claim of actual innocence; how the U.S. Supreme Court and the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals have analyzed and dealt with such claims in both death penalty and nondeath cases. Prerequisite: One year of law school in the full-time or part-time program.
LAW 7223 Internet Law
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Examination of transference or absence of brick-and-mortar legal principles to new methods of communications; recent developments in cyberspace law; survey of legal issues on the internet; policy and pragmatic application of jurisdictional principals; intellectual property laws; privacy rights; computer crime; proprietary information; freedom of speech issues; full-scale analysis and explication of the question "Is Google really God?" Prerequisite: One year of law school in the full-time or part-time program.
LAW 7227 Education Law
Credits 2 to 3.
2 to 3 Lecture Hours.
Legal rights, responsibilities and relationships between parents, students, teachers and administrators; balancing these rights with the operation of schools; separation of church and state; balancing the instructional program with substantive rights of parents and the interest of the state; student on-campus First Amendment expression rights; student privacy rights; application of the Fourth Amendment; rights of students with disabilities; common law student rights; teacher certification requirements; contractual issues arising from employment relationships. Prerequisites: LAW 7010; one year of law school in the full-time or part-time program.
LAW 7248 Employment Discrimination
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Examination of federal law concerning employment discrimination on the basis of race, sex, religion, national origin, age, and disability; includes Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Age of Discrimination in Employment Act, the Reconstruction Era Civil Rights Act, the Equal Pay Act, the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Prerequisite: One year of law school in the full-time or part-time program.
LAW 7259 Information Privacy Law
Credits 2 to 3.
2 to 3 Lecture Hours.
Exploration of issues related to the concept of information privacy; examination of the collection, use, protection and disclosure of personal and other information by government entities and private sector actors, both domestically and cross-jurisdictionally; considers multiple regulatory schemes, including constitutional, tort, contract, property, statutory, administrative and international rules. Prerequisite: One year of law school in the full-time or part-time program.
LAW 726 Transactions with Government Entities
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Study of the fundamental principles in federal government contracting; overview and general understanding of key contracting principles, including contract types; competition requirements; the methods the government uses to acquire goods and services, simplified acquisitions, sealed bidding and negotiated procurements; protests of contract awards; contract administration issues, changes and terminations; contractor claims and remedies.
LAW 7260 Employment Law
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Study of law of employer-employee relations in a nonunion context; employment at will, retaliatory discharge and wage and hour laws; introduction to employment relationship laws. Prerequisite: One year of law school in the full-time or part-time program.
LAW 7263 The Information Society Seminar
Credits 2.
2 Lecture Hours.
Exploration of the complex interrelationships between technological, economic, cultural, political and legal influences that shape the information society. Prerequisite: One year of law school in the full-time or part-time program.
LAW 7267 Government, Ethics and the Public Sector
Credit 1.
1 Lecture Hour.
Review of federal and state governance; exploration of the extern's role in the policymaking process; introduction to ethical issues within government; research of a topic related to placement. Prerequisites: Approval of instructor; public policy residency externship program.
LAW 7268 Entertainment Law
Credits 2.
2 Lecture Hours.
Examination of basic legal concepts that govern transactions in the entertainment industry; constitutional protections of entertainment speech; rights of individuals who restrict it; copyright fundamentals; contract issues peculiar to the field; prevailing standards and practices of "the Business." Prerequisite: One year of law school in the full-time or part-time program.
LAW 727 Insurance Law and Risk Management
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
. Study of fundamental legal principles relating to the creation of various types of liability and first-party insurance contracts in the real estate and construction industries; insurance regulation, application for coverage and acceptance of risk, rules of construction, bad faith and insurance litigation strategy.
LAW 7277 Environmental Law
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Study of various approaches for dealing with adverse environmental effects, including private litigation, regulation, and financial incentives; survey of air and water pollution, solid and hazardous waste problems, and the National Environmental Policy Act; judicial review of legislative and administrative action; special problems raised by the U.S. federal form of government; administrative regulatory process in pollution control. Prerequisites: One year of law school in the full-time or part-time program; LAW 7032.
LAW 728 LARW III: Estate Planning and Drafting
Credits 2.
2 Lecture Hours.
Discussion of hypothetical clinical problems; extensive drafting and professor collaboration; comprehensive planning and drafting of estate planning documents to effectuate the plan.
LAW 7284 Natural Resource Systems Capstone
Credits 2.
2 Lecture Hours.
Capstone experience in the field of natural resources law enabling the blending of substantive doctrinal training with the development of practical skills and professional identity; includes a variety of inverse condemnation, water law, land use and other issues related to the massive flooding of Hurricane Harvey. Prerequisites: Approval of instructor.
LAW 729 LARW III: Contract Drafting
Credits 2.
2 Lecture Hours.
Contemporary commercial drafting of contracts; transactional practice useful for litigators; includes translation of a client's business deal into contract language; the organizational paradigm for a formal contract; drafting definitions, covenants, representations, and warranties; deconstructing and marking up contracts; transactional and formbook research; proper use of boilerplate provisions.
LAW 7290 Estate and Gift Tax
Credits 2 to 3.
2 to 3 Lecture Hours.
Study of income, gift, estate, and generation-skipping transfer taxes relevant to the estate planning process; introduction to planning and drafting principles for complex estates. Prerequisite: One year of law school in the full-time or part-time program; LAW 7076 or concurrent enrollment.
LAW 7301 Family Law
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Study of legal problems related to the establishment, dissolution, reorganization, and evolving definitions of the family and family-like relationships in America; includes premarital arrangements, marriage (formal and informal), divorce, parent-child relationship, division of marital property, spousal and child support, domestic violence within the family, and same-sex unions. Prerequisite: One year of law school in the full-time or part-time program.
LAW 7302 Federal Courts
Credits 2 to 3.
2 to 3 Lecture Hours.
Examination of the constitutional and practical doctrines that define the judicial power of the U.S.; emphasis on the role of federal courts in the American system of government; the federal courts' relationship to the other branches of the federal government and their relationship to the separate state systems of government; includes constitutional cases and controversies requirement, congressional control of the federal courts, Supreme Court review of state court decisions, the power of the federal courts to create federal law, abstention, suits against state governments, and the enforcement of federal rights. Prerequisite: One year of law school in the full-time or part-time program.
LAW 7303 Agricultural Law
Credits 2 to 3.
2 to 3 Lecture Hours.
Study of major areas of agricultural law; practical approach including discussions and hands-on assignments; legal issues relating to animal agriculture, food safety, landowner rights, the interaction between agriculture and energy production, agricultural leases, agricultural policy and estate and succession planning for farm families. Prerequisite: One year of law school in full-time or part-time program.
LAW 731 LARW III: Litigation Drafting
Credits 2.
2 Lecture Hours.
Practice in drafting of litigation documents expected to be prepared in typical civil litigation cases; utilization of a state trial court forum and the Texas Rules of Civil Procedure; includes conducting client interviews; drafting petitions, answers, and affirmative defenses; propounding written discovery; objecting to and answering written discovery; preparing and arguing motions; preparing other litigation-related documents.
LAW 7310 Non-Profit Organizations
Credits 2 to 3.
2 to 3 Lecture Hours.
Laws, policies, and ideals affecting the creation, operation, and governance of nonprofit organizations; complex issues raised from nonprofit organizations' role in society involving constitutional, trust and property, corporate, and tax law; obtaining tax-exempt status; restrictions on lobbying and political activity; tax on unrelated business income; eligibility for charitable contributions; state regulation of charitable solicitations; oversight of nonprofit governance; charitable immunity. Prerequisite: One year of law school in the full-time or part-time program.
LAW 7313 Criminal Procedure Trial Rights
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Constitutionally mandated judicial processes for determining the guilt or innocence of those accused of crime and selecting an appropriate penalty; topics may include bail and pretrial detention, the prosecutor's charging decision, pretrial publicity, the defendant's competency to stand trial, jury selection, trial by jury, the defendant's right of confrontation and compulsory process, the right to effective assistance of counsel, sentencing, direct attacks on criminal convictions, and double jeopardy. Prerequisite: One year of law school in the full-time or part-time program.
LAW 7316 First Amendment
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Study of the U.S. Constitution's First Amendment; addresses the First Amendment's effect on government attempts to regulate content of speech and to restrict speech by regulating one's method of speaking; the right of free speech in various physical settings; freedoms of assembly and press, free exercise of religion, and the prohibition on governmental establishment of religion. Prerequisites: One year of law school in the full-time or part-time program; LAW 7010.
LAW 7317 Government Contracts
Credits 2 to 3.
2 to 3 Lecture Hours.
Examination of federal government contract law; includes contract formation issues, appropriations requirements, contract types, simplified, sealed bid and negotiated procurement methods, competition requirements, contract pricing, protests of awards, contract administration issues and changes, terminations, claims and litigation in federal forums, government fraud remedies and contractor debarments. Prerequisite: One year of law school in the full-time or part-time program.
LAW 7318 Health Law
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Key concepts in health law, such as the structure of health care organizations, quality of health care, and liability of health care providers; access to health care; financing mechanisms of health care, including Medicare and Medicaid; regulation and oversight of managed health care; examination of developments in health care law concerning reproduction, bioethics, and human genetics. Prerequisite: One year of law school in the full-time or part-time program.
LAW 7319 Federal Income Taxation
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Study of the basic principles of federal income tax; concentration on individuals, businesses, and investors as taxpayers; use of the Internal Revenue Code and federal tax regulations emphasized. Prerequisite: One year of law school in the full-time or part-time program.
LAW 7321 Healthcare Compliance
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Understanding the complexities of the healthcare compliance process from practical, business and legal perspectives; components of an effective compliance plan and program as well as the issues that arise in the implementation and administration of a compliance plan; discover the many roles the compliance staff fulfill in encouraging compliance with laws, regulations and ethical principles and gain familiarity with some of the more significant issues that arise when allegations of noncompliance come to the attention of the federal and state governments. Prerequisites: One year of law school in the full-time or part-time program.
LAW 7332 Immigration Law
Credits 2 to 3.
2 to 3 Lecture Hours.
Basic immigration statutes, including cases and doctrines that control immigration and naturalization; explores the treatment of undocumented immigrants and those seeking protection from persecution. Prerequisite: One year of law school in the full-time or part-time program.
LAW 7334 Mediation
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Integration of doctrine, theory and legal ethics to teach professional skills used by lawyers; examination of the law and ethics of mediation, relevant social psychological and economic theories and empirical research and the dynamics, law and ethics of representing clients in mediation. Prerequisites: One year of law school in the full-time or part-time program.
LAW 7338 Texas Water Law
Credit 1.
1 Lecture Hour.
Exploration of the legal regime applicable in Texas for securing, allocating and managing water rights for public and private uses; encompasses both surface and groundwater resources and considers related environmental and other issues. Prerequisites: All lockstep courses.
LAW 7339 Water Law
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Legal control of water resources; includes riparian rights, the water permit system, groundwater issues, water as a regional and shared resource, beneficial uses versus waste, underground conservation districts, and navigability. Prerequisites: One year of law school in the full-time or part-time program; LAW 7032.
LAW 734 LARW III: Appellate Drafting
Credits 2.
2 Lecture Hours.
Development of analytical and persuasion skills; emphasis on appellate brief writing and oral advocacy in the appellate court setting; participation in significant oral argument exercises.
LAW 7350 Intellectual Property Survey
Credits 2 to 3.
2 to 3 Lecture Hours.
Overview of the basic principles of intellectual property law; includes coverage of trade secret, trademark, patent, and copyright fundamentals. Prerequisite: One year of law school in the full-time or part-time program.
LAW 7351 International Intellectual Property
Credits 2 to 3.
2 to 3 Lecture Hours.
Study of the international fabric of patent, copyright, and trademark law under both domestic laws and international treaties; examination of the foundation of international intellectual property policies underlying medicinal herbs, counterfeit goods, genetic material, and traditional knowledge; examination of heightened tensions on international intellectual property law due to flow of information and content across borders; harmonizing diverse legal frameworks. Prerequisite: One year of law school in the full-time or part-time program; LAW 7203, LAW 7350, LAW 7452, or LAW 7550.
LAW 736 LARW III: Estate Admninistration Drafting
Credits 2.
2 Lecture Hours.
LARW III: Estate Administration Drafting. (2-0).How to open, conduct and close an administration of a decedent's estate under Texas law; independent and dependent administrations; probate of the decedent's will; powers, rights, and duties of the personal representative; payment of creditor's claim; informal probate procedures; practical look at how to represent a client who is serving as the personal representative of a decedent's estate or who is a beneficiary of a decedent's estate.
LAW 7368 International Litigation
Credits 2 to 3.
2 to 3 Lecture Hours.
Study of disputes touching more than one jurisdiction; includes selecting the proper forum, discovery, parallel law suits, choice of law, sovereign immunity, the recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments, and arbitration. Prerequisite: One year of law school in the full-time or part-time program.
LAW 7376 Local Government Law
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Discussions and projects situated in locations ranging from rural towns to major metropolises across the country covering how local governments exert tremendous influence over socioeconomics, immigration, race relations, environmental health, political power and housing and real estate; investigation of the public law of these governments on issues such as local government formation, boundary change, home rule, intergovernmental relations, local voting, redevelopment, city property ownership, municipal and school finance, housing and real estate, municipal dissolution and regional governance. Prerequisite: One year of law school in the full-time or part-time program.
LAW 738 LAWR III: How the Deals Get Done
Credits 2 to 3.
2 to 3 Lecture Hours.
Transactional law practice using a hypothetical start-up business to help deal with the transactional issues in this context; combination of theory and practice to prepare for typical matters confronted in a transactional law practice.
LAW 7383 Juvenile Justice
Credits 2 to 3.
2 to 3 Lecture Hours.
Review of the juvenile's substantive and procedural rights. Prerequisite: One year of law school in the full-time or part-time program.
LAW 7383S The Business Negotiator
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Development and strengthening of negotiation skills mostly in the context of business and transactions work; negotiation strategies and techniques expanded for deals, contracts, and relationships via lectures, role-plays and simulations; deal making in both U.S. and global context, including culture, ideology, and foreign governments and laws. Only one of the following will satisfy the requirements for a degree: LAW 7383S or LAW 7707S. Prerequisite: One year of law school in the full-time or part-time program.
LAW 7389 Labor Law
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Study of the National Labor Relations Act and its implementation. Prerequisite: One year of law school in the full-time or part-time program.
LAW 7390S Labor Negotiations Workshop
Credit 1.
1 Lecture Hour.
Process of contract negotiations in the labor setting in both the private and public sectors; includes who has the right to bargain contracts, what can be bargained, bargaining in good faith and legal remedies; bargaining techniques including data-driven proposals also covered; labor bargaining simulations. Prerequisite: One year of law school in the full-time or part-time program.
LAW 740 Cybersecurity Compliance for Defense
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Examination of the requirements, legal and design expectations that exist and are verifiable in any cyber-enabled system, stemming from government, international standards, and industrial best practices; introduction to compliance methodologies coming from United States (U.S.) Law, such as the Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA), the Department of Defense (DoD), the National Institutes of Standards and Technologies (NIST) and international compliance standards. Prerequisite: LAW 630.
LAW 7401 Land Use Law
Credits 2 to 3.
2 to 3 Lecture Hours.
Study of private and public means of controlling land use; emphasis on planning and zoning, including the emerging problem of exclusionary land use controls; subdivision controls, restrictive deed covenants, eminent domain proceedings, and urban renewal. Prerequisites: One year of law school in the full-time or part-time program; LAW 7032.
LAW 7408 Energy Law
Credits 2 to 3.
2 to 3 Lecture Hours.
Introduction to energy law and regulation in the United States; basic principles of public utility regulation; the division of jurisdiction between federal and state governments; key regulatory statutes and case law governing energy resources such as water, coal, oil, natural gas, nuclear and renewable energy; analysis of the environmental, regulatory, land use and economic concerns as they relate to each energy source; introduction to electricity and electric power competition in the United States. Prerequisite: One year of law school in the full-time or part-time program.
LAW 741 Independent Study
Credit 1.
1 Lecture Hour.
Specialized reading or research in an area of interest under a full-time faculty member's supervision. May be repeated for credit.
LAW 7411 Comparative Law
Credits 2.
2 Lecture Hours.
Introduction to comparative legal systems; surveys the two main legal families, civil and common law, and mixed legal systems; review of specific areas of the law from a comparative perspective namely at comparative judicial politics; recent developments in comparative law and economics; legal origins literature and the relationship between law and development. Prerequisite: One year of law school in the full-time or part-time program; LAW 7032.
LAW 7412 Law Practice Management
Credits 2.
2 Lecture Hours.
Review of the professional, ethical, and management requirements for starting and operating a law practice; statutory and regulatory aspects of practice; labor and employment; partnerships and professional corporations; trust and IOLTA accounts; advertising and solicitations; management skills and technology related to time, billing, accounting docketing, legal research, document preparation, filing, and client development. Prerequisite: One year of law school in the full-time or part-time program.
LAW 7413 Cannabis Law, Policy and Business
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Exploration of the legal, policy and business issues of the new marijuana entrepreneurial ventures through a quickly evolving landscape of law, regulation and business constraints and the role of lawyers in helping clients achieve their goals. Prerequisites: One year of law school in the full-time or part-time program.
LAW 7414 Legislative Process
Credits 2 to 3.
2 to 3 Lecture Hours.
Study of three areas of legislating: drafting/statutory construction, research and support groups, and procedures (committees/calendars/floor management); Committee Operations/debate/passage of bills; use of Texas legislative rules handbooks to guide from introduction to passage of legislation; election of a Speaker and Lt. Governor. Prerequisite: One year in law school in the full-time or part-time program.
LAW 7416 Legislation
Credits 2 to 3.
2 to 3 Lecture Hours.
Study of the state and federal legislative systems; examination of the relationship between the legislative, executive, and judicial process; philosophies of legislative operations and judicial interpretation; statutory and constitutional issues involved in interpreting and applying legislation; principles of drafting legislation; tracking actual legislative sessions and introduced bills; activity of a student-selected member of choice in the Texas Legislature; conducting a mock session of the Legislature to include committee activity, floor debate, voting, and post-legislative activities via extracurricular meetings. Prerequisite: One year of law school in the full-time or part-time program.
LAW 7418 Legislation and Regulation
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Introduction to the role of statutes and administrative regulations in the practice of law, including their creation, amendment, and interpretation; includes the interpretive and lawmaking roles of the three branches of government; statutory interpretation; delegation and administrative agency practice; regulatory governance; foundation for courses in legislation, administrative law, constitutional law and a wide range of specialized courses that rely on statutory and regulatory law including bankruptcy, commercial law, environmental law, intellectual property, securities regulation, and tax law.
LAW 7419 Communications Law
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Basic overview of law and policy in the regulation of communications, including broadcasting, cable, wireline and wireless telephony, as well as more advanced areas such as broadband and Internet communications; focus on these technological advances to explore the ways in which legal, economic, social and technological forces shape and are harnessed by legal systems faced with rapid change; draws primarily on leading communications law cases, statutes, and FCC and FTC regulatory actions, focusing on issues such as net neutrality, privacy, free speech and broadcast indecency, competition and spectrum policy. Prerequisites: One year of law school in the full-time or part-time program.
LAW 7426 The Lawyer in Government Seminar
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Exploration of the diverse political, ethical and substantive issues that public policy lawyers encounter daily; critical thinking and analysis of public discourse and policymaking in context of externships; distill exploration into written work product and class discussion. Prerequisite: Approval of instructor.
LAW 7428 Marital Property
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Study of the property rights of husband and wife under the Texas community property system, including coverage of the law relating to homestead. Prerequisites: One year of law school in the full-time or part-time program; 28 completed hours.
LAW 7432 International Petroleum Transactions
Credits 2 to 3.
2 to 3 Lecture Hours.
Examination of laws, legal issues and principal contracts utilized in the international oil and gas industry in the exploration for and production and marketing of oil and gas; practical knowledge of international oil and gas legal issues by working with actual international oil and gas contracts. Prerequisite: One year of law school in the full-time or part-time program.
LAW 7435 Mergers and Acquisitions
Credits 2 to 3.
2 to 3 Lecture Hours.
Examination of legal issues related to corporate mergers and acquisitions; mechanics and structure of merger and acquisition transactions, shareholder rights, fiduciary duties, federal securities laws, accounting and tax issues, anti-takeover defenses and antitrust considerations. Prerequisite: One year of law school in the full-time or part-time program; LAW 7056 or concurrent enrollment.
LAW 7437 National Security Law
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Examination of criminal and civil statutes, Supreme Court cases, executive orders and government policies that impact U.S. national security; relevant to prosecutors, criminal defense attorneys and lawyers representing state and federal agencies, law enforcement, technology companies, as well as individuals served by these entities. Prerequisite: One year of law school in the full-time or part-time program.
LAW 7438 Natural Resources Law
Credits 2 to 3.
2 to 3 Lecture Hours.
National Forest Management Act, the Clean Water Act, natural resource conservation acts, Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, the National Environmental Policy Act, and other acts and issues relating to the use, management, and preservation of natural resources. Prerequisite: One year of law school in the full-time or part-time program.
LAW 7440 Insurance Law
Credits 2 to 3.
2 to 3 Lecture Hours.
Study of fundamental legal principles relating to the construction of various types of liability and first-party insurance contracts; includes insurance regulation, application for coverage and acceptance of risk, rules of construction, bad faith, and insurance litigation strategy. Prerequisite: One year of law school in the full-time or part-time program.
LAW 7444 Oil and Gas
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Study of oil and gas law; interests that may be created in oil and gas; transfer and conveyance of such interests; rights of operators and landowners; provisions in the oil and gas lease; rights of assignees; regulations dealing with exploration, production, and conservation. Prerequisites: One year of law school in the full-time or part-time program; LAW 7032.
LAW 745 ADR Doing Deals and Resolving Disputes Through Negotiation, Mediation and Arbitration
Credit 1.
1 Lecture Hour.
Introduction to three widely used forms of resolving disputes without going to trial, negotiation, mediation and arbitration.
LAW 7452 Patent Law
Credits 2 to 3.
2 to 3 Lecture Hours.
Study of how proprietary interests in technology are protected by patent law; focus on issues relating to validity, the nature of the subject matter protected, and enforcement of proprietary rights. Prerequisite: One year of law school in the full-time or part-time program.
LAW 7454 Payment Systems
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Exploration of commercial paper, bank deposits, and collections under UCC Articles 3 and 4; includes negotiability and the rights and obligations of parties to commercial paper, defenses to liability, relationship of banks and customers, check collection, and suretyship. Prerequisite: One year of law school in the full-time or part-time program.
LAW 7458 Preparing for the Bar Exam
Credits 2 to 3.
2 to 3 Lecture Hours.
Overview of the contents of the bar exam; critical skills and strategies necessary for success on each day of the exam; covers selections from several MBE and essay-tested subjects; simulation of portions of the bar exam with performance feedback. Prerequisite: Must be taken in the last semester of law school.
LAW 746 History of Federal Indian Law
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Examination of the foundations of the contemporary relationship between Native American tribes, state governments, and the federal government; analysis of the origins and scope of tribal sovereignty, division of power between the various governing bodies, and constitutional issues impacting tribes; exploration of successful tribal approaches to implementing self-governance, which has strengthened the sovereignty of their communities; includes the history of federal Indian policy, doctrines of tribal sovereignty, self-government and self-determination, the federal-tribal relationship, tribal sovereignty, federal supremacy and states’ rights, and division of power. Prerequisites: Graduate classification.
LAW 747 Native American Natural Resources Law and Regulation
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Overview of tribal policy, jurisdiction, and rights over environmental resources; analysis of the roles of tribal, state, and federal governments in natural resource regulation and use; examination of the policies shaping water law and the challenges surrounding water resource management; includes tribal rights to land, land use and environmental protection, economic and natural resource development issues, hunting and fishing rights, and treaty-based rights to land, water, wildlife, and other natural resources. Prerequisites: Graduate classification.
LAW 7483 Military Justice
Credits 2 to 3.
2 to 3 Lecture Hours.
Examination of statutes, policies and rules governing military justice process from investigation through trial and appellate process; military criminal procedure and law governing court-martial proceedings; relationship of military courts to civilian courts; use of military commissions for trying enemy combatants for war crimes and other offenses. Prerequisite: One year of law school in the full-time or part-time program.
LAW 7484 Remedies
Credits 2 to 3.
2 to 3 Lecture Hours.
Review of the forms of legal and equitable relief a court is equipped to grant by way of redress to those who have been or may be injured; alternative choices and tactical advantages of each; may also cover the scope of judges' powers of contempt. Prerequisite: One year of law school in the full-time or part-time program.
LAW 7487 Spanish for Lawyers
Credits 2 to 3.
2 to 3 Lecture Hours.
Preparation of the Spanish proficient for the practice of immigration law, criminal law or family law; discussion of legal concepts and procedures related to representation of Spanish-speaking clients; review of Spanish vocabulary through simulations of interviewing, counseling and representing Spanish-speaking clients. Prerequisite: One year of law school in the full-time or part-time program; LAW 7301 or LAW 7332, or concurrent enrollment.
LAW 7488 Secured Transactions
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Study of personal and commercial financing by loans and credit sales under agreements creating security interests in the debtors' personal property (Article 9 of the UCC and relevant provisions of the Bankruptcy Code). Prerequisite: One year of law school in the full-time or part-time program; LAW 7032.
LAW 7489 Crimmigration
Credit 1.
1 Lecture Hour.
Intersection of criminal and immigration law; issues non-citizen criminal defendants face; what obligations defense counsel has to non-citizen clients; how to analyze the immigration consequences of state criminal offenses; strategies to protect non-citizen defendants from removal; concludes with a final legal memo on the immigration consequences of a particular Texas criminal offense. Prerequisites: One year of law school in the full-time or part-time program.
LAW 7492 Securities Regulation
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Review of federal and state regulation of the public distribution, offer, and sale of corporate securities; study of the Securities Act of 1933 and portions of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934; types of securities and underwriting techniques; key definitions and exemptions in the statutes; state securities law with emphasis on the securities registration and anti-fraud aspects of the Texas Securities Act. Prerequisite: One year of law school in the full-time or part-time program; LAW 7056.
LAW 7500S Sports Law
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Thorough look at both the academic (e.g., labor and antitrust) and practical (e.g., contracts and agents) aspects of professional sports and the emerging field of sports law; rules governing Olympic competition, the NCAA, and other amateur athletics. Prerequisite: One year of law school in the full-time or part-time program.
LAW 751 Negotiation Theory and Practice Practicum
Credits 3.
3 Other Hours.
Development of negotiation skills; simulations and negotiation exercises provide first-hand experience in applying both integrative and distributive negotiation techniques; examination of the skills, constraints, and dynamics of negotiation; theoretical framework for understanding negotiation practice in a variety of contexts through readings from the fields of law, psychology, business, and communication. Prerequisites: Graduate classification.
LAW 7516 Taxation of Business Entities
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Study of the federal income tax treatment of C corporations and pass-through entities such as partnerships, S corporations, and limited liability companies; examines on a comparative basis the formation, operation, and sales and liquidation of these entities; corporate reorganizations and related transactions also covered. Prerequisite: One year of law school in the full-time or part-time program; LAW 7319 or concurrent enrollment.
LAW 752 Trial Advocacy Practicum
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Study of civil and criminal trials through lectures, demonstrations, and simulations; examination of each trial segment separately; accompanying exercises conducted from attorney and witness perspectives; presentation of an entire case through verdict via mock trial at a local courthouse.
LAW 753 Dispute Resolution in Education
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Dynamics of conflict in the educational environment; focus on creating and implementing age-appropriate strategies for its prevention, management, and resolution at all levels of education, ranging from pre-kindergarten to university, including equal access to education, violence, safety, discipline, discrimination and sexual harassment, and local school governance; examination of internal dispute resolution processes prevalent in educational institutions. Prerequisites: Graduate classification.
LAW 7532 Texas Criminal Procedure
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Study of laws regulating Texas criminal process; arrest to post-conviction review; emphasis on unique characteristics. Prerequisite: One year of law school in the full-time or part-time program.
LAW 7533 Texas Land Titles
Credits 2 to 3.
2 to 3 Lecture Hours.
Examination of Texas real property law through Texas case and statutory law; includes conveyances of real property including contracts and deeds, liens, adverse possession, and servitudes, i.e., easements, real covenants, and equitable servitudes. Prerequisite: One year of law school in the full-time or part-time program; LAW 7032.
LAW 754 Special Education Law
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Examination of the law governing the education of children with disabilities; analysis of the framework of special education law, focusing on regulations such as the Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act (IDEA), Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the No Child Left Behind Act, the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, and the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act; exploration of key issues in special education law as set forth in Supreme Court decisions and how those decisions have impacted the practice and application of the law in schools. Prerequisites: Graduate classification.
LAW 7540 Texas Pretrial Procedure
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Study of Texas law in civil cases pertaining to processes before trial; includes jurisdictions, venue, initiating legal proceedings, obtaining factual information from parties and nonparties, and terminating litigation prior to trial. Prerequisite: One year of law school in the full-time or part-time program.
LAW 7548 Texas Trials and Appeals
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Study of Texas law in civil cases pertaining to trial and appellate procedure concerning the jury; presentation of the case; motions for instructed verdict; the court's charge; the verdict; trial before the court; post-trial motions and procedures; final and appealable judgments; appellate jurisdiction; perfection of appeal; courts of appeal; Supreme Court of Texas; original proceedings in appellate courts. Prerequisite: One year of law school in the full-time or part-time program.
LAW 755 Title IX Law
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Examination of the creation, scope, and enforcement of Title IX; analysis of the obligation of schools and other agents to prevent, respond to, and resolve cases of sexual misconduct; and identification of types of discrimination covered under Title IX. Prerequisites: Graduate classification.
LAW 7550 Trademark and Unfair Competition Law
Credits 2 to 3.
2 to 3 Lecture Hours.
Principles of unfair competition law; examination of the creation, maintenance, and enforcement of trademark rights; related doctrines of rights of publicity, trade dress, trade secrets, and false advertising; exploration of public policies and economy underlying trademark law. Prerequisite: One year of law school in the full-time or part-time program.
LAW 7552 Business Fundamentals for Lawyers
Credits 1 to 2.
1 to 2 Lecture Hours.
Introduction to business concepts and processes important to law practice; covers areas critical to business lawyers, such as financial statements, business strategy, supply chains, HR management, finance, and marketing operations; includes business problem simulations. Prerequisites: One year in law school in the full-time or part-time program.
LAW 7557 Sales and Leases
Credits 2 to 3.
2 to 3 Lecture Hours.
Study of the sale and lease of goods and the principal commercial law governing such transactions; includes Articles 2 and 2A of the uniform Commercial Code as well as the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods; sale and lease contract formation; establishment of express and implied contract terms; creation and disclaimer of warranties; risk of loss; remedies for breach. Prerequisite: One year of law school in the full-time or part-time program.
LAW 756 Modern Legal Issues in Higher Education Law
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Examination of modern legal issues that shape higher education and inform decision-making in higher education; includes distinctions between public and private colleges and universities, accessibility to and financing of higher education, education reform, freedom of expression, freedom of assembly, students’ privacy rights including discussion of drug testing, canine searches, and strip searches; campus safety; the roles of presidents, governing boards, and university general counsels; and faculty, administrator, and student rights. Prerequisites: Graduate classification.
LAW 757 Child Welfare in Native American Nations
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Examination of the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) of 1978, requirements of the law, and the resulting conflicts between tribal and state governments; analysis of the requirements and scope of the ICWA, various ways states have interpreted the requirements, conflicting interpretations, and issues facing courts in adjudicating over these conflicts. Prerequisites: Graduate classification.
LAW 758 Mediation
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Integration of doctrine, theory and ethics to teach skills used by professionals serving as mediators and facilitators, both formally and informally; examination of the law and ethics of formal mediation, relevant social psychological and economic theories and empirical research. Prerequisites: Graduate classification.
LAW 7588 Elder Law
Credits 2 to 3.
2 to 3 Lecture Hours.
Overview of the law relating to aging individuals and an older American society; includes employment and disability discrimination, retirement, property management, guardianship and protection, health care financing, health care decision-making, housing, and family issues unique to grandparents; Texas law on particular subjects covered when possible. Prerequisite: One year of law school in the full-time or part-time program.
LAW 760 Cybersecurity Law
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Exploration of a broad range of legal and policy issues associated with cybersecurity; examination of key legal and policy issues related to cybersecurity, including the legal authorities and obligations of both the government and the private sector with respect to protecting computer systems and networks, as well as the national security aspects of the cyber domain including authorities related to offensive activities in cyberspace; survey of federal laws, executive orders, regulations and cases related to surveillance, cyber intrusions by private and nation-state actors, data breaches and privacy and civil liberties matters.
LAW 7600 Law and Economics Seminar
Credits 2.
2 Other Hours.
Introduction to the methodology and literature of the economic analysis of law or law and economics; main law-and-economics literature of the last 30 years. Prerequisites: One year of law school in the full-time or part-time program.
LAW 7603 ADR in the Workplace Seminar
Credits 2.
2 Lecture Hours.
Study of workplace dispute resolution; focus on the legal status and practical application of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) in the workplace; includes labor arbitration, individual employment arbitration, mediation of employment disputes; review of litigation of employment disputes to explore the pros and cons of using ADR versus litigation; simulations of arbitration and mediation of these disputes. Prerequisites: One year of law school in the full-time or part-time program.
LAW 7604 Animal Law
Credits 2.
2 Lecture Hours.
Overview of the changing relationship between society and animals; examination of the development of civil and criminal law relating to animals; exploration of philosophical issues that drive the law's evolution; law as an expression of how we share the environment with animals. Prerequisite: One year of law school in the full-time or part-time program.
LAW 7615 Death Penalty Seminar
Credits 2.
2 Lecture Hours.
Study of the law of capital punishment; guiding legal principles and parameters of this form of criminal sanction; includes narrowing capital punishment to certain crimes and particular types of defendants, the role of race in the death penalty, death qualified juries, and the function of "guided discretion" in the use of the sanction. Prerequisite: One year of law school in the full-time or part-time program.
LAW 7622 Domestic Violence Seminar
Credits 2.
2 Lecture Hours.
Examination of domestic violence in the criminal justice system and family law; exposure to the issue of domestic violence; observation of one domestic violence trial or lengthy hearing. Prerequisite: One year of law school in the full-time or part-time program.
LAW 763 Jurisdiction in Tribal Nations
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Analysis of the frameworks of both civil and criminal jurisdiction in tribal nations; examination of federal statutes, Supreme Court decisions, and treaties (among other sources) to gain an understanding of the rules governing both civil and criminal jurisdiction among tribal, state, and federal governments; includes tribal recognition, tribal sovereignty, impacts on members and nonmembers of tribes, and the scope of tribal authority. Prerequisites: Graduate classification.
LAW 7631 Advanced Topics in Negotiation Seminar
Credits 2.
2 Lecture Hours.
Series of topics involved in the theories, strategies and techniques of effective negotiation; topics may include avoiding being exploited, utilizing competitive negotiation moves, increasing collaboration, biases and cognitive illusions, emotions during the negotiation, principles of influence and persuasion, power in negotiation, culture and gender in negotiation, ethical considerations and critiques of settlement advocacy. Prerequisite: One year of law school in the full-time or part-time program.
LAW 7639 Law and Science Seminar
Credits 2.
2 Lecture Hours.
Examination of the interrelation of the law with science in varying contexts including the courts, legislative and agency action, and societal norms and expectations; exploration of the impact science has on the law and how the law affects scientific research and progress; the application of science in legal circumstances as well as the law to various scientific topics; topics may include the role of the public, government, and private sectors in scientific development; the role of courts and the law in managing scientific information; legal and scientific standards and methodologies; risk assessment; scientific misconduct; environmental regulations. Prerequisite: One year of law school in the full-time or part-time program.
LAW 764 Introduction to the United States Legal System
Credits 2 to 3.
2 to 3 Lecture Hours.
Introduction to structure of the legal system in the United States, including the United States governmental structure, powers, constitutional law and civil litigation; context for the operation of law in the United States and understanding of specific doctrine and practices learned elsewhere.
LAW 7643 Jurisprudence Seminar
Credits 2.
2 Lecture Hours.
Introduction to legal philosophy; includes major jurisprudential issues, the definition of law, the concept of justice, the relation of law and morality, and the function of legal analysis including modern American legal philosophies. Prerequisite: One year of law school in the full-time or part-time program.
LAW 7648 International Water Law Seminar
Credits 2 to 3.
2 to 3 Lecture Hours.
International law and policy relating to uses of and rights to freshwater resources; availability, distribution and scarcity of global freshwater; sovereignty over natural resources; conflict, conflict resolution and dispute prevention; ethics and human right to water; water and environment; development, exploitation and conservation of transboundary freshwater resources. Prerequisite: One year of law school in the full-time or part-time program.
LAW 765 Fiduciary and Risk Management
Credits 1 to 3.
1 to 3 Lecture Hours.
Expansion of the traditional legal fiduciary responsibility beyond its historic roots and how it applies to enterprise risk management; recognition of new risks and insuring excellence in corporate behavior; focus on enterprise's shared values versus share value; understanding how public enterprise has evolved from financial capitalism to sustainable capitalism.
LAW 7650 Law and Literature Seminar
Credits 2.
2 Lecture Hours.
Examines the nature, practice, and institutions of law as depicted in a variety of literary texts; explores how techniques associated with literary criticism may be applied to selected legal texts. Prerequisite: One year of law school in the full-time or part-time program.
LAW 766 Income Tax For Financial Planners
Credits 1 to 3.
1 to 3 Lecture Hours.
Introduction to the income taxation of individuals, sole proprietorships, partnerships and corporations.
LAW 7666 Race and the Law Seminar
Credits 2.
2 Lecture Hours.
Impact of race and ethnicity on the American legal system from a historical and contemporary standpoint; examination of the role of race in criminal justice, immigration, family affairs, business, education and national security context; preparation to represent diverse clients. Prerequisite: One year of law school in the full-time or part-time program.
LAW 767 Legal Risk Management
Credits 1 to 3.
1 to 3 Lecture Hours.
Exploration of basic best practices to prepare for careers in risk management and compliance.
LAW 7675 Supreme Court Seminar
Credits 2.
2 Lecture Hours.
Interactive portrayal of U.S. Supreme Court members; reading briefs in selected cases presently before the Supreme Court; discussing cases; writing opinions deciding the cases. Prerequisite: One year of law school in the full-time or part-time program; LAW 7010 or concurrent enrollment.
LAW 768 Advanced Wealth Management
Credits 1 to 3.
1 to 3 Lecture Hours.
Investments and jurisdictions and offshore investing, client asset analysis, estate planning analysis, wills and trusts, retirement plans and analysis, stock options, fiduciary duties, asset protection, philanthropy and international financial products for high net worth persons; includes case study, data collection and analysis, research, writing and citations.
LAW 7682 International Environmental Law Seminar
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Contemporary perspective of domestic and international law applicable to transboundary and global environmental issues; relationship of environmental law with international relations, trade, development, resource exploitation and conservation and human rights; role of international and non-governmental organizations in the development of international and domestic environmental laws and policies; may include case studies of disputes and investigations; requires a paper to qualify for rigorous writing requirement. Prerequisite: One year of law school in the full-time or part-time program; LAW 7418; LAW 7032.
LAW 769 Anti-Money Laundering and Bank Secrecy
Credits 1 to 3.
1 to 3 Lecture Hours.
Study of federal income tax treatment of C corporations and pass-through entities such as partnerships, S corporations and limited liability companies; examination of the formation, operation and sales and liquidations of these entities.
LAW 770 Cybersecurity Risk
Credits 1 to 3.
1 to 3 Lecture Hours.
Examination of the risks facing the information that we receive, create, store and send; prepares participants with tools to understand and respond to these risks as they evolve and to participate in the protection of their own data, that of their firm and that of their clients.
LAW 7704 Guardianship Practicum
Credits 1 to 2.
1 to 2 Lecture Hours.
Overview of Texas guardianship law; how to determine if a guardianship is needed, if there are less restrictive alternatives to a guardianship, and what those alternatives entail; drafting applications and orders for a guardianship of the person and/or estate along with all supporting documents; drafting inventory, appraisements, list of claims, annual accountings, reports of attorneys or guardians ad litem, and final accountings for guardianships of the estate; practical look at how to represent an applicant for guardianship; representing the proposed incapacitated person. Prerequisite: One year of law school in the full-time or part-time program.
LAW 7707S Negotiation Theory and Practice Practicum
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Development of negotiation skills; simulations and negotiation exercises provide first-hand experience in applying interest-based negotiation techniques; examination of the skills, constraints, and dynamics of negotiation; theoretical framework for understanding negotiation practice in a variety of contexts through readings from the fields of law, psychology, business, and communication. Prerequisite: One year of law school in the full-time or part-time program.
LAW 771 Introduction to Risk Management
Credits 1 to 3.
1 to 3 Lecture Hours.
Introduction to risk via a board game to introduce concepts; enhancement of personal skills including understanding player's psychology, how to debate people and influence them, how to negotiate successfully and when to break a deal or alliance.
LAW 772 Ethical Decision Making
Credits 1 to 3.
1 to 3 Lecture Hours.
Examination of ethical decision making in a professional environmental.
LAW 7725 Texas Criminal Law Practicum
Credits 2 to 3.
2 to 3 Lecture Hours.
Simulation of a hypothetical case from arrest through post-conviction remedies; prosecuting and defense attorney perspectives; topics may include legal limits on criminal investigation, the grand jury process, setting bail, negotiating pleas bargains, drafting pretrial motions, the discovery process, trial rights, and tactics, habeas corpus, and appeals. Prerequisite: One year of law school in the full-time or part-time program; LAW 7065.
LAW 7727 Business Law Seminar
Credits 2.
2 Lecture Hours.
Exploration of various areas of business law; includes corporate, commercial, securities, tax, and regulatory law in both domestic and international settings; reflection on the fact that complex business problems often involve the intersection of several bodies of law. Prerequisite: One year of law school in the full-time or part-time program; LAW 7056.
LAW 773 Financial Innovations
Credits 1 to 3.
1 to 3 Lecture Hours.
In-depth understanding for a more comprehensive portfolio management; general discussion of types of derivatives and their characteristics as well as detailed examination of each market and its contracts including forwards, futures, options, swaps, credit derivatives markets and their instruments.
LAW 774 Introduction to Wealth Management
Credits 1 to 3.
1 to 3 Lecture Hours.
Wealth management strategy, money management, risk, credit, asset management and protection, economics, financial institutions, financial and SEC law, ethics, regulations and professionalism; examination of the basics of investments, markets, risk, retirement, federal taxation, asset management and estates while analyzing theories and techniques of developing investment policies and strategies; outlines processes in wealth management and global financial planning.
LAW 775 Risk Management and Information Systems
Credits 1 to 3.
1 to 3 Lecture Hours.
Examination of the objectives of information security management to implement appropriate processes to enable management to understand security-related threats and vulnerabilities, both technical and operational; selection of appropriate countermeasures to minimize the impact of such threats and measurements to assure that the selected countermeasures and detection tools in place are working as intended.
LAW 776 Financial and Portfolio Management
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Application of investment principles considering families' goals, time horizons, risk tolerance and tax implications to build an investment portfolio; attributes of various asset classes as well as asset allocation, selecting securities and portfolio management; development of successful investment programs for personal investors and wealth managers.
LAW 777 Estate, Insurance and Annuity
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Introduction to estate planning for tax minimization, protection and wealth creation including life insurance and annuities.
LAW 7775S Trial Advocacy Practicum
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Study of civil and criminal trials through lectures, demonstrations, and simulations; examination of each trial segment separately; accompanying exercises conducted from attorney and witness perspectives; presentation of an entire case through verdict via mock trial at a local courthouse. Prerequisite: One year of law school in the full-time or part-time program; LAW 7080 or concurrent enrollment.
LAW 7777 LARW III: Criminal Law Drafting
Credits 2.
2 Lecture Hours.
Using the Code of Criminal Procedure and the Penal Code to draft a variety of documents including a major persuasive motion and response, based on actual criminal cases—warrants, motions and responses, notices, pretrial writs, stipulations and jury instructions. Prerequisite: One year of law school in the full-time or part-time program; LAW 7065 or concurrent enrollment.
LAW 7779 LARW III: Estate Planning and Drafting
Credits 2.
2 Lecture Hours.
Discussion of hypothetical clinical problems; extensive drafting and professor collaboration; comprehensive planning and drafting of estate planning documents to effectuate the plan. Prerequisites: One year of law school in the full-time or part-time program; LAW 7076; LAW 7174 or concurrent enrollment.
LAW 778 Counterterrorism
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
In-depth look at counterterrorism in China, Colombia, India, Israel, Russia, Spain and the United States; examination of compelling conceptions and definitions of terrorism at the national international level and the institutions and processes relevant to operational counterterrorism.
LAW 7780 LARWIII: Contract Drafting
Credits 2.
2 Lecture Hours.
Contemporary commercial drafting of contracts; transactional practice useful for litigators; includes translation of a client's business deal into contract language; the organizational paradigm for a formal contract; drafting definitions, covenants, representations, and warranties; deconstructing and marking up contracts; transactional and formbook research; proper use of boilerplate provisions. Prerequisite: One year of law school in the full-time or part-time program.
LAW 7782 LARW III: Litigation Drafting
Credits 2.
2 Lecture Hours.
Practice in drafting of litigation documents expected to be prepared in typical civil litigation cases; utilization of a state trial court forum and the Texas Rules of Civil Procedure; includes conducting client interviews; drafting petitions, answers, and affirmative defenses; propounding written discovery; objecting to and answering written discovery; preparing and arguing motions; preparing other litigation-related documents. Prerequisite: One year of law school in the full-time or part-time program.
LAW 7783 LARW III: Real Estate Drafting
Credits 2.
2 Lecture Hours.
Practice in drafting commonly used real estate documents; emphasis on Texas practice; personal and commercial transactions. Prerequisite: One year of law school in the full-time or part-time program; LAW 7032.
LAW 7785 LARW III: Appellate Drafting
Credits 2.
2 Lecture Hours.
Development of analytical and persuasion skills; emphasis on appellate brief writing and oral advocacy in the appellate court setting; participation in significant oral argument exercises. Prerequisite: One year of law school in the full-time or part-time program.
LAW 7786 LARW III: Family Law Drafting
Credits 2.
2 Lecture Hours.
Practice in drafting documents for family law litigation; aspects of litigation examined from pre-trial to appeal. Prerequisite: One year of law school in the full-time or part-time program; LAW 7301.
LAW 7787 LARW III: Estate Admninistration Drafting
Credits 2.
2 Lecture Hours.
LARW III: Estate Administration Drafting. (2-0).How to open, conduct and close an administration of a decedent's estate under Texas law; includes independent and dependent administrations; probate of the decedent's will; powers, rights, and duties of the personal representative; payment of creditor's claim; informal probate procedures; practical look at how to represent a client who is serving as the personal representative of a decedent's estate or who is a beneficiary of a decedent's estate. Prerequisite: One year of law school in the full-time or part-time program; LAW 7076.
LAW 7789 LARW III: Drafting for the General Practitioner
Credits 2.
2 Lecture Hours.
Introduction to the drafting of legal documents that are common to the general practitioner; general knowledge of and proficiency with the typical documents lawyers are asked to draft; practice of drafting techniques common to the various types of legal documents lawyers encounter; "small firm" simulations involving a variety of legal matters including contract drafting, will drafting, negotiation, and settlement of a dispute; development of writing and oral advocacy skills already learned through the production of client letters, lawyer-to-lawyer email communications, and oral settlement negotiations. Prerequisite: One year of law school in the full-time or part-time program.
LAW 779 International Tax Risk Management for In-House Counsel
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Designed to equip in-house tax counsel with skills to operate international tax functions of the department and manage tax risk; includes electronic tax compliance, tax controversy in an electronic environment, effective tax risk management. Prerequisites: Graduate classification.
LAW 7790 LAWR III: How the Deals Get Done
Credits 2 to 3.
2 to 3 Lecture Hours.
Transactional law practice using a hypothetical start-up business to help deal with the transactional issues in this context; combination of theory and practice to prepare for typical matters confronted in a transactional law practice. Prerequisite: One year of law school in the full-time or part-time program; LAW 7056.
LAW 7791 LARW III: Business Collections
Credits 2.
2 Lecture Hours.
Writing and analysis skills for business collection lawsuits; drafting a demand letter, petition, answer, interrogatories, judgment order, application for writ of garnishment and motions for substituted service; default judgment and summary judgment; introduction to negotiation, settlement and trial advocacy skills. Prerequisite: One year of law school in the full-time or part-time program.
LAW 7793 LARW III: Public Policy Drafting
Credits 2.
2 Lecture Hours.
Introduction to the various forms of written (and oral) communication encountered in the public policymaking process, particularly in regulated industries; overview of "public policy" and the various communication strategies and skills necessary to participate in the policymaking process. Prerequisite: One year of law school in the full-time or part-time program.
LAW 780 Government Contracting Risk and Compliance
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Examination of federal government contract law; contract formation issues, appropriations requirements, contract types, simplified, sealed bid and negotiated procurement methods, competition requirements, contract pricing, protests of awards, contract administration issues and changes, terminations, claims and litigation in federal forums, government fraud remedies and contractor debarments.
LAW 7816 Independent Study
Credit 1.
1 Lecture Hour.
Specialized reading or research in an area of interest under a full-time faculty member's supervision. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisite: One year of law school in the full-time or part-time program.
LAW 7818 Judicial Clerkship Bootcamp
Credits 2.
2 Lecture Hours.
Preparation to serve as a judicial law clerk; engagement in extensive writing assignments, including opinion drafting and study areas of the law most commonly encountered by judicial law clerks. Prerequisites: Approval of instructor.
LAW 783 International Petroleum Transactions
Credits 2 to 3.
2 to 3 Lecture Hours.
Examination of laws, legal issues and principal contracts utilized in the international oil and gas industry in the exploration for production and marketing of oil and gas; practical knowledge of international oil and gas legal issues by working with actual international oil and gas contracts.
LAW 7830 Global Lawyering
Credits 0.50 to 3.
0.50 to 3 Lecture Hours.
5 to 3. Development of law practice skills in the global environment; focus on completing a project using information that relates to a problem collected through classroom preparation and through meetings at specific locations around the world; basics of international law, comparative law and research in foreign law; combined classroom and field experience. Prerequisites: Approval of instructor.
LAW 7834 Residency Externship - Semester in Practice
Credits 9 to 12.
0 Lecture Hours.
9 to 12 Other Hours.
Application of classroom learning through a semester-long immersion experience in approved legal and law-related settings such as government, non-profit organizations and in-house legal departments; opportunities to receive professional and practical experience while also serving diverse geographical interests. Prerequisite: Approval of instructor.
LAW 7835 Externship
Credits 2 to 6.
2 to 6 Other Hours.
Learning opportunities provided through placements in approved legal settings; designed to increase understanding of the range of skills necessary for effective lawyering; improve abilities to perform lawyering skills (e.g., applying an area of law to an actual case); begin to identify and reflect upon the strengths and weaknesses as a practicing student attorney; develop productive working relationships with supervisors, clients, support staff, and peers; reflect on placement experiences through journals and class discussions; placement can be in either courts, public interest organizations, corporate or government offices, or law firms; timesheets and journals submitted every two weeks; classroom component consists of in-class meetings and online discussions. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisite: Approval of instructor.
LAW 7839 Residency Externship
Credits 9 to 12.
9 to 12 Lecture Hours.
Immersion experience; work full-time in legislature, state or federal government offices, nonprofit organizations, or in-house counsel; work with professor on substansive, procedural and ethical topics relating to externship; development of experience and understanding, in particular policy and legal areas. Prerequisite: Approval of instructor; specific externships and programs may have additional prerequisites.
LAW 7842 Externship II
Credits 2 to 6.
2 to 6 Lecture Hours.
Part-time experience work in approved legal and law-related placements such as courts, public interest organizations, corporate or government offices or law firms; work with field and faculty supervisors on substantive, procedural, professional and ethical topics relating to externship; development of skills, experience and understanding in law and law-related areas; engagement in critical reflection to promote self-directed, lifelong learning; must have completed Externship. Prerequisites: Approval of instructor.
LAW 7859 Probate and Estate Planning Clinic
Credits 3 to 6.
3 to 6 Other Hours.
Representation of low-income clients in estate planning and small estate probate matters under the supervision of licensed attorneys; management of client relationships, interviews and communication with clients about their wills, powers of attorney, health care advance directives and other instruments; interview and counsel clients; instruction in substantive and procedural law, drafting and other core lawyering skills; opportunities to practice during class and clinic office hours; supervision provided by a licensed attorney. Prerequisites: LAW 7091 or concurrent enrollment.
LAW 786 Foreign Corrupt Practices Act
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Study of the FCPA, FCPA enforcement, FCPA compliance and related policy issues; dissection of the FCPA statutory text, legislative history and judicial decisions and other sources of information such as resolved FCPA enforcement actions and enforcement agency guidance.
LAW 7862 Criminal Defense Clinic
Credits 4 to 6.
4 to 6 Other Hours.
In-depth exposure to criminal legal representation; direct representation of individuals facing criminal charges; providing legal counsel in a moment of crisis and the foundational principles of dedicated defense representation; interview and counsel clients; management of all aspects of client matters; instruction in substantive and procedural law, drafting and other core lawyering skills; opportunities to practice during class and clinic office hours; supervision provided by a licensed attorney. Prerequisites: LAW 7091 or concurrent enrollment.
LAW 7864 Patent Clinic
Credits 3 to 6.
3 to 6 Other Hours.
Help inventors and entrepreneurs secure their intellectual property rights by preparing, filing and prosecuting applications for patent registration in the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office; addressing client matters, learning substantive law and honing core lawyering skills through practice. Prerequisites: LAW 7091 or concurrent enrollment.
LAW 7865S Family and Veterans Advocacy Clinic
Credits 4 to 6.
4 to 6 Other Hours.
Study of practicing law, representing indigent clients in court; focuses on learning skills such as interviewing and counseling clients, mediation, drafting, case review, preparing discovery, trial practice and other core lawyering skills; instruction in substantive and procedural law; opportunities to practice during clinic office hours; supervision provided by a licensed attorney. Prerequisite: LAW 7091 or concurrent enrollment.
LAW 7867 Entrepreneurship Law Clinic
Credits 3 to 6.
3 to 6 Other Hours.
Work with entrepreneurs on transactional business matters; emphasis on legal issues involved in starting a business including choice of entity, entity formation, founding and other agreements; interview and counsel clients; management of all aspects of client matters; instruction in substantive and procedural law, drafting and other core lawyering skills; opportunities to practice during class and clinic office hours; supervision provided by a licensed attorney. Prerequisite: LAW 7091 or concurrent enrollment.
LAW 7868 Trademark and Copyright Clinic
Credits 3 to 6.
3 to 6 Other Hours.
Work with business owners and creative entrepreneurs on trademark, copyright and other intellectual property matters; interview and counsel clients; prepare, file and prosecute applications for registration in the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office and the U.S. Copyright Office; review and prepare licensing, transfer and related agreements; manage all aspects of client matters; instruction in substantive and procedural law, drafting and other core lawyering skills; opportunities to practice during class and clinic office hours; supervision provided by a licensed attorney. Prerequisites: LAW 7091 or concurrent enrollment.
LAW 7869 Innocence Project
Credits 2 to 4.
2 to 4 Other Hours.
Investigation of claims of actual innocence on behalf of Texas inmates; document/transcript review; examining new evidence and locating and re-interviewing witnesses; work closely with innocence Project of Texas attorneys if cases move into litigation; weekly classroom component explores causes and cures of wrongful convictions. Prerequisite: LAW 7091 or concurrent enrollment.
LAW 7887S Deposition Skills Workshop
Credit 1.
1 Lecture Hour.
Deposition practice and the strategy behind taking depositions; fundamental depositions skills; rules pertaining to depositions in federal and state court; how to properly notice a deposition; how to depose parties, fact witnesses, and experts; deposition performance class offers opportunity to take and defend a deposition. Prerequisite: One year of law school in the full-time or part-time program.
LAW 7888S Civil Motion Workshop
Credit 1.
1 Lecture Hour.
Civil motion practice; research of written motions and responses filed in actual nonactive lawsuits; argument of motions and responses, within appropriate time constraints, in front of a sitting district court judge in Tarrant County; understanding of the law related to each motion; emphasis on oral argument skills and development of a level of comfort arguing motions in an actual classroom. Prerequisite: One year of law school in the full-time or part-time program.
LAW 789 Military Justice
Credits 2 to 3.
2 to 3 Lecture Hours.
Examination of statutes, policies and rules governing military justice process from investigation through trial and appellate process; military criminal procedure and law governing court-martial proceedings; relationship of military courts to civilian courts; use of military commissions for trying enemy combatants for war crimes and other offenses.
LAW 7890 Courthouse Perspectives
Credit 1.
1 Lecture Hour.
Practical, hands-on study of various courts in the Tarrant County area; includes the Court of Appeals, District Courts (civil, criminal, and family), County Courts (civil, criminal, and probate), and Justice of the Peace Courts; understanding the function, jurisdiction, and personnel of each court; daily lecture at the Court of Appeals by Justice McCoy, followed by visits to the various courts; introduction to judges, court coordinators, and court reporters; possible observation of proceedings in each court visited; emphasis on proper courtroom etiquette and procedural training on topics such as how to actually file a document with a court. Prerequisite: One year of law school in the full-time or part-time program.
LAW 7894 LARW III: Environmental Litigation Drafting
Credits 2.
2 Lecture Hours.
Introduction to a realistic view of the pretrial litigation process in a typical environmental lawsuit; utilization of a state district court forum and the Texas Rules of Civil Procedure; conduction of research and litigation documents drafting from the clients’ first contact through the pretrial process. Prerequisite: One year in law school in the full-time or part-time program.
LAW 7895 LARW III: Oil and Gas Drafting
Credits 2.
2 Lecture Hours.
Drafting effective and clear oil and gas contracts; review of basic components and building blocks of contracts; translating the business deal into an oil and gas contract; proposing solutions for problems encountered by counsel in the oil and gas industry. Prerequisites: One year in law school in the full-time or part-time program; LAW 7444.
LAW 7900 Special Topics
Credits 0 to 4.
0 to 4 Other Hours.
Special topics in identified areas of law. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisite: One year of law school in the full-time or part-time program.
LAW 7910 Academic Support Teaching Assistant
Credit 1.
1 Lecture Hour.
Teaching assistants for the Academic Support Program assigned to work with first-year students in small study groups; helping students with the basic skills necessary to succeed in law school; hold weekly office hours in which they meet with students on an individual basis. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisite: Approval of instructor.
LAW 7911 Professional Identity Teaching Assistant
Credit 1.
1 Other Hour.
Support the overall planning and execution of the course; supervise a group of approximately 20 1L students who are continuing their study of professional identity in the spring semester; plan and teach two to three small group sessions during the semester; review and grade students’ work on networking skills, professional communication with potential employers and further refinement of their professional development plans. Prerequisites: Approval of instructor.
LAW 792 Dispute Resolution
Credit 1.
1 Lecture Hour.
Introduction to the theory and practice of the primary dispute resolution procedures used to resolve legal disputes in the civil context, negotiation, mediation, arbitration and civil litigation.
LAW 7920 LARW Teaching Assistant
Credit 1.
1 Lecture Hour.
Teaching assistants work with the first-year Legal Analysis Research and Writing (LARW) classes; help both the professor and the students; attending and monitoring first-year LARW classes, distributing handouts, collecting assignments, reviewing citation exercises and research assignments, having weekly office hours, and meeting with students as needed. Prerequisite: Approval of instructor.
LAW 793 Arbitration
Credits 1 to 3.
1 to 3 Lecture Hours.
Introduction to the arbitration process; examination of legal framework governing arbitration, policy implications of its expansion and skills necessary to be successful advocate in domestic arbitral forums.
LAW 7930 Law Review
Credit 1.
1 Lecture Hour.
Encourages legal scholarship on issues of interest to academicians, practitioners, and law students; student editors publish the Texas A&M Law Review with faculty cooperation. May be repeated for credit.
LAW 7931 Law Review Board
Credits 2.
2 Lecture Hours.
Encourages legal scholarship on issues of interest to academicians, practitioners, and law students; Board of Editors responsible for the operation, supervision, editing, and publication of the Law Review with faculty cooperation. May be repeated for credit.
LAW 7932 Journal of Property Law Board
Credits 2.
2 Lecture Hours.
Scholarly publication Journal of Property Law dedicated to promoting academic discussions of real property law; exploration of the relationships arising from ownership, possession, and use of real property; Board of Editors responsible for the operation, supervision, editing, and publication of the Journal of Property Law with faculty cooperation.
LAW 7933 Journal of Property Law
Credit 1.
1 Lecture Hour.
Scholarly publication Journal of Property Law dedicated to promoting academic discussions of real property law: exploration of the relationships arising from ownership, possession, and use of real property. Participation limited to those who meet specific academic requirements and selected through a writing competition.
LAW 7957S ADR Competition
Credit 1.
1 Lecture Hour.
Development of advocacy skills via competition against students from other law schools across the nation. May be repeated for credit.
LAW 7960S Mock Trial Competition
Credits 2.
2 Lecture Hours.
Development of advocacy skills via competition against students from other law schools at the state and national level. May be repeated for credit.
LAW 7961S Mock Trial Competition
Credit 1.
1 Lecture Hour.
Development of advocacy skills via competition against students from other law schools at the state and national level. May be repeated for credit.
LAW 797 Fashion Law
Credits 1 to 3.
1 to 3 Lecture Hours.
Overview of legal issues related to the fashion industry; emphasis on the analysis of intellectual property aspics including trademarks, design and copyright of the protection of fashion items; includes the growing movement of sustainable fashion as well as the potential impact of disruptive technologies, such as 3D printing on the manufacturing and distribution of fashion items.
LAW 7970S Moot Court Competition
Credit 1.
1 Lecture Hour.
Development of advocacy skills via competition against students from other law schools at the state and national level. May be repeated for credit.
LAW 7971S Moot Court Competition
Credits 2.
2 Lecture Hours.
Development of advocacy skills via competition against students from other law schools at the state and national level. May be repeated for credit.
LAW 7972 Moot Court Competition Brief Writer
Credit 1.
1 Lecture Hour.
Development of advocacy skills via competition against students from other law schools at the state and national level. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisite: Approval of instructor.
LAW 7973 Moot Court Competition Brief Writer
Credits 2.
2 Lecture Hours.
Development of advocacy skills via competition against students from other law schools at the state and national level. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisite: Approval of instructor.
LAW 798 Navigating Business-Government Litigation
Credit 1.5.
1.5 Lecture Hour.
Fundamental elements involved when plaintiffs bring civil claims against states, cities and government agencies; issues examined from the plaintiffs’ and defendants’ perspectives.