Civil Procedure: Doctrine, Values, and Skills
(LAW 540 – 5 units)
This course is a study of the constitutional and jurisprudential aspects of civil procedure. Subjects covered include jurisdiction, venue, joinder of parties, and claims, including issues of standing, justiciability, pleading requirements, discovery, right to trial by jury, the effects of a prior judgment on subsequent proceedings, the interaction between state and federal court systems, and the scope of appellate review. One unit of the course is devoted to values and skills development.
Constitutional Law/Doctrine Values, and Skills
(LAW 590 – 5 units)
This course is a study of the law of the United States Constitution. Subjects include the structure of the federal republic, the constitutional powers of the government, separation of powers, judicial review, and individual rights and liberties (including due process of law, equal protection, freedom of expression and association, and free exercise and establishment of religion). One unit of the course is devoted to values and skills development.
Contract Law: Doctrine, Values, and Skills
(LAW 510 – 5 units)
This course is a study of the formation of legally enforceable contracts and their enforcement. Topics covered include consideration, offer, acceptance, mistake, reliance, capacity, equitable factors, illegality, and the effects of the Statute of Frauds. Remedies for breach of contract, interpretation of contract language, factors affecting contract enforcement, persons entitled to enforce contractual obligations, and special statutory provisions affecting consumer and commercial transactions are also covered. One unit of the course is devoted to values and skills development.
Criminal Law/Introduction to Legal Skills II
(LAW 500A, 500B – 3 units, 2 units; taken concurrently)
This course integrates rigorous instruction in legal analysis, research, and writing, with substantive criminal law to give beginning law students an opportunity to combine skills and doctrine the way lawyers must in the practice of law. Students will learn criminal law through statutory interpretation, case analysis and rule synthesis, print and online legal research, and legal writing projects. Doctrinal topics may include larceny, burglary, robbery, arson, rape, murder, manslaughter, self-defense, attempts and inchoate crime, principles in the first and second degree, sanity and competency, and conspiracy. Legal analysis, research, and writing skills will be developed through course work that includes critical case reading, analysis, briefing, common law principles and processes, factual analogy and distinction, rule synthesis and application, persuasive writing (motions and appellate brief), case law and statutory research, citation form, and professional norms and ethics.
Real Property: Doctrine, Values, and Skills
(LAW 520 – 5 units)
This course is a study of the rights and consequences of land ownership and problems in transferring interests in land. Subjects include common law estates and interests, duties and rights of landlord and tenant, easements, covenants, and the rights of neighbors, the government, and the public. Also included are such topics as contracts for sale and remedies for breach, non-contractual transfer, covenants of title, marketable title, implied warranties, recording statutes, title insurance, adverse possession, and equitable conversion. One unit of the course is devoted to values and skills development.
Torts/Introduction to Legal Skills I
(LAW 530A, 530B – 4 units, 2 units; taken concurrently)
This course integrates professional skills training in legal analysis, research, and writing, with traditional casebook instruction in torts doctrine, to provide an opportunity to combine the study and practice of law. Torts will cover civil wrongs which form the basis for a lawsuit. The primary aim of tort law is to provide relief for damages incurred and to deter others from committing the same wrong. Students will learn the law of imposed liability for personal, property and economic harm. Doctrinal topics will include negligence (including professional malpractice), strict liability (including products liability), and intentional torts, causation and elements of damages, and affirmative defenses and limitations of duties including assumption of the risk, contributory negligence, comparative negligence, immunity, and limited liability of property owners. Introduction to Legal Skills will address legal analysis, research, and writing skills which will be developed through course work that includes critical case reading, analysis and briefing, factual analogy and distinction, rule synthesis and application, objective/predictive writing (office memo), case law and statutory research, print and electronic research, Blue Book citation form, and professional norms and ethics.
Upper Division Courses
Criminal Procedure: Investigation
(LAW 503 – 3 units)
This course is a study of the constitutional issues presented in the criminal justice system. Emphasis is placed on the constitutional restraints of police practices imposed by the Fourth Amendment (search and seizure), the Fifth Amendment (interrogation), and the Sixth Amendment (right to counsel).
(LAW 640 – 4 units)
This course is intended to give students a working knowledge of the concepts of courtroom evidence, as exemplified in the Federal Rules of Evidence. Examples from the California Evidence Code will also be provided, particularly where the Code differs significantly from the Federal Rules. The course heavily emphasizes practical application of evidentiary rules to factual situations, employing fact patterns and problem sets in lieu of analysis of appellate court decisions.
(LAW 643 – 2 units)
This course is designed to focus on the skills necessary to be an effective and ethical trial attorney. After focusing on development of case theory, this course will be taught in a clinical model. Students will be required to perform and develop some mastery of the various aspects of a trial, including handling exhibits, opening statements, direct examination, cross examination, summation, motions in limine, objections, witness preparation, and jury selection.
(LAW 600 – 4 units)
This course examines the laws governing modern business entities, including agency, partnership, and limited liability companies. The course also examines legal issues relevant to the control and management of a corporation, with a focus on public corporations.
(LAW 603 – 2 units)
This course is an examination of contract formation, performance, discharge of contractual obligations, implied and expressed warranties, breach, and remedies. Emphasis is given to the differences between Article 2 of the Uniform Commercial Code and the common law of contracts.
(LAW 550 – 3 units)
This course introduces a variety of interpersonal and professional skills through the use of simulated problems, including interviewing, negotiating, drafting documents and pleadings, and planning strategies for avoiding or resolving legal disputes.
(LAW 675 – 2 units)
This course is a study of the organization of the legal profession and the duties and responsibilities of lawyers toward clients, the public, the courts, and other attorneys. This study of the standards and processes by which lawyers are disciplined gives particular attention to the Model Rules of the American Bar Association and the rules and statutes governing California attorneys.
Multistate Bar Strategies
(LAW 561 – 3 units)
This class is designed to partially simulate the bar review period that occurs after graduation. MBS uses six subjects that are tested on the Multistate Bar Exam and on the California bar essays portion of the exam Students will be required to create an exam study plan, subject matter study aids, and demonstrate the ability to follow directions precisely as required on the performance test portion of the bar exam. The class is divided equally between multiple choice and essay formats. MBS incorporates several components of the BarBri Bar Review course that students take after graduation, in preparation for the bar exam. Students are assigned questions from BarBri’s Accelerated Memory Program (AMP) and readings from the BarBri subject matter outlines as part of the class so that they will have a seamless transition from law school to bar review. By incorporating these components into MBS, students will have more time to improve in their weak areas during the eight to ten weeks before the bar exam. The grading scale in this course is criterion based and the points required for passing the course mirror the scale for the California Bar Exam.
Strategic Legal Methods I and II
(LAW 566 A, B – 1 unit, 1 unit, two-semester course)
This course is designed to help students continue to hone the skills needed to enhance their learning outcomes in law school to the mastery level. This course has been segmented into three units: Unit One – Foundational Legal Skills – covers critical reading and writing, essay organization, rules deconstruction and synthesis, lawyerly analysis, etc.; Unit Two – Essay Writing – Combines all the skills from Unit One into the finished essay product; Unit Three – Multiple Choice Strategies – adapts the essay analysis approach to bar-style multiple choice questions to provide students with a real analytical approach to multiple choice questions. Additionally, students will do weekly assignments that are designed to assess their skill proficiency. Some of the weekly assignments have components that resemble the “performance test” (PT) format of the California Bar Exam so that students gain experience with PT-style tasks well before graduation. This course is an elective for all students except for those students who earn a cumulative grade point average falling below 2.70 after the first year.
Wills and Trusts
(LAW 521 – 3 units)
This course is a study of family wealth transmission problems. Subjects include will creation (formal and informal), will interpretation, and will revocation. Also studied are the creation and enforcement of trusts (both private and charitable), the duties of the trustee, and revocation issues.