Curriculum

Course Description: This course introduces the U.S. legal system and its relationship to basic principles of the rule of law. The course will examine the criminal and the civil law systems, the separation of powers and the importance of the U.S. Constitution on all facets of law. In addition, it will provide an overview of the civil and criminal trial and appellate court system in the United States. It will also discuss the interplay between local, state and federal laws and the role of regulatory agencies in the United States.

Learning Objectives: Students will:

• Identify the varied roles and responsibilities of trial courts, appellate courts and supreme courts, and the differences between the criminal and civil justice system.
• Understand the separation of powers and the role of an independent federal judiciary in maintaining checks and balances on each branch and source of power.
• Recognize the concept of federalism and the role of state law and state courts and the supremacy of the U.S. Constitution as a source of American law.
• Learn to read and analyze primary source materials, including the U.S. Constitution, statutes and court cases.
• Identify key constitutional rights and how they impact businesses and individuals.
• Explain the impact that the U.S. Constitution has on the criminal justice system, and identify key constitutional amendments and how they protect individuals charged with crimes.
• Understand the unique role of local, state, federal and administrative courts in the United States.
• Identify regulatory agencies and explain how their policies impact businesses.
• Explain the role of regulatory and administrative agencies in the United States and their mechanisms for enforcement.

Course Description: This course provides an overview of contract law. Students will learn the required elements of a contract, as well as common contractual components, interpretation and enforceability mechanisms. Key principles regarding contract formation, offer, acceptance, mutual assent and consideration, performance, termination, material breach, damages and the statute of frauds will be discussed. They will learn key contractual components in employment, goods/services, name/image/likeness and real estate contracts. Students will learn about drafting effective contracts, interpreting contracts, managing contractual risk and enforcing contract terms.

Learning Objectives: Students will:

• Learn the history of contracts.
• Identify required elements of a contract.
• Determine the enforceability of a contract.
• Recognize a breach of contract and explain possible remedies.
• Identify ways that contracts allocate risk.
• Explain basic contract interpretation principles.
• Understand the meaning and importance of common contractual provisions.
• Identify key contractual components in employment, goods/services, NIL and real estate contracts.

Course Description: This course will provide an overview of civil and criminal litigation, including pleadings, discovery, pretrial motions, trials, appeals, jurisdiction, venue, joinder and statute of limitations. Students will also learn about evidence and civil causes of action including intentional torts, negligence, liability, defamation and libel. It will cover legal obligations of parties during discovery, and it will explain discovery methods and how each one is used. Expert reports, depositions, affidavits and testifying will also be covered. In addition, students will learn methods to resolve disputes without a trial.

Learning Objectives: Students will:

• Describe the litigation process from when a case is filed through discovery, trial and appeal.
• Understand the types of civil causes of action that may lead to a lawsuit and the burdens of proof for them.
• Explain the various discovery mechanisms and when each should be used.
• Identify the differences and similarities between discovery in criminal and civil matters and a party’s discovery obligations in each.
• Explain a trial by jury, including jury instructions, verdicts and the role of the judge and the jury in a trial.
• Discuss how lawyers and parties might respond to moral, ethical and professional responsibilities during litigation.
• Identify and describe forms of alternative dispute resolution and when each might be used.
• Demonstrate strategic thinking about the litigation process, including when a settlement or plea agreement is more beneficial than going to trial.

Course Description: This course will provide students with the opportunity to review, analyze and integrate the skills they developed throughout the Master of Legal Studies program. Students will select a topic within their concentration or professional area of interest. They will extensively research the topic and complete an approved academic project or paper that demonstrates mastery of their area of study. Students will present their project or paper to the class. This will allow students to demonstrate their research, writing and presentation abilities on a legal topic relevant to their profession and of particular interest to them. They will demonstrate their ability to research, analyze and effectively communicate, which will indicate the level of mastery of the student learning outcomes of the M.L.S. program.

Prerequisite: All core and foundational courses and at least 24 M.L.S. program credit hours must be completed before registering for this course.

Learning Objectives: Students will:

• Identify a legal topic in their chosen field deserving of research and analysis.
• Coordinate with their professor about the project’s parameters and format.
• Conduct extensive research in their topic, recognizing varied perspectives.
• Draft a detailed outline of their approved project or paper to serve as a roadmap for the project.
• Analyze key issues relevant to their chosen topic.
• Write a paper or create a presentation with source citations.
• Present their findings to their class and professor.
• Provide input and feedback to other students on their class presentations.

Course Description: This course will examine negotiation theory and practice both to resolve disputes and as a way to bring parties together to form contracts. Students will learn foundational principles of bargaining and ways to plan for and develop negotiation strategies. Students will explore varied negotiation styles and approaches including the psychological aspects of bargaining, value creation and distribution, coalition dynamics and intra-team negotiation, with a special focus on organized preparation. The course will also cover mediation and arbitration as ways to resolve disputes. This course will be experiential in nature, with a mix of lectures, discussion and interactive exercises. Students will engage in negotiation exercises that will help them develop confidence and key negotiation skills. Students will also learn about the various types of legal documents including contracts, affidavits, research memos, legal briefs and settlement agreements and the purpose of each. In addition, the course will cover key aspects of legal communication including: interviewing, oral arguments and depositions.

Learning Objectives: Students will:

• Demonstrate knowledge of negotiation skills and how to be effective and reflective negotiators, equipped with both theoretical and practical strategies.
• Recognize ethical rules and informal constraints that impact the conduct of lawyers, parties and negotiators.
• Develop skills and confidence as negotiators, including the use of psychological encouragement and how to overcome barriers to consensus.
• Understand competitive positional bargaining and collaborative problem solving and how to address the tension between them.
• Compare various methods of dispute resolution including negotiation, mediation and arbitration and how to determine the best method for a particular situation.
• Identify key types of legal documents and the purpose of each.
• Recognize the important role that effective communication plays in attorney-client and other professional relationships.
• Develop strong communication skills for use in their profession.

Course Description: This course will survey business organizations and key laws that govern them. Students will learn about partnerships, limited liability partnerships, corporations, limited liability corporations and rules for the organization, internal governance and financing of business entities. Topics include limited liability, fiduciary duties, shareholder voting, derivative suits, control transactions, mergers and acquisitions, public contests, trading, agency, bankruptcy, antitrust and business taxation. Students will also study public and private entities, including the allocation of control among shareholders, directors and officers, the responsibilities of management and the issuance of corporate securities.

Learning Objectives: Students will:

• Identify the various types of business entities and the characteristics of each.
• Compare the benefits and challenges of operating a business under each type of business entity.
• Describe the governance and regulatory framework for public and private business entities.
• Explain the responsibilities and duties of the leaders of the organizations.
• Learn how businesses form, merge and dissolve.

Course Description: This course will examine key legal and policy issues in professional and collegiate sports. Students will learn about the NCAA’s governance, enforcement processes and guidelines for student athletes and athletic programs. In addition, the course will cover the rules governing student athletes’ ability to profit from their name, image and likeness (NIL) and key laws impacting NIL agreements. In addition, the course will discuss the regulation of sports betting and its impact on college and professional sports. The course will also cover various league structures and governance, as well as how labor, antitrust, franchise and media law impact professional sports.

Learning Objectives: Students will:

• Describe the league structures for the NFL, MLB, NBA, WNBA, NHL, PLL and MLS.
• Understand the key components of an NIL contract and the key rules governing student athlete’s ability to receive compensation for use of their NIL.
• Explain the role of a sports agent and an agent’s responsibilities to clients.
• Describe the NCAA’s governance and enforcement processes.
• Recognize the impact of sports betting on both collegiate and professional sports and explain the ways it is regulated.
• Understand how antitrust and labor laws impact collegiate and professional athletes.

Course Description: This course will provide an overview of corporate compliance, risk management and government regulation of businesses. It will explore corporate governance metrics for complying with federal, state and international regulatory frameworks, including internal corporate compliance protocols used to fulfill the corporate mission and to minimize risk. Students will learn the key features of corporate compliance programs, and they will identify fundamental issues faced by compliance officers, including fiduciary concepts, conflicts of interest, risk and enforcement mitigation, the handling of sensitive information, privacy concerns and privilege limitations. Students will also examine various areas of law, regulation and policy that impact compliance programs. Students will consider the role of ethics in various aspects of business.

Learning Objectives: Students will:

• Identify and understand the need for corporate governance internal protocols.
• Understand relationship dynamics between corporate fiduciaries and stakeholders.
• Develop compliance and risk management policies and procedures.
• Compare state, federal and international governmental regulatory compliance frameworks.
• Understand an attorney’s role in compliance programs.
• Identify key issues faced by compliance professionals and develop solutions to address them.

Course Description: This course will address the statutory, judicial and administrative law governing employer/employee relationships. Topics include: at-will employment, hiring practices, employee speech and privacy rights, non-compete agreements, discrimination and harassment, wage and compensation, employee benefits, workplace safety, electronic surveillance of workers and mandatory arbitration of employment disputes. The class will discuss the purposes of employment law and how it responds to the changing nature of work and issues of inequality in the workplace. The course will also address the National Labor Relations Act, union organization and recognition, strikes, boycotts, negotiations and collective bargaining agreements. Students will explore the intersection of labor and immigration law, union participation in the political process, unionization of professional and collegiate athletes and emerging forms of worker organizations.

Learning Objectives: Students will:

• Define key legal workplace employment issues and identify the laws governing them.
• Assess the use of non-compete and confidentiality agreements and how those can impact employees during and after employment.
• Identify factors employers should consider when hiring and taking adverse employment actions to avoid legal challenges to these decisions.
• Explain the balance between individual rights and company policies regarding speech, electronic surveillance and privacy rights.
• Recognize key aspects of unions, collective bargaining, negotiations and the role unions play in the American workforce, including professional sports.

Course Description: This course will explore the legal requirements for equal employment opportunity in relation to color, race, sex, national origin, disability and age. It will discuss discrimination, harassment and workers’ rights issues. It will focus on key employment discrimination laws including Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (discrimination on the basis of race, sex religion and national origin), the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, the Equal Pay Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act. In addition, it will cover fundamental employee rights and employer obligations established by federal law including the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act, the Equal Pay Act, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Worker's Compensation, the Family Medical Leave Act, the Pregnancy Discrimination Act and the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act. Topics will also include sexual harassment and the “me too” movement, salary and criminal history questions, employee drug testing and employee benefits.

Learning Objectives: Students will:

• Identify and understand the implications of the various employment anti-discrimination laws in the United States.
• Recognize how discrimination and harassment claims can be prevented and effectively addressed and the harm these situations can cause employers if they occur.
• Understand workers’ rights laws and the important role they play in morale and company success.
• Identify key employer legal obligations during hiring, promotions, lay-offs and terminations.

Course Description: This course provides an in-depth study of federal crimes impacting businesses including: conspiracy, racketeering, fraud, tax evasion, bribery, money laundering, drug offenses, false statements, criminal civil rights, obstruction of justice, Hobbs Act, human trafficking and environmental offenses. In addition, students will learn about the process corporations use to investigate internal misconduct. They will explore each step in the process from an initial report of wrongdoing, through the investigation and report to company leadership. Students will learn about conducting employee interviews, investigation techniques, determining witness credibility, managing bias, reaching conclusions and implementing outcomes. They will also study the interplay between corporations and government regulators related to criminal and internal investigations.

Learning Objectives: Students will:

• Compare white-collar crime offenses and identify ways these crimes impact business and society.
• Discover that white-collar offenders may be in management positions and often have no criminal history.
• Determine that white-collar cases may involve both criminal and administrative investigations and agencies and the ways that can impact the investigation.
• Demonstrate the process of internal investigations from the initial report of misconduct, through the investigation and report of findings, to the corporate response.
• Explain the roles of management, the board of directors and attorneys in corporate internal investigations.

Course Description: This course will introduce students to various aspects of criminal law and procedure, including the elements of specific crimes and the constitutional standards for criminal investigations and prosecutions. Topics will include: probable cause; police searches; seizures and interrogations under the Fourth, Fifth and Sixth amendments; right to counsel; jury trials; and double jeopardy. In addition, the course will cover the voluntary act requirement, mens rea, causation, liability for the criminal conduct of others, affirmative defenses, burdens of proof, role of counsel, role of judge and jury and punishment. Students will learn about standards for arrest, indictments, pre-trial and trial procedures, sentencing and appeals in criminal cases. The course will address how criminal laws and procedures are applied by law enforcement, prosecutors, defense lawyers and courts.

Learning Objectives: Students will:

• Explain and apply the rules and constitutional standards for arrest, detention, criminal trials and sentencing.
• Summarize how a criminal case develops from arrest through trial or plea agreement and appeal.
• Apply the legal standards for police searches, detention, arrest, indictment and criminal conviction.
• List the elements for specific crimes, including the required mens rea.
• Explain the important role the U.S. Constitution plays in both federal and state criminal investigations and prosecutions.

Course Description: This seminar will focus on current, relevant criminal law topics. These include: organized crime, human trafficking, hate crimes, police misconduct, public corruption, terrorism, cybercrimes, crimes against children, grand jury investigations, pre-trial and trial issues, plea bargaining and sentencing, prison reform and the death penalty. Students will explore the interplay between federal and state criminal investigations and prosecutions, including the differences in jurisdiction, sentencing, probation and parole. The course will also highlight the various stakeholders in the criminal justice system and their respective roles, including probation officers, law enforcement, victim advocates, prosecutors, defense attorneys, mental health professionals, detention officers and court personnel.

Learning Objectives: Students will:

• Examine a wide variety of criminal offenses, including their elements and their range of punishment.
• Compare and contrast federal and state criminal investigations and prosecutions and when a case is likely to be charged federally.
• Identify the various professionals who work in the criminal justice system and their roles.
• Recognize and analyze current criminal justice issues including prison reform, police misconduct, changing drug laws and the application of the death penalty.

Course Description: This course will explore how law impacts the sports industry. Agency, contract, intellectual property, antitrust and labor law affect relationships among athletes, teams, universities, leagues, owners and sports-related businesses. Topics will also include: corporate governance, league structure, the role of agents, discrimination in sports, e-sports and salary caps. In addition, students will learn about the evolving rights of athletes, teams and leagues to their names, images, likenesses and trademarks. The course will examine these legal issues in collegiate, professional and Olympic sports.

Learning Objectives: Students will:

• Recognize the important ways law impacts the sports industry.
• Explain the role of sports agents and the ways they support and represent collegiate and professional athletes.
• Identify key aspects of sports contracts and ways to negotiate them.
• Explore the role unions play in professional sports and the possibility of them growing in collegiate sports.
• Illustrate how discrimination impacts the sports industry and ways it is being addressed.
• Identify changing trends in the sports industry such as compensating collegiate athletes, esports popularity and changing NIL rules and the impact they have on athletes, fans, teams and sports businesses.

Course Description: This course will cover the scope of regulation across key areas that touch on most industries including: antitrust, privacy, securities, financial, real estate and federal tax law. Students will learn about the legislative process, interpreting statutes and the role administrative agencies play in business in the United States. Students will learn about various forms of agency action and the process of judicial review of agency actions. The course will highlight key antitrust, privacy, financial, real estate and tax laws and regulations and how those impact businesses. Students will understand the key role federal and state administrative agencies play in business operations, and students will review the current compliance landscape in light of U.S. regulatory requirements.

Learning Objectives: Students will:

• Develop familiarity with key regulatory rules and requirements that impact businesses.
• Identify how regulatory statutes and administrative rules are developed and how agencies enforce them.
• Explain the process for review of administrative agency actions.
• Develop an effective enterprise compliance approach in light of the regulatory landscape.
• Recognize corporate compliance trends, including DOJ and SEC expectations for corporate compliance programs.

Course Description: The course will cover the laws related to trademark, copyright and licensing and how they impact businesses and individuals. Topics include how trademark rights are established, trademark registration, infringement; dilution law, exceptions to trademark protection and loss of trademark rights. We will explore the purpose of trademarks; identify the different types of trademarks, including names, designs, logos and trade dress; and explore strategies for protecting trademarks. In addition, students will learn about trademark licensing agreements, including those used to protect the rights of individuals when licensing their name, image or likeness. Students will also learn about copyrights, how they are established and ways to protect them.

Learning Objectives: Students will:

• Identify and analyze key trademark and copyright laws.
• Explore the required elements and process to obtain a registered trademark and copyright.
• Demonstrate how licensing and trademark law directly impact athletes who partner with businesses and allow them to publicly use their name, image or likeness.
• Explain trademark licensing and why it makes business sense for both the licensor and the licensee.
• Review and manage a trademark licensing agreement, addressing common issues that arise.