Course Descriptions

LAW 7636 - Race and the Constitution in American History (SC)

This short course will consider topics concerning race and the American Constitution from the Founding through the civil rights movement.



Credits: 1

LAW 7637 - Trial Advocacy College (SC)

The Trial Advocacy College is a week-long course offered each January through the offices of Virginia Continuing Legal Education (CLE). This advocacy skills, hands-on course is the most advanced advocacy training offered at the law school. Each student gets to practice every aspect of advocacy culminating in a jury trial.



Credits: 2

LAW 7638 - Secondary Liability for Copyright Infringement (SC)

This short course will review a longstanding debate in copyright law: what indirect liabilityfor copyright infringement should be imposed on manufacturers of new technologies?



Credits: 1

LAW 7639 - Rights, Bills of Right, Constitutions: The Americanization of Britain? (SC)

Until 2000, the United Kingdom did not possess aBill of Rights enforceable in the courts. This short course will examine current issues in the UK related to rights, constitutions, and what may happen next.



Credits: 1

LAW 7640 - Taxation of Financial Products and Investment Vehicles (SC)

This short course will seek to provide a basic understanding of the tax treatment of financial “products” and of investment vehicles.



Credits: 1

LAW 7641 - Corporate Strategy (SC)

LAW 7642 - Legal Process: Basic Problems in the Making and Application of Law (SC)

LAW 7643 - Electronic Discovery in a Global Environment (SC)

This course will explore how the current information explosion is transforming the civil litigation and regulatory process both in the United States and around the world. We will examine developing case law and standards on electronic discovery and address the practical problems and issues which arise in the preservation, collection, searching, processing and production of electronic data.



Credits: 1

LAW 7644 - Private Equity (SC)

Private equity firms have become one of the largest and most important players in the capital markets. Understanding how these lucrative entities function and how their acquisitions are structured will serve as a vehicle for a survey discussion of corporate M&A and building a legal practice in this area.



Credits: 1

LAW 7645 - Baseball (SC)

This course examines the effect of various laws and law-like rules on Major League Baseball. Suitable for non-experts and will include (optional) session aimed at bringing them up to speed.



Credits: 1

LAW 7646 - Advising the Board of Directors in a Mergers and Acquisitions World (SC)

This course will examine some of the issues corporate boards confront when considering merger and acquisition transactions, including (i) board and management conflicts, (ii) financial and legal advisors, (iii) an appropriate sales process, (iv) hostile bidders, (v) deal protection measures, and (vi) anticipating possible litigation, and will discuss the nature of the advice that counsel should provide a board in each context.



Credits: 1

LAW 7647 - International Agreements (JAG) (SC)

This short course provides an in-depth study of the law of international agreements as set forth in international law and U.S. domestic law.



Credits: 1

LAW 7648 - Federal Sentencing (SC)

This short course will provide an overview of federal sentencing policy and practice. Students will be introduced to the history and goals of sentencing, the types of sentences available to judges, the collateral consequences of conviction, and the sentencing reform movement that led to the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.



Credits: 1

LAW 7649 - Hi-Tech Medicine:Legal and Ethical Implications (SC)

This short course examines legal and ethical implications of high-tech medical technologies already in use or on the horizon. The goal of the course is to equip students with a clear understanding of the ethical questions and regulatory challenges raised by these developments.



Credits: 1

LAW 7650 - Practical Overview of Federal Trial Practice (SC)

This short course is intended to give students a practical overview of litigation in federal district courts. The primary focus will be on civil litigation. Issues relating to criminal litigation will also be discussed when they overlap with topics already being addressed. If time permits, a brief overview of federal criminal sentencing issues will also be presented.



Credits: 1

LAW 7651 - Responses to the Financial Crisis (SC)

This short course will explore the origins of the financial crisis of fall 2008 and, in particular, the regulatory and legislative responses both at the time and in the aftermath.



Credits: 1

LAW 7652 - Thinking Strategically in Law, Business, Poker and War (SC)

This short course is designed to provide students with a framework for thinking about interactive strategic settings. Game Theory presents general principles of strategic interaction.



Credits: 1

LAW 7653 - Leadership and Team Management (SC)

In this short course we will explore the issues of team management and leadership applied in various settings. Students will learn about how failures in leadership evolve and how to prevent them; how to manage crises effectively; and how to build an organization that is less susceptible to significant preventable failures.



Credits: 1

LAW 7654 - Comparative Anti-Terrorism Law (SC)

Terrorism against individuals and states has become a serious challenge for civilized societies at the turn of the 21st century - due to the physical threats it poses on the one hand and the fear that taking extreme measures against its perpetrators will overstep democratic values and infringe human rights on the other hand. The course is dedicated to analyzing the ways legal systems perceive terror and try to fight it.



Credits: 1

LAW 7655 - Foreign Corrupt Practices Act Survey (SC)

This course surveys the law surrounding the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (“FCPA”), one of the criminal statutes most frequently utilized by the Department of Justice and the Securities & Exchange Commission to police international business behavior.



Credits: 1

LAW 7656 - Islamic Law (SC)

This course will provide students with a basic introduction to Islamic law as a legal system, beginning with its origins as revealed law, proceeding through its manifestations as a ‘jurists law’ in the middle ages, and concluding with its transformation into codified state-law in the 20th century.



Credits: 1

LAW 7657 - Modern Judicial Biography (SC)

In this short course, we will consider the lives and work of prominent lawyers and jurists. The course will explore the backgrounds of these figures ‘socioeconomic status, family life, and schooling’ and ask what qualities propelled them to leadership in the bar and on the bench. It will consider their career trajectories, highlighting their most important contributions to the legal profession.



Credits: 1

LAW 7658 - Topics in Corporate Governance (SC)

In this short course we will examine the topics in corporate governance of publicly held corporations. Each class will consider one of the following topics: (1) Institutions and Mechanisms of Corporate Governance (2) Enron-class Scandals and the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (3) Regulatory Competition (4) Shareholder Activism (5) Major Differences in Corporate Governances around the world.



Credits: 1

LAW 7659 - National Security Detention (SC)

This short course will attempt to de-tangle and examine the difficult issues present in the still evolving U.S. national security detention system set up in the wake of the 9/11 attacks, from the perspective of traditional civilian habeas corpus law and the international law of war and human rights.



Credits: 1

LAW 7660 - Defamation (SC)

LAW 7661 - Economic Regulation and the Constitution (SC)

LAW 7662 - Estate Planning, Will Drafting, and Taxation (JAG) (SC)

Students will learn how to apply estate-planning techniques to achieve typical client objectives along with learning basic estate planning. The class will combine substantive law lectures with practical exercises focusing on drafting estate planning documents using computer software.



Credits: 2

LAW 7663 - Ethics in Military Justice (JAG) (SC)

This elective examines and analyzes issues of professional ethics from the senior defense counsel and military justice manager’s perspective. It explores particularly those areas of professional responsibility with the greatest impact on the conduct of trial and defense counsel. Emphasis is on the Rules of Professional Conduct applicable to military attorneys, but will be broad enough in scope to encompass anyone interested in this area.



Credits: 1

LAW 7664 - Law of Sea, Air and Space Operations (JAG) (SC)

Students will gain a basic understanding of the international rules that govern the use of air, space, and the sea. Students will understand the way in which States have dealt with the problems of sovereignty, jurisdiction over vessels and aircraft, and property rights in common spaces.



Credits: 1

LAW 7665 - Rule of Law (JAG) (SC)

This elective will explore legal issues associated with rule of law efforts during emerging missions and will devote particular attention to how rule of law missions may demand a legal skill set separate from JAG core legal disciplines.



Credits: 1

LAW 7666 - War Crimes (JAG) (SC)

In this course, students will survey the jurisprudence of both traditional and emerging forums. The course will offer opportunities for critical analysis of the often conflicting goals of justice and peace, the complexities of international and domestic jurisdiction, and the challenges of identifying substantive crimes under the law of war.



Credits: 1

LAW 7667 - International Human Rights (JAG) (SC)

LAW 7668 - What Lawyers Can Learn from the Life of Dr. Martin Luther King (SC)

This course will thoroughly analyze the societal construct and legal theories that animated and restricted Dr. King in his crusade to eliminate racial discrimination and to achieve racial equality in American society.



Credits: 1

LAW 7669 - A Brief Introduction to the Capital Markets (SC)

LAW 7670 - Legal Issues at the End of Life (SC)

This short course will examine ethical and legal issues at the end of life, including withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment, physician-assisted suicide, definitions of death, and organ harvesting.



Credits: 1

LAW 7671 - Poverty and the Constitution (SC)

This course will explore the Supreme Court’s flirtation with constitutional protection for poor people during the 1960s and 1970s.



Credits: 1

LAW 7672 - Hedge Funds: Contract and Regulation (SC)

This course will offer an introduction to the regulation and contractual structure of hedge funds. We will closely read model hedge fund operating agreements and will pay careful attention to the unusual ways in which these funds structure relationships between investors and managers. We will also survey some of the statutes and regulations that apply to hedge funds and some of the relevant academic literature.



Credits: 1

LAW 7673 - Military Law (SC)

This course is an overview of the domestic and international law relevant to the United States armed forces. No prior knowledge is required; the course is suitable for both experienced students and for those with limited or no understanding of the U.S. military.



Credits: 1

LAW 7674 - Israeli Health Law and Bioethics (SC)

In this short course, students will be introduced to the Israeli health system including patients rights, medical malpractice, organ donation, end-of-life decisions, reproductive medicine and genetic research.



Credits: 2

LAW 7675 - Privacy, Tort and Free Expression (SC)

Tort law recognizes distinct rights of privacy, while the First Amendment protects the right of free expression. Needless to say, conflicts sometimes result. This course explores the origin and development of common-law protections against invasion of privacy, as well as the constitutional questions they provoke.



Credits: 1

LAW 7676 - Comparative Human Rights Law (SC)

Through a series of case studies, the course offers a comparative study of the ways in which human rights are protected in the selected jurisdictions (US, Canada, United Kingdom, the European Convention on Human Rights, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand).



Credits: 1

LAW 7677 - Applied Methodologies in Law and Literature (SC)

In this short course, we begin with Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood, a non-fiction novel still considered, nearly half a century after its publication, one of the finest crime novels ever written. We use it as the basis for an investigation of different theories of reading in law and literature.



Credits: 1

LAW 7678 - Structural Social Change and Constitutionalism (SC)

This seminar has two specific aims: on the one hand, to explore the theoretical and practical tensions and connections between structural social change and the judiciary in Colombia, South Africa and India; and, on the other hand, to analyze critically the idea that the Indian Supreme Court, the Constitutional Court of South Africa, and the Colombian Constitutional Court are creating a constitutionalism of the Global South.



Credits: 1

LAW 7679 - Right to Education in U.S.: Real or Hollow? (SC)

This course will explore state constitutional education rights, and efforts to enforce those rights in the courts. The focus will be on a substantial body of litigation over the last 40 years challenging inequities in public school funding within states, and the resulting disparities in resources and outcomes for students, particularly in high poverty communities.



Credits: 1

LAW 7680 - Intern’l Law in Constitutional Jurisdiction: A Comparative Perspective (SC)

This course examines the incorporation of international law into Russian domestic law, focusing on the current Russian Constitution and the jurisprudence of the Constitutional Court.



Credits: 1

LAW 7681 - Media and the Courts (SC)

This seminar will consider how the media intermediates and shapes the public’s understanding and the overall development of American law.



Credits: 1

LAW 7682 - Innocence Cases: How Much Is Enough? (SC)

A survey of three infamous innocence cases - Troy Davis, Damien Echols and Marty Tankleff - to consider why the result in each case turned out so differently: Davis was executed, Echols was freed after an Alford plea, while Tankleff was exonerated completely.



Credits: 1

LAW 7683 - Presidentialism in Administrative Law (SC)

This short course will explore the doctrine of “presidentialism” in administrative law. Presidentialism refers to the argument that most of the workings of the administrative state are exercises of executive power and these workings must therefore be under the control of the President. The seminar will examine the history of this concept, case law relating to this concept, and this concept through the lens of administrative law theory.



Credits: 1

LAW 7684 - Constitutional Issues in Higher Education (SC)

This short course will explore constitutional questions presented by recent litigation involving public universities. Topics will include: affirmative action, campus speech codes, whether student organizations may be required to adhere to non-discrimination policies, funding of religious student organizations, and academic freedom.



Credits: 1

LAW 7685 - Environmental Law, Environmental Ethics (SC)

This seminar will examine the relationship between environmental law and environmental ethics, with a focus on ethical issues. We will ask whether the major approaches to environmental ethics illuminate issues in the law and, conversely, whether legal models of regulation inform ethical thinking about humanity and nature.



Credits: 1

LAW 7686 - Corruption and Development (SC)

This short course will look at the role of corruption in international economic activity and development. We will examine different definitions of corruption and how corruption influences states’ political and economic development. We will also focus on various approaches to combatting corruption, some legal and some political.



Credits: 1

LAW 7687 - Judicial Decision-Making: Judicial Modesty (SC)

This course will attempt to define the concept of ‘judicial modesty,’ and to discern both the normative case and some of the appropriate occasions for judges to defer either to the letter of the law or to the decisions of other branches of government. Mutually Exclusive with Judicial Philosophy in Theory and Practice (SC).



Credits: 1

LAW 7688 - The Patent Reform Act of 2011 (SC)

In September of 2011, President Obama signed into law the America Invents Act of 2011, which is one of the most important and complex pieces of patent legislation in more than a half century. This short course will review the extensive changes that the statute has made to pre-existing patent law and cover the practical and theoretical implications of those changes.



Credits: 1

LAW 7689 - Topics in Federal Criminal Law: Fraud, Corruption, Group Criminality (SC)

This one-credit course will provide a survey of selected topics that are also covered in the three-hour Federal Criminal Law course, and therefore it is mutually exclusive with that course; enrollment in one precludes enrollment in the other. This shorter course will focus mostly on fraud, extortion, public corruption offenses, and some offenses related group criminality such as material support for terrorism.



Credits: 1

LAW 7690 - Health Care Marketplace: Competition, Regulation, and Reform (SC)

This short course will examine salient features of the legal and economic framework in which we provide medical care in the United States.



Credits: 1

LAW 7691 - Juvenile Justice Reform (SC)

This course will use scientific research on adolescent development as a lens through which to examine the design and operation of the juvenile justice system, focusing on a recently released study by the National Academy of Sciences.



Credits: 1

LAW 7692 - Persuasion (SC)

LAW 7693 - Energy Businesses and Transactions (SC)

This short course will survey and analyze the different major sectors of the Energy business from “upstream” businesses like exploration and production to “downstream” businesses like distribution.



Credits: 1

LAW 7694 - New Frontiers in Clinical Ethics and Law (SC)

This intensive interdisciplinary experience brings medical students and law students together for two-weeks each spring to explore topical issues at the frontier of clinical care, law, and ethics through multidisciplinary readings, immersion experiences, hands-on interdisciplinary group projects, and in-depth discussions.



Credits: 1

LAW 7695 - Poverty, Child Health and Medical-Legal Partnerships (SC)

This one-credit short course will explore the impact of poverty on the health of children and families and the ways in which professional cooperation between doctors and lawyers can improve health outcomes for low-income families.



Credits: 1

LAW 7696 - Judicial Review (SC)

The course concerns the institutional processes, primarily those involving the courts, that implement the principle that the Constitution is superior to other forms of law, state and federal.



Credits: 1

LAW 7697 - Supreme Court Decisionmaking (SC)

This short course will provide an introduction to decisionmaking in the Supreme Court of the United States through the lens of one pending case, Bailey v. United States.



Credits: 1

LAW 7698 - Law of Reproduction (SC)

This course will examine ethical and legal issues related to reproduction. While some historical coverage will take place, primary emphasis will be on current topics, such as conscientious provider accommodations, state ultrasound legislation, embryonic stem cell research, prenatal genetic testing, regulation of the fertility industry, and similar issues. Mutually Exclusive with Law and Reproduction seminar.



Credits: 1

LAW 7699 - Regulation of Hazardous Substances (SC)

This short course is a companion to Environmental Law, although it does not assume knowledge of the material in that course and may be taken alone. It explores measures that Congress has enacted to deal with the treatment, storage and disposal of waste materials that could be hazardous to human health and that are, or have historically been, disposed of on the land.



Credits: 1

LAW 7700 - Introduction to the Civil Law Tradition (SC)

This course offers an introduction to the civil law tradition, focusing on the main operating set of legal institutions, procedures and rules that tend to be common to civil law countries. ENROLLMENT RESTRICTION: LLM students from civil law countries may NOT enroll.



Credits: 1

LAW 7701 - Federal Regulation of Investment Companies (SC)

The course will focus on the federal regulation of investment companies (mutual funds, close-end funds, ETFS) and their investment advisors.



Credits: 1

LAW 7702 - Legal Practice and the Startup Company: An Inside Look (SC)

This short course will provide students with a unique perspective into the many aspects of a start-up business – from creation and capitalization to IP protection and skills needed for day-to-day operations. Students will engage and explore business planning, entity choice, governance, financing, and exit opportunities.



Credits: 1

LAW 7703 - Current Issues in Intellectual Property Law (SC)

This short course will cover current issues in intellectual property law and policy. Topics may include the Google Books litigation, liability of platforms for copyright infringement, the America Invents Act of 2011, trademark dilution and alternatives to intellectual property protection.
Prerequisite: One of the following: Copyright Law, Trademark Law, Patent Law, Survey of Patent, Copyright, Trademark



Credits: 1

LAW 7704 - Judicial Philosophy in Theory and Practice (SC)

This short course will attempt to discern both the normative case and some of the appropriate occasions for judges to defer either to the letter of the law or to the decisions of other branches of government. It will focus principally on the appropriate parameters of decision-making by federal judges at all levels. Mutually Exclusive with Judicial Decision-Making: Judicial Modesty (SC)



Credits: 1

LAW 7705 - International Law: Trade and Human Rights (SC)

This course explores the evolving recognition of human rights within the established principles of international trade law. The aims of the course are to provide an understanding of how WTO trade rules and BITs can and do adjust to global human rights.



Credits: 1

LAW 7706 - Economic Regulation and Cultural Diversity (SC)

This course will address the global/local theoretical and regulatory dilemmas relating to the promotion and preservation of cultural diversity. A set of related legal instruments will be considered, such as advertising rules, screen quotas, microfinancing, geographical indications, traditional knowledge, cultural exceptions in international trade agreements and the UNESCO Convention on Cultural Diversity and its relation to WTO Law.



Credits: 1

LAW 7707 - Race and Law (SC)

This course will examine the response of law to racial issues in a variety of contemporary legal contexts. Topics may include education, employment, criminal justice, voting, interracial relationships and adoption, and hate speech. The materials will consist of a mix of cases, commentary, and discussion problems. Mutually Exclusive with LAW 9058 Race and Law Seminar and LAW 7089 Race and Law Lecture



Credits: 1

LAW 7708 - Office of the Solicitor General (SC)

This short course will provide an introduction to the Solicitor General’s Office; its work; and its relationship to, among others, the Supreme Court, the President, and the rest of the Executive Branch.



Credits: 1

LAW 7709 - Irregular Warfare (SC)

This course will examine the rules governing irregular warfare through a scenario-based approach that traces the development of an armed conflict through several stages, with each stage being used to explore the applicable law. The class will cover the law applicable to both traditional, inter-state armed conflict and various irregular forms of armed conflict, including insurgency and counterinsurgency, piracy, and counter-terrorism.



Credits: 1

LAW 7710 - Changing Practice of Medicine (SC)

This short course will examine the social, political and economic pressures that are now evident and will focus on the changes occurring as a result of the corporatization of contemporary medical practice.



Credits: 1

LAW 8000 - Advanced Legal Research

This course examines print and electronic research. Topics include basic primary and secondary sources, including legislative history and administrative law; using Lexis and Westlaw; research in specialized areas and transnational law; business and social science resources; the role of the Internet in legal research; and nontraditional approaches to finding legal information.



Credits: 2

LAW 8001 - Advanced Trusts and Estates

The course covers restrictions on the power of testamentary disposition; charitable trusts; the creation, use, release and lapse of general and special powers of appointment; the classification and construction of future interests in trust; application of the rule against perpetuities to interests and powers in trust; and fiduciary administration, including the duties, powers, and liabilities of trustees.



Credits: 2

LAW 8002 - Bankruptcy (Law & Business)

This course concerns corporate bankruptcy and reorganization, and focuses on the reorganization of financially distressed firms under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code. The emphasis of the readings and class discussion is less on bankruptcy case law and more on the economic fundamentals of financial deal-making and restructuring. Mutually Exclusive with LAW 7007 Bankruptcy.



Credits: 3

LAW 8003 - Civil Rights Litigation

This course focuses on lawsuits against public officials and governments. The bulk of the course looks at constitutional and statutory claims brought under 42 U.S.C. § 1983. Topics include what it means to act “under color of state law,” absolute and qualified immunities, government liability for the acts of individual officials, monetary and injunctive relief and attorney’s fees awards.
Prerequisite is LAW 6001 Constitutional Law.



Credits: 3

LAW 8004 - Constitutional Law II: Freedom of Speech and Press

This course offers an intensive, albeit introductory, study of First Amendment law relating to freedom of speech and press (and corollary freedoms, such as freedom of political association).



Credits: 3

LAW 8005 - Contracts II

This course continues the study of basic contract law and theory. Topics may include: the identification and interpretation of the terms of agreement, defining the terms of performance, mistake and excuse, conduct constituting breach, remedies, and third-party rights.



Credits: 2-3

LAW 8006 - Corporate Tax

This course deals with the tax considerations involved in the formation, operation, reorganization, and liquidation of corporations. It analyzes the relevant sections of the Internal Revenue Code and regulations and explores alternative directions that the law might have taken.



Credits: 3 to 4

LAW 8007 - Derivatives and Other Exotic Financial Instruments

This course studies financial instruments other than common stock and conventional debt securities. Topics include options and financial futures, structured preferred stocks, exotic debt securities such as commodity-linked bonds, and swap agreements. What is the economic function of these instruments; how are they valued; and how are they treated by the regulatory system?



Credits: 3

LAW 8008 - Ideas of the First Amendment

This course develops skills of close critical reading, as well as an understanding of the central ideas of the First Amendment tradition. The emphasis is on how those ideas emerged in various historical periods from particular political, legal, and intellectual struggles.



Credits: 3

LAW 8009 - Copyright Law

The federal copyright statute protects rights in literary and artistic property. Topics covered in this course include the subject matter of copyright; ownership; formalities; duration and transfer; infringement; fair use; rights and remedies of copyright owners; pre-emption of state copyright laws; the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998.



Credits: 3

LAW 8010 - Patent Law

Patent protection is increasingly important in the knowledge economy. Advances in biotechnology, controversial uses of patent rights, and divergent court opinions are impacting this area in far-reaching ways. This course will explore many of these developments while maintaining a primary focus on the principal rules pertaining to patent protection and enforcement.



Credits: 3

LAW 8011 - International Taxation

A survey of the income tax aspects of (1) foreign income earned by U.S. persons and entities, and (2) U.S. income earned by foreign persons and entities. The principal focus will be on the U.S. tax system, but some attention will be devoted to adjustments made between tax regimes of different countries through tax credits and tax treaties.



Credits: 3

LAW 8012 - Legal Issues in Corporate Finance (Law & Business)

This course examines legal issues that arise from different financing choices made by corporations, the relationship between a corporation and its investors, and how the courts have treated that relationship. Topics include firm valuation in change-of-control transactions and in bankruptcy, the rights of debt-holders and preferred stockholders, and common stockholders’ claims to dividends.



Credits: 3

LAW 8013 - Mergers and Acquisitions

This course focuses on the corporate and securities law issues relevant to mergers and acquisitions, including the Williams Act; state statutory and case law; as well as important forms of private ordering such as poison pills, lockups, earnouts, and the allocation of risks by the acquisition agreement. Relevant accounting and tax issues will be covered as well.



Credits: 3

LAW 8015 - Partnership Tax

This course will examine the basic principles in the application of the federal income tax to partnerships and their partners. Due to recent changes in the law, an increasing number of private firms, whether or not organized as partnerships, will be subject to these rules in the future. The course is taught by using problems that illustrate the principles discussed in class.



Credits: 3

LAW 8016 - Securities Regulation

The course will examine the federal statutes and regulations relating to the sale of securities and the duties of issuers, underwriters, brokers, dealers, officers, directors, controlling persons, and other significant market participants. We will discuss the regulation of public and private offerings, trading markets, and disclosure and corporate governance of publicly traded companies.



Credits: 3

LAW 8017 - Securities Regulation (Law & Business)

The course will examine the federal statutes and regulations relating to the sale of securities and the duties of issuers, underwriters, brokers, dealers, officers, directors, and other market participants. Topics will include the regulation of public and private offerings, trading markets, accounting standards, the lawyer’s role in verifying financial information, and the use of finance theory in securities litigation.



Credits: 3 to 4

LAW 8018 - Trusts and Estates

The course will cover intestate succession; requirements for the execution, revocation, republication, and revival of wills and codicils; probate procedure and grounds for will contests; requisites for the creation and termination of private trusts; inter vivos transactions that serve as will substitutes; planning for incapacity; and problems in the interpretation of wills.
Prerequisite: LAW 6006 Property



Credits: 3

LAW 8019 - Virginia Practice and Procedure

The course is organized and presented primarily for students who intend to practice law in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The course includes a study of the Virginia judicial system and problems of jurisdiction and venue within that system; pleading and practice both at law and in equity; a study of the Rules of Court; and the procedural statutes and applicable case law.



Credits: 3

LAW 8021 - Constitutional Law II: Law and the Theory of Equal Protection

LAW 8022 - Federal Income Tax: Advanced Topics

This class is a continuation of Federal Income Tax. Students will be exposed to important aspects of federal income tax law not covered (or covered only briefly) in the basic tax course.



Credits: 3

LAW 8023 - Advanced Patent Law

This course will examine various advanced topics in patent remedies (including the law governing damages calculations), ownership and licensing issues, patent exhaustion, antitrust, inequitable conduct and administrative aspects of patent practice (including the new administrative processes added by the patent reform statute signed into law in September, 2011).



Credits: 2

LAW 8500 - Study Abroad

This student-initiated study abroad program permits students to spend one semester studying law in a foreign university law school or law department and complete a research paper written as part of the study abroad experience under the supervision of a selected Virginia law professor.



Credits: 12

LAW 8505 - Clinical Topics

LAW 8600 - Advocacy Clinic for the Elderly (YR)

This is the first semester of a yearlong clinic offered in conjunction with the Legal Aid Justice Center in Charlottesville. With attorney supervision, students represent elderly clients on a variety of legal matters, including basic wills and powers of attorney, guardianships, consumer issues, Medicaid and Medicare benefits, nursing home regulation and quality of long-term care, elder abuse and neglect, and advance medical directives.



Credits: 0