Courses

• LAW JD 732: Tax Law Research
  Tax law research is among the most complicated areas of the law to research. Statutes, regulations and agency issuances interact to create a thickly layered set of legal precedents. This class will explore the resources a tax professional would use to perform his or her research from legislative history to private letter rulings. Students will become familiar with the research platforms outside of Lexis and Westlaw that are commonly used in practice. Students will get practice in using many of the most heavily used practice materials. Classes will combine instruction and hands-on exercises using the major print and electronic resources available for tax law research. Students will be required to complete an assignment for each class. NOTE: Students may not add this course after the first class has been held. This course meets Thursday Oct. 25, 2012 through Thursday Nov. 29, 2012.
• LAW JD 733: Intellectual Property Law Research
  Intellectual property is a multi-faceted area of practice where it is especially important to be able to keep up with current developments. Students will become familiar with practitioners' tools as well as learning the role of legislative history, sources for securing intellectual property rights and patent and trademark searching. Legal information and technologies are constantly changing, and firms are constantly licensing new databases. Become familiar with the specialized tools used by lawyers in intellectual property practices. Classes will combine instruction and hands-on exercises using major print, electronic, and web based resources for intellectual property law research. NOTE: Students may not add this course after the first class has been held. This course meets January 29 through February 26.
• LAW JD 735: Judicial Externship: Fieldwork (C)
  The Judicial Externship is a one-semester clinical program. Students are required to apply and be accepted to the program before they may register. Through the Judicial Externship Program, you may work part-time for credit for a judge in the state or federal court system. As a judicial intern, you will work on assignments typically handled during a post-graduate clerkship. You will spend 16-20 hrs./wk. at your field placement, earning 4-5 ungraded credits. COREQUISITE: Judicial Externship: Judicial Process Seminar (JD 736). NOTE: This clinic satisfies the upper-class professional skills requirement.
• LAW JD 736: Judicial Externship: Judicial Process Seminar
  The Judicial Externship is a one-semester clinical program. Students are required to apply and be accepted to the program before they may register. In this seminar, which is the class component for the Judicial Externship Program, we will discuss several issues related to the roles of the judge and judicial intern. We will discuss issues of confidentiality and ethical considerations applicable to judges and to interns and law clerks. We also will explore the differences between trial and appellate courts, which set the parameters within which judges make decisions. Students will receive advanced instruction in legal research and writing applicable to their placements. We will discuss examples of effective and ineffective lawyering that interns observe in their placements. We also will focus on the legal and philosophical foundations of judicial decision-making, and how those influence decisions. Finally, we will discuss specialty courts, and processes that judges use to help parties resolve disputes, such as mediation and settlement. Students will be required to write regular journals and a 15 page final paper. Students may be required to do a class presentation. There will be no final exam but students will be evaluated on their final paper, journals, class participation, and class presentation. COREQUISITE: Judicial Externship/Fieldwork (JD 735). NOTE: This seminar does NOT satisfy the professional responsibility requirement. GRADING NOTICE: Dean Marx and Professor Knight's sections do not offer the CR/NC/H option.
• LAW JD 737: Community Courts (S)
  Community Courts is a one-semester clinical program that combines a classroom component and a clinical placement one day a week with a judge in a community based state court. (The day is flexible and is coordinated with the judge.) The seminar is taught by Judge Jay Blitzman. Classes will explore the structure of state trial courts that are based in the community and how they have traditionally operated. The course will also examine the evolution of "problem-solving" or "specialized courts," throughout the country. A non-inclusive list of topics that will be covered during the semester includes: * The Roles and Function of Court Personnel- Including prosecutors, defenders, probation, court clinicians and judiciary. * Restorative Justice and Due Process- Discussions will include consideration of pre-adjudicatory and post-adjudicatory models, including drug, domestic violence and youth courts, and the Red Hook Community Justice Center in Brooklyn. * The First of the Specialized Courts: The Juvenile Court- Discussions will include analysis of relationship of court process to related systems, including public education, mental health and community based service providers. * Ethical Considerations For Lawyers and the Judiciary In Community Engagement. COREQUISITE: Students will also register for Community Courts: Fieldwork (JD 738).
• LAW JD 738: Community Courts: Fieldwork (C)
  Community Courts is a one-semester clinical program that combines a classroom component and a clinical placement one day a week with a judge in a community based state court. (The day is flexible and is coordinated with the judge.) Judges sitting in Massachusetts District, Probate, Juvenile and Housing Courts in Boston, Cambridge, Chelsea, Dorchester, Roxbury, Lowell, and Lawrence will serve as mentors. Students will work on pending cases as well as projects relating to the long term operation of the court. COREQUISITE: Students will also register for Community Courts: Seminar (JD 737). NOTE: This clinic satisfies the upper-class professional skills requirement.
• LAW JD 739: Semester-in-Practice: Independent Proposal (C)
  The Semester in Practice is a one-semester clinical program. Students are required to apply and be accepted to the program before they may register. Through the Semester-in-Practice Program, a limited number of students may spend a semester working full-time for credit (10 ungraded credits) at an externship placement outside of Boston. The Program is designed for students who want an intensive hands-on experience - at an opportunity not otherwise available in Boston - furthering specific career and academic goals. Acceptance to the Program is competitive. In addition to securing an externship at a placement organization, students must complete a separate BU Law application available through the Clinical Programs Office. Under this option, students may develop their own proposal for a full-time externship outside of Boston. COREQUISITE: Semester-in-Practice: Independent Paper (JD 740). NOTE: This clinic satisfies the upper-class professional skills requirement.
• LAW JD 740: Semester-in-Practice: Independent Paper
  The Semester in Practice is a one-semester clinical program. Students are required to apply and be accepted to the program before they may register. Accepted students will register for 2 graded credits for completing readings, writing a research paper, and for submitting weekly journals. COREQUISITE: Semester-in-Practice: Independent Proposal (JD 739).
• LAW JD 741: Semester-in-Practice: Human Rights - Geneva (C)
  The Semester in Practice is a one-semester clinical program. Students are required to apply and be accepted to the program before they may register. Through the Semester-in-Practice Program, a limited number of students may spend a semester working full-time for credit (10 ungraded credits) at an externship placement outside of Boston. The Program is designed for students who want an intensive hands-on experience - at an opportunity not otherwise available in Boston - furthering specific career and academic goals. Acceptance to the Program is competitive. In addition to securing an externship at a placement organization, students must complete a separate BU Law application available through the Clinical Programs Office. Through the Human Rights option, students may spend a semester working in Geneva for a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) committed to the protection of human rights. COREQUISITE: Semester-in-Practice: Human Rights Paper (JD 742). NOTE: This clinic satisfies the upper-class professional skills requirement.
• LAW JD 742: Semester-in-Practice: Human Rights Paper
  The Semester in Practice is a one-semester clinical program. Students are required to apply and be accepted to the program before they may register. Accepted students will register for 2 graded credits for completing readings, writing a research paper, and for submitting weekly journals. COREQUISITE: Semester-in-Practice: Human Rights Externship - Geneva (JD 741).
• LAW JD 743: Semester-in-Practice: Death Penalty Externship (C)
  The Semester in Practice is a one-semester clinical program. Students are required to apply and be accepted to the program before they may register. Through the Semester-in-Practice Program, a limited number of students may spend a semester working full-time for credit (10 ungraded credits) at an externship placement outside of Boston. The Program is designed for students who want an intensive hands-on experience - at an opportunity not otherwise available in Boston - furthering specific career and academic goals. Acceptance to the Program is competitive. In addition to securing an externship at a placement organization, students must complete a separate BU Law application available through the Clinical Programs Office. Students participating in the Death Penalty Externship may work at the Southern Center for Human Rights in Atlanta, Georgia. COREQUISITE: Semester-in-Practice: Death Penalty Paper (JD 744). NOTE: This clinic satisfies the upper-class professional skills requirement.
• LAW JD 744: Semester-in-Practice: Death Penalty Paper
  The Semester in Practice is a one-semester clinical program. Students are required to apply and be accepted to the program before they may register. Accepted students will register for 2 graded credits for completing readings, writing a research paper, and for submitting weekly journals. COREQUISITE: Semester-in-Practice: Death Penalty Externship (JD 743).
• LAW JD 745: Semester-in-Practice: Government Lawyering - Washington, D.C. (C)
  The Semester in Practice is a one-semester clinical program. Students are required to apply and be accepted to the program before they may register. Through the Semester-in-Practice Program, a limited number of students may spend a semester working full-time for credit (10 ungraded credits) at an externship placement outside of Boston. The Program is designed for students who want an intensive hands-on experience - at an opportunity not otherwise available in Boston - furthering specific career and academic goals. Acceptance to the Program is competitive. In addition to securing an externship at a placement organization, students must complete a separate BU Law application available through the Clinical Programs Office. Through the Government Lawyering option, students may spend a semester working at a government office in Washington. Examples include opportunities with the staff of a Congressional committee or subcommittee, in the legal office of an administrative agency, or with a federal board/commission. COREQUISITE: Semester-in-Practice: Government Lawyering Paper (JD 746). NOTE: This clinic satisfies the upper-class professional skills requirement.
• LAW JD 746: Semester-in-Practice: Government Lawyering Paper
  The Semester in Practice is a one-semester clinical program. Students are required to apply and be accepted to the program before they may register. Accepted students will register for 2 graded credits for completing readings, writing a research paper, and for submitting weekly journals. COREQUISITE: Semester-in-Practice: Government Lawyering - Washington, D.C. (JD 745).
• LAW JD 747: Discovery: Theory & Practice (S)
  This seminar will involve an in-depth examination of discovery practice under the federal rules of civil procedure. The topics to be covered are set out below. Grades will be derived from a final paper, mini-quizzes and assignments, and classroom participation. There is no required text. 1. History and purpose of discovery. 2. Discovery abuse. 3. Rule 26. The scope of discovery and the major limitations on the scope of discovery. 4. Rule 26. The conference of the parties and planning for discovery. The impact of the local rules on discovery. 5. Rule 26. Self-executing disclosures and expert discovery. 6. e-discovery. 7. Written discovery. Rules 33, 34, and 36 (interrogatories, document requests, and requests for admission). 8. Deposition discovery. Rules 30-32. Rule 45 subpoenas. 9. Rule 37. Failure to cooperate in discovery. Sanctions. 10. Rule 37. Discovery motion practice. 11. Effective discovery. NOTES: This seminar does not satisfy the Upper-class Writing Requirement. This seminar satisfies the upper-class professional skills requirement. RESTRICTION: Students who completed E-discovery (JD 795) may not enroll. GRADING NOTICE: This class does not offer the CR/NC/H option. ** A student who fails to attend the initial meeting of a seminar (designated by an (S) in the title), or to obtain permission to be absent from either the instructor or the Registrar, may be administratively dropped from the seminar. Students who are on a wait list for a seminar are required to attend the first seminar meeting to be considered for enrollment.
• LAW JD 762: Health Law Externship: Fieldwork (C)
  The Health Law Externship is a one semester clinical program where students work for credit at a non-profit health care organization. Students are required to apply and be accepted to the program before they may register. Through the program, students gain hands-on legal experience under the supervision of practitioners who are experts in the health law field. The Health Law Externship is offered in the fall to 3Ls only (or 2Ls with a prior health law background may be considered with permission of Mr. Moulton). The spring semester is open to 2Ls and 3Ls alike, but preference will be given to 3Ls who have not taken the Civil Litigation Program or the Legal Externship Program. Upon acceptance to the program, Mr. Ben Moulton works with students to identify suitable field placements depending on each student's individual interests and career goals. Once possible placement organizations are identified, students are responsible for applying to those organizations. Before the semester begins, students work with their placement supervisors to determine how many hours they will work during the semester. The schedule must be approved by Mr. Moulton. Students must adhere to this schedule throughout the semester. Students receive variable credits for the fieldwork component, determined as follows: * 3 credits = 150 hours total: * 4 credits = 200 hours total; and * 5 credits = 250 hours total. PREREQUISITE: Health Law (JD 867 in the Law School or LW 751 at the School of Public Health). COREQUISITE: Health Law Externship: Seminar (JD 764). NOTES: Participation in the Health Law Externship may count toward the Concentration in Health Law. This clinic satisfies the upper-class professional skills requirement.
• LAW JD 763: Administrative Law Research
  Many practice areas, from environmental law to immigration law, are heavily regulatory. Learn about the structure of administrative law research, from enabling statutes to agency adjudication, in this class. The class will focus on developing your understanding of the structure of administrative agencies and using the various sources of administrative law. You will learn what information is available from government sources and what specialty publishers bring to the table with an emphasis on being cost effective in the workplace. Classes will combine instruction and hands-on exercises using the major print, electronic and web based resources in administrative law. NOTE: Students may not add this course after the first class has been held. This course meets Thursday, Jan. 31, 2013 through Thursday, Feb. 28, 2013.
• LAW JD 764: Health Law Externship Seminar
  The Health Law Externship is a one semester clinical program where students work for credit at a non-profit health care organization. Students are required to apply and be accepted to the program before they may register. An integral part of the externship is a one hour weekly seminar examining various health law issues as well as the challenges of working in a non profit environment. The first meeting will orient you to the program; subsequent meetings will discuss the assigned readings in light of your experiences in the externship. The seminar requires students to write a paper and make a class presentation. In addition, each student keeps a weekly journal chronicling their educational experience and reactions to the practice of law observed at the field placements. COREQUISITE: Health Law Externship Program: Fieldwork (JD 762). NOTE: The Health Law Externship does not satisfy the professional responsibility requirement.
• LAW JD 765: Africa i-Parliaments Drafting & Policy Clinic (C)
  The Africa i-Parliaments is a one-semester clinical program that will be offered in the fall. Students must apply and be accepted to the program before they register. In 2008, the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN/DESA), initiated a new program called the African Parliamentary Knowledge Network (APKN) to build the capacity of African parliaments to draft and enact more effective legislation. This clinic supports the APKN initiative by working with clients such as members of African Parliaments, government agencies, and regional government organizations. An in-house clinic, students take advantage of the materials held in the BU Library's various Africa collections, the internet, and communications technology to consult with clients and gather information on various substantive projects. Students work closely with student editors and the professors to produce high quality research reports and draft bill language. Students also add value to APKN by reporting on recently passed African statutes and governmental reform for publication on the APKN's Africa Parliamentary Information Exchange (http://apex.apkn.org/) methodology. Students receive 6 graded credits: 3 for the fieldwork and 3 for a weekly seminar. The weekly seminar focuses on the use of legislation for social change, the legislative processes of Africa, and evidence-based legislation. A limited number of students may satisfy the upperclass writing requirement through this clinic.
• LAW JD 770: Introduction to Financial Restructuring Practice (S)
  This seminar is designed to provide students with an introductory and practical understanding of certain fundamental aspects of corporate financial restructuring. The seminar focuses on the representation of distressed companies, major creditors, and investors in high-stakes restructuring matters, with an emphasis on (i) comparing out-of-court and in-court restructuring alternatives for distressed companies and their stakeholders; (ii) benefits and risks associated with the commencement and administration of a case under chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code; (iii) the typical timeline, major players, and milestones associated with the chapter 11 process; (iv) strategies for effective restructuring negotiations; and (v) "hot topic" controversies in recent chapter 11 cases. Course materials will consist of recent court decisions and pleadings from noteworthy chapter 11 cases, and select articles concerning significant developments in restructuring law and practice. In addition to class participation, grading will be based upon one term paper of approximately 12 -- 15 pages in length. NOTES: This seminar does not satisfy the Upper-class Writing Requirement. This course will meet on alternate weeks beginning September 6 and ending November 15. **A student who fails to attend the initial meeting of a seminar (designated by an (S) in the title), or to obtain permission to be absent from either the instructor or the Registrar, may be administratively dropped from the seminar. Students who are on a wait list for a seminar are required to attend the first seminar meeting to be considered for enrollment.

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