Courses

• LAW JD 885: Research and Writing Seminar
  Small-group instruction in legal research and writing, with emphasis on developing legal research techniques, writing abilities, and legal problem-solving abilities. (Required First Year, spring semester.)
• LAW JD 887: Taxation of Corporations and Shareholders
  Federal income tax considerations have major implications for planning in the corporate area. This course focuses on income tax issues in transactions between corporations and shareholders, including distributions, exchanges, reorganizations and capital contributions. PREREQUISITE: INTRODUCTION TO FEDERAL INCOME TAXATION.
• LAW JD 889: Introduction to Federal Income Taxation
  The income tax is a pervasive feature of life in the United States and lawyers encounter tax issues in virtually every field of practice. This course introduces students to the fundamental principles of the federal income tax, and its impact on a wide range of matters, including employment, tort claims, divorce, retirement, and especially business activities and investments of all types. Topics include: the concept of income, determination of gross income, allowance of deductions and the determination of taxable income, identification of the taxpayer, taxable periods and timing, the determination of gain or loss (including realization and recognition) from dealings in property, the concept of income tax basis, and the process of change in the tax law.
• LAW JD 892: Torts
  Principles of civil recovery for injury, including strict liability, negligence, and the intentional torts, with emphasis on the social, economic, and moral underpinnings of the doctrines.
• LAW JD 893: Research and Writing Seminar
  This two-credit Legal Research and Writing seminar is required for LL.M. students in the American Law program. It is specifically designed to introduce foreign lawyers to the basic principles of American legal writing. In small class settings and individual conferences, students receive guidance on drafting and editing memoranda and agreements. Their work is critiqued and rewritten. The research component of the seminar trains students to locate cases, statutes and secondary material through indexing systems and the latest computer technology. Research assignments are integrated into writing assignments -- exposing students to the methods of US legal analyses -- so that by the end of the term, students obtain the skills needed to write memoranda appropriate for submission to US law firms.
• LAW JD 894: Trial Advocacy
  This course introduces the student to the structure of the trial process and the skills used by trial lawyers. The topics covered range from opening statements to closing arguments, including conducting direct and cross-­examination of witnesses, making and meeting objections, introducing documents and discovery into evidence, and using hypothetical questions with expert witnesses. Students must perform simulated exercises and will try one or more civil or criminal cases before a jury. Visit the web for more information on the instructors. PREREQUISITE: EVIDENCE. Students taking TRIAL ADVOCACY in the second semester of their third year may take EVIDENCE as a COREQUISITE. Students who have already taken a trial advocacy class as part of the civil or criminal clinical programs may not subsequently enroll in a second basic trial advocacy class. Students may take the Advanced Trial Advocacy course or the Pretrial Advocacy: Civil and Criminal course. NOTE: This class satisfies the upper-class professional skills requirement. ** A student who fails either to attend the initial meeting of a section of Trial Advocacy, or to obtain permission to be absent from either the instructor or the registrar, WILL BE administratively dropped from the section. Students who are on a wait list for a section are required to attend the first section meeting to be considered for enrollment.
• LAW JD 895: Children and the Law
  This course examines legal issues relating to children and how various legal, political, social, and economic institutions shape childhood and child development. A central focus is the allocation of authority among the child, the family, and the state: how the legal system attempts to reconcile commitments to the fundamental constitutional liberty of parents, state authority for promoting the well-being and protecting the interests of children, and the rights and interests of children themselves. Topics considered include: the scope of parental liberty as a constitutional right, children's rights (including human rights) and obligations and the debate over children's rights, education (including student speech and anti-bullying laws), defining and creating the parent-child relationship (including adoption), parental discipline of children, child abuse and neglect, foster care, medical treatment of and medical decision-making by children, child pornography and "sexting," sexual and reproductive rights and responsibilities of adolescents, juvenile delinquency and the juvenile justice system, and the legal representation of children. Students have two options for the written requirement: a final exam or three papers on assigned topics. There is also a limited research paper option (the paper will satisfy the Upperclass Writing Requirement). In addition, there will be one pass/fail skills exercise and reflection paper. NOTE: This course satisfies the Upper-class Professional Skills requirement.
• LAW JD 897: Consumer Law
  An examination of case law, statutes, and regulations governing transactions entered into for personal or family purposes rather than business or professional ones. Topics include theories of consumer protection, advertising, disclosure requirements, credit reporting and access to credit, quality of goods and services, billing disputes, collection efforts, and methods of enforcing consumer rights. This course might be of both professional and personal interest.
• LAW JD 898: Criminal Trial Practice II/Defenders (C)
  THIS CLASS IS RESTRICTED to 3L students who have applied to and been accepted into the Criminal Clinical Program and who will begin the program in Fall 2013. This course will meet in the second semester for those students who have completed Criminal Trial Practice I. Students in the Defender Program will be assigned to represent indigent defendants charged with criminal offenses in either the Boston Municipal Court or the Boston Juvenile Court. In both locations, the students will act as defense counsel under the supervision of a clinical professor. The work in court will provide students with exposure to lawyering experiences such as investigation, interviewing, counseling and trial advocacy. Primary emphasis is on the development of trial skills, and students will spend the first part of the semester acting as defense counsel in misdemeanor cases of increasing complexity. Later in the semester, representation in felony cases is possible, as well as exposure to a number of other aspects of the criminal justice system. At all times, of course, case assignments are based upon an individual assessment of a student's progress and demonstrated competence. Students in the Defender Program must be available to be in court two days a week, from Monday through Thursday. NOTE: The Criminal Clinical Program satisfies the upper-class professional skills requirement.
• LAW JD 899: Criminal Trial Practice II/Prosecutors (C)
  THIS CLASS IS RESTRICTED to 3L students who have applied to and been accepted into the Criminal Clinical Program and who will begin the program in Fall 2013. This course will meet in the second semester for those students who have completed Criminal Trial Practice I. Students in the Prosecutor Program will act as prosecutors in the Quincy District Court, for the Norfolk County District Attorney's office. The students will have responsibility for all aspects of the cases they are assigned, under the supervision of the clinical professor. Students will be exposed to a wide variety of experiences, including investigation, interviewing and trial advocacy. Students will spend the first part of the semester representing the Commonwealth in misdemeanor cases of increasing complexity. Later in the semester, representation in felony cases is possible, as well as having an opportunity to appear before a six-person jury session. At all times, of course, case assignments are based upon an individual assessment of a student's progress and demonstrated competence. Students in the Prosecutor Program must be available to be in court two days a week, Monday through Thursday. NOTE: The Criminal Clinical Program satisfies the upper-class professional skills requirement.
• LAW JD 901: Appellate Advocacy Program Director
  This class is restricted to third-year students who applied and were accepted as directors of the BU Law Moot Court programs (Esdaile, Stone and Albers). NOTE: This class satisfies the Upper-class Professional Skills requirement.
• LAW JD 902: Anatomy of a Mass Tort (S)
  An in depth exploration and thrill ride through the modern day David vs. Goliath epic battle of the 9/11 first responders litigation, led by the BULS alumnus who represented 10,000 plaintiffs. This interactive seminar will allow students to reprise, reenact and role play the most critical events of the decade long litigation labeled "the most complicated Mass Tort in history", while teaching them the fundamental issues and laws concerning Mass Torts in general. GRADING NOTICE: This course does not offer the CR/NC/H option. ** A student who fails to attend the initial meeting of a seminar, or to obtain permission to be absent from either the instructor or the Registrar, will be administratively dropped from the seminar. Students who waitlist for a seminar are required to attend the first seminar meeting to be considered for enrollment.
• LAW JD 903: Supreme Court 2013 Term: Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure and Habeas Cases (S)
  This course will focus on criminal procedure and criminal law cases that are currently on the docket of the Supreme Court. Each week, the class will read a substantial amount of materials in preparation for one case, including its lower court opinion, the briefs from each party, two sets of amicus briefs, and a Supreme Court opinion drafted by a member of the class. Students will also be expected to read the most significant Supreme Court precedents involving each case. Prior to each class session, each student will be responsible for writing a 3-5 page memo critiquing the readings of the week. Students will also be responsible for drafting one 20-25 page Supreme Court opinion to be distributed to and discussed by the class. NOTE: Criminal Procedure is not a prerequisite for this course. NOTE: This seminar satisfies the upper-class professional skills requirement. ** A student who fails to attend the initial meeting of a seminar, or to obtain permission to be absent from either the instructor or the Registrar, will be administratively dropped from the seminar. Students who wait list for a seminar are required to attend the first seminar meeting to be considered for enrollment.
• LAW JD 905: Entertainment Law (S)
  This course will focus on the varied legal doctrines that influence both the business and practice of Entertainment Law. Some of the primary topics include issues involving publicity rights and the use and control of image, celebrity and promotion issues, defamation and free speech, invasion of privacy, copyright including infringement and dispute and other general contractual relations surrounding the entertainment field. The course will also explore the practical aspects of entertainment law such as complicated litigation issues involving jurisdictional and venue concerns, client counseling and negotiations and other ethical concerns raised in the course of representation of your client. This course will not focus on sports entertainment or any other specific labor-related organizations. There will be no final exam. Grades will be based upon papers and class participation. NOTE: This seminar satisfies the Upper-class Professional Skills requirement. LIMITED WRITING REQUIREMENT OPTION: A limited number of students may be permitted to satisfy the upper-class writing requirement with the approval of the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs. GRADING NOTICE: This class does not offer the CR/NC/H option. OFFERING PATTERN: This class is frequently offered in alternating years. Students are advised to take this into account when planning their long-term schedule.
• LAW JD 908: Judging in the American Legal System (S)
  This seminar explores the professional role of judges, both state and federal, in our American legal system. It invites analysis of the distinctive features of our judiciary, its multiple roles in legal determinations under stare decisis , in statutory interpretation, in fact finding (both at trial and in other contexts), in the many interactions with the direct democracy of the American jury, in administration and case management, and in contacts with the legislative and executive branches. LIMITED WRITING REQUIREMENT OPTION: A limited number of students may be permitted to satisfy the upper-class writing requirement with the approval of the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs. ** A student who fails to attend the initial meeting of a seminar, or to obtain permission to be absent from either the instructor or the Registrar, will be administratively dropped from the seminar. Students who wait list for a seminar are required to attend the first seminar meeting to be considered for enrollment.
• LAW JD 910: Law & Ethics of Medical Research (S)(formerly Medical Research and the Law (S))
  This seminar will focus on the intersection between cutting edge medical research, law and ethics. How do law and public policy advance the goals of medical research while protecting those who volunteer to be human subjects? Who can legally consent to participate in research? Who is responsible for ensuring the potential benefits of the research outweigh the potential risks in conducting the research? How are conflicts of interest managed between the goals of treatment versus the goals of research or the financial sponsorship of a study and scientific integrity of the clinical trial? Should human subjects be able to profit from the results of research they participate in? The seminar will also take an in depth look at legal trends of property and gift law concepts applied to tissue banked for research as well as an overview of the regulatory and legal considerations in genetic and stem cell research. This seminar should be particularly engaging for students interested in health law, medical ethics and public policy. There are no prerequisites for this seminar. NOTE: This seminar satisfies the Upper-class Professional Skills requirement. LIMITED WRITING REQUIREMENT OPTION: A limited number of students may be permitted to satisfy the upper-class writing requirement with the approval of the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs. ** A student who fails to attend the initial meeting of a seminar, or to obtain permission to be absent from either the instructor or the Registrar, will be administratively dropped from the seminar. Students who waitlist for a seminar are required to attend the first seminar meeting to be considered for enrollment.
• LAW JD 911: LAW AND ETHICS OF WAR (S)
  This seminar will critically examine selected legal doctrines and related moral precepts of the contemporary law of war, including both the law on resort to force (jus ad bellum) and the law governing the conduct of hostilities (jus in bello). Topics may include, among others, the nature and scope of legitimate, proportional self-defense; humanitarian intervention; the propriety of and the law governing resort to force against contemporary terrorist networks; the justification for non-combatant immunity and the converse combatant's privilege; proportionality in the conduct of war; drone warfare; and other contemporary controversies that characterize warfare in the early twenty-first century. Students will be asked to submit brief written reaction papers concerning the readings on a regular basis, and a short paper at the end of the semester. For those law students wishing to satisfy the upper class writing requirement, a longer paper is required. The class will also be open to a limited number of graduate students from other BU departments. LIMITED WRITING OPTION: A limited number of students will be able to satisfy the writing requirement with a paper. GRADING NOTICE: This seminar does not offer the CR/NC/H option. ** A student who fails to attend the initial meeting of a seminar, or to obtain permission to be absent from either the instructor or the Registrar, will be administratively dropped from the seminar. Students who waitlist for a seminar are required to attend the first seminar meeting to be considered for enrollment.
• LAW JD 912: American Constitutional History (S)
  This seminar will investigate constitutional history, from the years leading to the American Revolution through the early twentieth century, from several different angles, including presidential leadership, legislative mandates, and judicial interpretation. We will also consider popular constitutionalism and how society at large debated and helped to shape constitutional interpretation and development. Topics to be covered will include the constitutional impact of the break with Britain, the Founding of the Republic, Civil War era constitutionalism, the redefinition of American citizenship during Reconstruction, the rise of Jim Crow, constitutional law in the industrial Republic, and changes in the rights of the individual and developments as to federalism during the time period coverd in this course. No prior history background is necessary. LIMITED WRITING REQUIREMENT OPTION: A limited number of students may be permitted to satisfy the upper-class writing requirement with the approval of the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs. OFFERING PATTERN: This class is frequently offered in alternating years. Students are advised to take this into account when planning their long-term schedule. **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 913: Criminal Trial Practice II (C)
  THIS CLASS IS RESTRICTED to 3L students who started the Criminal Clinic in Spring 2013. Criminal Trial Practice II will consider advanced issues in criminal practice, such as motions to suppress and sentencing advocacy. In conjunction with their class work, these students will be assigned to either the Prosecutor or Defender component of the clinic. Each student will be expected to devote at least two mornings a week to their work in court. NOTE: The Criminal Clinical Program satisfies the upper-class professional skills requirement.
• LAW JD 916: Advanced Constitutional Law: The Fourteenth Amendment
  The Fourteenth Amendment provides that, among other things, no State shall "deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law ... nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws." This course will explore the meaning that the U.S. Supreme Court has given to these relatively innocuous words. Specifically, the first half of the course will be an examination of the birth, death, reincarnation, and continued life of substantive due process. The second half of the course will be an examination of the Court's equal protection jurisprudence. Canonical cases examined during the semester include The Slaughterhouse Cases, Lochner v. New York, Plessy v. Ferguson, Brown v. Board, Roe v. Wade, Planned Parenthood v. Casey, Lawrence v. Texas, and Grutter v. Bollinger. GRADING NOTICE: This course does not offer the CR/NC/H option.

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