Courses
The listing of a course description here does not guarantee a course’s being offered in a particular semester. Please refer to the published schedule of classes on the Student Link for confirmation a class is actually being taught and for specific course meeting dates and times.
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LAW JD 603: Lawyering Skills 2
Provides training in legal research, legal writing, oral advocacy, client interviewing, and client counseling through simulations of real-world legal disputes. -
LAW JD 605: Business Fundamentals
Introduction to Business Fundamentals is an online, self-paced, asynchronous program forming a required part of the JD curriculum. The curriculum consists of modules covering business basics, corporate finance and financial accounting, including the following subjects: capital markets; the basics of financial reporting; balance sheets; income statements and cash flow; business forms and organizations; financing organizations; discounting; and calculating risk, return and valuation. Assessment is based on multiple choice exams. Students may opt-out of the course if they score an 84% or better on the pre-course exam. A score of 70% or better on the post-course exam, following successful completion of the course, is necessary to meet the requirement. GRADING NOTICE: This course awards no credits and is graded P/F. It is a graduation requirement for JD students. Students may enroll in the program for the fall, spring or summer semesters, but should complete the course by the conclusion of the fall semester of the 3L year. -
LAW JD 607: Lawyering Lab
Lawyering Lab is an intensive, four-day course required of all first-year law students. Lawyering Lab provides hands-on, practical training in the context of a business deal, giving students the opportunity to practice a variety of skills under conditions that simulate the realities of day-to-day practice, including time constraints. These skills include negotiation, client counseling, problem-solving, professionalism, public presentation, and teamwork. Students also have an opportunity for self-reflection and evaluation. Students are grouped into small teams and assigned to represent a client on either side of a transaction. Under faculty supervision, teams on both sides of the transaction identify the legal constraints and opportunities presented. Students then collaborate with their teammates to identify, assess, and recommend options for action to their client. After counseling their client on a course of action, students negotiate and draft contractual provisions with opposing counsel. The deadlines for class assignments are tight, as they usually are for lawyers seeking to respond with immediacy to particular client problems. Through the expertise and guidance of the instructors, collaborative exercises with peers, and exposure to some of the day-to-day elements of lawyering, students in the Lawyering Lab learn about law and legal practice in a way that is exciting, innovative, and participant-centered. 1 credit, P/F. -
LAW JD 608: Bar Exam Skills
Students in this course will learn and practice a specific set of skills and test-taking strategies with the goal of enhancing a student's ability to prepare for the July bar exam. It will introduce students to the content of the Uniform Bar Exam (UBE) and its three forms of questions, multiple choice, essay and performance test. The subject matter will be drawn from some of the most highly tested topics on the UBE, including criminal law, constitutional law and torts. The materials for this course are provided by Kaplan Bar Review. This course is for students who want an early start on their bar exam preparation or are particularly concerned about not passing the bar exam. This course is not a replacement for a commercial bar review program. The course consists of weekly in-person classes, assignments outside of class and a final exam. Course enrollment is limited to two sections, 25 students per section. Prerequisites: This class is restricted to graduating (3L) students. GRADING NOTICE: This course will not offer the CR/NC/H option. -
LAW JD 673: Law and Algorithms
This cross-cutting and interdisciplinary course, taught alongside a graduate-level course with BU's new faculty of Computing and Data Sciences, investigates the role that algorithms and automated decision-making systems play in law and society. The course connects legal and technical concepts of transparency, fairness, bias, privacy, and trust, though a series of case studies that present recent applications of technology to legal and regulatory situations and explore the challenges in regulating algorithms. Legal concepts explored will include evidence and expert witnesses, anti-discrimination law concepts of disparate impact and disparate treatment, sectoral information privacy regimes, and public access and transparency laws. Technical concepts explored will include artificial intelligence and machine learning, secure multi-party computation, differential privacy, and zero-knowledge proofs. Grades will be based on a series of assignments that correspond with each case study, to be completed collaboratively in mixed teams of law and computing/data science students. No prior technology experience is required. GRADING NOTICE: This class will not offer the CR/NC/H option. -
LAW JD 683: Compliance in Financial Services Companies
This course will take students through the compliance mechanisms within financial organizations putting regulatory requirements into practice. The purpose of the class is to offer a fundamental preparation to the lawyer in a financial institution's legal department or a separate compliance department. This course covers the following: * The history of compliance * The interaction between business processes, legal requirements, and compliance. * The profession of financial compliance * The interaction of conflicts, risks and ethics * The roles of the Chief Compliance Officer, the Auditor, the Legal Officer and the interaction among them * Defining best practice, business process, risk assessment and controls and their interactions within financial institutions * A broad outline of regulations applicable to financial institutions * Data privacy and information security compliance * Interacting with regulators, enforcement agencies and investigations * Business ethics and culture in financial institutions. The course will use an exam as the final assessment. -
LAW JD 685: Compassionate Release Practicum (C)
THIS CLASS IS RESTRICTED to students who have formally applied and been accepted to the Compassionate Release Practicum. In April of 2018, Massachusetts joined 44 states and the federal government in providing a statutory mechanism by which terminally ill and/or permanently incapacitated inmates could be released on so-called medical parole. The new statute was a result of ongoing compromises as part of the omnibus criminal justice reform bill, and pending constitutional litigation which became moot. To date only one person has been released. The intent of the practicum is to engage students both in direct representation of inmates not otherwise entitled to counsel, and in brainstorming and developing solutions in this new and rapidly developing area of law. Students will learn about legislative history and lobbying, about statutory construction, FOIA, and about the constitutional underpinnings of compassionate release. Students will learn and demonstrate drafting, client counseling and negotiation skills. This practicum can be taken for one (50 hours) or two (100 hours) graded credits. Students will write a total of twenty pages, which likely will include a petition for release, and a superior court complaint and motion for judgment on the pleadings. Students will in addition write two journal reflections. There will be a weekly one hour seminar at a time arranged with the students. The final grade is based on class participation, revised writing and journal reflections. NOTE: The Compassionate Release Practicum counts towards the 6 credit Experiential Learning requirement. GRADING NOTICE: This course does not offer the CR/NC/H option. -
LAW JD 692: Taxation and Racial Capitalism (S)
Taxation and Racial Capitalism will explore the ways that anti-Black racism has shaped legal rules and institutions both domestically and globally. It will illustrate the dynamics of racial capitalism by tracing the evolution of international tax rules once shaped and now sustained by racial fears, perpetuating a false fiscal scarcity that has impoverished vulnerable states and eviscerated social safety nets in wealthier ones. Cycles of liberation and backlash from Reconstruction to decolonization have granted political power and economic autonomy to formerly enslaved individuals and erstwhile possessions only to watch it be stripped away, whether through Jim Crow laws or treaties designed to constrain fiscal sovereignty. This course will tell that familiar story from an unconventional perspective. UPPER-CLASS WRITING REQUIREMENT: This class may be used to satisfy the requirement. **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 694: Identities & Law: Sexualities (S)
This class asks and answers three overarching questions: (1) How do people form their senses of the implications of LGBTQ+ identity statuses?; (2) How might those understandings about identities influence the way the law is structured and enforced?; (3) How might the law reciprocally influence understandings about identities? The class assumes that sexual identities (including being a transgender person) are intersectional. That is, the junction of, say, sexualities and race, creates a unique experience that differs from that of others of the same sexuality but not the same race. The class will read about intersectionality theory and queer theory, LGBTQ+ history, and the evolution of U.S. laws on sexualities. We will also consider the best ways to research topics merging identities and law, write an effective thesis statement and outline, present the topic for class discussion, and finalize a polished paper. Taught from the point of view of an LGBTQ+ ally, this course is for students who seek greater social justice. GRADING NOTICE: This course does not offer the CR/NC/H option. UPPER-CLASS WRITING REQUIREMENT: A limited number of students may use this class to satisfy the requirement. ** 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 695: The Presidency (S)
This seminar will examine constitutional, historical, doctrinal, and contemporary issues about the U.S. Presidency. We will cover issues such as war powers and foreign affairs, removal power and control over the administrative state, relations between the White House and the Department of Justice, impeachment, executive privilege, the pardon power, and other problems revealed by the Trump and Biden administrations. The seminar will focus on history and modern reforms. Our texts will be several recent books by notable legal scholars, major Supreme Court decisions, and other scholarship and legal materials. Some classes will be traditional seminar-style discussion among the two faculty members and students, while some will feature outside authors discussing their work with the class. UPPER-CLASS WRITING REQUIREMENT: A limited number of students may use this class to satisfy the requirement. ** 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 696: Transitional Justice (S)
Atrocity crimes--including genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity--continue to rage around the world. This course examines origins, operations, and outcomes of historical and contemporary measures to address such heinous offenses. We will consider the full range of judicial, legislative, and executive options available to policymakers as societies emerge from periods of violence and repression. These "transitional justice" mechanisms include war crimes tribunals (such as the International Criminal Court), truth commissions, amnesties, lustration, exile, indefinite detention, lethal force, and inaction. The course draws on various case studies, including present-day Ukraine, Syria, and Myanmar; Rwanda and the Balkans in the 1990s; and World War II. Readings address the legal, political, and philosophical underpinnings of justice; questions of institutional design; and how different societies have balanced competing legal, policy, and moral imperatives. UPPER-CLASS WRITING REQUIREMENT: This class may be used to satisfy the requirement. ** 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 705: Consumer Debt Practicum
THIS CLASS IS RESTRICTED to students who have formally applied and been accepted to the Consumer Debt Practicum. Students in the Practicum provide pro bono representation to low income defendants in small claims court on credit card collection matters. Students engage in client interviewing and counseling, negotiation, and oral advocacy including small claims trials, under the supervision of the clinic instructors. Students must be available to be at court on Thursday mornings until 1 pm. In addition, there is a weekly meeting that covers substantive topics and skills development in areas related to the clinic work such as consumer law including Truth in Lending, Fair Debt Collection Practices Act and the Massachusetts Consumer Cost Credit Act. NOTE: The Consumer Debt Practicum counts toward the 6 credit Experiential Learning requirement. GRADING NOTICE: This class does not offer the CR/NC/H option. -
LAW JD 707: International Law Research
An important component of understanding international law is mastering all the diverse sources of this area of law. Students will learn to navigate the international system as well as the relevant primary sources of law. Students will learn research strategies and skills for locating treaties, decisions of international tribunals, documents of international organizations and other sources of state practice. Among the organizations the course will discuss the United Nations, the OAS, the EU and the WTO. In addition, students will be introduced to strategies for researching the law of foreign jurisdictions. Students will gain hands-on experience in answering legal research questions in the area of international and comparative law. Classes will combine instruction and hands-on exercises using major print, electronic, and web based resources for international law research. NOTE: This class counts toward the 6 credit Experiential Learning requirement. ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENT: A student who fails to attend the first class or to obtain permission to be absent from either the instructor or the Registrar, will be administratively dropped from the class. Students who are on the wait list are required to attend the first meeting to be considered for enrollment. Meeting dates: 9/9/22-11/18/22 -
LAW JD 708: Innovation, Technology, and the Law
This course will examine innovation theory and how it applies within the legal profession. The initial focus in the class will be on the disruptive forces and 'megatrends' in the world today that have an impact on businesses and the practice of law. The class will introduce students to the many facets of innovation in the legal context, including the application of advanced technologies to business/legal problem solving, derivation of new insights from data science, changes to the traditional employer/employee model (the 'future of work' for professionals), alternative revenue/business models applicable to legal services providers, and incorporating lean startup/design thinking theory into business/legal problem solving. The unique innovation directive applicable to law firms will be closely examined, including the emerging application of advanced technologies - such as artificial intelligence and blockchain -- to legal problem solving. In addition, the course will examine the ethics and rapidly evolving legal/regulatory policy and practice issues with data and advanced technologies, and how this evolving ethics/regulatory field will impact businesses and their legal providers. NOTE: Final paper required in lieu of exam. -
LAW JD 709: Independent Proposal Externship: Fieldwork (C)
This CLASS IS RESTRICTED to students who have received permission from the Clinical and Experiential Programs Office to enroll. This is a 2-credit graded seminar that meets every week for 1.5 hours for those students doing fieldwork in small and medium-sized law offices. This seminar focuses on a range of topics unique to legal practice in small and medium-sized law firms, with a particular emphasis on developing the skills necessary for successful lawyering in this setting. Students will gain a foundational knowledge of smaller firms and learn how to cultivate mentors, seek and respond to feedback, obtain challenging assignments, and measure progress on professional development goals. Students will write reflective papers, make oral presentations, and complete other work as required by the instructor. NOTE: Students who enroll in this externship may count the credits towards the 6 credit Experiential Learning requirement. COREQUISITE: Independent Proposal Externship: Paper (JD 710). -
LAW JD 710: Independent Proposal Externship: Paper (C)
This CLASS IS RESTRICTED to students who have received permission from the Clinical and Experiential Programs Office to enroll. Students receive credit for an externship done in conjunction with an independent study project. Qualifying placements include the legal departments of non-profits, government agencies, private companies, or law firms. Placements may be paid or unpaid. Students may find their own placements that must be approved by the Clinical and Experiential Programs Office, or the Office has resources to help students identify and apply to suitable field placements based on their interests and career goals. Students receive 3-9 variable P/F credits for their fieldwork, as determined in consultation with their placement supervisors. Each credit requires 50 hours of work over the course of the 13-week semester (averaging 4 hours per week). NOTE: Students who enroll in this externship may count the credits toward the 6 credit Experiential Learning requirement. COREQUISITE: INDEPENDENT PROPOSAL EXTERNSHIP: FIELDWORK (LAW JD 709). -
LAW JD 711: Judicial Writing (S)
This course will focus on writing styles and formats unique to the judicial process, such as the bench memo and appellate majority and dissenting opinion. Classes will provide a general overview of the opinion writing function with emphasis on topics such as opinion structure, judicial writing style, the relationship between style and substance, the use of narrative and rhetorical techniques, and ethical considerations in opinion writing. Through a series of writing assignments and in-class exercises, students will learn to how to diagnose and revise difficult and unclear writing, acquire techniques for writing more economically, precisely and unambiguously, and hone their skills in structuring and organizing, analyzing, and writing persuasively. In analyzing judicial opinions and writing from the perspective of a judge rather than an advocate, students will gain a deeper understanding of the judicial process and will become better critical readers and users of judicial opinions. UPPER-CLASS WRITING REQUIREMENT: Class of 2024 -- This Professional Writing Class may be used to partially satisfy the requirement. ** 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 712: Legal Writing for Civil Litigation (S)
This class is designed to give students experience in legal writing for civil litigation. Over the course of the semester, students will work on the various stages of a federal court litigation from pre-complaint investigation through dispositive motions. There will be opportunities to draft a variety of litigation documents, including complaints, discovery, motions, and research memos. Students will complete multiple drafts of key documents and will meet individually with the instructor to discuss the drafts. Students will focus on using the facts to tell their clients' story and making persuasive, winning arguments. In class, students will discuss a range of strategic questions including developing viable causes of action, identifying critical facts, and using written discovery to obtain information. Additionally, students will participate in several in-class exercises designed to improve the students' skills in writing, fact-gathering and argument. UPPER-CLASS WRITING REQUIREMENT: Class of 2024 -- This Dedicated Writing Class may be used to satisfy the requirement. 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 713: Persuasive Writing: Trial Level (S)
This seminar will focus on improving students' persuasive writing skills through a series of assignments and in-class exercises. Students will draft a variety of trial-level documents designed to persuade, including a demand letter, a statement of the facts, a memorandum in support of a motion for summary judgment, and a reply memo. Legal research will be necessary for these assignments, but the emphasis will be on analysis and writing. Students will complete multiple drafts of these documents, meet individually with the instructors to discuss the drafts, and engage in peer editing of their classmates' papers to improve their own writing skills. The class will also include discussions of persuasive writing strategies, comparisons of examples of good and bad persuasive writing, and in-class writing exercises. Students will be graded on the basis of their written work and their peer editing work. Students will engage in oral presentation and advocacy in this course. There will be no final exam. ENROLLMENT LIMIT: 14 students. GRADING NOTICE: This class does not offer the CR/NC/H option. UPPER-CLASS WRITING REQUIREMENT: Class of 2024 -- This Dedicated Writing Class may be used to satisfy the requirement. ** 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 717: Health Law Research
Health law encompasses the engagement of the legal system with a large and dynamic segment of the U.S. economy. In this class, students will gain a familiarity with how to navigate the statutory and regulatory framework of health law, how to evaluate resources, and how complex and multi-part search strategies may be applied to research problems. Students will also gain a deeper understanding of databases beyond Lexis, Westlaw and Bloomberg, and of current awareness sources. Classes will combine instruction and hands-on exercises using print, electronic, and web-based resources. Students will be evaluated on several grounds, including class participation, regular assignments, and a short paper and presentation. NOTE: This class counts toward the 6 credit Experiential Learning requirement. NOTE: Students may not add this course after the first class has been held. ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENT: A student who fails to attend the first class or to obtain permission to be absent from either the instructor or the Registrar, will be administratively dropped from the class. Students who are on the wait list are required to attend the first meeting to be considered for enrollment. Meeting Dates TBD.
