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 MyBU Student Portal for confirmation a class is actually being taught and for specific course meeting dates and times.

• LAW AM 700: Introduction to American Law
  The class covers the basic structure and function of US legal institutions: the congress, the president, and regulatory agencies, and, especially, the federal courts. It examines the role of state law and state courts in the American system of federalism. The course also studies the American judicial processes of constitutional analyses, interpretation of statues, and development of common law. Some attention is paid to court procedures, including trial by jury. Finally, students study a few topics that are illustrative of the treatment of individual rights in American law, such as freedom of speech, anti-discrimination law, and protection of private property. The class grants two credits towards the American Law degree.
• LAW AM 701: Professional Responsibility for International LLMs
  This course offers an approach to the lawyer's responsibilities to clients, the profession, and the public. Topics addressed will be problems of disclosure, conflict of interest, advertising, adversary tactics, competence, attorney fees, and fiduciary duties. GRADING NOTICE: This course does not offer the CR/NC/H option.
• LAW AM 702: Property for LLMs
  This course exposes LL.M. students to the basic principles of real property law, including possession, ownership, rights in land, conveyances, estates, future interests, real estate contracts, easements, land use disputes, landlord-tenant issues, and land use controls, among others. The course is designed to provide a fundamental understanding of the essential doctrines of real property law for LL.M. students interested in taking a U.S. bar exam.
• LAW AM 703: Evidence for LLMs
  This course provides LL.M. students with an overview of the substantive rules governing the admissibility or exclusion of evidence at trial. Subjects include competency of witnesses, direct and cross-examination of witnesses, the rule against hearsay and its exceptions, expert and lay opinion testimony, privileged communications, relevancy, procedural considerations, judicial notice, burden of proof, presumptions, form and type of objections, authentication, the best evidence rule and the use of demonstrative and scientific evidence. The course is designed to give students a fundamental understanding of evidentiary rules in anticipation of taking a US bar exam.
• LAW AM 704: Research and Writing Seminar for LLMs
  This two-credit Legal Research and Writing seminar is required for LL.M. students in the American Law program and optional for students in the LL.M. programs in Banking and Financial Law and Taxation. 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 AM 706: Effective Writing (LLM): The Lawyer's Craft (S)
  There is no such thing as a good lawyer who is not also a good writer. Whether you are writing a court document, a legal development update, a settlement agreement, or a simple internal email to colleagues, your ability to make proper decisions about tone, style, language and organization will play a big role in your effectiveness as a practitioner and overall professional identity. This seminar will focus on the best practices for effective writing across a broad range of legal communications. Weekly assignments will build upon -- but not overlap with -- the fall semester Legal Research and Writing seminar's assignments. Students will be exposed to a range of writing styles and approaches suitable for different audiences. Assignments will focus on the craft of writing and effective expression, not on substantive legal issues or legal research and may include such work products as lawyer-to-lawyer letters, informal client advisories, internal communications and official submissions to government agencies. Students will receive direct individual feedback on their assignments. Enrollment is limited to 14 LLM in American Law Program students who are not enrolled in Professor Sugarman's "Advanced Legal Writing for LLMs: The Essentials for Bar Exam Writing and Beyond."
• LAW AM 707: Advanced Legal Writing for LLM Students: The Essentials of Bar Exam Writing and Beyond (S)
  This seminar focuses on developing the critical lawyering skills needed to succeed on the Multistate Performance Test (MPT) of the Uniform Bar Exam -- and to succeed in the practice of law: the ability to analyze and apply relevant law to specific factual situations to perform a lawyering task in writing. As with the MPT, students will be assigned lawyering tasks, which may include writing a memorandum to a supervising attorney, a client letter, a persuasive memorandum or brief, a statement of facts, a contract provision, a settlement proposal, and the like. Students will work from source files containing facts and other material, and will receive a collection of legal sources with sufficient substantive information to complete the task. The class does not teach research skills or substantive law. Rather, it focuses on developing analytical and writing skills in the American legal tradition. The class will also expose students to specific writing approaches, outlining and issue spotting techniques, and time management strategies. Enrollment is limited to 14 foreign-trained lawyers enrolled in the American Law Program. **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 AM 708: Civil Procedure for LLMs
  This class introduces internationally-trained LLM students to the rules, standards, and values that govern the procedures used in civil cases in the federal district courts of the United States. Drawing from constitutional and statutory texts, and focusing on the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, the class covers such civil litigation issues as: jurisdiction, choice of law, venue, pleadings, discovery, pre-trial motions, trial through judgment, joinder of parties and claims, and finality of judgments. The course will meet 1/13/2020-2/26/2020. A final exam will be scheduled for a Friday afternoon prior to spring break (date/time TBD).
• LAW AM 709: Fundamentals of U.S. Constitutional Law for LLM Students
  This class provides an introductory level survey of U.S. constitutional law. Topics will include: the Constitution's impact on fundamental concepts of criminal and civil law; the delineation of spheres of power between the branches of the national government; the role of the judiciary and other institutions in interpreting and applying the Constitution; individual rights; substantive due process; theories of constitutional interpretation; and the practice and meaning of judicial review in a political democracy. Enrollment is limited to LLM students who obtained their law degree outside the U.S. and to students not currently enrolled in the JD four-credit constitutional law class.
• LAW AM 710: Criminal Law for LLMs
  This class will introduce internationally trained LLM in American Law Program students to the basic doctrines and principles of substantive criminal law, including the justifications for punishment, objective offense elements, mental states, mitigating and exculpating defenses and various forms of criminal liability.
• LAW AM 715: Essential Bar Skills for LLMs
  
• LAW AM 719: Transactional Contracts: Drafting and Analyzing Transactional Agreements under U.S. Law (for foreign-trained LL.M. students)
  This course is for foreign-trained LL.M. students. It teaches students basic principles and skills of drafting and analyzing commercial and transaction agreements under U.S. state laws, with a focus on recognizing, and addressing through contractual provisions, key business issues in transactions. While the course utilizes lectures and class discussion to introduce and explain the use of various contract concepts and techniques essential for drafting and reviewing commercial and transaction agreements, it also requires that students complete both in-class exercises and out-of-class assignments as a means of building basic drafting skills and a solid understanding of the structure and operation of contractual provisions in a business transaction under U.S. law. The course also considers various ethical issues that may arise in the contract drafting and review process and in transactional practice generally. Grades will be based on class participation and graded drafting assignments. CLASS SIZE: Limited to 12 students. GRADING NOTICE: This course does not offer the CR/NC/H option. 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 course. Students who are on the wait list are required to attend the first class to be considered for enrollment. Because the course involves regular in-class exercises, some of which are done in teams, and class participation is a significant component of a student's final grade, regular class attendance is essential and thus the course cannot accommodate flexibility in attendance.
• LAW AM 721: Effective Transactional Lawyering Skills (S)
  Successful transactional lawyers build their practices by adding value to their clients' transactions. In addition to having strong drafting and negotiation skills, they think creatively and strategically, more like skilled chess players than technicians. They are also effective, diplomatic communicators. This seminar teaches students how, as transactional lawyers, they can bring added value to a deal. Through role plays, simulations, in- class exercises and written assignments, students learn strategies for translating the concepts of a business transaction into legal documents. Emphasis will be placed on understanding the client's business and strategic objectives for a deal; identifying the risk and value issues that the client has not yet considered; structuring the deal; and negotiating and drafting the deal documents to achieve the client's goals. Note: Although strategic contract drafting is an element of the course, this is not a class dedicated to contract drafting. Instead, the focus is on how the various provisions of deal documents interact with each other to further a client's business objectives, and on how to work strategically to structure, negotiate, and draft the provisions to achieve those objectives. This class is open to foreign-trained LLM students in the LLM in American Law and Intellectual Property Law Programs. Prerequisites: contracts, unless otherwise waived by the instructor. Enrollment limited to 12 students.
• LAW AM 785: International Due Diligence for LLMs
  Corporate law associates are often assigned "due diligence" projects in connection with transactional deals. They are asked to review a target's records and identify "anything that looks suspicious." Where to begin? This is a practical skills course that will assist LLM in American Law Program students in understanding international compliance and risk due diligence in cross- border transactions. Students will learn to identify and investigate the myriad "red flags" that can signal a target company's non-compliance with US laws governing global trade and anti-corruption. Through case studies and hands-on exercises and assignments, students will develop the lawyering skills needed to assess a target company's control framework (compliance programs), identify potential red flags of non-compliance, and advise management on the risks posed by a potential transaction. The focus will be on the compliance obligations of multinational enterprises pursuant to anti-corruption rules (primarily, the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act) and U.S. trade sanctions (OFAC). Students may not also take "Compliance and Risk Management in Global Commerce." (JD 918)
• LAW AM 787: Transaction Simulation (LLM): Forming and Financing a Start-Up Business
  This course is a semester-long transaction simulation offered exclusively for LLM in American Law Program and LLM in Intellectual Property Law students. The simulated transaction is the formation and initial financing of a privately- held company in the software industry. The course will expose LLM students to the principal issues involved in counseling U.S.-based entrepreneurs as to their emerging businesses, including choice of entity and entity formation, equity compensation for founders and employees, intellectual property protection of company assets, capital raising through preferred stock financing, and negotiation of financing-related contracts based on industry- standard models. Through in-class discussions, homework assignments and graded writing assignments, students will simulate the work of both junior and senior practicing attorneys who counsel start-ups and their founders and investors. Students will review sample agreements related to start-up businesses such as formation and financing documents, draft and revise such agreements and conduct negotiations for the financing of an emerging business. While the simulation is based on a start-up transaction, many of the principles and concepts will be applicable to a broader range of business deals. The course grade will be based on homework assignments, class participation and graded writing assignments. CLASS SIZE: Limited to 12 students. PREREQUISITE(S): Contracts and Corporations, unless otherwise waived by the instructor. Prior work experience in transactional business law is neither required nor expected. 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. GRADING NOTICE: This class will not offer the CR/NC/H option.
• LAW AM 790: Intellectual Property for LLMs
  In our modern global information economy, the law of intellectual property has taken on enormous importance to both creators and users. This course introduces students to the principles of trade secret, patent, copyright, and trademark law, and explores the ways in which those principles are shifting and adapting in response to new technology. The course will also focus on the international comparative aspects of intellectual property and address the practical application of key IP concepts for global practitioners. The course is open to LLM students in the ALP and IP programs, without prerequisite. No scientific or technical background is required.
• LAW AM 791: Intellectual Property for the Generalist: A Practical Skills Simulation
  This 3-credit course will provide a pragmatic, hands-on, practice-oriented course for generalists, the part-time IP practitioner, and those planning a career in IP Law. Students will learn foundational principles of IP, with an emphasis on pragmatic skills development for advising clients and company personnel on best practices for protecting and getting the most out of emerging, software-centric technologies and innovations. The course will address identifying the best form of IP for protecting your company's or clients' most valued innovations; unique IP characteristics of emerging technologies; performing an audit of your company or clients' IP plan; and developing a playbook for implementing an IP Protection Plan to secure and optimize the company crown jewels. Grades will be based on graded assignments, paper or exam, good faith completion of ungraded assignments, and class participation. GRADING NOTICE: This course does not offer the CR/NC/H option. ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENT: Because the course involves regular in-class exercises, some of which are done in teams, and class participation is a significant component of a student's final grade, regular class attendance is essential and thus the course normally does not accommodate flexibility in attendance.
• LAW AM 795: IP Licensing in the Global Marketplace for LLMs (S)
  This course focuses on the major legal and practical issues related to intellectual property licenses in the global marketplace. Taught from the US practitioner's perspective, the class is specifically designed for foreign- trained lawyers who want to learn how to leverage intangible assets through intellectual property licensing transactions. We will cover patent, copyright, trademark and trade secret license agreements in a range of industries. Topics will include the scope and limitations of different licensing arrangements; crafting and interpreting licensing contract language; the relationship between licenses and transactions involving tangible assets; and licensing enforcement. We will explore the similarities and differences in licensing in the media, entertainment and technology industries; as well as licensing law and practice in foreign jurisdictions. In-class exercises and role plays will help students develop the practical skills needed to successfully draft and negotiate intellectual property licenses. PRE-REQUISITES (unless otherwise waived by the professor): Contracts; and either Intellectual Property (fall survey class) or the fall seminar, The Practice of U.S. Copyright and Trademark Law: Media and Entertainment Transactions. Enrollment is limited to 18 LLM in Intellectual Property Law and LLM in American Law students. **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 AM 797: Law and Technology: Select Topics (LLM) (S)
  Taught by Carolina Rossini, an internationally recognized and awarded professional with over 25 years of experience and a Global Council member for the World Economic Forum in the subject, this is the introductory course for candidates for the LL.M. at Boston University School of Law. This course is worth three (3) credits and is graded based on individual participation, group presentation, and a final opinion paper. This seminar brings an introduction to the field of internet and technology policy and regulation trends. It addresses the increasingly critical and complex legal and policy questions raised by advances in information technology, digital transformation, and the plataformization of the economy, with a special focus on internet governance, social media, fintech, and health. The discussion will always occur against a backdrop of international geopolitics, and economic and sustainable development. Examples of issues covered include internet governance, cybersecurity, NFTs, platforms, algorithms and more. While each topic that we will cover should merit a full course, this Seminar will offer a high-level, integrated view of core current technology policy and normative trends. It will provide enough information, bibliography, field actors identification and networking opportunities for students, and empower them to build their own life-long learning experience if wished. ** 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 AM 812: Contracts for LLMs
  This course will use the case method to examine legal and equitable remedies for enforcing contracts, determining what promises are enforceable, elements of assent, standards of fairness and restrictions on bargaining process, and tests for performance and breach. Designed for students preparing to sit for the bar, this course will focus on those areas emphasized on the multi-state, New York, and Massachusetts bar exams. GRADING NOTICE: This class will not offer the CR/NC/H option.