Courses

The listing of a course description here does not guarantee a course’s being offered in a particular term. 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 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.
• LAW AM 813: CONTRACT LAW PRACTICE
  This is an introductory course on US contract law specifically designed for foreign-trained LLM students from civil law traditions. Its goal is to prepare non-common law lawyers to work effectively with US counsel when structuring and negotiating contractual terms and provisions. The class brings a practical perspective to the topics covered in a traditional first-year contracts course: the fundamentals of contract formation, enforceability, defenses to enforceability, interpretation, performance, conditions, third party rights, damages, and other remedies. In addition to receiving foundational exposure to the main U.S. contract law topics, students will examine how contract law principles affect real-world US legal practice in a range of settings. Comparisons to civil law traditions will be made to elucidate doctrinal concepts and practice considerations. As a result, students will gain a deeper understanding of the practical and cross-cultural issues to consider when working with (or against) US counsel. Enrollment is limited to LLM students from non-common law backgrounds who have not taken the fall semester four- credit JD or LLM contracts class.
• LAW AM 815: CORPORATIONS FOR LLMs
  Course about the legal structure and characteristics of business corporations. Topics include the promotion and formation of corporations; the distribution of power between management and shareholders; the limitations on management powers imposed by state law fiduciary duties and federal securities laws; shareholder derivative suits; capital structure and financing of corporations; and fundamental changes in corporate structure, such as mergers and sales of assets. The course serves as a PREREQUISITE to advanced courses. GRADING NOTICE: This class will not offer the CR/NC/H option.
• LAW AM 893: Effective In-House Legal Counsel
  This course will introduce internationally-trained LLM students to the roles and responsibilities of in-house legal counsel. Students will investigate the skills and characteristics that contribute to successful and effective practice as an in-house counsel and explore the similarities and differences between in- house legal practice and outside legal practice. Topics covered during the course will include: the relationship between in-house counsel and his/her client; in-house counsel's role in adding value to his/her organization; advising and counseling clients; fact gathering and investigation; managing an in-house legal practice; selecting and managing outside counsel; and the ethical challenges of in-house counsel. This will be a hands-on course focused on practice skills development. In role plays, students will step into the shoes of in-house counsel to address a variety of situations in which an in- house counsel would be expected to act. ** 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 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 895: IMMIGRATION LAW FOR LLMs
  This 2-credit course is designed to give the student an overview of U.S. immigration law. The focus is on the day-to-day practice of immigration law, including an examination of the substantive and procedural aspects of this practice. Topics covered include power of the Congress to regulate immigration; the effect of politics on immigration policy; nonimmigrant and immigrant visa classifications; the law of asylum; the intersection of immigration law and criminal law; grounds of removal from the United States; relief from deportation, immigration court representation and access to justice; and the law of naturalization and derived citizenship. There are no prerequisites for this course. There is no writing requirement, but there will be weekly quizzes and a final examination. Class attendance and participation are essential. GRADING NOTICE: This course does not offer the CR/NC/H option. RESTRICTION Students may not enroll in both Immigration Law for LLMs and Immigration Law: LAW JD 968.
• LAW AM 911: Practice of US Copyright and Trademark
  This seminar will provide foreign-trained lawyers with a practical overview of American intellectual property concepts in copyright and trademark as well as rights of privacy and confidentiality in their application and negotiation strategies in media and entertainment transactions. The course will study and analyze contracting/licensing from both a commercial and content creators' perspective. Focused on media and entertainment transactions, students will review, analyze, negotiate and draft agreements among which may include brand sponsorship, trademark licensing and product placement, content distribution, personal services for talent, such as music and TV/video production, and licensing music and clearance of rights for film and TV. Students will receive exposure to how the protection of intangible assets can further a variety of business strategies, as well as the client counseling issues to consider. International comparative analyses of concepts and strategies will be presented where applicable. Students will be evaluated based on their class participation and performance on drafting assignments, negotiation exercises and a final capstone project. Co-Requisites: Contracts; a survey IP class and/or prior exposure to copyright and trademark concepts is highly recommended. Limited to 18 LLM 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 912: Entertainment Law: A Transactional Perspective for LLMs
  This seminar presents a survey analyzing the various transactions in the entertainment industries, primarily focusing on the music industry and crossing over to related areas. Topics include personal management agreements, TV talent Agreements, literary publishing agreements, exclusive recording agreements, music production agreements, talent agencies and talent agency agreements, music publishing, contracting with minors, business organizations and new technologies. Students will also negotiate transactions and draft contracts. Grades will be based upon class performance in connection with assigned projects. Limited to 25 LLM students. **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, 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 955: ADR for LLMs
  The goal of this course is to improve the ability of internationally-trained LL.M. students to resolve disputes and to productively engage in conflict. In this highly interactive class, students will examine a variety of dispute resolution processes, other than traditional court adjudication, including negotiation, mediation, arbitration, dispute system design and restorative justice. Over the course of the semester, students will engage in a series of exercises (i.e., role-plays) through which they can develop and hone their skills and approaches to dispute resolution. Discussion and short lectures will accompany the exercises, as appropriate. There will be short written assignments as well as a longer paper due at the end of the semester. No final exam. ENROLLMENT LIMIT: 18 students.
• LAW AM 982: INTERNATIONAL M&A FOR LLMS
  This course will give students a detailed introduction to the knowledge and skills necessary for an international M&A lawyer to guide clients through a typical cross-border M&A transaction. The course will have two distinct parts: (1) a deep dive into the key M&A contractual language (and underlying theories) that get negotiated in most transactions (including purchase price adjustments, indemnities, covenants, representations and warranties, and other key terms) and (2) navigating through each step in the deal process (including initial term sheet negotiations, due diligence, regulatory and third-party approvals, definitive agreement negotiations, closing mechanics, and other key steps). There will be an emphasis on underlying business principles that are common across different jurisdictions (e.g., U.S., U.K/Australia, EU/civil law countries, Africa, India, China, Japan, Asia-Pacific and other jurisdictions). Students will engage in case study hypotheticals involving real-life deals, which will be used to demonstrate the strengths and weakness of common strategies employed by law firm, in- house and other transactional lawyers. PRE- or CO-REQUISITE: CORPORATIONS. This course is open to LLM in American Law Program students.
• LAW BK 903: Internship
  This course seeks to give students real world experience in the practice of financial services law by immersing them in the day-to-day operations of a law firm, financial services organization, financial nonprofit entity or regulatory agency. Students are expected to work under the supervision of a professional, approved by a Financial Services Law Internship faculty member, who will ensure that the students have a meaningful, relevant and rigorous experience. It is expected that the Internship will involve a minimum of ten hours workplace experience per week. The Graduate Banking Program will exercise its best efforts to arrange relevant internships with entities involved in providing financial services. The Graduate Banking Program will also review and incorporate in the Internship course, appropriate internship opportunities arranged by the student which meet course requirements. Participation is subject to availability of positions and a matching of student interests, prior course work and language skills with the needs of the internship providers.
• LAW BK 905: Derivative Products
  This course will introduce students to the basic economics and business purposes of a variety of derivative instruments and transactions, both exchange-traded and privately traded, and to the laws and regulations governing derivative activities and transactions. Derivatives covered will include futures, forwards, options and swaps in the interest-rate, currency, credit, equity, commodity, energy, weather and environmental areas. Students will also learn key issues and choices that arise in negotiating derivative transactions. The course will cover the increasing intersection of derivatives, cryptocurrencies and distributed ledger (blockchain) technologies, and the related rapidly changing regulatory landscape. We will discuss the treatment of derivatives in bankruptcy and financial crises, and the public-interest uses of derivatives. Finally, current "hot topics" in commodities and derivatives regulation and negotiation will be discussed. JD students are not permitted to enroll in the online (OL) section of any Banking course.
• LAW BK 911: Venture Capital Financing
  This two-credit course will provide an introduction to the legal and economic aspects of venture capital fund formation and venture capital financing transactions with the goal of familiarizing students with the legal agreements used to document these transactions; the course will be taught from a practical perspective in order to better prepare students who intend to pursue careers in transactional law. Through a combination of lectures and in-class exercises, the course will cover the entire life cycle of the formation and fundraising of both venture capital funds and entrepreneurial business ventures, focusing on the function of the most common transaction documents, the economic and/or legal purpose of the provisions contained within these documents and alternative approaches to address specific situations. JD students are not permitted to enroll in the online (OL) section of any Banking course.
• LAW BK 913: FinTech Regulation
  Financial technology or "fintech" companies have become a ubiquitous component of the banking and financial services ecosystem. This Fintech course will introduce students to the world of fintech, frequently relying on the use of case studies. The course will provide students with an understanding of the legal and regulatory landscapes — primarily in the United States but also in other jurisdictions — applicable to fintechs. Because many fintechs offer financial products and services in partnership with banks, the course will also focus on key issues raised by these combinations, how banks and fintechs have fallen short of regulatory expectations, and how regulators are responding to such challenges. Finally, the course will cover digital asset (e.g., stablecoin, cryptocurrency) activities engaged in by fintechs and the changing legal environment for those activities. JD students are not permitted to enroll in the online (OL) section of any Banking course.
• LAW BK 925: Banking Structure and Regulation
  This course provides a practically oriented introduction to the organization, ownership structures, powers, and regulation of State and Federally chartered banks, savings institutions, and holding companies. Students are introduced to the history and development and current structure of the U.S. banking and thrift industries, the differences in corporate powers between deposit-taking and other types of business organization, the historic roots and current status of America’s “dual banking system,” and the origin, “moral hazards” and other effects and limitations of federal deposit insurance. Through review of assigned commentary, corporate charter and bylaw provisions, judicial and agency decisions, agency policy statements, and Federal and State statutes and regulations, students will examine the evolution, corporate organization and regulation of bank, savings and loan, and financial holding companies, including business powers, capital and liquidity requirements, affiliate and insider transactions restrictions, restrictions on geographic and product line expansion. The course includes critical review of the existing system of supervision, licensing and examination of financial institutions, the application of antitrust principles to the banking industry, and the principles and tools of financial consumer protection. Also reviewed are the supervisory and enforcement powers of the Federal financial regulatory agencies. Focusing on the 2023 failures of Silicon Valley, Signature, and First Republic Bank, the FDIC’s tools and methodologies for resolving failed financial institutions are also examined. The course text is the current (3rd) edition of M.Barr, H.Jackson & M. Tahyar’s Financial Regulation Law & Policy. Weekly lectures are supplemented with topical slides and instructors’ notes, and sample documents from actual transactions. A research paper on an assigned topic of current interest is required. JD students are not permitted to enroll in the online (OL) section of any Banking course.
• LAW BK 931: Governance, Compliance, Sanctions and Risk
  The course is a survey of the key areas of Governance, Compliance Sanctions and Risk in financial services to give students a preliminary understanding of the subject. The focus will be on industry issues and regulatory oversight by the regulatory agencies relative to the types of services provided by financial institutions. We will analyze and discuss federal and state statutes, regulations and policy statements, filings with regulatory agencies, and agency and judicial decisions. We will consider and discuss actual institutions and enforcement actions (e.g., Wells Fargo compliance failure and Enron whistleblower). JD students are not permitted to enroll in the online (OL) section of any Banking course.
• LAW BK 932: Mutual Fund Regulation
  Mutual funds are the single most widely proliferated investment vehicle in the United States. They can be thought of as capitalism for the common man. As such, any scandal in the mutual fund industry affects investor-voters and can have implications for the capital markets, and the economy as a whole. The course will cover the main provisions of the Investment Company Act of 1940 that relate to mutual funds and will focus on investment company definition and status, fund structure, registration, disclosure and investment limitations, valuation and forward pricing, distribution practices, exchange offers, performance advertising, transactions with affiliates and conflicts of interest and compliance regimes. Exchange traded funds will also be examined as a contrast to mutual funds. Although the Pooled Funds and Investor Relations course is not a mandatory prerequisite, that course is highly recommended since the US Mutual Fund Regulation course will assume that students have taken (or will subsequently take) it. The mutual fund classes relating to fiduciary duties, the role of the fund board and management fees will not be discussed in this course. JD students are not permitted to enroll in the online (OL) section of any Banking course.
• LAW BK 933: Bankruptcy
  This course examines bankruptcy and related state law from the point of view of secured and unsecured creditors. The course begins with survey of individual state law collection remedies and non-bankruptcy composition and liquidation schemes. The balance (and bulk) of the course focuses on the rights, obligations and procedures created by federal bankruptcy law. Topics addressed include: the automatic stay, the use and protection of collateral during the pendency of a bankruptcy case, the avoidance of pre- bankruptcy transfers as preferences and fraudulent transfers, the treatment of executory contracts and unexpired leases, debtor-in- possession financing, asset sales and the negotiation and confirmation of a plan of reorganization that is binding on all creditors. Finally, the course will discuss recent !' bankruptcy reform!' legislation, which affects both corporate and consumer bankruptcies. JD students are not permitted to enroll in the online (OL) section of any Banking course.
• LAW BK 937: Corporations 1
  Corporations I is a two credit introductory course on the fundamental principles of corporate law in the United States. The course does not assume that students have previously engaged in the study of U.S. corporate law. Corporations I will consider the nature and role of the corporation, its formation, its capital structure, and the powers, duties and responsibilities of corporate directors. In Corporations I, to gain a fuller understanding of corporate law, we will also consider basic principles of accounting, corporate finance, and agency law. To place corporate law in context, we will also consider broader issues of economic and social policy, and practical business issues on which corporate lawyers advise their clients. To foster greater understanding of the subject matter, students will be encouraged to engage in discussion and raise questions during class sessions. JD students are not permitted to enroll in the online (OL) section of any Banking course.
• LAW BK 938: Corporations 2
  Corporations II is a two credit course on corporate law that focuses on the rights and powers of shareholders and the relationship between shareholders and directors. As in Corporations I, we will also consider broader issues of economic and social policy, and practical business issues on which corporate lawyers advise their clients. To foster greater understanding of the subject matter, students will be encouraged to engage in discussion and raise questions during class sessions. It is recommended, but not required, that students taking this course have taken Corporations I offered in the fall. JD students are not permitted to enroll in the online (OL) section of any Banking course.
• LAW BK 941: Professional Responsibility
  This course will provide an overview of a lawyer's professional and ethical obligations under United States law. It will examine the American Bar Association's Model Rules of Professional Conduct, the ABA Model Code of Professional Responsibility and the Restatement (Third) of the Law Governing Lawyers as they apply to the practicing lawyer. The course explores ethical issues, and tensions and dilemmas that arise in the practice of law, particularly in the representation of financial institutions. Students will have the chance to examine these issues through discussions of current events affecting the financial services industry. JD students are not permitted to enroll in the online (OL) section of any Banking course.