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 JD 724: Introduction to AI and Intellectual Property
  This skills seminar focuses on the intersection of law and technology, with an emphasis on AI and Intellectual Property law. Students take on the persona of law firm associates and work through actual cases and scenarios involving AI technologies. It is well suited for non-specialists seeking to improve (a) their substantive knowledge of IP law as applied to today’s cutting-edge technologies like Generative AI and (b) their practical legal skills including communication, written & oral advocacy, deal-making & negotiations, and the role of AI in the law. Students will examine actual pending IP AI cases (like Author’s Guild v OpenAI and Raine v OAI) and conduct simulated exercises – taking on the role of plaintiff, defendant, law clerk, and judge – in advocating their clients’ cases. UPPER-CLASS WRITING REQUIREMENT: A limited number of students may partially satisfy the requirement with a 3,000-word paper with approval of the Vice Dean for Academic Affairs.
• LAW JD 725: Student Innovations Law Clinic: Fieldwork
  THIS CLASS IS RESTRICTED to students who have formally applied to and been accepted to the Student Innovations Law Clinic. The BU/MIT Student Innovations Law Clinic provides counseling and guidance to assist MIT and BU students with laws and regulations that relate to their innovation-related academic and extracurricular activities. The clinic provides counseling in a variety of different areas of law, organized into three practice groups: (1) Intellectual Property; (2) Privacy, Health & Media; and (3) Venture & Finance. Representation of clients can include client counseling, contract and policy drafting and review, negotiation with third parties, and, if capacity allows, litigation and other dispute resolution. CO-REQUISITE: If students have not done so already, students must take at least one course in any one of the following four areas: (1) intellectual property (either an IP survey course or other core IP course such as patent, copyright, trademark, or trade secret); (2) privacy (including information privacy law or information risk management); (3) cybersecurity; or (4) corporations. NOTE: The Technology Law Clinic counts toward the 6 credit Experiential Learning requirement. GRADING NOTICE: This course does not offer the CR/NC/H option.
• LAW JD 726: Health Care Fraud and Abuse
  This seminar will use a practical, case-study approach to some of the issues arising in the complex world of health care enforcement and compliance. With emphasis on the procedural mechanisms of the False Claims Act and the substantive law of the Anti-Kickback Act, the Stark I and II laws, the Food Drug and Cosmetic Act, and the government's remedial authorities, the seminar will explore how prosecutors, defense attorneys, whistleblowers, and compliance officials inside health care companies approach their work and advise their clients. The seminar will explore the relationships between regulated industries (e.g., pharmaceutical companies, hospitals, doctors, medical device companies) and government insurance programs (e.g., Medicaid and Medicare), why these relationships generate billions of dollars every year in fraud, and how the interested constituencies are approaching these issues. UPPER-CLASS WRITING REQUIREMENT: This class may not be used to satisfy the 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, 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 727: Health Law and Bioethics
  Bioethics asks not only what science, biotechnology and medicine can do, but what we should allow them to do—and who gets to decide. This course analyzes contemporary issues in health care and biomedical research to explore how law both structures, and is reshaped by, central problems in bioethics. Topics include experimentation on human subjects; research misconduct and the regulation of scientific integrity; researcher and physician conflicts of interest; reproductive ethics, including prenatal embryo testing; genetic and genomic information and data privacy; end of life decision making and medical aid in dying; organ donation, transplantation, and allocation; artificial intelligence and digital health tools in clinical care and research; and access to investigational medical products, such as through FDA’s expanded access (“compassionate use”) pathway. Throughout the course, students will engage with primary legal materials, interdisciplinary scholarship in law, public health, and bioethics, and problem based hypotheticals that require analysis of the trade offs among autonomy, justice, and innovation. This course will familiarize students with key bioethical debates, the legal framework relevant to each debate, and the policy goals on which each framework is based, which will enable them to make recommendations and consider legal reforms in these areas. The course will be of interest to students interested in health law, bioethics, the regulation of emerging technologies or policy work in government, hospitals, life science companies, advocacy organizations.
• LAW JD 730: Jewish Law and Philosophy
  Secular law focuses on the relationships between people. Its interest in “inner life” is primarily restricted to questions of whether someone intended to commit a particular act. Jewish law similarly concerns itself with our behavior towards one another, often through a discourse of obligations, in addition to rights. Jewish law also applies legal-like reasoning inwardly, focusing on how living religiously transforms the individual and the community from the inside out. This course will focus on Jewish law to explore competing conceptions of law’s purpose, the difference between divine and secular law, discourses of rights versus obligations, and the relationship between mysticism and reason. No prior knowledge of Jewish law, Hebrew, or Aramaic is necessary. UPPER-CLASS WRITING REQUIREMENT: A limited number of students may use this class to satisfy the requirement. GRADING NOTICE: This class will 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 wait list for a seminar are required to attend the first seminar meeting to be considered for enrollment.
• LAW JD 732: Science for Lawyers
  Whether it is a clinical trial, a psychology laboratory study, or an econometric analysis, science is essential to a wide range of legal and policy contexts including regulation (e.g., new drug approval), litigation (e.g., causation in mass torts), and even transactions (e.g., acquiring a company that depends on technology patents). Through this course, students will develop basic fluency with reading and interpreting scientific studies used across these domains, and will also introduce several critical themes, including animal research ethics, the role of expert witnesses, funding and conflicts of interests, the neutrality of science, and scientific integrity. Note that this course is focused on scientific methods in a legal context; it is not designed to teach substantive scientific concepts and requires no background or prerequisites in scientific fields. UPPER-CLASS WRITING REQUIREMENT: A limited number of students may use this class to satisfy the requirement.
• LAW JD 733: Intellectual Property Research
  This course begins with an overview of basic legal research skills, processes, and resources using intellectual property subject matter. The course then proceeds to specific research strategies in copyright, patents, and trademark law, providing students an increased understanding of advanced legal research skills using: secondary sources, legislative history, administrative materials, and more. Students will gain an even deeper understanding of the context and framework of legal resources and how they are applied to real-world research from practitioner guest lecturers. Classes combine instruction and hands-on exercises, with an emphasis on exposure to databases beyond Lexis and Westlaw. Students are evaluated on weekly research assignments and a final research project. PREREQUISITE: Intellectual Property. NOTE: Students may not add this course after the first class is held. NOTE: This class counts toward the 6-credit Experiential Learning requirement. ENROLLMENT LIMIT: 15 students. ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENT: Students who fail to attend the first class or obtain permission to be absent from either the instructor or the Registrar, will be administratively dropped from the class. Students on the waitlist are required to attend the first class meeting for enrollment eligibility
• LAW JD 734: Judicial Externship Program: Seminar
  THIS CLASS IS RESTRICTED to students who have received permission from the Clinical and Experiential Programs Office to enroll. This is the companion academic component for students simultaneously enrolled in the Judicial Externship: Fieldwork course. The seminar focuses on teaching the substance and skills related to being a successful judicial extern. Topics include judicial ethics, legal research, judicial process, opinion drafting, judicial selection and recusal, and judicial decision-making. Students keep reflective journals chronicling their educational experience and reactions to the practice of law observed at the field placement. Please note that the course is scheduled to meet for seven two-hour class sessions, every other week. NOTE: Students who enroll in this externship may count the credits toward the 6 credit Experiential Learning requirement. COREQUISITE: Judicial Externship: Fieldwork (JD 735). GRADING NOTICE: This class does not offer the CR/NC/H option.
• LAW JD 735: Judicial Externship Program: Fieldwork
  THIS CLASS IS RESTRICTED to students who have received permission from the Clinical and Experiential Programs Office to enroll. Students receive credit for working in chambers for a judge in the state or federal court system. The assignments handled by an extern are similar to those handled during a post-graduate clerkship. Students may find their own judicial placements that must be approved by the Clinical and Experiential Programs Office, or the Office will match the student with a judge. Students receive 4-9 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: Judicial Externship: Seminar (JD 734).
• LAW JD 736: Prison Education Practicum
  THIS CLASS IS RESTRICTED to students who have formally applied to and been accepted to the Practicum. Students in the practicum will learn to teach a class about the criminal legal process to incarcerated individuals who are facing criminal charges in local Massachusetts jails and prisons. The students will cement their own understanding of criminal procedures by having to prepare to teach others, and also learn invaluable information from the class participants who have been navigating the legal system themselves and have insight on what the process is like to someone accused of a crime. Students will practice their legal research skills and gain confidence in their understanding of the law and legal process while participating in the practicum. NOTE: This practicum counts toward the 6 credit Experiential Learning requirement. GRADING NOTICE: This course does not offer the CR/NC/H option.
• LAW JD 737: SILC: Venture and Finance Seminar 1
  THIS CLASS IS RESTRICTED to students who have formally applied to and been accepted to the Student Innovations Law Clinic. The BU/MIT Student Innovations Law Clinic (SILC) provides counseling and guidance to assist MIT and BU students with laws and regulations that relate to their innovation-related academic and extracurricular activities. As a companion to SILC Fieldwork course, in Venture & Finance Seminar 1 students in SILC's Venture & Finance Practice Group meet to review substantive legal issues in corporate law (including partnerships, LLCs, and corporations), business and financial regulation, securities law, and commercial law and regulation. The seminar will also introduce students to the lawyering skills (including interviewing, counseling, negotiation, drafting, etc.) that will help them in counseling MIT and BU students on their creative and innovative projects. This class will occasionally meet with some or all of the students in the other SILC Practice Group sections for clinic-wide discussions and case round presentations. NOTE: This Clinic counts toward the 6 credit Experiential Learning requirement. GRADING NOTICE: This course does not offer the CR/NC/H option.
• LAW JD 738: SILC: Venture and Finance Seminar 2
  THIS CLASS IS RESTRICTED to students who have formally applied to and been accepted to the Student Innovations Law Clinic. The BU/MIT Student Innovations Law Clinic (SILC) provides counseling and guidance to assist MIT and BU students with laws and regulations that relate to their innovation-related academic and extracurricular activities. As a companion to SILC Fieldwork course, in Venture & Finance Seminar 2 students in SILC's Venture & Finance Practice Group expand upon the legal and practice issues reviewed in the fall seminar, including issues in corporate law (including partnerships, LLCs, and corporations), business and financial regulation, securities law, and commercial law and regulation. This class will occasionally meet with some or all of the students in the other SILC Practice Group sections for clinic-wide discussions and case round presentations. NOTE: This Clinic counts toward the 6 credit Experiential Learning requirement. GRADING NOTICE: This course does not offer the CR/NC/H option.
• LAW JD 739: Semester in Practice Program: Fieldwork
  THIS CLASS IS RESTRICTED to students who have received permission from the Clinical and Experiential Programs Office to enroll. This course is the fieldwork component of the Semester-in-Practice Program. Students spend a semester working full-time for credit in non-profits, government agencies, courts, 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. NOTE: Students who enroll in the Semester-in-Practice Program may count the credits towards the 6 credit Experiential Learning requirement. COREQUISITE: Semester-in-Practice: Seminar (JD 740).
• LAW JD 740: Semester in Practice Program: Seminar
  THIS CLASS IS RESTRICTED to students who have received permission from the Clinical and Experiential Programs Office to enroll. This course is the seminar component of the Semester-in-Practice Program. Students will take the course online or on campus course (depending on the location of their placement). Topics covered in class will include legal ethics and professional responsibility, professional development, access to justice, cross-cultural lawyering, and the changing role of the legal professional. Students will have weekly readings and be expected to write weekly reflective memoranda. They will also give a presentation and prepare a final 10-12 page paper. NOTE: Students enrolled in this course may count the credits towards the 6 credit Experiential Learning requirement. COREQUISITE: Semester-in-Practice: Fieldwork (JD 739).
• LAW JD 741: SILC: Intellectual Property Seminar 1
  THIS CLASS IS RESTRICTED to students who have formally applied to and been accepted to the Student Innovations Law Clinic. The BU/MIT Student Innovations Law Clinic (SILC) provides counseling and guidance to assist MIT and BU students with laws and regulations that relate to their innovation-related academic and extracurricular activities. As a companion to SILC Fieldwork course, in IP Seminar 1 students in SILC's Intellectual Property Practice Group meet to review substantive legal issues in intellectual property law and how they relate to SILC's practice, including issues in copyright, trademark, patent, trade secret, and related legal issues. The seminar will also introduce students to the lawyering skills (including interviewing, counseling, negotiation, drafting, etc.) that will help them in counseling MIT and BU students on their creative and innovative projects. This class will occasionally meet with some or all of the students in the other SILC Practice Group sections for clinic-wide discussions and case round presentations. NOTE: This Clinic counts toward the 6 credit Experiential Learning requirement. GRADING NOTICE: This course does not offer the CR/NC/H option.
• LAW JD 742: SILC: Intellectual Property Seminar 2
  THIS CLASS IS RESTRICTED to students who have formally applied to and been accepted to the Student Innovations Law Clinic. The BU/MIT Student Innovations Law Clinic (SILC) provides counseling and guidance to assist MIT and BU students with laws and regulations that relate to their innovation-related academic and extracurricular activities. As a companion to SILC Fieldwork course, in IP Seminar 2 students in SILC's Intellectual Property Practice Group expand upon the legal and practice issues reviewed in the fall seminar, including issues in copyright, trademark, patent, trade secret, and related legal issues. This class will occasionally meet with some or all of the students in the other SILC Practice Group sections for clinic-wide discussions and case round presentations. NOTE: This Clinic counts toward the 6 credit Experiential Learning requirement. GRADING NOTICE: This course does not offer the CR/NC/H option.
• LAW JD 743: NY Pro Bono Scholars: Fieldwork
  This CLASS IS RESTRICTED to students who have received permission from the Clinical and Experiential Programs Office to enroll. Through the Pro Bono Scholars Program, students spend their spring 3L semester working full-time for credit at a government agency or non-profit providing direct legal services to indigent clients. Participating students sit for the February New York bar exam, and begin their fieldwork the week after. Students passing the bar exam and completing other NY bar and BU Law graduation requirements are admitted to the NY bar in late June. NOTE: Students who enroll in this program may count the credits toward the 6 credit Experiential Learning requirement. COREQUISITE: NY Pro Bono Scholars Program: Supervised Study (JD 744).
• LAW JD 744: NY Pro Bono Scholars: Supervised Study
  This CLASS IS RESTRICTED to students who have received permission from the Clinical and Experiential Programs Office to enroll. This is the companion academic component for students enrolled in the Pro Bono Scholars Program: Fieldwork course. Students work with a faculty supervisor in designing their own reading list, writing a 15-20 page research paper, and submitting seven 4-6 page bi-weekly journals. COREQUISITE: NY Pro Bono Scholars Program: Fieldwork (JD 743).
• LAW JD 745: Health Care Corporate Compliance
  Health care organizations of all types (hospitals and health systems, medical device and pharmaceutical companies, health plans, and other health care providers) must develop and maintain an effective corporate compliance and ethics program. Boards of Directors are judged on whether or not they have taken steps, directly and through management, to implement such programs. This is necessary both as a core management tool and to demonstrate a commitment to good governance and compliance in order to take advantage of penalty reductions under U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, including the Sentencing Commission's June 2020 revisions. "Such compliance and ethics program shall be reasonably designed, implemented, and enforced so that the program is generally effective in preventing and detecting criminal conduct." But how do you design such a program? How does legal counsel assist the company in building and operating one? What distinguishes the "legal function" from the "compliance function"? Lawyers working in health care businesses need to be able to answer these questions to advice the board and management. This course focuses on the fundamentals required to develop and maintain an effective health care corporate compliance program. Students will study the seven elements of a successful compliance program in practical detail and will learn best practices for compliance programs. Specifically, this will include learning how best to design and implement compliance oversight and committees, practicing policy drafting, and exploring the most effective ways to educate and train in compliance. This will also include developing an excellent understanding of audit, investigation, and corrective action skills and strategies.
• LAW JD 746: HEALTH LAW SURVEY COLLOQUIUM
  The Health Law Survey Colloquium (HLSC), led by the director of the Health Law Program, is designed to orient students to the breadth of health law expertise at Boston University by featuring various BU faculty as guest lecturers each week. The HLSC will present a diverse range of topics spanning the field of health law. By asking each speaker to share something from their core specialty, we expect to receive enthusiastic and highly-engaging conversations with the students. Relevant readings may include scholarly works in progress (as in typical colloquia) but also excerpts from casebooks, primary sources, new legal or regulatory developments, or case studies from practice. Students will write response papers. UPPER-CLASS WRITING REQUIREMENT: This class may not 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.