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.

Note that this information may change at any time. Please visit the MyBU Student Portal for the most up-to-date course information.