Related Courses

3 credits

This seminar will explore the Constitutional and statutory law related to Native Americans, Indian reservations, and tribal governments. The seminar will examine the historical foundations of Indian law and the current legal structures that govern the relationship between the United States and tribal nations. Students will spend significant time on issues surrounding tribal sovereignty, traditional cultural practices, self-determination, and social justice. Students will gain an understanding of the basis for modern Indian law and the complex legal issues facing native communities in the United States and abroad. UPPER-CLASS WRITING REQUIREMENT: A limited number of students may use this class to satisfy the requirement. OFFERING PATTERN: This class is not offered every year. Students are advised to take this into account when planning their long-term schedule. ** 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.

3 credits

What legal protections --if any-- do animals truly have? How does the law define their worth, their suffering, or their right to exist free from harm? Introduction to Animal Law invites students into a complex and rapidly evolving field at the intersection of legal theory, ethics, and our relationship with non-human animals. We begin by exploring foundational questions: What is the legal status of animals? Are they property, persons, or something in between? From there, we'll examine the legal frameworks that govern human-animal interactions across a wide range of contexts - animals as victims of abuse, as food, as companions, as research subjects, and even as consumers of antibiotics. Along the way, we'll consider the role of animals in entertainment, agriculture, and wildlife policy, highlighting both the explicit and hidden ways the law shapes their lives — and ours. Though the course centers on U.S. Law, it will include comparative and international perspectives to explore how different societies conceptualize animal rights and welfare. A central inquiry will be the motivations behind human efforts to protect animals: Are these rooted in compassion, utility, justice — or something more complex? We will also tackle one of the most pressing legal dilemmas in the field: who was the right to speak for animals, and under what circumstances can humans represent them in legal proceedings? The course is open to all students — no prior legal experience required. Students will be expected to engage critically with readings and contribute thoughtfully to discussions. Rich in legal debate and ethical complexity, animal law challenges us to rethink our most basic assumptions about rights, representation, and justice across species lines. NOTE: There will be a midterm exam and a final (3,000 word) research paper. UPPERCLASS WRITING REQUIREMENT: A limited number of students may use this class to partially satisfy the requirement.

Var credits

THIS CLASS IS RESTRICTED to students who have received permission from the Clinical and Experiential Programs Office to enroll. The Cannabis Law Externship Seminar (Externship Seminar) will be a tethered externship seminar. It will be open to a small (4-6) cohort of students who have secured cannabis law related externships The Externship Seminar will be a one credit experiential class with co-requirements of the Cannabis Law Seminar and a cannabis law field placement. The Externship Seminar will integrate the Cannabis Law course material and the assignments that students are working on at their placements, tethering the two experiences. The course will focus on the practice of law as it relates to the emerging area of cannabis law, legal ethics and professional responsibility within the field of cannabis law, students' professional development, and access to justice. COREQUISITE: Cannabis Law Seminar (JD 668) NOTE: Credits earned for the Cannabis Externship Fieldwork may be counted towards the 6 credit Experiential Learning Requirement.

1 credits

THIS CLASS IS RESTRICTED to students who have received permission from the Clinical and Experiential Programs Office to enroll. The Cannabis Law Externship Seminar (Externship Seminar) will be a tethered externship seminar. It will be open to a small (4-6) cohort of students who have secured cannabis law related externships The Externship Seminar will be a one credit experiential class with co-requirements of the Cannabis Law Seminar and a cannabis law field placement. The Externship Seminar will integrate the Cannabis Law course material and the assignments that students are working on at their placements, tethering the two experiences. The course will focus on the practice of law as it relates to the emerging area of cannabis law, legal ethics and professional responsibility within the field of cannabis law, students' professional development, and access to justice. COREQUISITE: Cannabis Law Fieldwork (JD 669) NOTE: Credits earned for the Cannabis Externship Seminar may be counted towards the 6 credit Experiential Learning Requirement.

4 credits

This is a basic survey course covering the federal courts, their place in the structure of American government, their relations with the Legislative and Executive branches and with the states, and their adjudication of federal-question cases concerning constitutional and civil rights, federal social welfare programs, and environmental and business regulation. This course builds on first-year courses in Constitutional Law and Civil Procedure and complements upperclass courses on modern public law and legal institutions: e.g., Administrative Law, Immigration Law, Environmental Law, Labor Law, and Conflict of Laws. Topics include the separation of federal judicial, legislative, and executive powers, Congress¿ authority to prescribe the federal courts¿ jurisdiction and to assign adjudicatory duties to other bodies (e.g., ¿legislative¿ courts and agencies), private authority to mount litigation to enforce federal law, standing to sue in federal court, conflicts between federal and state courts, the states¿ immunity from private lawsuits, the Supreme Court¿s authority to review state court judgments, and ¿abstention¿ doctrines governing the exercise of federal judicial power. We will explore theoretical and policy questions¿asking not only what federal-courts law is at the moment, but also what it should be. Yet we will organize our discussions around practical lawyering in the federal courts¿identifying and analyzing the constitutional, statutory, and judge-made hurdles that litigants must clear to obtain a decision on the merits of a federal question. Especially recommended for students who plan to practice with firms that represent clients subject to federal regulation, to pursue careers with federal or state agencies and departments, or to handle constitutional, civil rights, or other public interest litigation.

1 credits

This year-long course is designed to prepare and support the 2L and 3L members of BU Law’s mock trial competition organization who participate in extramural mock trial competitions as advocates (including foil teams and alternates), student coaches, witnesses, bailiffs, or trial technicians. The course will focus on teaching students the basics of trial procedure and practice, pretrial and trial motions, and evidence, with a focus on the procedures, motions, and evidence rules that are most relevant to mock trial competitions. In the fall, class sessions will focus on the various aspects of mock trial (motions in limine, opening and closing statements, direct and cross exam, proffering experts, common objections, common rules of evidence, trial motions, and procedural competition basics). In the spring, students and the instructor will use course hours to prepare for and attend various mock trial competitions. All students will be required to write a reflection paper due no later than two weeks after the close of their competition. There will be no final exam. GRADING NOTICE: CR/NC graded. UPPER-CLASS WRITING REQUIREMENT: This class may not be used to satisfy the 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 course.

2 credits

Climate changes, corporate scandals and inequality have put environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues of corporations in the spotlight. Many investors and other corporate stakeholders believe that these issues have a financial impact. In addition, investors are becoming more and more focused on the impact of their investments on society and the environment. These investment strategies are evolving rapidly and asking lawyers and regulators to address novel issues and reconsider issues that seemed settled. In this course, we will discuss the role of corporations, non-profits, investment funds and development finance institutions (DFIs) in this context. We will analyze how these strategies affect fiduciary duties and disclosure requirements. We will examine the tools that are available to implement these strategies such as: impact investment, blended finance, pay-for-success, public benefit corporations, and active shareholder engagement. After completing this course, students will develop an understanding of the different sustainable investment strategies and players in the industry, become familiar with the typical legal issues that arise in the sustainable finance industry and with some of the tools that are being used. PREREQUISITE/COREQUISITE: Corporations. GRADING NOTICE: This class does not offer the CR/NC/H option.