USC Schedule of Classes

By examining key constitutional moments involving race, rights, and revolutions, students will explore how legal meaning changes over time.

Examines topics such as children's suggestibility, decision-making, and risk and resiliency all as they apply to legal settings.

Traces the development of U.S. constitutional and statutory mechanisms designed to fulfill the promise of equality under the law.

The main concepts and topics in American law, in the historical, economic and cultural contexts in which they have developed.

Examines areas of the law that impact entrepreneurs, starting, operating and financing businesses. Topics include: selection of business entities; securities laws and issues that arise in fundraising; employment law; contracts; torts; intellectual property; global expansion; mergers and acquisitions; and IPOs.

Issues at the intersection of law and psychology, both civil--e.g. civil commitment--and criminal-e.g. the insanity defense. Emphasis on ethical issues.

Examination of the capacity of the criminal justice process to produce accurate verdicts. Application of psychological research on witnesses, detectives, suspects, judges and jurors. Recommended preparation: PSYC-100.

Historical overview of the evolution of international legal norms prohibiting atrocity crimes found in the law of armed conflict, international human rights law and the 1948 Genocide Convention.

Consideration of the participants in litigation; private and public plaintiffs, defendants, and courts. Information exchange, process, outcomes, and costs of lawsuits.

The interpretation and enforcement of promises and agreements.

The crime problem and the legislative response to it through substantive criminal law; administration of criminal justice through police, prosecutorial, sentencing, and penological discretion.

Functions of the lawyer in modern society; history and organization of the legal profession; the adversary system; equal access to justice; other problems of ethics and professional responsibility.

The idea of property as understood through economic and philosophical concepts. Rights in land, water and other natural resources. Forms of shared ownership (e.g., landlord and tenant), and a survey of mechanisms for controlling land use.

Considers the delineation of spheres of responsibility between the judiciary and legislature, the nation and the state, and the government and the individual.

Individual's obligation not to harm others; bases for compensating persons who are harmed, either by holding responsible whoever is at fault or by invoking other principles of liability, including the efficiency of resource allocation and the spreading of losses.

Examination of the basic sources of law for federal and California jurisdictions, utilizing a vast array of sources from books to computer-assisted research and analyzing research methodology and techniques. Graded CR/D/F.

Two-semester course focusing on developing analytic and communication skills. Lawyers will analyze legal principles and incisively apply them to facts. Graded CR/D/F.

Continuation of LAW 515. Development of legal research, writing, and advocacy skills. Emphasis on persuasive legal writing, including appellate briefs, and researching statutory and administrative law. Participation in a moot court program. Registration restricted to Law students.

The basic structure of government in the U.S., including the constitutionally mandated division of power in the federal government and the federal system of power sharing between state and federal systems. A comparative perspective on selected substantive and procedural matters, such as common law reasoning, jury trials, adversary process, and various aspects of civil procedure. Open to incoming LL.M. students only.

This course will provide LL.M. and M.C.L. students with a survey of various topics in American law including criminal law, evidence, family law, constitutional law, torts, wills and trusts, administrative law and property law. Open to LL.M. and M.C.L. students only.

Covers the delineation of spheres of responsibility between three branches of the federal government, the federal government and the states and the government and individuals.

Covers legal ethics issues with an emphasis on access to justice, nonprofit practice settings, and duties of prosecutors and defense attorneys. Fulfills Legal Profession requirement.

Examines constitutional rights particularly ones protected under the Equal Protection/Due Process Clauses and related questions of judicial role and theories of interpretation.

Write or edit articles for the Business Law Digest, a student-run publication that publishes advisory articles relevant to the intersection of business and law.

Explores purpose and form of legal documents and emphasizes effective communication.

Explores the communication and presentation skills necessary for persuasive legal advocacy.

Explores effective legal communication and professionalism skills.

Students learn basic and advanced mediation skills, practice their skills in simulated mediations, and upon certification by the instructor, mediate in the Los Angeles County courts.

Introduction to regimes that regulate business practices on a global level and compliance of such regimes, such as Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, OECD Anti-Bribery Convention, and other regulations.

Part-time or full-time, practical work experience in the student's field of study. The internship must be located at an off-campus facility. Students are individually supervised by faculty. May not be taken until the student has completed at least one semester of enrollment in the graduate program with a cumulative 3.0 GPA.

Federal tax statutes, technical issues and social problems involved in tax planning, tax litigation, and reform of the tax laws.

Requires students to draft legal documents they were not exposed to in the first-year writing course, such as client letters, demand letters, and contracts.

Criminal procedure in the courts, and the regulation of lawenforcement by the courts through rules of evidence andinterpretation of the Bill of Rights.

Organization of economic activity especially the modern corporation as institutions of social power. The roles of managers, owners, and regulatory agencies in shaping processes ofdecision making.

Gratuitous transfer of wealth, especially the transmission of wealth from one generation to the next as a settlement of family affairs. Comparative analysis of the legal mechanisms of gifts, wills, and trusts. Introduction to problems of fiduciary administration.

The purpose and character of trial. Problems of adversary presentation and the nature of proof. The basis for admission and exclusion of evidence in judicial proceedings.

Examines the California rules of civil procedure. Emphasizes California law, with some discussion of the differences between state and federal procedure.

The lawyer's skills needed to understand the financial affairs of a business client.

Consideration of legal regulation of the right to vote and otherwise to participate in the electoral process.

Studies the statutes and cases governing campaign finance in America and the latest research into their effects.

Comparison of the remedial goals of contracts, torts, and property and the impact of procedural devices in law and equity. Damages, injunctions, specific performance and restitution. Remedial theory and transactional application.

Selected problems to supplement LAW 629.

Continuation of LAW-630

Examines the regulation of employment discrimination under federal law. Pays primary attention to issues of race, sex, age and disability discrimination.

Examination of the institutions and laws that regulate international economic relations. Students will be introduced to the major international agreements and national laws that regulate international trade goods, services and capital.

This is a course on Chattel paper and secured transactions involving personal property under Article 9 of the Uniform Commerical Code and some related bodies of law.

Tax principles and practice applicable to business, especially problems of formation, liquidation, and reorganization.

Contemporary topics in the field of entertainment law.

An examination of how the courts are handling selected, "cutting edge" topics in entertainment law. The topics will include the scope of and limitations on the right of publicity; fair use and parody defenses to copyright infringement; future technology clauses in rights contracts; and copyright and defamation issues arising in the online world. Previous entertainment law courses recommended, but not required.

Examines the legal and policy issues involved with the emergence of cyber crimes and cyber security issues, including government access and privacy issues.

Focus on contract drafting and negotiation issues relevant to an artist's pursuit of a career in the music business.

An in-depth study of television industry legal concepts, contracts, business structures and economic models.

Focus on environmental law policy and practice. This course is a combination of regulatory and private law, with a special emphasis on disputes and regulations involving contamination in soil, water and air.

Problems of integrating the corporate, securities, tax, business, antitrust, accounting and contractual aspects of corporate mergers and aquisitions.

Examination of the nature of the United States' national security law, focusing on how it is created, violated and enforced.

Provides an overview, often from a litigation perspective, of legal issues affecting artworks and cultural property.

Invitation-only course for students in the Hale Moot Court Honors Program. Students present an oral argument and judge first-year student rounds. Graded CR/NC.

Evaluation and supervision of the preparation of briefs and oral arguments in the Hale Moot Court honors competition. Graded CR/69/65.

Preparation of oral arguments in approved moot court competitions, such as national and state prize rounds, (other than Hale Moot Court Program). Graded CR/69/65. Open only to law students.

Preparation of briefs in approved moot court competitions, such as national and state prize rounds (other than Hale Moot Court Program).

Examines the legal and business skills, concepts and practices, involved in structuring, drafting and negotiating financing, production and distribution deals in the entertainment industry.

Provides hands-on experience in the various tasks typically required in structuring, documenting and closing a personal property secured transaction. Corequisite: LAW 642. Graded CR/NC.

Writing, source-checking, and preliminary editing of articles and comments for publication in the Review of Law and Social Justice. For second year students serving as staff members on the Review. Open to law students only. Graded CR/D/F.

Writing, source-checking and preliminary editing of articles and comments for publication in the Review of Law and Social Justice.

Develop knowledge and skills associated with the mediation process as a third party neutral. Explore mediation theories, practices, ethical issues and policies.

Supervision of research and writing, and final editing of articles and comments for publication in the Review of Law and Social Justice. For officers of the Review. Open to law students only. Graded IP to CR/D/F.

Introduction to a practice-oriented approach to interviewing and counseling clients. Enables students to develop a useful framework for effectively interviewing and representing clients.

A one-semester clinical course where students represent non-citizens in appellate matters before the Board of Immigration Appeals and the U.S. Court of Appeals, and in petitions for writs of habeas corpus before the U.S. District Court.

Focuses on the business, legal, and financial issues that relate to the creation, financing, and exploitation of digital media.

An overview of common legal issues impacting both providers and users of Internet services.

Students learn how to effectively interview child witnesses. Students will practice mock interviews, and may be eligible to conduct actual interviews of child witnesses.

Students will work on cases in the following areas: (1) Dependent and neglected children: All children who are wards of the court must have legal counsel. (2) Children with AIDS: Legal implications of such issues as health care and custody. (3) Guardianships or other temporary arrangements for children whose parents are terminally ill or are otherwise unable to care for them.

The law of community property, including disposition of property on dissolution of the marriage and questions of conflict of laws. May be offered as a reading course.

Highlights the complex interactions between health, law and human rights, emphasizing the use of human rights in public health thinking and practice. Duplicates credit in PM-577.

Covers the fundamentals of reviewing and analyzing business contracts and strategies for negotiating business issues with an emphasis on developing practical skills. Open only to Law students.

Contract drafting and negotiating will teach students the mechanics of drafting and negotiating sophisticated contracts from a variety of legal disciplines including entertainment law, real estate law and general corporate law.

Students present to the class their assessment of assigned contracts, then draft their own contracts, interpret a complex contract, followed by team-based rewrites.

Real world advocacy projects involving issues such as civil rights, disability rights, foster care, welfare, and health care, among others.

Develops enhanced negotiation skills and a working understanding of ADR processes and procedures in an interactive classroom experience.

This course will address the international law and institutions which have developed since World War II for the protection of human rights.

Exploration of the origin, development, and practice of mediation, arbitration and other forms of ADR, emphasizing the policies underlying these increasingly significant and evolving areas.

Investigates the experience of women and people of color as they have encountered legal institutions and processes. Graded Numeric. Open only to Law students.

Legal and economic aspects of corporate finance including capital structure, policy, mergers, takeovers, and freeze-outs; analysis of policy relating to present law and possible reforms.

This course deals with the formation, features and functions of general partnerships, limited partnerships and limited liability companies. It will also focus on business planning, recognizing business and legal objectives and selecting the appropriate entity to accomplish these objectives.

Study and evaluation of the municipal and regional legal institutions. Emphasis on the crises in financing and governing the urban society.

Students provide legal assistance to small businesses, entrepreneurs and non-profit organizations that cannot pay market rates for legal services. Graded CR/NC. Open to Law students only.

Intersectionality, deconstruction and critical histoiography; specifically affirmative action in education, hate speech and immigration reform. Open only to Law students.

Regulation by state and federal authorities of issuance of, and trading in, stocks, bonds, and other securities. Particular reference to SEC regulations.

Laws designed to preserve and promote business competition, with heavy emphasis on the federal antitrust laws.

Source-checking and preliminary editing of articles and comments for publication in the Interdisciplinary Law Journal. For third year students serving as staff members on the Journal. Graded CR/NC.

Students will write journal notes as members of the Interdisciplinary Law Journal.

Supervision and final editing of articles and comments for publication in the Interdisciplinary Law Journal. Graded CR/69/65.

Problems of adjudication in a federal system. Allocation of authority between federal and state courts and among Congress, the Executive and the Courts; choice of federal and state law; jurisdiction of federal courts and significant rules of practice.

Analyzes selected contributions to intellectual property scholarship and explores some challenging problems in contemporary intellectual property law.

Writing, source- checking, and preliminary editing of articles and comments for publication in the Southern California Law Review. For second year students serving as staff members on the Review. Graded CR/NC.

Writing, source-checking and preliminary editing of articles and comments for publication in the Southern California Law Review.

Supervision of research and writing, and final editing of articles and comments for publication in the Southern California Law Review. For officers of the Review. Graded CR/69/65.

Development of immigration law to its present state.

Legal principles subject to judicial control and the alternative ways in which agencies can be organized to serve their purposes.

This course will analyze the buying and selling of goods both in domestic and international transactions with a heavy focus on Article 2 of the Uniform Commercial Code.

Continuation of LAW 771.

A judicial externship allows a student to gain hands-on legal experience in legal settings. Students will be assigned to a legal services program, government agency, or state or federal judge under faculty supervision.

Advanced externship.

Examination of the best scholarly work currently done by legal, moral and political philosophers. Open only to Law students.

Continuation of LAW 776. Enrollment restricted to law students. Prerequisite: LAW 776.

Focuses on one or two topics per year at the intersection of law, mental health and ethics and explores them from an interdisciplinary perspective.

Introduces students to the unique legal and financial aspects of the venture capital industry and the skills needed to represent entrepreneurs and venture capital investors.

Surveys the legal framework concerning information privacy in the US, including developments in constitutional, tort, contract, property and statutory law to address emerging privacy threats.