USC Schedule of Classes

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

Examination of the rules and realities of American politics, and the role politics plays in American life and culture.

Provides a comprehensive analysis of the criminal justice system and an overview of the fundamentals of substantive criminal law.

Analyzes the ethical dilemmas and societal implications of artificial intelligence and debates the future of artificial intelligence regulations and laws.

Introduces the U.S. legal system and its relationship to basic principles of the rule of law. Examines lawmaking institutions, judicial processes and contemporary legal issues.

Examines how American law protects and facilitates intellectual property and its modern utility. Provides a practical understanding of laws regulating patents, copyrights and trademarks.

Examines current immigration law in America, the normative debates over immigration policies and the role the government plays in expanding or limiting immigration rights.

Introduces students to the basic aspects of the legal profession.

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 the relevance and application of legal structures to all participants in the sports enterprise by providing an overview of legal and ethical issues.

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.

Foundational legal and practice concepts at the intersection of law and psychology through three intersecting systems: the mental health, the criminal and the immigration systems.

Explores the U.S. Bill of Rights and the limits that the Constitution imposes on the state majoritys ability to impose its will on an individual.

An examination of debates and controversies surrounding the nature and scope of civil rights and civil liberties. Recommended preparation: POSC 340 or POSC 440

Individual research and readings.

Introduces students to the basics of legal writing and research, with a focus on legal scholarship and law review-type journal articles.

Intensive experience with a law-related non-profit organization, or public agency.

Off campus coursework; title of course taken at host institution appears as a section title.

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.

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.

Focuses exclusively on issues related to copyright and fair use, trademark, trade secrets and related laws that seek to protect intellectual property.

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.

An analysis of legal writing and problem solving of a variety of 1L subjects designed to enhance legal skills through frequent simulations and individualized feedback.

A student-run periodical that publishes student-written and peer-edited articles relevant to the intersection between law and business.

Provides an overview of human resource related law, and various legal issues involved in the employment relationship.

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.

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

Provides students with understanding of protection offered to foreign investment and investors through bilateral investment treaties and multilateral and regional investment and free trade agreements.

Explores real estate joint ventures, formed by institutional capital sources and local developers or operators, through review and discussion of hypothetical fact patterns and contract provisions. Various issues attached to real estate transactions are also explored, including topics such as: finance, development, zoning and purchase agreements for commercial property.

Continuation of LAW-630

This course introduces law students to the tools, concept, and language of business. It is premised on the belief that to excel as a business lawyer, one must understand the business world from the perspective of the clients one counsels and assists. The course will cover, in compressed form, the basic subjects from the MBA program which are most useful to lawyers. Open only to law students.

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

The interrelation of labor, business, and government in collective bargaining, federal regulation of union and management practices and pressures, especially through the Taft-Hartley Act.

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.

An in-depth treatment of cutting-edge techniques used in commercial finance. A discussion of the evolution of the finance markets, identification and techniques used by lenders and capital stack structures that drive transactions in todays real estate markets.

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.

Involves issues including loan restructuring; what loan agreements cover; how representations, covenants, default and financial and repayment terms interrelate; and how security documents fit in. Graded CR/D/F.

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.

Introduction to the international and domestic law frameworks that govern jurisdiction over and activities within the ocean and coastal regions of the United States.

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.

Explores the emergence of the environmental justice movement, nationally and in California, within the civil rights foundation. Examines several ongoing environmental justice controversies in California.

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

An intensive, two-semester course preparing students interested in U.S. trademark and unfair competition law for participation in the annual Saul Lefkowitz Moot Court Competition.

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.

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).

Covers the most essential topics in video game law, including: content creation and acquisition; distribution, publishing and marketing; brand management; user management; data security; esports; online gambling; virtual currency and property; and related international issues.

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.

Examines the contemporary U.S. Supreme Court: the Court's membership; its procedures for selecting cases for review; the role of lawyers, law clerks and journalists; and doctrinal developments.

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.

Develops legal, analytical, and client management skills required to represent entertainment industry clients in all areas of the entertainment industry.

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

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

The law of community property, including disposition of property on dissolution of the marriage and questions of conflict of laws.

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.

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.

Explores the nature and evolution of criminal punishment, from the death penalty to imprisonment and beyond.

Holistically studies how real estate laws and regulations are used to address today's most significant social and environmental policy issues.

Explores the interrelationship between American exceptionalism and the growing polarization of American society.

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.

Reorganization of failing corporations under Chapter XI of the Bankruptcy Act. Claims, protective committees, plans, tax considerations.

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.

History of distribution and sale of marijuana, including the backstory to the federal-state stand-off, the inability of marijuana businesses to utilize federally-insured bank accounts, customary business tax deductions and bankruptcy protections, and essential information to ethically practice in the field.

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 agencies of issuance of, and trading in, stocks, bonds, and other securities. Particular reference to SEC regulations.