Fall 2024 Courses

Instructor: Paskan

Instructor: Landrum

Instructor: Oliver

Instructor: Smith

Credit Hours: 3

Description:

This course covers skills basic to competent legal research and writing. The students write objective memoranda of law based on hypothetical problems composed by the instructors. The course emphasizes issue recognition, case and statutory interpretation, legal analysis, and the use of plain English.

Instructor: Lenhart

Instructor: Solimine

Credit Hours: 3

Description:

This course covers various aspects of civil litigation from the filing of a complaint up to the discovery process. Jurisdiction over the person, venue, and federal subject matter jurisdiction are explored. Coverage is also given to the decision in Erie RR v. Tompkins and its progeny, concerning the applicability of state law in federal courts. The remainder of the course is devoted to service of process, joinder of parties, counterclaims and amendments.

Instructor: Bryant

Instructor: Bilionis

Credit Hours: 3

Description:

This is an introductory course that covers the framing and adoption of the Constitution; the practice and implications of judicial review; methods of constitutional interpretation; the Constitution’s enumeration and limitation of the powers of the national government; principles of federalism and the sovereignty of states in the federal system; the distribution of powers across the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of the national government; and the constitutional guarantee of “the equal protection of the laws” established with the adoption of the Fourteenth Amendment.

Instructor:  Tomain

Instructor: Houh

Credit Hours: 4

Description:

This course on contracts is an introduction to the law that governs agreements for the future exchange of performances. Topics include the formation of contracts, their interpretation and content, grounds for nonenforcement and nonperformance, and remedies for breach. We will focus on learning the rules of contract law, identifying what rules apply to particular disputes (and what rules do not), understanding why disputes arise, and appreciating the roles of lawyers in contract matters.

Instructor: Thoreson

Instructor: Bard

Credit Hours:4

Description:  

Torts examines the three basic theories of civil (non-criminal) liability for injuries to persons and property. International torts, negligence and strict liability. These subjects are considered together with causation problems, defenses to liability (such as consent, self-defense, comparative negligence and assumption of risk), and affirmative duties.

Instructor: Russell

Instructor: Whiteman

Credit Hours: 1

Description:

Instructor: Jones

Instructor: Kemen

Credit Hours: 1

Description:

Instructor: Krafte

Instructor: Owens

Credit Hours: 3

Description:  This class explores copyright, trademark, right of publicity, and other intellectual property issues, as well as defamation and product disparagement issues surrounding the creative world of advertising. Topics will include logos; products and their packaging; the use of images in advertising; celebrity sponsorships; false advertising, comparative advertising; contests and lotteries; internet advertising; government regulation of "unfair" trade practices; children's advertising; and the relationship between First Amendment concerns and commercial speech.

Instructor: Cors

Credit Hours: 2

Description:  This course covers basic legal antitrust concepts, including the economic foundations and justifications for antitrust law and the analysis of business practices or ventures that may violate federal antitrust law by reducing competition or trending toward monopolization. It includes consideration of the Sherman Act, the Robinson-Patman Act, the Clayton Act, and the Federal Trade Commission Act, as well as the decades of case law interpreting and applying them. This class is useful for students interested in criminal law and business law, including those interested in business operations and/or mergers and acquisitions.

Instructor: Dewine

Instructor: Robinson

Credit Hours: 3

Description:  This course covers the role and function of appellate courts: preserving issues for appeal; appealability; appeal strategy; the record on appeal; briefs and oral argument; operating procedures of appellate courts; motion practice; extraordinary writs; and related matters. Students will complete three writing assignments: a jurisdictional memorandum requesting that the Ohio Supreme Court exercise its jurisdiction over an appeal, a memorandum in opposition to jurisdiction, and an analysis of a pending appeal. SPECIAL NOTE: Taking this course satisfies only one of the graduation requirements (seminar or writing). If you take this course and have not yet satisfied the seminar requirement, you will be deemed to have met the seminar requirement. However, if you take this course and you have already met the seminar requirement, you will be deemed to have met the writing requirement. Two, separate courses are required to satisfy both the seminar and writing requirements. No one course satisfies them both.

Instructor: Bai

Credit Hours: 3

Description:  

Instructor: Bai

Credit Hours: 2

Description:

This course teaches concepts and methodologies used by corporations in major financing activities, as well as legal issues that may arise in those activities. Course materials are divided into four parts: equity financing, debt financing, valuation methodologies, and financial derivatives. For equity financing, discussions will focus on the IPO process, ADRs and GDRs, rights offerings and stock repurchases. For debt financing, discussions will focus on bond features and trading environment, bond issuance, valuation and risk management, convertible bonds, key provisions in an indenture and legal implications, characteristics of medium term notes and commercial paper programs. For valuation methodologies, discussions will focus on discounted cash flows, net present values, and dividend discount models. For financial derivatives, discussions will focus on options trading, pricing and risk management, the futures market and interest rate swaps.

Instructor:  Vazquez

Credit Hours: 2

Description:

This course will focus on the historical and current relationship between criminal and immigration law. The class will look at the intersection both in the criminal justice system as well as the immigration court system. It will proceed in two parts. First, it will focus on procedural and substantive law. The goal during this part of the course is for students to gain a practical knowledge to take a non-citizen defendant from his arrest in the criminal system through his immigration proceeding with the ability to understand the consequences of the criminal conviction to his immigration status. Therefore, this part will focus on specific grounds of deportation and inadmissibility related to criminal conduct; analyzing the Immigration and Nationality Act, criminal law, and pertinent case law. This part will include topics such as mandatory detention, aggravated felonies, divisible statutes, crimes of moral turpitude, and Sixth Amendment right to counsel. Second, it will focus on policy. The course will discuss current federal, state and local governmental immigration policies; including immigration raids, cooperation between local law enforcement and the Department of Homeland Security as well as and local ordinances aimed at businesses and employers. Policy discussions will include issues of race, national origin, and ethnicity and its relationship, if any, to the increased use of the criminal justice system to enforce immigration law on national security and public safety grounds. This section will address topics including Secure Communities, 287(g), Operation Streamline and state and local immigration legislation such as SB 1070. The course may include class discussion, lectures, Customs and Border Patrol operations tour at CVG, and outside speakers. SPECIAL NOTE: Taking this course satisfies only one of the graduation requirements (seminar or writing). If you take this course and have not yet satisfied the seminar requirement, you will be deemed to have met the seminar requirement. However, if you take this course and you have already met the seminar requirement, you will be deemed to have met the writing requirement. Two, separate courses are required to satisfy both the seminar and writing requirements. No one course satisfies them both.

Instructor:  Bailey

Credit Hours: 3

Description:

This introductory course deals with the constitutional aspects of various police practices, focusing primarily on the Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Amendments to the US Constitution. The course specifically addresses the right to counsel; arrest, search and seizure; wiretapping, electronic eavesdropping and the use of secret agents; police interrogation and confession; and the scope and administration of the exclusionary rules.

Instructor: Lockwood

Credit Hours: 3

Description:

The seminar will address a range of issues facing women around the world, and the international and comparative law that has developed to address the equality rights, se critical problems. Initial focus will be upon the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of discrimination against women, a widely ratified treaty. Issues such as reproductive rights, female genital mutilation, honor crimes, equality doctrines and gender discrimination, freedom of religion vs. women’s rights, regional approaches to women’s rights, economic empowerment and employment discrimination, and domestic violence will be amongst the issues covered in the seminar. Students will be required to write a paper and make a presentation.

Instructor: Woodard

Credit Hours: 1

Description:

This course will introduce taking and defending depositions. Major topics will include an overview of depositions (what depositions are and how they fit into the larger case strategy), preparing for a deposition (creating a deposition outline and exhibits), standard deposition admonitions (and what they actually mean), effective use of questioning (open vs. closed questions and the funnel technique), and form objections. Students will take part in deposition simulations and view videotaped depositions.

Instructor: Malloy

Credit Hours: 3

Description:

Disability Law introduces areas of U.S. domestic law and policy that address the civil rights, needs, and treatment of persons with disabilities. The course covers the Americans with Disabilities Act, some discussion of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and the Fair Housing Act, and a brief overview of international disability law, specifically the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Topics include the following: the challenge of defining disability; the social and medical models of disability; the nature and causes of disability discrimination; the proper scope of legal regulation; the costs and benefits of accommodation; the overlapping and distinctive features of regulating discrimination in different domains such as employment, education, and public accommodations; what disability law and theory can teach antidiscrimination law more generally; and the role of extra-legal knowledge in the legal project of responding to disability discrimination. The course has no prerequisites and is open to LLMs and non-law students as well as to JD candidates. Grades will be based on class participation, potential response papers, and a final seminar paper and presentation. SPECIAL NOTE: Taking this course satisfies only one of the graduation requirements (seminar or writing). If you take this course and have not yet satisfied the seminar requirement, you will be deemed to have met the seminar requirement. However, if you take this course and you have already met the seminar requirement, you will be deemed to have met the writing requirement. Two, separate courses are required to satisfy both the seminar and writing requirements. No one course satisfies them both.

Instructor: Bluett

Credit Hours: 3

Description:

You must register concurrently in 3L DV&CPO Class (IRTS 7037). As part of collaboration with the Legal Aid Society of Cincinnati, students act as advocates for victims of domestic violence. Second-year students, who cannot be licensed as legal interns in Ohio, participate in interviewing, case preparation, and other aspects of clinic work. Third year students must apply for and obtain an intern license before the start of the semester. Under the direct supervision of a supervising attorney, students will represent clients in court.

Instructor: Bluett

Credit Hours: 3

Description:

As part of collaboration with the Legal Aid Society of Cincinnati, students act as advocates for victims of domestic violence. Second-year students, who cannot be licensed as legal interns in Ohio, participate in interviewing, case preparation, and other aspects of clinic work. Third year students must apply for and obtain an intern license before the start of the semester. Under the direct supervision of a supervising attorney, students will represent clients in court.

Instructor: Pepper

Credit Hours: 2

Description:

The goal of this course is to introduce students to the legal underpinnings of today’s democratic politics, the historical struggle over the structure of democratic institutions, and the practical consequences that follow from different institutional arrangements. As time allows, students will examine the history, law, and contemporary legal and policy debates regarding the individual right to vote, the districting and apportionment process (including partisan and racial gerrymandering), and the financing of campaigns and independent expenditures.

Instructor: Block

Credit Hours: 2

Description:

This course surveys the major legislative and executive provisions prohibiting various types of discrimination in employment. Discrimination is considered in the context of hiring, promotion, discharge, benefits, conditions, and the like. Consideration is also given to the procedures applicable to employment discrimination cases.

Instructor: Bennett

Credit Hours: 2

Description:

This course focuses on the legal relationship between employer and the individual employee. It will cover the common law aspects of that relationship, particularly the employment at will doctrine. It will then examine common law, contract, and statutory modifications of the doctrine. Statutes that may be examined include whistle-blower protection, unemployment and workers’ compensation acts, the Fair Labor Standards Act, the Family and Medical Leave Act, and federal discrimination statutes. The course also covers other key features of the employment relationship including privacy concerns and contracts relating to protecting certain employer interests. The course is recommended for students contemplating a labor or employment law, corporate, or general practice.

Instructor: Schneider

Credit Hours: 2

Description:

This course will introduce students to employment-based immigration law. Students in the course will learn about visa classifications that require an employer/sponsor and permit the foreign national to work in the United States. Students will engage in one or more writing projects dealing with obtaining visas in the employer-sponsored immigration context. The course will be focused on the practice of law and assignments will be similar to those given to a first year associate in the practice.

Instructor: Mangan

Credit Hours: 2

Description:

Students will also be concurrently enrolled in BCL7038. In this course, students will staff the Entrepreneurship and Community Development Clinic (ECDC), obtaining “hands on” experience representing local businesses and entrepreneurs on transactional legal issues critical to their success, including assistance and counseling on entity selection and formation; regulatory compliance and licensing; trademark/copyright protection; lease review and negotiation; contract preparation/review/negotiation; tax-exempt applications; and other legal issues confronting small businesses, both for-profit and nonprofit. Students also will learn how a small law office operates, including procedures for client intake, file maintenance, project tracking, timekeeping, and scheduling. In addition to attending the weekly class, students will be expected to spend approximately 10-12 hours per week on their clinic work, with a minimum of 3 of those hours spent working in the clinic offices at the law school. The ECDC will represent primarily clients of limited financial means who cannot afford the services of the private bar and will not represent clients in litigation or in proceedings before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. SPECIAL NOTES: Interested students should look for email announcements regarding information sessions about the Clinic and how to apply.

Instructor: Mangan

Credit Hours: 2

Description:

In this course, students will staff the Entrepreneurship and Community Development Clinic (ECDC), obtaining “hands on” experience representing local businesses and entrepreneurs on transactional legal issues critical to their success, including assistance and counseling on entity selection and formation; regulatory compliance and licensing; trademark/copyright protection; lease review and negotiation; contract preparation/review/negotiation; tax-exempt applications; and other legal issues confronting small businesses, both for-profit and nonprofit. Students also will learn how a small law office operates, including procedures for client intake, file maintenance, project tracking, timekeeping, and scheduling. In addition to attending the weekly class, students will be expected to spend approximately 10-12 hours per week on their clinic work, with a minimum of 3 of those hours spent working in the clinic offices at the law school. The ECDC will represent primarily clients of limited financial means who cannot afford the services of the private bar and will not represent clients in litigation or in proceedings before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. SPECIAL NOTES: Interested students should look for email announcements regarding information sessions about the Clinic and how to apply.

Instructor: Mank

Credit Hours: 3

Description:

This course surveys the government's role in environmental protection, including the scope and nature of governmental control. Topics covered include pollution control, toxic substances and hazardous waste, as well as conservation measures. SPECIAL NOTE: Laptop and Electronic Device Policy: You may use your laptop only for classwork. However, I think that you would be better prepared for the examination and class participation if you do not use your laptop for note taking and instead use a paper notebook. You may not use your laptop, cell phone or any other electronic device during class to text, e-mail, chat, read, check the internet or play games during class. You may use your laptop during our review session(s) at the end of the semester.

Instructor: Margolis

Credit Hours: 3

Description:

The goal of this course is for students to know and be able to apply (1) the Federal Rules of Evidence governing relevance, unfair prejudice, character evidence, impeachment, hearsay, and opinion testimony; (2) the rules as they intersect with a few constitutional provisions, such as the Sixth Amendment confrontation right; and (3) some housekeeping rules, such as Rules 102-105, 201, 611, and the Best Evidence rule.

Instructor:  Daniels

Credit Hours: 2

Description:

Primary focus is on the relationship between law and the family in the context of the creation, maintenance and restructuring of domestic relations. Special attention is given to the nature of marriage, separation, divorce, dissolution, support, alimony, and child custody.

Instructor: Solimine

Credit Hours: 3

Description:

This course addresses issues of federalism and separation of powers raised by constitutional provisions, statutes and doctrines which establish and limit the jurisdiction of the federal courts. Among the matters addressed are the requirement that plaintiffs have standing to bring cases; the constitutionality of non-Article III federal courts (i.e., legislative courts); congressional power to establish and limit federal jurisdiction; the protection that States have from federal court lawsuits due to the sovereign immunity from the Eleventh Amendment; and the abstention doctrines which limit federal court interference in state court adjudication. Also considered are the role state courts play in the formation and application of doctrines.

Instructor:  Scheineson

Credit Hours: 2

Description:

This course will survey selected topics in food and drug law, including the new drug approval process, regulation of food additives and carcinogens, food labeling and nutrition, prescription vs. OTC drug status, and restrictions on pharmaceutical marketing.

Instructor:  Brunner

Instructor:  Miller

Instructor:  Walton

Credit Hours: 2

Description:

The course will explore how fraud is used to exacerbate financial inequality in several areas, such as socioeconomic status, age, and racial identity. Fraudsters frequently target individuals with fewer resources and knowledge of economic and other systems, and use false and misleading information to deprive such vulnerable individuals of their money and other property. This can be seen in investment and other schemes created to prey on the elderly, with losses topping $3.4 billion in 2023 according to the FBI’s 2023 Elder Fraud Report, and in numerous scams targeting communities of color as noted by a recent Federal Trade Commission staff report. Many consumer class actions are predicated on allegedly false and misleading claims about consumer products that are targeted to lower income groups. And the False Claims Act has been used to pursue government contractors that falsify minority employment and hiring data in order to participate in government programs with minority participation requirements.

Instructor:  Kalsem

Credit Hours: 3

Description:

This course focuses on the interpretation of texts, both legal and literary. Students will perform close readings of novels, short stories, essays, and poems, as well as judicial opinions. Centering gender, we will read texts by writers of different eras, races, ethnicities, and classes. We also will examine the multifaceted relationship between culture and law.

Instructor: Malloy

Credit Hours: 3

Description:

Health Law is an umbrella term that covers almost every area of legal practice with the common thread of focusing on the legislative, executive, and judicial rules and regulations that govern the health care industry. Health lawyers represent consumers, practitioners, government entities, and the many industries that support them. It is consistently identified as one of the fastest growing areas of legal practice. Health law is also highly accessible requiring no prior knowledge of medicine or science. Additionally, because it is ever evolving, it is uniquely welcoming to new attorneys who can quickly become experts. In this class, we will review the major areas of practice including privacy, social media and artificial intelligence issues, anti-fraud regulation, access to health care, anti-discrimination laws and individual patient rights. We will also look at some of the major issues related to the pandemic including vaccine mandates & development of new drugs. Throughout the course we will be looking at some of the most important social policy issues facing not just our country but the larger global community. This will include the growing practice of legislating issues like access to gender confirming care, reproductive care, preventing drug overdose, and death from firearms. We will learn using a mix of case & statute analysis, experiential exercises, media sources & contact with real world experts in law, policy, health care & ethics. There will be opportunities for students to address their individual interests through researching & drafting a client briefing. There will also be an objective, open-book exam focused on applying legal concepts to the most common areas of health law practice.

Instructor: Lockwood

Credit Hours: 3

Description:

Editor Position: By permission of Instructor. Participating students engage in the selection and editing of articles for publication in the University of Cincinnati Human Rights Quarterly. The Registrar will enroll students selected to participate in the necessary class through the registration system.

Instructor: Lockwood

Credit Hours: 2

Description:

Participating students engage in the selection and editing of articles for publication in the University of Cincinnati Human Rights Quarterly. The Registrar will enroll students selected to participate in the necessary class through the registration system.

Instructor: Vazquez

Credit Hours: 3

Description:

Participating students engage in selection and preparation of articles for publication in the Review. Students also write notes and comments for publication in the Review. Students will be scheduled by the Registrar.

Instructor: Vazquez

Credit Hours: 2

Description:

Participating students engage in selection and preparation of articles for publication in the Review. Students also write notes and comments for publication in the Review. Students will be scheduled by the Registrar.Participating students engage in selection and preparation of articles for publication in the Review. Students also write notes and comments for publication in the Review. Students will be scheduled by the Registrar.

Instructor: Lubans-Otto

Credit Hours: 3

Description:

This course is designed to provide an understanding of contemporary issues in U.S. immigration law and policy through an examination of the historical, political, and legal considerations that have shaped it. It will analyze various topics, such as proposed travel bans, unauthorized migration, detainers, state and local policies regarding immigration enforcement, sanctuary cities, federalism, removal priorities, immigration detention, constitutional protections for noncitizens, birthright citizenship, various categories of visas of admission, and comprehensive immigration reform. While this course will be grounded in the current issues surrounding how migrants are admitted to, excluded, and removed from this country, contemporary issues within immigration cannot be understood without discussing the historical events, political debates, and laws and policies that established U.S. immigration law. Most fundamentally, immigration law raises the questions of who we imagine ourselves to be as a country, who we really are, and how immigration law has been created to support these conclusions. Therefore, this class will also address the constitutional roots and reverberations of immigration law, its relationship to other areas of law, and its broad policy implications.

Instructor: Brandstetter

Instructor: Topy

Credit Hours: 2

Description:

This course will explore the responsibilities of a lawyer serving as in-house legal counsel to a corporation. We will focus on the role of the in-house counsel as an indispensable partner to the organizational client, and the skills and capabilities necessary to achieve that goal examining multiple types of practice areas. The course will be valuable for any student interested in working as an in-house lawyer, or with a firm or governmental agency that regularly engages with in-house legal departments.

Instructor: Dunnington

Credit Hours: 1

Description:  

Through the Office of the Hamilton County Public Defender, students provide representation to indigent criminal defendants in misdemeanor cases. Each student is closely supervised by a licensed attorney and handles all aspects of the case, from the initial client interview and investigation to motions practice and trial advocacy. During the year-long program, students must commit 15 hours each week to the clinic, including participation in a weekly Thursday evening classroom component. This is a continuation of the Clinic from fall semester; accepted and enrolled students commit to both semesters of their third year. Limited to students who participated in the Clinic in the previous semester; 3L’s only; students must qualify for the Ohio Student Intern License to enroll in this clinic.

Instructor: Dunnington

Credit Hours: 3

Description:  

Concurrent enrollment required in LITG 7051. Through the Office of the Hamilton County Public Defender, students provide representation to indigent criminal defendants in misdemeanor cases. Each student is closely supervised by a licensed attorney and handles all aspects of the case, from the initial client interview and investigation to motions practice and trial advocacy. During the year-long program, students must commit 15 hours each week to the clinic, including participation in a weekly Thursday evening classroom component. This is a continuation of the Clinic from fall semester; accepted and enrolled students commit to both semesters of their third year. SPECIAL NOTES: Limited to students who participated in the Clinic in previous fall semester; 3L’s only; students must qualify for the Ohio Student Intern License to enroll in this clinic.

Credit Hours: 1

Description:  

Under the direct supervision of a member of the faculty, upper-level students engage in original research and prepare for credit a substantial written work product. The research project is selected jointly by the student and faculty member. Customarily, the final product will be a research paper, and, in that case, the paper must be 10-15 pages long for one credit, 20-30 pages long for two credits, and 35-50 pages long for three credits. SPECIAL NOTE: Students must register for the course and present a completed contract by the last day of the drop/add period. Contracts must be turned in on time or students will be dropped from the class. You are limited to five total credits of Individual writing per academic year.

Credit Hours: 2

Description:

Credit Hours: 3

Description:  

Under the direct supervision of a member of the faculty, upper-level students engage in original research and prepare for credit a substantial written work product. The research project is selected jointly by the student and faculty member. Customarily, the final product will be a research paper, and, in that case, the paper must be 10-15 pages long for one credit, 20-30 pages long for two credits, and 35-50 pages long for three credits. SPECIAL NOTE: Students must register for the course and present a completed contract by the last day of the drop/add period. Contracts must be turned in on time or students will be dropped from the class. You are limited to five total credits of Individual writing per academic year.

Instructor: Lawlesss

Credit Hours: 1

Description:

Every business deals with private information of one sort or another. That information, often traversing legal boundaries at the speed of light, might concern medical care, payments, employees, clients, or consumers, and it may implicate different sectoral and jurisdictional rules. Businesses often have to consider state, national, and international laws to figure out what they can and cannot do with the information they possess, or want to possess, or what they need to do and might have to face when they lose it. Those laws come in various forms: torts, contracts, constitutions, statutes, and regulations (with a number of industry and self-regulatory schemes to boot). And they may have originated before information became either electronic or digital, often stem from a particular conception of “privacy,” represent a compromise among competing values, and aren’t always consistent with one another. This course is an introduction to all of that.

Instructor: Caster

Credit Hours: 2

Description:  

Instructor: Caster

Credit Hours: 2

Description:

In this course, students examine the various types of evidence that might lead to the wrongful conviction of innocent persons. They will also consider the roles police, prosecutors, and defense lawyers play in the criminal justice system, with an emphasis on discovering how errors can lead to the conviction of the innocent. SPECIAL NOTES: Field Study in the spring semester is required. The Registrar will enroll students selected to participate in the necessary class through the registration system.

Instructor: Armstrong

Credit Hours: 3

Description:

Intellectual Property & Computer Law Journal Editor-in-Chief. By permission of supervising faculty/instructor. The Intellectual Property and Computer Law Journal is dedicated to furthering knowledge associated with the research and practice of intellectual property law, computer law, and related fields concerning domestic and international media and telecommunications policy. The Journal will be published online. The Registrar will enroll students selected to participate in the necessary class through the registration system.

Instructor: Armstrong

Credit Hours: 2

Description:

The Intellectual Property and Computer Law Journal is dedicated to furthering knowledge associated with the research and practice of intellectual property law, computer law, and related fields concerning domestic and international media and telecommunications policy. The Journal will be published online. The Registrar will enroll students selected to participate in the necessary class through the registration system.

Instructor: Armstrong

Credit Hours: 2

Description:

The Intellectual Property and Computer Law Journal is dedicated to furthering knowledge associated with the research and practice of intellectual property law, computer law, and related fields concerning domestic and international media and telecommunications policy. The Journal will be published online. The Registrar will enroll students selected to participate in the necessary class through the registration system.

Instructor: Cogan

Credit Hours: 2

Description:

 The course is designed to introduce the student to international commercial arbitration. The course will focus on preparing the student both for advising companies on negotiating effective dispute resolution provisions in cross-border commercial contracts and representing clients having a dispute before an international commercial arbitration tribunal. The course will begin by emphasizing the importance of a well-crafted dispute resolution provision in cross-border agreements and the inadequacies of leaving dispute resolution to national courts. The course will then address the differences in customs, cultures and legal traditions in the United States, Europe, Asia and Latin America and the influence of such differences on the manner in which disputes are avoided and resolved and how arbitrations are conducted. The student will be introduced to the principal international arbitral institutions administrating international arbitrations and their procedural rules, and also to the UNCITRAL Arbitration Rules (for ad hoc non-administered arbitrations) and investor/state arbitrations under bilateral and multilateral investment treaties. The course will also demonstrate the procedures, step-by-step, typically used in an international commercial arbitration case, including: commencement and issuance of the statements of claims and defense, the selection of arbitrators, the disclosure process, the pleadings and submissions of pre-hearing briefs and memorials, the presentation of written and oral evidence at the hearing, the issuance of the award, the role of courts in enforcing arbitral agreements and ultimately enforcement or vacatur of the award under the New York Convention and a variety of specific arbitration laws, including those in the United States, England, France, Hong Kong and China. In addition, the students will be introduced to the Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Good (CISG). Students will also research one of the four procedural and substantive legal issues presented in the 2024-2025 Vis International Arbitration Moot “Problem” as part of their class work. The procedural issues will be based on the arbitration rules of a major international arbitral institutions, and the substantive issues will be based on the CISG. Based on their research, students will be required to prepare a legal memorandum addressing the particular legal issue assigned for their research. A number of students in the class will be selected for the Vis International Arbitration Team that will compete in either Hong Kong or Vienna in Spring 2025.

Instructor: Behlen

Credit Hours: 2

Description:

This course will examine the fundamentals of Criminal Law and International Law. It will consider the development of international criminal tribunals from the Nuremberg Tribunal to the International Criminal Court. The course will explore comparative criminal procedure and sentencing, principles of jurisdiction, the extraterritorial application of U.S. criminal statutes, and immunities. It will cover U.S. Constitutional rights in a transnational context, obtaining evidence abroad, and extradition. Next, the course will explore transnational crime: organized crime, trafficking, money laundering, corruption, and terrorism. Finally, the course will examine the International Criminal Court; modes of participation; defenses; international crimes: crimes against humanity, genocide, war crimes, the crime of aggression, torture, sexual violence; and alternatives to prosecution, such as truth and reconciliation commissions.

Instructor: Szegedy-Maszak

Credit Hours: 1

Description:

Discusses current trends in international trade policies related to the multilateral trading system developed through the World Trade Organization, Trade Agreements such as USMCA and CPTPP, as well as Investment Protection Treaties. How market economies can develop equilibrated trade relations with state managed economic systems is the central concern of the course. It is supposed that the crisis of the multilateral trading system can be one of the potential causes of the on-going Trade Tech War. During our course we analyze the geopolitical implications of the US-China economic rivalry and where the European Union stands in these battles. Innovation ecosystems, IP and Greentech are also studied in the context of COVID-19 recovery packages in US and EU, as well as the new five-year plan in China. Being critical and constructive are the main attitudes of the course to raise and discuss the most urgent questions of the international trading system and how trade regulation can contribute to manage increasing global conflicts. Dr. Ildikó Szegedy-Maszák is a member of the faculty of law at Javeriana Pontifical University in Bogotá, Colombia. An expert in international trade, Dr. Szegedy-Maszak is well published on related subjects. Dr. Szegedy-Maszák is a regular visiting professor at Comillas Pontifical University in Madrid, Spain and Corvinus University of Budapest in Hungary where she teaches on international economic law and public policies with special interest in international trade.

Instructor: Armstrong

Credit Hours: 3

Description:

This broadest and most basic course gives roughly equal time to the three primary federal doctrines in the area, copyright, trademark, and patent, and gives students a brief introduction to related state law doctrines such as rights of publicity and trade secrets. This course provides students with the basics of each doctrine as well as an understanding of the ways in which they interact with each other.

Instructor: Mangan

Credit Hours: 2

Description:

This class provides a foundational introduction to drafting legal documents in the transactional context, focusing primarily on contracts.  Students will learn the basic concepts that guide contract drafting and how mastery of these concepts aid in managing risk in legal transactions.  Students will complete weekly assignments with limited feedback and two major drafting assignments with detailed feedback.  

Instructor: Szydlowski

Credit Hours: 1

Description:

The classroom component of the Judicial Extern Program covers writing for judges and professional conduct for judges and judicial clerks. The work performed in the judicial extern field placement is similar to that performed by a law clerk to a judge. It usually involves preparing memoranda on cases, reviewing case files, drafting opinions and orders, and attending court and conferences. The precise tasks performed, however, depend upon the type of court and the style of the judge. SPECIAL NOTES: Concurrent enrollment in Judicial Externship class and field placement required. Complete the Judicial Externship Survey in the Symplicity “Job Postings” section. Upload your completed survey along with your current resume and transcript to be matched with a judicial extern placement. Students may not enroll concurrently in Extern programs. Taking Evidence simultaneously or previously is strongly preferred and may be required for some placements.

Instructor: Szydlowski

Credit Hours: 2

Description:

The classroom component of the Judicial Extern Program covers writing for judges and professional conduct for judges and judicial clerks. The work performed in the judicial extern field placement is similar to that performed by a law clerk to a judge. It usually involves preparing memoranda on cases, reviewing case files, drafting opinions and orders, and attending court and conferences. The precise tasks performed, however, depend upon the type of court and the style of the judge. SPECIAL NOTES: Concurrent enrollment in Judicial Externship class and field placement required. Complete the Judicial Externship Survey in the Symplicity “Job Postings” section. Upload your completed survey along with your current resume and transcript to be matched with a judicial extern placement. Students may not enroll concurrently in Extern programs. Taking Evidence simultaneously or previously is strongly preferred and may be required for some placements.

Instructor: Howe

Credit Hours: 1

Description:

This course will introduce LLM students to Ohio’s criminal legal system by thoroughly examining a complete wrongful conviction case, from initial investigative reports through trial and post-conviction appeals. Students will have an opportunity to critically examine causes of wrongful convictions, including both contingent features of the American criminal legal system and universal human factors like cognitive bias. Each student will be assigned a separate case to review, and the class will meet once a week for a guided group discussion.

Instructor: Bai

Credit Hours: 2

Description:

The blog has student, professor and practitioner contributors. Knowledge of Bluebook and Texas Law Review Manual for Style and Usage, and ability to coordinate. The job responsibilities of the Blog Editor would include: • Actively solicit and select practitioners for blog posts • Ensure Contributing Members, Guest or Student Editors, and Student Contributors all meet posting requirements ensuring conformance with the Texas Law Review Manual for Style and Usage and that all footnote content conform with the Bluebook • Coordinating promotion and utilization of the blog including monitoring any comments/feedback. In recognition of the responsibilities of the Blog Editor, this position will receive 2 non-classroom credit hours; it would not meet the writing or seminar requirement. This position would only be open to 3L students. The UC Law Review Blog is of great importance to the future of the Law Review. With a dedicated position overseeing the blog, the maintenance and care of the blog can be guaranteed. By Permission Only

Instructor: Bai

Credit Hours: 2

Description:

Participating students engage in the selection and editing of articles for publication in the University of Cincinnati Law Review. Some students also write notes and comments for publication in the Review or blog. Students must participate in a competition and be selected to participate. The Registrar will enroll students selected to participate in the necessary class through the registration system.

Instructor: Bai

Credit Hours: 2

Description:

Participating students engage in the selection and editing of articles for publication in the University of Cincinnati Law Review. Some students also write notes and comments for publication in the Review or blog. Students must participate in a competition and be selected to participate. The Registrar will enroll students selected to participate in the necessary class through the registration system.

Instructor: Bai

Credit Hours: 1

Description:

By permission only. Participating students engage in the selection and editing of articles for publication in the University of Cincinnati Law Review. Some students also write notes and comments for publication in the Review or blog. Students must participate in a competition and be selected to participate. The Registrar will enroll students selected to participate in the necessary class through the registration system.

Instructor: Bai

Credit Hours: 3

Description:

Participating students engage in the selection and editing of articles for publication in the University of Cincinnati Law Review. Some students also write notes and comments for publication in the Review or blog. Students must participate in a competition and be selected to participate. The Registrar will enroll students selected to participate in the necessary class through the registration system.

Instructor: Stephan

Credit Hours: 3

Description:

Students in this course will explore the inception and development of blockchain technology and distributed ledgers from a legal and regulatory perspective. In addition, students will consider the most important laws and regulations as they currently or likely will apply to blockchain technology and to its uses in the financial and other transactional markets. In addition to existing and developing laws, students in this course also will study alternative forms of regulation, including industry governance, governmental agency guidance, market forces, social norms, and the technical controls within code.

Instructor: Tomain

Credit Hours: 3

Description:

Traditionally, lawyers have played central roles in the organization of society and the administration of justice. They also further the interests of their clients through persuasive argumentation. Using a number of "great books," this course will examine forms of argument and forms of legal authority.

Instructor: Royalty

Credit Hours: 2

Description:

In this course students consider the lawyer-client relationship in the context of realistic scenarios, evaluating the complete choices an ethical lawyer must make to establish an effective lawyer-client relationship. Following an examination of the ABA Model Rules and the Ohio Rules of Professional Conduct, students consider the ethical components of the lawyer-client relationship, with an emphasis on competency, confidentiality, and conflicts of interest. The course also includes substantial instruction in the history, goals, structure, values, and responsibilities of the legal profession and its members.

Instructor: Margolis

Instructor: Smith

Credit Hours: 3

Description:

In this course, students consider the lawyer-client relationship in the context of realistic scenarios, evaluating the complex choices an ethical lawyer must make to establish an effective lawyer-client relationship. Following an examination of the ABA Model Rules, students consider the ethical components of the lawyer-client relationship, with an emphasis on competency, confidentiality, and conflicts of interest. The course also includes multiple skills application exercises to introduce students to Performance Tests and Professional Responsibility Exams required by state bar examiners.

Instructor: Szydlowski

Credit Hours: 3

Description:

The classroom component of the Legal Extern I Program emphasizes practical lawyering competencies and ethical issues encountered in the practice of law. In their field placements, legal externs work under the supervision of attorneys in local, state, and federal agencies, non-profit organizations, and in businesses and law firms in the private sector. SPECIAL NOTES: Concurrent enrollment in Legal Externship I class and field placement required. Complete the Legal Externship Survey in the Symplicity “Job Postings” section. Upload your completed survey along with your current resume and transcript. Spots are limited and students will be chosen based on preferences and availability. Students may not enroll concurrently in Extern programs.

Instructor: Szydlowski

Credit Hours: 1

Description:

The classroom component of the Legal Extern I Program emphasizes practical lawyering competencies and ethical issues encountered in the practice of law. In their field placements, legal externs work under the supervision of attorneys in local, state, and federal agencies, non-profit organizations, and in businesses and law firms in the private sector. SPECIAL NOTES: Concurrent enrollment in Legal Externship I class and field placement required. Complete the Legal Externship Survey in the Symplicity “Job Postings” section. Upload your completed survey along with your current resume and transcript. Spots are limited and students will be chosen based on preferences and availability. Students may not enroll concurrently in Extern programs.

Instructor: Szydlowski

Credit Hours: 3

Description:

The classroom component of the Legal Extern II Program expands upon the practical lawyering competencies addressed in Legal Externship I. In their field placements, legal externs work under the supervision of attorneys in local, state, and federal agencies, non-profit organizations, and in businesses and law firms in the private sector. SPECIAL NOTES: Concurrent enrollment in Legal Externship II class and field placement required. Complete the Legal Externship Survey in the Symplicity “Job Postings” section. Upload your completed survey along with your current resume and transcript. Spots are limited and students will be chosen based on preferences and availability. Students may not enroll concurrently in Extern programs. Prerequisite: Legal Externship I.

Instructor: Szydlowski

Credit Hours: 1

Description:

The classroom component of the Legal Extern II Program expands upon the practical lawyering competencies addressed in Legal Externship I. In their field placements, legal externs work under the supervision of attorneys in local, state, and federal agencies, non-profit organizations, and in businesses and law firms in the private sector. SPECIAL NOTES: Concurrent enrollment in Legal Externship II class and field placement required. Complete the Legal Externship Survey in the Symplicity “Job Postings” section. Upload your completed survey along with your current resume and transcript. Spots are limited and students will be chosen based on preferences and availability. Students may not enroll concurrently in Extern programs. Prerequisite: Legal Externship I.

Instructor: Paskan

Credit Hours: 3

Description:

This course is designed to meet the needs of LL.M students who received their legal education in a foreign country. This course will introduce students to basic research skills, persuasion strategies, and fundamentals of written communication needed in both law school and professional practice as a lawyer. Students will learn how to respond to a legal problem by identifying the legal issue, researching the law, interpreting and applying legal materials, and then communicating their own legal analysis and conclusions in writing. Emphasis is given to basic writing skills including, among others, legal analysis, style, and citations. The course will prepare students to successfully prepare basic legal documents such as legal memoranda and briefs. All LL.M. students must complete this three-credit course. J.D. students are not permitted to enroll in this course.

Instructor: Bryant

Credit Hours: 3

Description:

This course explores the enactment of statutes by federal and state legislators and the interpretation given by the courts and administrative agencies to such legislative enactments. The course will focus on various procedural, constitutional, and jurisprudential issues relating to the legislative and electoral processes embodied in our constitutional order, and to the methods of statutory interpretation employed by our courts and administrative agencies. Chief among the many aims of the course is to introduce students to the legal problems posed by legislative government, in the hopes that as practicing lawyers they will be more effective participants in the legislative process and the subsequent implementation and interpretation of statutes. Please Note: Substantive and thoughtful class discussion is an essential component of this course. Accordingly, the use of laptops and other computer devices will not be permitted in class.

Instructor: Stephani

Credit Hours: 2

Description:

In the first of this 2-semester course, we will examine the constitutional dimensions of the differential treatment of persons with serious mental disorders in the criminal justice system and in civil commitment settings. A recurring theme will be a scrutiny of the justifications offered for the various state-imposed detention schemes for persons with serious mental disorders.

Instructor: Bergeron

Credit Hours: 1

Description:

This is the intramural competition for the Moot Court Honor Board open to all 2L students. Students wishing to participate in the competition should enroll in this class. Participating students represent the College of Law in various intercollegiate moot court competitions. Students will be scheduled by the Registrar.

Instructor: Bergeron

Credit Hours: 3

Description:

Prerequisites: Moot Court Honor Board. Participating students represent the College of Law in various intercollegiate moot court competitions. Students will be scheduled by the Registrar.

Instructor: Bergeron

Credit Hours: 1

Description:

Prerequisite for Moot Court Executive Editor and other positions. Participating students represent the College of Law in various intercollegiate moot court competitions. Students will be scheduled by the Registrar.

Instructor: Bergeron

Credit Hours: 2

Description:

Prerequisite for Moot Court Executive Editor and other positions. Participating students represent the College of Law in various intercollegiate moot court competitions. Students will be scheduled by the Registrar.

Instructor: Bergeron

Credit Hours: 3

Description:

Prerequisites: Moot Court Honor Board. Participating students represent the College of Law in various intercollegiate moot court competitions. Students will be scheduled by the Registrar.

Instructor: Heldman

Credit Hours: 1

Description:

This course is designed for students who are interested in pursuing a public or private sector legal career that encapsulates national security law issues, students who may be interested in pursuing a non-traditional legal career (diplomacy, humanitarian advocacy, etc.), students who are simply curious to learn more about the diversity of legal topics that fall under the umbrella of national security law, and/or students who are passionate about U.S. national security and foreign policy issues. The goal of the course is to give students a broad introduction to the exciting yet complex universe of American national security law.

Instructor: Mamo

Credit Hours: 3

Description:

In this course students learn the "science and art" of negotiation. Students are introduced to significant literature and theory in negotiation and have the opportunity to practice negotiating through a sequenced series of negotiations simulations.

Instructor: Humphrey

Credit Hours: 3

Description:

This course examines the federal statutory system of protection for useful, novel, and non-obvious inventions and those developments that enrich the technological arts. A technical/science background is not required to take this course. SPECIAL NOTE: This course is a prerequisite for Patent Office Practice and Procedure.

Instructors: Hurst

Credit Hours: 2

Description: 

In this course, students will work at the University of Cincinnati College of Law’s Patent and Trademark Clinic (PTC), obtaining “hands on” experience representing local business owners, aspiring entrepreneurs, and inventors in identifying, protecting, and commercializing their intellectual property, focusing on work to be performed in the patent and trademark areas, as well as transactional documents relating to intellectual property. Services for individual clients may include completion of patent applications (provisional and non-provisional); completion of federal trademark applications; analysis and opinions on patent and trademark registrability; analysis and opinions on patent, trademark, and/or copyright infringement; assistance on responding to office actions from the USPTO; preparation, review, and/or negotiation of IP licenses and other related agreements; and general IP advice. The PTC will not represent its clients in litigation/dispute resolution or on foreign applications. The PTC will be structured to simulate practice in a law firm, and will provide insight and experiences in PTC students also will learn how a small law office operates, including procedures for client intake, conflict checks, file maintenance, project tracking, timekeeping, scheduling, coordination, and client communications. Students will perform all work at the PTC under the close supervision of its directors and volunteer-lawyers with relevant expertise. Students will be expected to average 8-12 hours per week working on clinic matters. The PTC will share the offices of the Entrepreneurship and Community Development Clinic. The PTC will represent onlyprioritize representation of clients of limited financial means and/or local entrepreneurs, means who cannot afford the services of the private bar and will not represent clients in litigation related matters..

Instructors: Gastright, Hurst

Credit Hours: 2

Description:

In this course, students will work at the University of Cincinnati College of Law’s Patent and Trademark Clinic (PTC), obtaining “hands on” experience representing local business owners, aspiring entrepreneurs, and inventors in identifying, protecting, and commercializing their intellectual property, focusing on work to be performed in the patent and trademark areas, as well as transactional documents relating to intellectual property. Services for individual clients may include completion of patent applications (provisional and non-provisional); completion of federal trademark applications; analysis and opinions on patent and trademark registrability; analysis and opinions on patent, trademark, and/or copyright infringement; assistance on responding to office actions from the USPTO; preparation, review, and/or negotiation of IP licenses and other related agreements; and general IP advice. The PTC will not represent its clients in litigation/dispute resolution or on foreign applications. The PTC will be structured to simulate practice in a law firm, and will provide insight and experiences in PTC students also will learn how a small law office operates, including procedures for client intake, conflict checks, file maintenance, project tracking, timekeeping, scheduling, coordination, and client communications. Students will perform all work at the PTC under the close supervision of its directors and volunteer-lawyers with relevant expertise. Students will be expected to average 8-12 hours per week working on clinic matters. The PTC will share the offices of the Entrepreneurship and Community Development Clinic. The PTC will represent onlyprioritize representation of clients of limited financial means and/or local entrepreneurs, means who cannot afford the services of the private bar and will not represent clients in litigation related matters..

Instructor: Lenhart

Credit Hours: 3

Description:

This course will focus solely on the litigation skills that an attorney must master in order to steer a civil case from the beginning of a dispute to the point immediately preceding a trial. Topics may include: development of the legal theory/theories in a case (causes of action and defenses); pleadings, including state and federal filing rules, proper parties, service considerations, electronic filing, and waiver of service of summons; development of discovery strategies; discovery, including interrogatories, requests for production of documents, requests for admissions, and motions to compel; depositions, taking and defending; experts, including retainer issues, drafting expert reports, and taking/defending expert depositions; pre-trial motion practice; trial-witness preparation; jury instructions and pre-trial statements; and court-ordered mediation and settlement

Instructor: Cogan

Credit Hours: 3

Description:

This course is an introduction to public international law. In the first part of the course, we will cover the origins, sources, and subjects of international law; the institutions that make and interpret it; and the actors that shape the international legal order. We will also discuss the application of international law in U.S. courts. In the second part of the course, we will focus on the ways in which the international legal system addresses issues of broad global concern, such as war, economic integration, environmental protection, and public health. We will critically reflect on this with reference to specific topics, including the regulation of the use of force, international humanitarian law, international environmental law, international trade law, the law of the sea, and international human rights law. Throughout the course, we will draw on current events and contemporary debates in global politics to highlight the possibilities and the challenges of the international legal system.

Instructor: Lavalais

Credit Hours: 3

Description:

Race remains an enduring (and vexing) feature of our society. This course surveys the central role of race in the development of our legal order, and the central role of law in the development of our conceptions of race. Students will engage this immense field through exploration of foundational histories and philosophies that have contributed to the evolution of our notions of race across eras; through analysis of the ways law has been used to solidify and contest those notions; and through discussion of the role of law in the entrenchment and dismantling of historic and contemporary structures of White Supremacy and racial injustice. Students can expect to acquire basic literacy in canonical race law cases, and a clearer understanding of the full reach race commands throughout our legal system. The primary challenge for students will be to master discrete fields of law while cultivating the ability to identify and draw out frequently obscured throughlines that connect seemingly unrelated doctrinal strands.

Instructors: Emmert, Scott Emmert

Credit Hours: 2

Description:

This class will focus on the practical application of real property law by walking through standard residential real estate transactions, explaining how to draft documents to avoid disputes, and the litigation options available when conflicts arise. Areas covered will include: Attorney’s and broker’s roles in the transaction; the contract of sale; due diligence during the transaction; title assurance; and financing including mortgage foreclosures and distressed sales.

Instructor:  Price

Credit Hours: 2

Description:

This course covers all forms of ultimate relief in civil actions: damages, restitution, and equitable relief. The first portion deals with the damage remedies in tort, contract, real property, and personal property litigation. The second unit analyzes the alternative remedy of restitution, in law and equity. The course concludes with those cases governing specific relief in equity, specific performance in contract, and injunctions in tort.

Instructor: Miller

Instructor: Brown

Credit Hours: 1

Description:

Students will be introduced to the broad areas of practice used in restructuring—strategizing, deal making, capital raising and litigation.

Instructor: Jackson

Credit Hours: 3

Description:

This course focuses on laws governing secured transactions, specifically as set forth in Article 9 of the Uniform Commercial Code. The topics addressed include the creation and perfection of security interests in personal property, priorities, and remedies upon default in these secured transactions, and the interactions of the laws governing secured transactions with the Bankruptcy Code.

Instructor: Lind

Credit Hours: 2

Description:

Securities Regulation presents an overview of federal securities laws with emphasis on the registration requirements of the Securities Act of 1933 and the major exemptions from these requirements, including exemptions commonly used by small and early-stage businesses. The course also covers the reporting and disclosure requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the anti-fraud provisions of the Securities Act and the Exchange Act.

Instructors: Colvin, Paulsen

Credit Hours: 2

Description:

Students from both the UC College of Law and the Salmon P. Chase College of Law will be participating. In this clinic, students will work on cases for indigent clients whose cases are on appeal to the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, a federal appellate court located in Cincinnati. Under the supervision of experienced attorneys, students will analyze trial records, identify arguments to be used in the appeals process, and write motions and briefs for their clients. This is an excellent opportunity for students to learn about federal courts, criminal law, appellate procedure, and improve writing skills. Students will also have the chance to learn from experienced lawyers, meet members of the federal bar, and meet federal judges. Students will be expected to attend oral arguments at the Sixth Circuit as well as present their own oral arguments in class. Some students have been able to argue before the Sixth Circuit, though such opportunities vary with timing and interest.

Instructors: Colvin, Paulson

Credit Hours: 1

Description:

Concurrent enrollment in LITG 7043 is required.

Instructor: Eads Adkins

Credit Hours: 2

Description:

Nationally, upwards of 80% of legal needs go unmet; this situation is even more dire in Hamilton County. The Legal Access Clinic is one effort to close the access to justice gap by representing people earning too much to qualify for Legal Aid but not enough to afford an attorney or who cannot access Legal Aid due to capacity or conflict issues. Under the supervision of the clinic director, students will conduct intake and represent clients in wills and estates, LGBTQ+ name and gender changes, divorces, evictions and habitability issues, and immigration.

Instructor: Eads Adkins

Credit Hours: 2-4

Description:

Concurrent enrollment required in LITG 7094. Nationally, upwards of 80% of legal needs go unmet; this situation is even more dire in Hamilton County. The Legal Access Clinic is one effort to close the access to justice gap by representing people earning too much to qualify for Legal Aid but not enough to afford an attorney or who cannot access Legal Aid due to capacity or conflict issues. Under the supervision of the clinic director, students will conduct intake and represent clients in wills and estates, LGBTQ+ name and gender changes, divorces, evictions and habitability issues, and immigration.

Instructor:  Lavalais

Credit Hours: 3

Description:

The character of criminal law in the United States is inextricably intertwined with the fraught role of policing in our nation’s development. The legal regimes, policy structures, and institutional cultures that govern policing continue to face sustained criticism, yet policing has managed to resist or capture many of the strictest reforms imposed on it, carving out a politically contested but undeniably powerful position within the broader society. This seminar will draw on a range of historical, empirical, and theoretical works to deepen student’s understanding of how policing in the United States has developed, and prompt more nuanced consideration of what policing in the United States might look like in the future. This seminar requires that students produce a research paper no shorter than 25 pages.

Instructor: Rosenberg

Credit Hours: 2

Description:

This course provides an introduction to the concept of “transitional justice”. In broad terms, transitional justice is the study and practice of judicial and non-judicial measures that aim to help societies emerging from periods of mass atrocities: understand the past, hold those responsible for abuses to account, repair the harm caused to victims, and take steps to prevent the past from repeating. The aim of this course is to stimulate critical thinking about the challenges and benefits to adopting a transitional justice approach following conflict. Students will engage with academic writings addressing the underlying theories of transitional justice, the challenges and real-world complications of implementing transitional justice measures, and also engage directly with leading transitional justice practitioners.

Instructors: Bergeron

Credit Hours: 3

Description:

To be a trial lawyer is to be a story teller, stage director, and character in drama where the audience determines the resolution. This course will review and provide practice in each aspect of trial, from working with facts and developing strategy and then, to structure and techniques for effective opening statements, direct and cross examination, and closing argument. We will focus on those elements that are also applicable to professional presentations in other contexts: communicating to render complexity accessible, build your own and witness credibility and audience trust, and persuade the audience using emotion as well as reason.

Instructors: Bergeron

Credit Hours: 2

Description:

Students prepare for and participate in Trial Practice Competition Team events.

Instructor: Wagner

Credit Hours: 3

Description:

This course is developed specifically to meet the needs of foreign-trained LL.M. students. The course will provide an overview of the critical features of the U.S. legal tradition, the functional components and participants in our legal system, and key legal concepts. The course will briefly introduce students to the various areas of U.S. legal practice and provide a more in-depth discussion of foundational concepts such as the several sources of U.S. law, the Common Law tradition and federalism. Students will be expected to complete assigned readings in advance of each class. Student achievement will be assessed based on attendance, class participation, writing assignments, and a final exam. J.D. students are not permitted to enroll in this course.

Instructor: Jackson

Credit Hours: 3

Description:

This course covers the variety of ways in which people can arrange for the passage of their property at their death. Students study common law and statutory methods of dealing with property left by a decedent who did or did not leave a will; the procedures and problems of creating, construing, contesting, or revoking wills; the concerns for providing for surviving spouses and other family members; fiduciary duties in the administration of estates and some of the methods for avoiding the probate of estates.