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CLIENT INTERVIEWING AND COUNSELING | Law-7520
(3 Credits)

Students will learn and practice skills involved in interviewing and counseling clients. Through the course of the semester, students will take one simulated case from the initial phase of gathering and evaluating facts supplied by a client, conduct substantive legal research, write a memorandum to the client file, and provide oral and written advice to the client based on consideration of facts and applicable law. The course will focus on interpersonal aspects of client relationships as well as ethical problems that may arise in the context of client representation.

Students participate in simulated interviews and counseling sessions, portraying both client and attorney. Students will be videotaped in at least one interview or counseling session and will complete several written products, including a client letter, a memo to the file, and papers analyzing the lawyering process from the perspective of both attorney and client.

This course will satisfy the Practice-Oriented Writing Requirement OR the Experiential Course Requirement; one course cannot satisfy both requirements at the same time.

This course is a core requirement in the Certificate in Advocacy and Dispute Resolution.

This course will not meet during the first two weeks of the summer term; the first-class meeting is on Tuesday, June 20, and the last class meeting is on Thursday, August 3.

DIRECTED RESEARCH | Law-7850
(1-3 Variable Credits; 12 and ½ pages minimum per credit based on standard format)

Courses are available to 2-3Ls only to study and research topics which are not provided for by regular curricular offerings. To register for Directed Research, students must complete a Directed Research form and submit the completed form to the Registrar’s Office for processing. The signatures of the supervising full-time professor and the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs are required. The completed Directed Research form must be submitted to the Registrar’s office no later than June 9, 2023. Students cannot register for Directed Research online. Students must have a cumulative GPA of 2.6 at the end of the first year to partake in a Directed Research project.

EXTERNSHIP I | Law-7946

(Variable Credits)

Externships I is for first-time externs. Students who enroll for 2 or more units of Externship I will earn experiential course credit.

Externships offer law school credit for practical experience working for a judge, District Attorney or Public Defender, government agency, non-profit, private law firm or corporation. Externs work under the supervision of experienced practicing attorneys or judges who provide guidance and training in research, writing, and other lawyering skills. For information on how to obtain an externship, and to read the Externship Handbook, visit http://www.chapman.edu/law/externships/index.aspx.

Externships can be taken for between one (1) and five (5) units during the school year and for between one (1) and six (6) units over the summer, except for select judicial externships that are considered “full time” and can be taken for 10 units. For details on how many hours must be worked per unit, as well as how many externships can be taken in all, see the Externship Handbook at the above link.

If the Director approves the externship, students will receive a code to enroll. In addition to fieldwork, first-time externs must participate in a one-time “boot camp” held during the first two weeks of the semester. Students must also complete assigned reading and quizzes. Details will be provided once the student is enrolled.

EXTERNSHIP II | Law-7947

(Variable Credits)

Externships II is for second- and third-time externs. Students who enroll in Externship II will not earn experiential course credit.

This course focuses on different theories and approaches to mediation. Mediation is gaining in importance as a mechanism for parties to heal differences without the expense and trauma of litigation. The competent practitioner should understand how mediation works and how to represent clients effectively in a mediation setting. Students in this course have an opportunity to function as both advocates and mediators, using a variety of techniques to resolve disputes. The course grade is based primarily on papers assigned by the instructor.

This course will satisfy the Experiential Course Requirement.

NEGOTIATIONS | Law-7816
(3 credits)

Students will practice preparing for and conducting legal negotiations. Students will learn about different approaches and theories of negotiation, develop their skills, understand their negotiating preferences and those of others, as well deal with ethical issues. Students will do simulated negotiations involving transactions, litigation and other situations lawyers may encounter in practice. In addition to researching and preparing for the negotiations, students will draft agreements and will be asked to reflect upon and write about their learning.

This course is a core requirement for the Advocacy and Dispute Resolution Certificate.

This course will satisfy the Experiential Course requirement.

CLINICS

MEDIATION CLINIC | Law-7330
(3 Credits)

The Mediation Clinic is designed to enable students who have completed the Mediation course, or an equivalent course, to use and develop their skills as mediators through frequent and regular practice with actual parties under the supervision of experienced mediators. Through the Mediation Clinic, students have the opportunity to work with real litigants who have filed small claims, civil harassment, guardianship/probate, and unlawful detainer (eviction) cases.

The Mediation Clinic requires students to serve as mediators in court and to attend class each Monday morning. Students will be graded on full participation in the Mediation Clinic including, weekly journal assignments, regular court attendance, class participation and willingness to mediate.

This course will satisfy the Experiential Course Requirement.

Advanced clinic students co-mediate with Mediation Clinic students, providing assistance and guidance in the early stages of the Mediation Clinic experience. Through this practice, advanced clinical students develop their mediation skills while teaching others. There is no weekly classroom meeting for students in the Advanced Mediation Clinic. Students meet regularly with clinic faculty during the semester and submit weekly journal entries for the cases mediated.

This course will satisfy the Experiential Course Requirement.

DISPUTE RESOLUTION FOR JUVENILES CLINIC | Law-7354

(3 Credits)

The Criminal Justice Dispute Resolution Clinic & Mediation Clinic for Juveniles is a clinic based on the tenets of Restorative Justice, an approach to criminal justice that aims, through reconciliation with the victim, to repair the harm caused by the offender’s criminal behavior. Providing students with a unique opportunity to implement Restorative Justice and Restorative Practice, this clinic offers two approaches. First, clinic students will teach dispute resolution to in-custody juveniles, giving them tools to react differently to the conflicts with which they are confronted. Second, clinic students participate in Restorative Justice mediations between victims and Youth. Students will then draft settlement agreements.

*Clinic students will gain valuable experience in the juvenile justice system with unique client-counseling opportunities and hands-on mediation training/experience. Clinic students will also be interacting with practicing attorneys, juvenile court judges, District Attorneys and Public Defenders, as well as Probation Corrections Officers.

This course will satisfy the Experiential Course Requirement.

Course Requirements: The clinic meets every Tuesday and Thursday at 2:45 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. Our programming to in-custody Youth is conducted via Zoom with opportunities to interact with the Youth in the afternoons (2:45 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.) on Mondays, Tuesdays (required), Wednesdays, and Thursdays (required).

Students are expected to track at least four (4) Restorative Justice mediations (or Guardianship/Elder Abuse cases in the event the RJ mediations are minimal), which are being conducted using a full technology platform (Zoom). RJ Mediations and Guardianship/Elder Abuse cases will be scheduled throughout the week, typically ranging from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. with some Family/Youth/Victim appointments scheduled between 5:30 p.m. until 8:30 p.m. on various days.

NOTE: There is a stipend that goes along with this clinic designed to offset any expenses for your technology needs.

ADVANCED DISPUTE RESOLUTION FOR JUVENILES CLINIC | Law-7679
(1-3 Variable Credits)

First, clinic students will teach dispute resolution to in-custody juveniles, giving them tools to react differently to the conflicts with which they are confronted.

Second, clinic students participate in Restorative Justice mediations between victims and Youth. Students will then draft settlement agreements.

*Clinic students will gain valuable experience in the juvenile justice system with unique client-counseling opportunities and hands-on mediation training/experience. Clinic students will also be interacting with practicing attorneys, juvenile court judges, District Attorneys and Public Defenders as well as Probation Corrections Officers.

This course will satisfy the Experiential Course Requirement.

Course Requirements: The clinic meets every Tuesday and Thursday at 2:45 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.

Our programming to in-custody Youth is conducted via Zoom with opportunities to interact with the Youth in the afternoon block (2:45 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.) on Mondays, Tuesdays (required), Wednesdays, and Thursdays (required). Students are expected to track at least four (4) Restorative Justice mediations (or Guardianship/Elder Abuse cases in the event the RJ mediations are minimal), which are being conducted using a full technology platform (Zoom). RJ Mediations and Guardianship/Elder Abuse cases will be scheduled throughout the week, typically ranging from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. with some Family/Youth/Victim appointments scheduled between 5:30 p.m. until 8:30 p.m. on various days.

NOTE: There is a stipend that goes along with this clinic designed to offset any expenses for your technology needs.

ANTITRUST LAW | Law-7509
(3 Credits)

In a free market economy, there needs to be concern over abuses of power. Antitrust law serves that function. It has a criminal law component—identifying and prosecuting price-fixing and collusion between competitors. It has a civil law component—dealing with how companies with dominant market positions can destroy competition from rivals to the detriment of consumers and society. It has a regulatory law component—allowing or preventing mergers, based on international, national, and local perspectives.

This is a course in US national antitrust law, though there will be occasional reference to foreign countries’ antitrust laws and the antitrust laws specific to California. This course will have a 3-hour in-class open book, open notes final examination; you may consult any hard-copy material but will not have access to the internet.

This course is an approved elective for the Business Law Emphasis Certificate.

BUSINESS ASSOCIATIONS | Law-7146 California Bar Tested
(4 Credits)

This course offers coverage of both fundamental agency law principles and an in-depth study of the law governing various business forms/entities, including sole proprietorships, general partnerships, corporations, limited partnerships, limited liability companies, and limited liability partnerships. In addition to addressing basic questions of formation, students will acquire an understanding of the law governing various aspects of business operations and growth, the means by which investors and other stakeholders may legitimately obtain a return on their investment, the extent of personal stakeholder liability with respect to business obligations, and other topics of relevance. Coverage of various business entities in the context of a single course offers students the opportunity, via comparison and contrast, to appreciate the unique legal character of specific business forms. This knowledge will enhance their ability to advise clients with respect to which business entity best achieves their clients’ overall business objectives.

The course also serves to prepare students for advanced study in arenas in which prior knowledge of various business entity fundamentals is assumed.

This course, OR Corporations, is a core course requirement for the Business Law Emphasis. Students who have completed the course in Corporations may not enroll in this course.

CALIFORNIA EVIDENCE | Law-7318 California Bar Tested

(3 Credits)

This course addresses both civil and criminal provisions of the California Evidence Code, examining many topics: relevance, character evidence, the hearsay rule and its exceptions, impeachment, expert testimony, and privileges. The course focuses on the California Evidence Code, with a practical focus on tactical and procedural introduction of evidence at trial in state court. The class will also cover differences between the California Evidence Code and the Federal Rules of Evidence.

Prerequisite: Evidence.

Note: Evidence with Professor Mainero covers both the Federal Rules of Evidence and the California Code, and thus covers two bar tested subjects. Students who take Evidence with Professor Mainero may not take the elective California Evidence course.

CIVIL RIGHTS LAW | Law-7519
(3 Credits)

This course will study the laws and constitutional provisions that protect civil rights, particularly the right to be free from discrimination on the basis of race, sex, national origin, age, disability, and other protected characteristics. The course will focus on legal strategies to bring lawsuits under or defend actions alleging unlawful discrimination. This course also will consider legal actions that seek redress for violations of other federal constitutional or statutory rights, as well as relevant policy issues.

This course will satisfy the Practice-Oriented Writing Requirement.

CLIENT INTERVIEWING AND COUNSELING | Law-7520
(3 Credits)

This course will satisfy the Practice-Oriented Writing Requirement OR the Experiential Course Requirement; one course cannot satisfy both requirements at the same time.

This is a core requirement in the Certificate in Advocacy and Dispute Resolution.

COMMUNITY PROPERTY | Law-7302 California Bar Tested
(2 Credits)

The organizing idea for the text and the course is that California community property is a “classification” system; property is either community or separate property based upon the date and source of acquisition of the property. Problems arise when spouses claim separate property interests in community property, community property interests in separate property, devote community effort to separate property, or make agreements, before or during marriage, or after date of separation or dissolution of the marriage, but before judgment is entered, on their property issues. All of these issues, and more, from acquisition of community property to its division upon dissolution of marriage, will be explored.

CONSTITUTIONAL LAW | Law-7126 California Bar Tested
(4 Credits)

This course covers the powers of the three branches of the federal government, the relationship of the branches of the federal government to each other and to the States, the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, including the effect of the Fourteenth Amendment on the application of the Bill of Rights to the States, and an introduction to issues involving equal protection.

CONSTITUTIONAL LAW: EQUAL PROTECTION & FIRST AMENDMENT | Law-7812 California Bar Tested
(3 Credits)

This course covers the limitations on the state and federal governments imposed by three individual liberties guaranteed by the Constitution: equal protection of the laws, freedom of religion, and freedom of speech.

Prerequisite or Concurrent Enrollment: Constitutional Law.

COPYRIGHT LAW AND PRACTICE | Law-7822
(3 Credits)

Copyright law is critical across many different arts, technologies and industries. The digital revolution has transformed how we think about this body of law. We will examine its application to, and implications for, music, books, film and computer software, for example.

Students will learn how to interpret and apply the statutory provisions, to identify and articulate the scope of U.S. copyright protection and its limitations, the essential elements of a copyright infringement claim, the defenses and strategies available to a defendant, and the related bodies of law typically involved in copyright disputes. The classes will focus on applying case law and the statute to various hypothetical situations with the goal of preparing students to handle the copyright issues and problems typically encountered by a lawyer in practice. This course is an approved elective for the Entertainment Law certificate.

This course will satisfy the Practice-Oriented Writing Requirement.

CORPORATIONS | Law-7145 California Bar Tested
(3 Credits)

This course provides a basic understanding of both closely held and publicly held for‑profit corporations. Particular attention is given to the way in which corporations organize and operate. The course also examines the respective roles, relationships, responsibilities, and liability exposure of shareholders, directors and officers. The study of corporate litigation and regulation under key portions of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the rules and regulations of the S.E.C. is included.

Students who have completed the course in Business Associations may not enroll in this course.

This course, OR Business Associations, is a core course requirement for the Business Law Emphasis.

CRIMINAL LAW AND PSYCHOLOGY | Law-8021
(3 Credits)

This course covers the forensic mental health issues that prosecutors and defense attorneys regularly encounter in practice, with an important part of the course being developing skills in evaluating actual cases. Topics covered include competence to stand trial, criminal responsibility and the insanity defense, sex offenders, juvenile offenders, mental illness among criminal defendants, the role of mental health evidence in criminal cases, and offender rehabilitation.

This course is an approved elective for the Criminal Law Emphasis Program.

CRIMINAL PROCEDURE/POLICE PRACTICES | Law-7301 California Bar Tested
(3 Credits)

This course provides a close examination of the laws of criminal investigation. Topics include constitutional limits on arrests and stops, search and seizure, interrogation of suspects, right to counsel, and the privilege against self-incrimination.

Students with a first year cumulative GPA below a 2.6 must take this course as a graduation requirement.

DIRECTED RESEARCH PROJECT | Law-7850
(1-3 Variable Credits; 12 and ½ pages minimum per credit based on standard format)

Courses are available to 2-4Ls only to study and research topics which are not provided for by regular curricular offerings. To register for Directed Research, students must complete a Directed Research form and submit the completed form to the Registrar’s Office for processing. The signatures of the supervising full-time professor and the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs are required. The completed Directed Research form must be submitted to the Registrar’s office by the given Add/Drop deadline for the semester. Students cannot register for a Directed Research project online. Students must have a cumulative GPA of 2.6 at the end of their first year to partake in a Directed Research project.

Students may not make changes to the number of credits post the Add/Drop deadline for the semester.

ELECTION AND POLITICAL CAMPAIGN LAW | Law-7630
(3 Credits)

Impress your friends and embarrass your enemies with your knowledge of gerrymandering. Learn how the COVID-19 pandemic and false claims of election fraud threw the 2020 Presidential election into chaos. Use your knowledge and stature as a law student to make your mark on the democratic process. Master the rigors of case and statutory analysis in a sparkling Socratic dialogue.

Among the topics that may be addressed are the 2020 Presidential election; campaign finance law and campaign reform; voting rights; election administration; initiative, referendum and recall matters; political parties; legislative districting; election recounts and contests; ballot access; ethics; conflicts of interest; state and local elections; public integrity; criminal and administrative enforcement issues; the electoral college, the 2000 Presidential election and Bush v. Gore (the Supreme Court case that decided a Presidential election), and several other topics of interest relating to the political and election process.

EMPLOYMENT LAW | Law-7536
(3 Credits)

This course explores selected topics in employment law in the non-union workplace. The course covers the evolving common law and statutory approaches to regulating the employer-employee relationship from hiring to firing.

Topics include employee privacy, protections against workplace discrimination, regulation of wages and hours, sexual harassment, and remedies for wrongful termination.

ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY CONTRACTS | Law-7830
(3 Credits)

This course provides a detailed review and analysis of the contracts involved in the making of a feature film and other media. Students will have hands-on experience with contracts from the inception of an idea to acquiring rights and hiring writers, directors and actors. The attorney’s role throughout the process of creating media will be examined.

Students draft and negotiate contracts, draft client correspondence, and create client files. The skills learned in this course are applicable to drafting and negotiating transactions in many areas of law. There is no final exam during the examination period.

This course may satisfy the Practice Oriented Writing Requirement OR the Experiential Course Requirement; one course cannot satisfy both requirements at the same time.

This course is an approved elective for the Entertainment Law Certificate and the Business Law Certificate.

ESTATE AND GIFT TAXATION | Law-7833
(3 Credits)

A comprehensive study of the federal wealth transfer tax system, including the gift tax, the estate tax and the generation-skipping transfer tax. Coverage includes the tax treatment of property owned at death and property transferred during life, the marital and charitable contribution deductions and other deductions and credits.

The course includes procedural and valuation issues, including related income tax basis planning. Non tax law aspects of estate planning are also studied for taxable and nontaxable estates.

Prerequisite: Federal Income Tax.

This course is a core requirement for the Certificate in Taxation.

EVIDENCE | Law-7142 California Bar Tested
(4 Credits)

This course covers the standards regulating admissibility of evidence in both criminal and civil trials. Special emphasis is placed on the Federal Rules of Evidence.

Evidence with Professor Mainero covers both the Federal Rules of Evidence and the California Code, and thus covers two bar tested subjects. Students who take Evidence with Professor Mainero may not take the elective California Evidence course because the elective is duplicative of the material covered in Professor Mainero’s Evidence course.

FAMILY LAW | Law-7542
(3 Credits)

This course will cover California family law. It will be doctrinal. The following topics will be covered: cohabitation and marriage; divorce and annulment; parentage and child custody; spousal support and property division; and domestic violence. It may also include one or more of the following topics: adoption, surrogacy, in vitro fertilization, Islamic law and Jewish law religious norms impacting family law, and international child adoption.

The class will be helpful for taking the California bar and practicing family law. Course will include family law attorneys and family law judges as guest speakers discussing the practicalities of being a family lawyer.

FEDERAL INCOME TAX | Law-7133
(3 Credits)

Primary consideration is given to principles and policies relating to the taxation of individuals including procedure, income, deductions, gains and losses, and transactional aspects of income taxation. The Internal Revenue Code and Regulations are emphasized.

This course is a J.D. graduation requirement for students who matriculated at the Law School prior to Fall 2021.

This course is a core requirement for the Certificate in Taxation Emphasis and the Certificate in Business Law Emphasis.

Students interested in the Tax Emphasis Certificate must take this course in the 2L year as it is a prerequisite for other tax courses.

FINANCIAL LITERACY FOR LAWYERS | Law-7677
(3 Credits)

This course aims to help students maximize the financial return on their law degree and better understand their clients’ financial interests by examining the U.S. financial system from both a legal and business perspective. Students will learn the fundamentals of the financial regulatory structure, applicable laws, and how wealth is built and protected.

Topics covered include: the regulatory framework of the U.S. financial system; depository products; equity and debt investments; digital currencies and NFT’s; common vehicles for investment (retirement plans, brokerage accounts, 529 plans, etc.); lending; venture capitalism/debt; and asset protection strategies. The instructor’s goal is for students to leave law school not only “practice ready,” but life-ready.

FUNDAMENTALS OF IN-HOUSE CORPORATE PRACTICE | Law-7854
(2 Credits)

This is a practical skills course in practicing as an In-House Corporate Lawyer that introduces students to the fundamentals of working effectively in a high-functioning corporate law department and prepares them for a career as an In-House Corporate Counsel. The course will focus on developing a skill set for an in-house corporate generalist addressing issues related to corporate formation and administration, real property acquisition, facilities management (e.g., construction contracts), work force and labor issues (e.g., ADA compliance and workplace harassment/discrimination), litigation, and the management and defense of intellectual property.

Students will have the opportunity to perform exercises relating to each of the substantive areas of in-house practice through actual case studies of corporate legal issues and simulating actual assignments as corporate counsel. Outside reading consists of articles and excerpts of published materials. Class sessions consist of lectures, class discussion, practical exercises, and presentations, with some prominent in-house lawyers and general counsel as guest speakers, and networking opportunities.

This course will satisfy the Practice Oriented Writing requirement.

HEALTHCARE LAW | Law-7549
(3 Credits)

This course will cover the fundamental principles of health law, including a review and analysis of foundational common law rules, applicable statutes and administrative regulations, constitutional standards, and interpretive case law. Topics which will be discussed and analyzed over the semester include licensing and liability of health care professionals and institutions; policy issues in health care, including discrimination and unequal treatment, medically assisted dying, and reproduction and birth; health care financing and reform; and fraud/abuse.

The goal of the course is to provide a broad overview of this complex and dynamic area of the law, and to analyze the framework relative to the delivery, regulation, and management of, and reimbursement for, healthcare delivered by providers to patients.

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY LAW | Law-7555
(3 Credits)

This course surveys the primary types of intellectual property under federal and state law. It emphasizes trademarks, copyrights, and patents while also addressing unfair competition, rights of publicity, trade secrets, and protection of designs. The course analyzes the rights and remedies associated with each type of intellectual property that it covers, as well as the relationships between different types of intellectual property.

This course is a core requirement for the Entertainment Law Certificate. It is also an approved elective for the Business Law Certificate.

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS LITIGATION | Law-7510
(2 Credits)

This course deals with the litigation process in the United States when the subject of the litigation involves a transnational business transaction. We will examine the following topics: U.S. jurisdiction and other aspects of forum selection and forum non conveniens; service of process of a U.S. lawsuit abroad; international discovery; sovereign immunity; act of state; and enforcement of foreign judgments in American courts. The emphasis will be on acquiring practical skills in both prosecuting and defending international business litigation suits.

This course is an approved elective for the Business Law Certificate and the International Law Certificate.

INTERNATIONAL LAW & ORGANIZATIONS | Law-7558
(3 Credits)

This introductory course in international law surveys the sources of international law and some contemporary global issues and challenges. The course introduces concepts of international law and how they achieve legitimacy through United Nations organizations and conferences, the International Court of Justice, the International Law Commission, treaty bodies, and state practice, as well as through other actors. The law of foreign sovereign immunity and the act of state doctrine are considered along with the role of international law in the U.S. legal system and the allocation of foreign affairs powers between the President and Congress.

Selected topics that may be explored include international claims (including expropriation law), human rights, norms governing the use of force, and the law of the sea and environmental issues.

This course counts for the International Law Emphasis Requirement and the required Public International Law Class for the Emphasis.

LAND USE AND REGULATION | Law-7626
(3 Credits)

This course examines the politics, policy, and law of land use development. The material covers land use planning, zoning, subdivision controls, historic preservation laws, constitutional and state law constraints on regulation, the economics and politics of land development, growth controls, racial and class segregation, sprawl, affordable housing policy, gentrification, environmental regulation, and much more.

The course blends traditional case readings with readings from urban theory, history, philosophy, economics, and sociology to give students a context for understanding modern land use regulation.

This is a core requirement for the ENLURE certificate.

LAW, LAWYERS, AND THE LEGAL SYSTEM IN FILM | Law-7546
(3 Credits)

The class focuses on film portrayals of law, lawyers, and the legal system as a means of exploring questions of public policy, jurisprudence, professional responsibility, and even personal philosophy and psychology – all through the lens of filmic storytelling and filmmaking technique. Topics to be discussed include the adversary system, ethical dilemmas, various lawyer-character archetypes, the jury system, the role of judges, the tension between popular notions of justice and certain legal regimes, and the strengths and limits of the legal system as a means of resolving disputes and providing remedies .

This course is an approved elective for the Entertainment Law Certificate.

LAW PRACTICE MANAGEMENT | Law-7646
(3 Credits)

No boss, no timecard to punch, and unlimited income potential. Sounds amazing, right? Starting your own law practice can be the ticket to these rewards and many more, but it also means hard work, calculated risks, and a steep learning curve.

This course is designed to help flatten the learning curve by covering issues commonly encountered when starting and building a new firm. Students will embark on a practice-oriented survey of topics such as: selecting a practice area; choosing a business structure; setting fees; establishing credibility in the space; acquiring clients; hiring/managing employees; and charting a path from startup to success. Students will design a business plan for their own startup firm and have the opportunity to receive one-on-one feedback from the instructor.

This course counts toward the experiential course requirement.

LEGAL WRITING SKILLS | Law-7575
(3 Credits)

This course is designed to develop legal writing skills needed for success in law school, on the bar examination, and in practice. Among others, the course will review and develop skills needed to prepare case briefs, answers to law school essay exam questions, bar examination performance tests, internal memoranda, briefs, and client letters.

Note: Any students who received a grade below 2.0 in Legal Research and Writing I and/or Legal Research and Writing II or if recommended by the LAWR professors must take this course as a condition of graduation. In addition, students who are required to take this course must do so during their second year of study.

This course is open to all students, but priority may be given to students who are required to take it for graduation.

MEDIATION | Law-7581
(3 Credits)

This course is an approved elective for the Advocacy and Dispute Resolution Certificate.

This course will satisfy the Experiential Course Requirement.

MERGERS AND ACQUISITIONS | Law-7580
(3 Credits)

This is an in-depth review of the process, players, documentation, laws, rules and regulations governing the purchase, sale and combination of business entities. Particular attention will be paid to the practical implications of certain acquisition strategies and the legal interpretation/implications of key document provisions. Students will become familiar with the mergers and acquisitions process from initial feasibility analysis through closing of the transaction, as well as post-closing implications of certain strategic decisions by key players.

Upon completion of the course, students will have a basic familiarity with the steps required to conduct a business acquisition and/or combination and the significant legal documents which form an integral part of that process. The application of new technologies, including blockchain and cryptocurrency, will also be explored.

This course is an approved elective for the Business Law certificate.

This course will satisfy the Practice-Oriented Writing Requirement.

NEGOTIATIONS | Law-7816
(3 Credits)

Students will practice preparing for and conducting legal negotiations. Students will learn about different approaches and theories of negotiation, develop their skills, understand their negotiating preferences and those of others, as well as deal with ethical issues. Students will do simulated negotiations involving transactions, litigation and other situations lawyers may encounter in practice. In addition to researching and preparing for the negotiations, students will draft agreements and will be asked to reflect upon and write about their learning.

This course is a core requirement for the Advocacy and Dispute Resolution Certificate.

This is a core requirement in the Certificate in Advocacy and Dispute Resolution.

This course is an approved elective for Business Law Emphasis.

This course will satisfy the Experiential Course Requirement.

PRACTICE FOUNDATIONS TRANSACTIONS | Law-7657
(3 Credits)

This course will introduce students to transactional law practice by exploring the role of lawyers in executing business-related transactions. Students will participate in exercises and simulated transactions that lawyers handle in practice. Students will practice communicating with and advising clients, drafting documents, dealing with other attorneys and handling transactions. Students will learn how transactional lawyers add value and solve problems for clients by identifying client objectives, understanding the business context of the matter, spotting legal and business issues, evaluating options, and closing a deal. Students will receive feedback about their progress and work.

For students who matriculated prior to Fall 2021, this is an upper-level course requirement and does not satisfy the practice-oriented writing requirement.

For students who matriculated in Fall 2021 or thereafter, this course will satisfy either the Practice Foundation Transactions (PFT) requirement or the practice-oriented writing requirement, but not both requirements.

PRELIMINARY HEARINGS | Law-8022
(2 Credits)

This course focuses on specialized, advanced topics in advocacy, and specifically on putting on and defending felony preliminary hearings in California. The study will include the timing of the hearing, the role of the defendant at the hearing, limitations on the right to a public hearing, the holding order, evidentiary rules at the hearing, and superior court review of the magistrate’s decision.

PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITY | Law-7139 California Bar Tested (Essay and MPRE)
(2 Credits)

This course is designed to master the law tested on the MPRE and the California Bar exam on the subject of legal ethics. Students will focus on the ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct, the ABA Model Code of Judicial Conduct, the California Rules of Professional Conduct, and relevant California state statutes. Topics include the ethical rules governing attorneys in every facet of their practice.

This course also explores what lawyers must do when confronted with a request from a client that challenges the lawyer's ethics and the conflict between the obligations to whistle-blow and to maintain client confidentiality.

REAL ESTATE TRANSACTIONS | Law-7870
(3 Credits)

A study of various aspects of real estate transactions and financing. Topics may include contracts of sale, brokerage, buyer-seller rights and obligations, title insurance, development, commercial leasing, mortgages, deeds of trust, liens, foreclosure, receivership, priorities, subordination, suretyship, securitization, tax considerations, and strategies of negotiation and drafting.

This is a core requirement in the Certificate in Environmental Law, Land Use, and Real Estate Law.

REMEDIES | Law-7328 California Bar Tested
(3 Credits)

This course presents students with an analysis of the judicial remedies available in the American system of jurisprudence. The course is designed to familiarize students with the principles of the law of damages, the law of restitution, and equity and equitable remedies.

Students with a first year cumulative GPA below a 2.6, but not in the bottom 25% of their class, must take this course as a graduation requirement. Remedies with Practice Lab, Law 7367, may be taken instead.

All students matriculating in Fall 2019 and thereafter, who at the end of their first year of study are ranked in the bottom 25% of their class MUST take Remedies and Practice Lab as a graduation requirement.

REMEDIES AND PRACTICE LAB | Law-7367 California Bar Tested
(4 Credits)

This course will cover selected legal issues in amateur and professional sports including player draft and option systems; labor and employment relations in professional sports; eligibility and discipline issues; agents and player representation; inter-league disputes; buying and moving teams; sex discrimination in sports; and Olympic competition.

This course is an approved elective for the Entertainment Law certificate.

TAX PROCEDURE & ADMINISTRATION | Law – 7609
(3 Credits)

A study of administrative procedures and taxpayer rights and remedies in dealing with the Internal Revenue Service, including assessment procedures; refund procedures; administrative appeals, conference and settlement procedures; interest; collection procedures, including tax liens and levies on property; transferee liability; limitation periods and their mitigation; burden of proof; choice of forum; IRS summons; requests for rulings and technical advice; and civil penalties.

Prerequisite: Federal Income Tax.

TRIAL PRACTICE | Law-7617
(3 Credits)

This is a practical skills course in advocacy which introduces students to the fundamental components of a typical civil and criminal trial. It requires students to perform exercises involving each component and try a mock civil or criminal case from provided problem materials. The course requires student participation in discrete exercises, including jury voir dire, opening and closing statements, and direct and cross-examination.

Prerequisites: Successful completion of Evidence.

This is a core requirement in the Certificate in Advocacy and Dispute Resolution. This course will satisfy the Experiential Course requirement.

WILLS AND TRUSTS | Law-7334 California Bar Tested
(3 Credits)

This course examines rules pertaining to intestate succession; testamentary dispositions; execution, modification, and revocation of wills, testamentary capacity and will contests; interpretation of wills; protection of spouse and children; and the use of will substitutes. The creation, types, and characteristics of trusts are also examined, including coverage of the construction of trusts, trust administration, and wealth transfer taxation.

Students with a first year cumulative GPA below a 2.6 must take this course as a graduation requirement.

BAR PREPARATION COURSES

Enrollment in Bar Preparation Courses is limited to third- and fourth-year students.

ADVANCED SELECTED TOPICS IN AMERICAN LAW | Law-7676 California Bar Tested
(3 Credits)

The enrollment in Advanced Selected Topics in American Law in the Spring will give priority to students entering their final year of law study ranked in the bottom 25% of their class and will be a small section course with no more than fifteen (15) students per section that will focus entirely on intensive writing practice in advance of the Bar Exam. Advanced Selected Topics will thus not be offered in the Fall Semester. All students are eligible for the Legal Analysis Workshop, which will be offered both in the Fall and in the Spring.

Advanced Selected Topics in American Law is only offered in the spring semester.

LEGAL ANALYSIS WORKSHOP | Law-7504 California Bar Tested
(3 Credits)

This course will focus on two of the three portions of the bar exam: the performance test and multiple choice. The performance test is a closed-universe test of your skills; bar takers are given a task memo, a file (set of documents from which to extract their client’s facts), and a library (a set of cases and/or statutes to determine the relevant law). Bar takers have ninety minutes to determine what their task is, what the legal issues and relevant law are, their client’s relevant facts, and to draft the legal document they have been asked to write. This could be a memo, a portion of a brief, a client letter, interrogatories, etc.

This class will teach students how to approach a performance test, what is expected of them, and how to accomplish the task within the requisite time. This class also teaches students the necessary skills for bar exam multiple choice questions, touching on Constitutional Law, Contracts and Sales, Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure, Evidence, Federal Civil Procedure, Real Property, and Torts.

SELECTED TOPICS IN AMERICAN LAW | Law-7636 California Bar Tested
(3 credits)

This is a skills-development course that provides students with an intensive substantive review of selected legal material routinely tested on the bar exam and relevant to law practice, including contracts, torts, civil procedure, criminal law and procedure, real property, evidence, corporations, constitutional law, professional responsibility, wills and trusts, community property, and remedies. Through the use of problems and exercises in a bar exam format, students will become familiar with the techniques for analyzing, organizing, and writing essay questions based on California law.

This is not a substitute for a bar review course, but a course on how to write good legal analysis in a particular area in a short window of time.

Because of the helpful and important nature of Selected Topics in American Law, all students are strongly encouraged to enroll even if it is not required.

CLINICAL COURSES

CRIMINAL DEFENSE CLINIC | Law-7945
(4 Credits)

Offered in partnership with the Orange County Public Defender's Office (OCPD), the Chapman University Fowler School of Law Criminal Defense Clinic (Clinic) provides a unique opportunity for second and third-year students to explore careers in advocacy, litigation, and criminal law, especially criminal defense law. Beginning on the first day of the Clinic, the professor, a Deputy Public Defender, will assign students a misdemeanor client. Students will work on all aspects of the client's case including discovery and trial preparation.

The Clinic will have a classroom component covering practice skills involved in creating and maintaining a client's file, interviewing and counseling clients, reviewing and evaluating discovery, working with a defense investigator to gather and evaluate facts, conducting substantive legal research, writing compelling motions, and being an effective courtroom advocate. The assigned reading will be available to you through free resources; no textbook is required. Students may enroll in the clinic two semesters in a row.

Prerequisites: Students are required to have taken or be concurrently enrolled in Evidence. Students must become certified law students with the California Bar. Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure, and Trial Practice are helpful but not required.

Additional Requirements: Email Professor Brown ( markbrown@chapman.edu )

With any questions you may have,
a copy of your updated resume;
a one-paragraph description of why you would like to join the Clinic;
a copy of the volunteer waiver form (attached); and
a completed background check form (attached).
Once the background check is completed and Professor Brown approves a student’s enrollment in the Clinic, the Registrar's Office will enroll the student in the course.

The clinic satisfies the experiential course requirement, and it is an approved elective for the Criminal Law Emphasis.

CRIMINAL PROSECUTION CLINIC | Law-7942
(4 Credits)

Offered in partnership with the Orange County District Attorney’s Office (OCDA), the Chapman University Fowler School of Law Criminal Prosecution Clinic allows upper-level students exploring careers in advocacy, litigation, and criminal law a unique opportunity to assist with actual cases under the supervision of an Assistant District Attorney. The clinic is comprised of both a classroom component and a fieldwork component. The classroom component of the clinic, taught by a Senior Assistant District Attorney, meets one night a week from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. to provide students with a legal and practical foundation in the prosecutorial tasks they will be called upon to perform in the field.

In the fieldwork component, students devote approximately 10-12 hours a week to conducting hearings and assisting in the prosecution of felonies and misdemeanors under the supervision of an experienced prosecutor. This course will satisfy the Experiential Course requirement and is an approved elective for the Criminal Law Emphasis. Email Professor Bogardus at kbogardus@chapman.edu with questions about the clinic.

Prerequisite: Evidence Law-7142.

Additional Requirements: Successful background check clearance (process is overseen by the OCDA) and submission of clinic application form. Upon successful completion of the background check process, the Registrar’s Office will enroll you in the course.

The clinic satisfies the experiential course requirement, and it is an approved elective for the Criminal Law Emphasis.

ELDER LAW CLINIC | Law-7565
(3 Credits)

This clinical class teaches the theory and practice of elder law, which focuses on the legal problems of older adults. The class covers health care decision making, medical ethics and end-of-life issues, public benefits for the elderly, Medicaid planning, mental capacity issues and conservatorships for the elderly, property management for the elderly, and ethical problems that arise when representing the elderly.

In addition to the classroom component, students work directly with clients and engage in interviewing, counseling, preparation of draft and final documents, and possible representation of clients in administrative hearings. The class is useful for students interested in the growing practice area of elder law or in a general practice that includes representing elderly clients. The class develops legal skills useful in almost any practice.

Enrollment is limited to 14 students.

Prerequisites: Successful completion or concurrent enrollment in Evidence and Civil Procedure II; willingness to become a Certified Law Student.

This course will satisfy the Experiential Course requirement.

ENTERTAINMENT LAW CLINIC | Law-7631
(3 Credits)

Students prepare documents and contracts for 1-6 films each semester, including: forming an LLC; acquisition of underlying rights; employment contracts for director, producer, actors and crew; location agreements and releases. Students communicate directly with the filmmaker, prepare briefing memoranda on issues unique to each film, and create client files. Students will meet to discuss drafting challenges and issues and the role of the production attorney in advising a filmmaker or production company.

Prerequisite: Entertainment Industry Contracts.

This course will satisfy the Practice-Oriented Writing Requirement OR the Experiential Course Requirement; one course cannot satisfy both requirements.

This is an approved elective for the Entertainment Law Certificate.

HOMELESS POLICY PRACTICUM | Law-7950
(3 Credits)

Official records indicate that 5,718 residents of Orange County lacked stable housing in May of 2022 with unofficial estimates much higher. The Homeless Policy Practicum is an experiential course in which students will learn and evaluate strategies for overcoming the issues that keep housing for all out of reach.

Over the course of the semester, students will work in any number of policy development functions, including creating and furthering advocacy partnerships, community outreach and education, analyzing data, developing policy and system change solutions, and supporting local or state legislative advocacy initiatives. Students work in collaboration with community groups, people with lived experience, county workers, policy advocates, and lawyers.

Students will sharpen their oral and written advocacy, problem-solving, research, and leadership skills under the supervision of Professor Seiden, who launched the OCFVC’s Homelessness-Domestic Violence Task Force in 2018.

This course will satisfy the Experiential Course Requirement.

ADVANCED MEDIATION CLINIC | Law-7849
(1-2 Credits)

This course will satisfy the Experiential Course Requirement.

MEDIATION CLINIC | Law-7330
(3 Credits)

The Mediation Clinic is designed to enable students who have completed the Mediation course, or an equivalent course, to use and develop their skills as mediators through frequent and regular practice with actual parties under the supervision of experienced mediators. While working in the Mediation Clinic students have an opportunity to work with real litigants who have filed small claims, civil harassment and limited civil cases.

The types of conflicts addressed include, but are not limited to: Neighbor/Neighbor, Landlord/Tenant, Consumer/Merchant, Business/Business, Organizational, Family/Domestic, Personal Injury and Workplace. The students also interact with practicing attorneys, judges and other court officers.

This course will satisfy the Experiential Course Requirement.

Tentative Court Schedulae for the Mediation Clinic
Monday - No court
Tuesday - 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Wednesday - 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Thursday - 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m., and 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Friday - 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m.

DISPUTE RESOLUTION FOR JUVENILES CLINIC | Law-7354
(3 Credits)

Clinic students will gain valuable experience in the criminal justice system, unique client-counseling opportunities, and hands-on mediation training/experience.

This course will satisfy the Experiential Course Requirement.

Course Requirements: The clinic meets every Tuesday and Thursday at 2:45pm-5:30pm. Our programming to in-custody Youth is conducted via Zoom. Students are expected to track at least four (4) Restorative Justice mediations (or Guardianship/Elder Abuse cases in the event the RJ mediations are minimal), which are being conducted using a full technology platform (Zoom). RJ Mediations and Guardianship/Elder Abuse cases will be scheduled throughout the week, typically ranging from 9am until 4pm.

NOTE: There is a stipend that goes along with this clinic in order to offset any expenses for your technology needs.

ADVANCED DISPUTE RESOLUTION FOR JUVENILES CLINIC | Law-7679
(1-3 Variable Credits)

Clinic students will gain valuable experience in the criminal justice system, unique client-counseling opportunities, and hands-on mediation training/experience.

This course will satisfy the Experiential Course Requirement.

NOTE: There is a stipend that goes along with this clinic in order to offset any expenses for your technology needs.

TAX LAW CLINIC | Law-7941 (Replaces course formerly titled U.S. Tax Court Clinic.)
(2-3 Variable Credits)

In this variable unit course students handle actual tax controversy and collections cases for taxpayers on a pro bono basis before the IRS and in U.S. Tax Court under special rules of student practice. Under supervision of attorney-professors, students are responsible for all aspects of their cases including interviewing clients, gathering facts and evidence, researching applicable laws, and meeting with the IRS for potential settlement. If the case is for trial, the student normally represents the client in court and completes all post-trial work.

This course is counted as an elective toward the Certificate in Taxation.

This course will satisfy the Experiential Course Requirement.

Prerequisite: Federal Income Tax.

TAX PROCEDURE AND ADMINISTRATION CLINIC | Law-7612
(1 Credit)

The clinical component of the Tax Procedure and Administration course allows students to handle actual tax controversy cases for taxpayers on a pro bono basis before the IRS and in U.S. Tax Court under special rules of student practice. Students learn the practical application of tax procedures and handle all aspects of their cases, including trial if necessary.

When taken with the Tax Procedure course, this course is counted as an elective toward the Certificate in Taxation.

This course will satisfy the Experiential Course Requirement.

Prerequisite: Federal Income Taxation and concurrent or prior enrollment in Tax Procedure and Administration.

UKRAINE WAR PRACTICUM (Fall 2023): ASSISTING VICTIMS

This Practicum focuses on the international law issues and humanitarian crisis arising from Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, the largest war in Europe since 1945. Ours is the first such legal program offered at any law school. The Ukraine War Law Practicum on Assistance for Victims and Accountability for Perpetrators. This practicum will give Chapman law students the opportunity to work on projects assisting victims of the Ukraine war.

The Practicum will be directed by Professor Michael Bazyler, Chapman law professor and founder of the law school volunteer Ukrainian Mothers and Children Transport (UMACTransport.org) Initiative, a legal aid project created in Spring 2022 to provide emergency legal assistance to fleeing Ukrainian families. See https://nationaljurist.com/national-jurist/news/professor-leads-a-project-in-assisting-ukrainian-refugees/

Bazyler’s scholarship, experience and teaching focuses on international human rights and humanitarian law, with a special emphasis on law and the Holocaust. As with the end of WWII, future lawyers will be dealing with the aftermath of the Ukraine War atrocities for many years to come. The Practicum seeks to make our law students “practice ready” for this challenge. The Practicum is graded on a numeric basis. No exams; clinical projects.

UKRAINE WAR PRACTICUM (Spring 2024): PROSECUTING PERPETRATORS

This Practicum focuses on the international law issues and humanitarian crisis arising from Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, the largest war in Europe since 1945. Ours is the first such legal program offered at any law school. The Ukraine War Law Practicum on Assistance for Victims and Accountability for Perpetrators (“Ukraine War Law Practicum”) will give Chapman law students the opportunity to engage in investigation and prosecution of aggression, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide.

Bazyler’s scholarship, experience and teaching focuses on international human rights and humanitarian law, with a special emphasis on law and the Holocaust.

The Practicum is graded on a numeric basis. No exams; clinical projects.

Note: Ukraine War Law Practicum: Assisting Victims is offered in the Fall semester and, Ukraine War Law Practicum: Prosecuting Perpetrators is offered in the Spring semester. Students may take one or both parts/sections of the Practicum.

CO-CURRICULAR COURSES:

Academic credit is on a pass/no pass basis (Variable Credits)

DIVERSITY AND SOCIAL JUSTICE FORUM STAFF | Law-7936
(1 Credit)

The Diversity and Social Justice Journal is a student-run scholarly publication at Chapman University Dale E. Fowler School of Law, dedicated to providing a forum that can give expression and representation to a wide spectrum of progressive and diverse voices at Chapman.

Subject to approval prior to registration by the faculty advisor, academic credit is awarded as follows:

Staff members may each receive one unit of academic credit per semester for a total of two units; and,
Board members may each receive one unit of academic credit per semester of participation for a total of two units.

DIVERSITY AND SOCIAL JUSTICE BOARD | Law-7937

(1 Credit)

Subject to approval prior to registration by the faculty advisor, academic credit is awarded as follows:

Staff members may each receive one unit of academic credit per semester for a total of two units; and,
Board members may each receive one unit of academic credit per semester of participation for a total of two units.

ENTERTAINMENT ONRAMP | Law-7951
(1 Credit)

Entertainment OnRamp is an interdisciplinary program that engages students accepted into the program in curriculum and activities that demonstrate the collaborative intersection between law, film, and business in the Entertainment Industry. Students will be:

Assigned to an interdisciplinary team of graduate students from the schools of film and business to undertake assignments that replicate the role of attorneys in advising and assisting their clients in the entertainment industry.
Engaged in the planning and management of events featuring noted entertainment industry professionals in speaker forums, symposia and other activities designed to provide insights into the evolving platforms of development, production, marketing, and distribution of content in today’s entertainment landscape.
Paired one-on-one with an industry professional to mentor and provide support with introductions to other industry professionals to facilitate their ultimate entry into the entertainment industry job market post-graduation.

Participants in the course may receive one unit of academic credit on a pass/no pass basis and meeting times will be by arrangement. Registration allowed with prior approval from Professor Funk, funk@chapman.edu .

EXTERNSHIP I | Law-7946
(Variable Credits)

Externships I is for first-time externs. Students who enroll for 2 or more units of Externship I will earn experiential course credit.

Externships can be taken for between 1 and 5 units during the school year and for between 1 and 6 units over the summer, except for select judicial externships that are considered “full time” and can be taken for 10 units. For details on how many hours must be worked per unit, as well as how many externships can be taken in all, see the Externship Handbook at the above link.

The Director of the Externship Program, Professor Carolyn Young Larmore ( larmore@chapman.edu), must approve all externships. To apply for admission to the Externship Program, submit a completed Externship Application to the Director as soon as possible, or at least 1 week before the start of the semester. The link to the application is found at the end of the Externship Handbook. If the Director approves the externship, students will receive a code to enroll. In addition to fieldwork, first-time externs must participate in a one-time “boot camp” held during the first two weeks of the semester. Students must also complete assigned reading and quizzes. Details will be provided once the student is enrolled.

EXTERNSHIP II | Law-7947
(Variable Credits)

Externships II is for second- and third-time externs. Students who enroll in Externship II will not earn experiential course credit.

The Director of the Externship Program, Professor Carolyn Young Larmore ( larmore@chapman.edu), must approve all externships. To apply for admission to the Externship Program, submit a completed Externship Application to the Director as soon as possible, or at least 1 week before the start of the semester. The link to the application is found at the end of the Externship Handbook. If the Director approves the externship, students will receive a code to enroll.

LAW REVIEW | Law-7860
(Variable Credits)

The Chapman Law Review is a legal journal edited and published by School of Law students selected on the basis of academic achievement and a writing competition. Students on the Chapman Law Review receive credit for demonstrable competence in scholarly writing and editing. Students are required to produce a student note as a Directed Research project under the direction of a faculty member during their first year on the Law Review.

Students may receive up to three units of credit for Directed Research during the spring semester. Students are also registered for one unit of credit in the spring semester of the first year of service on Law Review which is graded by the Law Review's faculty adviser. Thereafter, subject to approval prior to registration by the faculty adviser, senior editors may receive up to three ungraded units of academic credit per semester of participation.

SKILLS COMPETITION | Law-7861
(Variable Credits)

Experiential competitions are an important component of legal education. Such competitions offer realistic opportunities to practice research, writing, analytical, and communications skills, and to develop ethics, judgment, and professionalism.

Students may earn one unit of credit for negotiations, mediation, and client counseling competitions outside the law school, or three units for trial and appellate competitions outside the law school. T

his course may satisfy the Experiential Course Requirement with a two (2) credit minimum. Only competitions that involve a brief-writing component may satisfy the Practice Oriented Writing Requirement, and only if Professor Nancy Schultz, or another member of the faculty, agrees to supervise the revision of the brief.

This course is only available for students who have been invited to join one of the competition boards: Moot Court Board, Mock Trial Board, and ADR Board.

ACADEMIC FELLOWS AND RESEARCH ASSISTANTS

ACADEMIC FELLOWS | Law 7939
(Variable Credits)

Students must complete a minimum of 42.5 hours of work per semester per credit. For a 14-week semester, this breaks down to approximately 3 hours per week for 1 credit or 6 hours per week for 2 credits.

All Academic Fellows are expected to work approximately 5 hours per week, at minimum, regardless of the number of credits they are registered for. Students can complete these hours through fellow sessions, office hours, and preparation, in accordance with their supervising professor’s expectations. Students are expected to track hours (e.g., biweekly spreadsheet, weekly email, etc.) and must turn in their hours to their professor. Academic credit is on a pass/no pass basis.

Note: Academic Fellow credits may not exceed the student’s maximum program credit limits. Full-time students have a maximum of 16 credits; part-time students have a maximum of 11 credits. Students must contact the Office of the Law Registrar at lawregistrar@chapman.edu to register and provide the number of credits they are taking, i.e., 1 or 2 credits.

RESEARCH ASSISTANT | Law 7940
(Variable Credits)

All Research Assistants are expected to work approximately 5 hours per week, at minimum. Students can complete these hours through meetings, office hours, and preparation. Students are expected to track hours (e.g., biweekly spreadsheet, weekly email, etc.) and must turn in their hours to their professor. Academic credit is on a pass/no pass basis.

Note: Research Assistant credits may not exceed the student’s maximum program credit limits. Full-time students have a maximum of 16 credits; part-time students have a maximum of 11 credits. Students must contact the Office of the Law Registrar at lawregistrar@chapman.edu to register and provide the number of credits they are taking, i.e., 1 or 2 credits.

ADVANCED CRIMINAL PROCEDURE CAPSTONE PROGRAM | Law-7351
(3 Credits)

This course will look at the way the judicial system handles criminal cases. Topics will include initial appearance/bail, preliminary hearing/grand jury indictment, motions to be heard at the preliminary hearing stage, post-preliminary hearing/indictment motions, pretrial discovery, pretrial motions, motions in limine, trial motions, post-verdict motions and remedies. Conceptual organization and knowledge of these topics is the first goal students should achieve in this course. Additionally, the course will provide guidance on entry level practice of criminal law.

Students will review and analyze actual jury trials conducted in Orange County for various types of crimes and will be assigned to write an office memorandum for a motion to set aside an Information/Indictment, a motion to suppress evidence, and a motion to exclude a defendant’s statements. The goal of the memoranda is to teach students to argue from both the prosecution and defense perspectives. Students should be prepared to present their arguments from these memoranda orally in class.

There will be a multiple-choice midterm. In lieu of a final exam, there will be a capstone paper due at the end of the semester requiring students to analyze a criminal case from both a prosecution and defense perspective, incorporating the various topics covered in the course.

Prerequisites: Criminal Procedure: Police Practices; Practice Foundations: Criminal Litigation - this second class may be taken simultaneously with this Capstone course.

ADVANCED FEDERAL INCOME TAX | Law-7879
(2 Credits)

This course is a continuation of the basic Federal Income Taxation course. It includes federal income tax topics that are not generally addressed in detail or at all in the basic course, such as: in-depth coverage of tax accounting issues, taxation of intellectual property, taxation within families, tax consequences of litigation, alternative minimum tax, employee benefits and deferred compensation, and an introduction to basic issues of tax policy. This course is a core requirement for the Taxation certificate.

Prerequisite: Federal Income Taxation.

ADVANCED LEGAL RESEARCH | Law-7803
(2 Credits)

This course will focus on the resources, process, and strategy of legal research. The course will include instruction on primary law such as legislative and administrative documents, and secondary sources, including practice materials. Students will be required to complete several research assignments to demonstrate competence using print and online resources to research and analyze legal issues. There is no final exam.

This course may satisfy either the Experiential Course requirement or Practice-Oriented Writing requirement, but one course cannot satisfy both requirements at the same time.

ADVANCED SEMINAR : THE HOLOCAUST, GENOCIDE AND THE LAW | Law-7823
(3 credits)

This course examines international human rights law through the legacy of the Holocaust. Topics to be covered are:

The legal system of Nazi Germany;
Prosecution of Nazi war criminals at Nuremberg and subsequent prosecutions under national legal systems, including the Eichmann trial in Israel, and the work in the United States of the Office of Special Investigations in the U.S. Department of Justice;
Holocaust denial, including the Irving v. Lipstadt in England;
Holocaust and the internet, including the Yahoo decisions in France and the United States and laws in various European nations dealing with hate speech and glorification of the Nazi era;
Holocaust restitution litigation in the United States to recover stolen wartime assets, including Nazi looted art; and 6) the legal legacy of the Holocaust upon the current International Criminal Court.

ADVANCED SEMINAR: GAMBLING LAW | Law-7306
(3 Credits)

This course covers the law and policy of regulating gambling, one of the fastest growing segments of the entertainment industry. The course will examine the history and current development of, as well as possible future changes to, gambling regulation in California, the United States, and other parts of the world. Topics discussed will include casino gambling, lotteries, pari-mutuel wagering, sports-betting, Indian gaming, and Internet gambling.

This course is an approved elective for the Entertainment Law Certificate.

ADVANCED TOPIC: FOOD LAW | Law-7672
(3 Credits)

This course focuses on the federal regulatory framework for food and its history, basic requirements, and goals; law’s role in agriculture emphasizing large-scale production, public health and sustainability goals; and other regulations impacting food’s production, distribution, consumption, and sale.

Effective Spring 2023, this course will satisfy the Practice Oriented Writing Requirement.

AGENCY AND PARTNERSHIP | Law-7507 California Bar Tested
(3 Credits)

This course covers the law of agency and unincorporated business entities. The course will explore the definition and nature of a principal-agent relationship; the rights and duties of principals and agents; the scope of agents’ actual and apparent authority; the liability of disclosed and undisclosed principals for agents’ acts; agent fiduciary duties; third party rights and remedies; employer-employee and independent contractor relationships.

The course also addresses the nature of unincorporated business entities, including general and limited partnerships, limited liability partnerships, and limited liability companies. Students will study statutory and case law discussing the formation, operation, and management of these entities, and students will learn the basic internal/external rights, powers, duties, and liabilities of the entity members vis-à-vis one another and vis-à-vis outside third parties.

This course is an approved elective for the Business Law certificate.

BUSINESS ASSOCIATIONS | Law-7146 California Bar Tested
(4 Credits)

The following description is for Professor Willis’ section of this course in Spring 2024.

This course offers coverage of the fundamentals of agency and partnership along with a basic understanding of both closely held and publicly held for profit corporations and other hybrid entities. Particular attention is given to the way in which corporations organize and operate. The course examines the respective roles, relationships, responsibilities, and liability exposure of shareholders, directors and officers.

The study of corporate regulation under key portions of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the rules and regulations of the S.E.C. is included.

This course OR Corporations, is a core course requirement for the Business Law Emphasis. Students who have completed the course in Corporations may not enroll in this course.

BUSINESS PLANNING | Law-7515
(2 Credits)

The goal of this course, through reviewing actual documents and agreements (and through class discussion), is to have students become familiar with certain legal and business relationships/issues raised in documents, business agreements and other contracts -- from a practical (real life) perspective. Generally, class discussions track the formation, growth, and eventual sale of a California business.

We begin by analyzing and comparing different business entity structures. We then examine the relationship and conflicting motivations of owners, officers, and employees of a business. We move to the growth of a business with a review of the various interactions a business has with its consultants, employees, venture investors, banks, and vendors. This includes the application of corporate finance, securities, and intellectual property law principles, among others. We end the course with an examination of the eventual merger/acquisition of a business.

Practical problems and solutions are the focus of this course. It is intended to provide an important component of preparing students who will be advising and/or interacting with California businesses.

This course is an approved elective for the Business Law Emphasis. May satisfy either the Experiential Course or Practice-Oriented Writing requirement with faculty approval; one course cannot satisfy both requirements at the same time.

CALIFORNIA STREET GANGS | Law-7934
(2 Credits)

This class will study the statutes of the “Street Terrorism Enforcement and Prevention Act of 1988” [STEP] (criminalizing active gang participation) from a legal and practical standpoint. Besides an in-depth understanding of this expansive and ever-changing area of jurisprudence in California, the course will provide an analysis of how gang-related felonies proceed through California courts. It will include study of the complicated and frequently used theories of extended criminal liability used by prosecutors including conspiracy, aiding and abetting, natural and probable consequence theory and provocative-act murder.

A study of selected evidence code sections and related case law will be included to facilitate an understanding of issues, as well as common problems of proof at every gang trial. The use of guest speakers and selected autobiographical readings will provide context to this otherwise counter-intuitive culture of violence and respect.

Pre-Requisites: Criminal Law and Evidence.

This course is an approved elective for the Criminal Law certificate. This course will satisfy the Practice Oriented Writing Requirement.

CLIENT DEVELOPMENT AND MARKETING | Law-7944 (Formerly Entrepreneurship and the Law)
(3 Credits)

Today’s law firms demand more than legal proficiency; they are all looking for rainmakers who can generate a significant amount of business for the firm. Rainmakers aren’t made by accident, but rather through effective client development and marketing.

This class will cover the critical intangibles like client trust, perceived expertise, and business acumen – all learnable qualities that make lawyers more marketable and less expendable. Students will review real case studies of how lawyers built their practices from nothing into seven or even eight-figure books of business. Students will also embark on an advanced analysis of pertinent ethics rules in areas like attorney marketing and interactions with clients.

CLIENT INTERVIEWING AND COUNSELING | Law-7520
(3 Credits)

The course will focus on interpersonal aspects of client relationships as well as ethical problems that may arise in the context of client representation. Students participate in simulated interviews and counseling sessions, portraying both client and attorney. Students will be videotaped in at least one interview or counseling session and will complete several written products, including a client letter, a memo to the file, and papers analyzing the lawyering process from the perspective of both attorney and client.

This course will satisfy the Practice-Oriented Writing Requirement OR the Experiential Course Requirement; one course cannot satisfy both requirements at the same time.

This is a core requirement in the Certificate in Advocacy and Dispute Resolution.

COMMERCIAL LEASING | Law-7521
(2 Credits)

This course introduces students to one of the most important areas of real estate practice: commercial lease law and negotiation. Students are required to master elements of legal substance and theory concerning the leasing of commercial property, as well as methods of practice and negotiation. In addition to studying sophisticated commercial leases, case opinions, and other textual materials, students draft and revise provisions of commercial leases and related lease documents.

This course is an approved elective for the ENLURE certificate and the Business Law certificate.

This course will satisfy the Practice Oriented Writing Requirement.

CONSTITUTIONAL LAW | Law-7126 California Bar Tested
(4 Credits)

This course covers the powers of the three branches of the federal government, the relationship of the branches of the federal government to each other and to the States, the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, including the effect of the Fourteenth Amendment on the application of the Bill of Rights to the States, and an introduction to issues involving equal protection.

CORPORATIONS | Law-7145 California Bar Tested
(3 Credits)

This course provides a basic understanding of both closely held and publicly held for profit corporations. Particular attention is given to the way in which corporations organize and operate.

The course also examines the respective roles, relationships, responsibilities, and liability exposure of shareholders, directors and officers. The study of corporate litigation and regulation under key portions of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the rules and regulations of the S.E.C. is included.

Students who have completed the course in Business Associations may not enroll in this course.

This course, OR Business Associations, is a core course requirement for the Business Law Emphasis.

CRIMINAL PROCEDURE/POLICE PRACTICES | Law-7301 California Bar Tested
(3 Credits)

Students with a first year cumulative GPA below a 2.6 must take this course as a graduation requirement.

DIRECTED RESEARCH | Law-7850
(1-3 Credits; 12 and ½ pages minimum per credit based on standard format)

An overview of the primary areas of practice in which a lawyer and/or business affairs executive engage at a typical Hollywood studio throughout all phases of development, production, marketing and distribution of theatrical motion pictures. Emphasis will be placed on the business aspects in each of these areas and the economics of the various revenue streams exploited in such distribution. Deal structures will be taught for the customary transactions entered into for both “in-house” productions as well as films financed and/or produced by third parties but distributed by the studio (i.e. acquisitions, negative pick-ups, co-productions, split rights arrangements, etc.) as well as studio deals with financial partners to lay off economic risk. The course will conclude with an exercise in which the students will select a motion picture slate made up of various genres, cast and deal models they will select based upon the project elements of actual (but anonymous) Hollywood studio productions. The success of those slates will then be projected as revealed by the actual performance of the movies from which those elements were taken.

This course is an approved elective for the Business Law certificate and the Entertainment Law certificate.

This course will satisfy the Practice Oriented Writing Requirement OR the Experiential Course Requirement; one course cannot satisfy both requirements at the same time.

ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY CONTRACTS | Law-7830
(3 Credits)

This course prepares students for the practice of entertainment transactional law. Students will negotiate deal terms and draft a variety of contracts involved in the making of a feature film and other media. Students receive hands-on experience with entertainment industry contracts, from the inception of a creative idea, to acquiring rights, to hiring writers, directors, actors, and/or composers. The entertainment attorney’s role as advocate, negotiator, drafter and communicator throughout the course of a deal will be examined. The skills learned in this course apply not just to entertainment deals, but to negotiating and drafting contracts in many areas of law.

This course may satisfy the Practice Oriented Writing Requirement OR the Experiential Course Requirement; one course cannot satisfy both requirements at the same time.

This course is an approved elective for the Entertainment Law Certificate and the Business Law Certificate.

This course is a prerequisite to the Entertainment Law Clinic.

ENTERTAINMENT LAW | Law-7538
(3 Credits)

This course explores the legal issues connected with the development, production, and exploitation of entertainment product, focusing predominantly on filmed entertainment, to some extent on musical compositions and recordings, and incidentally on other forms of entertainment. The course examines the legal doctrines, statutes, case law and agreements that fall under the umbrella of “entertainment law.”

Topics will be drawn from the following: the structure of the entertainment industry, contractual issues, right of publicity, selected copyright and trademark issues, non-literary rights, credit, compensation and control, ethics and regulation of talent representatives such as agents, lawyers, and managers, and the legal and business controversies surrounding “newer” and emerging technologies and distribution methods. Copyright law is not a prerequisite, and this course should not be considered as a replacement for the copyright course.

This course is a core requirement for the Entertainment Law Certificate.

ENVIRONMENTAL LAW | Law-7541
(3 Credits)

This course constitutes an analysis of the ends and means of environmental protection through study of statutes, administrative regulations and practices, and judicial decisions treating the protection of the environment in the United States. Topics may include statutes that regulate pollution emissions (e.g., Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act); procedural requirements (e.g., National Environmental Policy Act, California Environmental Quality Act); administrative law (e.g., standing, standards of judicial review); hazardous and toxic substances and wastes; risk assessment and management; natural resources and wildlife conservation; enforcement and liability; and environmental justice.

This is a core requirement in the Certificate in Environmental Law, Land Use, and Real Estate Law.

The grade in this course is based on a paper.

This course will satisfy the Practice Oriented Writing requirement with professor approval.

ESTATE PLANNING | Law-7837
(2 Credits)

An estate planning course, looking at both small and large estates, with consideration of lifetime and testamentary dispositions of property, the use of the marital and charitable bequests, estate tax savings strategies, and the use of life insurance.

The course will look at the drafting and use of estate planning documents, such as wills, inter vivos trusts, insurance trusts, living wills and durable powers of attorney and provide an overview of special issues for estates including substantial closely held business interests.

This course is an approved elective for the Tax Law Emphasis.

EVIDENCE | Law-7142 California Bar Tested
(4 Credits)

This course covers the standards regulating admissibility of evidence in both criminal and civil trials. Special emphasis is placed on the Federal Rules of Evidence.

Evidence with Professor Mainero (usually offered in the Fall) covers both the Federal Rules of Evidence and the California Code, and thus covers two bar tested subjects.

Students who take Evidence with Professor Mainero may not take the elective California Evidence course because the elective is duplicative of the material covered in Professor Mainero’s Evidence course.

FAMILY LAW | Law-7542
(3 Credits)

This course will cover California family law. It will be a doctrinal class. The following topics will be covered: cohabitation and marriage; divorce and annulment; parentage and child custody; child support, spousal support and property division; and domestic violence. It may also include one or more of the following topics: adoption, surrogacy, in vitro fertilization, and international child adoption. The class will be helpful for taking the California bar and practicing family law.

Spring 2024 offering of this course, with Professor Terrazas, will satisfy the practice-oriented writing requirement.

FEDERAL COURTS/JURISDICTION | Law-7543
(3 Credits)

This course examines the scope of the federal judicial power and the role of the federal judiciary in our constitutional system. It considers the relationship of the federal courts to the legislative and executive branches of the federal government, and the relationship of the federal courts to the state courts. As such, class discussion naturally focuses on separation of powers and federalism principles.

Topics may include Supreme Court jurisdiction, congressional control of federal court jurisdiction, justiciability, non-Article III courts, state sovereign immunity, federal court abstention, section 1983, federal review of state court decisions, and federal habeas corpus.

Prerequisite or concurrent enrollment: Constitutional Law.

FEDERAL INCOME TAX | Law-7133
(3 Credits)

This course introduces students to the system of federal income taxation of individuals. The tax system is studied with emphasis on basic concepts rather than detailed computations. Significant attention is given to the public policy served by various provisions of the Internal Revenue Code. Primary consideration is given to principles and policies relating to the taxation of individuals including procedure, income, deductions, gains and losses, and transactional aspects of income taxation. The Internal Revenue Code and Regulations are emphasized.

This course is a J.D. graduation requirement for students who matriculated at the law school prior to Fall 2021.

This course is a core requirement for the Certificate in Taxation Emphasis and the Certificate for Business Law Emphasis.

Students interested in the Tax Emphasis Certificate must take this course in the 2L year as it is a prerequisite for other tax courses.

FINANCIAL ACCOUNTING (3) | Law-7855

This course represents an introduction to accounting for students with little background in the field. Initial emphasis is on established accounting principles and the analysis of financial statements. The course’s perspective is that of a business attorney who might use financial statements to advise clients in various legal settings (e.g., the drafting of financial contracts and the valuation of businesses). Applications to securities law are also considered.

This course is a core requirement for the Business Law Emphasis program and the Entrepreneurship Emphasis program; however, this may be waived upon verification that the student previously completed a comparable course in their undergraduate/graduate studies. The course previously taken will not be accepted in transfer, but it is only to waive out of this requirement for the emphasis.

Students must contact the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, Dean Jenny Carey, to request a waiver based on an accounting course previously taken.

FINANCIAL LITERACY FOR LAWYERS | Law-7677
(3 Credits)

Money is the crux of most civil disputes and transactional law. It is also an issue that confounds many lawyers personally, as evidenced by the large number of them working into their golden years by necessity. This survey course aims to demystify all things money, help students maximize the financial return on their law degree, and help future lawyers better understand their clients’ financial interests. We accomplish this by examining the U.S. financial system from both a legal and a business perspective.

Students will learn the fundamentals of the financial regulatory structure, applicable laws, and how wealth is built and protected. Topics covered include: the regulatory framework of the U.S. financial system; depository products; equity and debt investments; digital currencies and NFT’s; common vehicles for investment (retirement plans, brokerage accounts, 529 plans, etc.); lending; venture capitalism/debt; and asset protection strategies.

No financial or business background is required. The instructor’s goal is for students to leave law school not only “practice ready,” but life ready.

This course is a core requirement for the Entrepreneurship Certificate Program.

FUNDAMENTALS OF IN-HOUSE CORPORATE PRACTICE | Law-7854
(2 Credits)

The course will focus on developing a skill set for an in-house corporate generalist addressing issues related to: corporate formation and administration, real property acquisition, facilities management (e.g., construction contracts), work force and labor issues (e.g., ADA compliance and workplace harassment/discrimination), litigation, and the management and defense of intellectual property.

Students will have the opportunity to perform exercises relating to each of the substantive areas of in-house practice through actual case studies of corporate legal issues and simulating actual assignments as corporate counsel. Outside reading consists of articles and excerpts of published materials. Class sessions consist of lecture, class discussion, practical exercises, and presentations, with some prominent in-house lawyers and general counsel as guest speakers, and networking opportunities.

This course is an approved elective for Business Law Emphasis.
This course will satisfy the Practice Oriented Writing requirement.

HOUSING LAW AND POLICY SEMINAR | Law-7952
(2 Credits)

Shelter is one of the most basic human needs, but the terms on which housing is provided -- when, where, and for whom – are deeply politically contested and the subject of a large body of law. This course will explore both the law and policy related to the provision of housing, focusing on California but with reference also to federal law and the law of other states where relevant. We will touch on key debates surrounding supply and affordability, gentrification, racial discrimination and segregation, homelessness, and others.

The course is expected to cover topics including, but not necessarily limited to the federal Fair Housing Act, mortgage lending policy, the RHNA/Housing Element Law, Density Bonus Law, Housing Accountability Act, California Environmental Quality Act, Section 8 voucher program, Low Income Housing Tax Credits, rent control, inclusionary zoning, and more. Students will engage with statutory and case law as well as policy literature, including in-class and take-home practice exercises in addition to readings. Land use is helpful as a prerequisite but not required.

This is an elective for the ENLURE certificate.

IMMIGRATION, CRIMINALITY, AND THE CONSTITUTION | Law-7314
(3 Credits)

This course addresses the intersection of the criminal justice system and immigration law, or “crimmigration.” Through a balanced approach to practice and theory this course will trace crimmigration’s origins and criminality as a mechanism of social control. The seminar will start with an overview of immigration law, including historical context, constitutional underpinnings, and fundamental terms of art and concepts pertaining to United States federal immigration regulation.

After laying this foundation, we will explore crime-based removal and inadmissibility, immigration detention, the right to counsel, and recent constitutional equal protection challenges to border enforcement practices. The course will facilitate development of skills in analyzing statutes and regulations concerning immigration regulation and build knowledge of procedural and substantive constitutional requirements and limits. Students will complete up to two writing assignments in lieu of a final exam, one of which shall be a high-quality writing sample. Students will also make in-class presentations. There are no perquisites for this seminar, but Immigration Law is recommended.

This course is an approved elective for the Criminal Law Emphasis and will satisfy the Practice-Oriented Writing Requirement.

INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL LAW | Law-7332
(3 Credits)

This course will study the development of international criminal law since the mid-20th century. Study will include the main doctrines of international criminal law and procedure, including concepts of jurisdiction, substantive international crimes and defenses, modes of international criminal responsibility, procedures and attributes of various international tribunals, and the strengths and weaknesses of international criminal law compared to other mechanisms of enforcing international norms and obligations. Ad hoc international criminal tribunals (e.g., Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia), the International Criminal Court, and nationally-based prosecution and accountability mechanisms will also be considered, with an emphasis on U.S. practice and policy in this field.

INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL LAW | Law-7332
(3 Credits)

Ad hoc international criminal tribunals (e.g., Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia), the International Criminal Court, and nationally based prosecution and accountability mechanisms will also be considered, with an emphasis on U.S. practice and policy in this field.

This course is an approved elective for the Criminal Law Emphasis and the International Law Emphasis.

INTERNATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL LAW | Law-7557
(3 Credits)

One Earth. One Atmosphere. Nearly 200 countries. Immense economic differences. Numerous irreversible environmental challenges. An intentional legal system with nearly no compulsory jurisdiction. What can lawyers do? This the question that this course, International Environmental Law will explore.

The objective of the course is to explore legal responses a range of environmental challenges, from climate change to ozone layer depletion, biodiversity depletion, and human rights violations from environmental harms.

The course is designed to develop international lawyering skills, and to think creatively in using law as a tool to address a host of critical environmental problems. Students will not only acquire knowledge about treaties and other international environmental law instruments, but also regarding intersection between domestic law and international law in addressing environmental problems. Students will be encouraged to think critically about the scope and limits of law, and to envision “out of the box” legal solutions.

This course will satisfy the Practice Oriented Writing requirement and it is an elective for the International Law Emphasis and the ENLURE emphasis programs.

LAW PRACTICE MANAGEMENT | Law-7646
(3 Credits)

This course counts toward the experiential course requirement. This course is an approved elective for the Entrepreneurship Emphasis Track 1.

In addition, students who are required to take this course must do so during their second year of study.

All students may take this course, but priority is given to students who are required to take it for graduation.

LEGAL WRITING SKILLS | Law-7575
(3 Credits)

Note: Any students who received a grade below 2.0 in Legal Analysis Research and Writing I and/or Legal Analysis Research and Writing II or if recommended by the LAWR professors must take this course as a condition of graduation.

In addition, students who are required to take this course must do so during their second year of study.

All students may take this course, but priority is given to students who are required to take it for graduation.

MEDIATION | Law-7581
(3 Credits)

This course is an approved elective for the Advocacy and Dispute Resolution Certificate.

This course will satisfy the Experiential Course Requirement.

NATIONAL SECURITY LAW | Law 7569
(3 Credits)

National Security law focuses on how law regulates U.S. national security policies, practices, and institutions. Organized as an introduction into these issues, it covers how national security responsibilities are shared between the branches of government, the role of international law, the use of armed forces abroad, intelligence operations, and detention. This includes topics such as NSA operations, Guantanamo, and conflicts in Afghanistan, Libya, and Vietnam. Legal sources studied include: the Constitution, statutes, treaties, customary international law, executive orders, departmental regulations, and historical precedents.

Prerequisite: Constitutional Law.

This course will satisfy the Practice-Oriented Writing Requirement. Enrollment is limited to 20 students.

This course is an approved elective for the International Law Certificate.

NEGOTIATIONS | Law-7816
(3 Credits)

Students will do simulated negotiations involving transactions, litigation and other situations lawyers may encounter in practice. In addition to researching and preparing for the negotiations, students will draft agreements and will be asked to reflect upon and write about their learning. This course is a core requirement for the Advocacy and Dispute Resolution Certificate.

This is a core requirement in the Certificate in Advocacy and Dispute Resolution.

This course is an approved elective for the Business Law Emphasis.

This course will satisfy the Experiential Course Requirement.

PATENT LAW AND PRACTICE | Law-7815
(3 Credits)

This course offers an in-depth exploration of patent law. The course covers standards for patentability, the patent application process, claim construction, infringement, defenses to infringement, and remedies for patent infringement. The course also includes discussion and practical exercises related to the practice of patent law. We will also touch upon the distinction between patent law and the law of trade secrets. Students are not required to have a technical background to take this course.

This course is an approved elective for the Business Law certificate.

This course will satisfy the Practice Oriented Writing requirement.

PRACTICE FOUNDATIONS: CIVIL | Law-7362
(3 Credits)

In this course, students will learn the basics of civil litigation from case initiation to trial. Students will work in teams to draft and answer complaints, create discovery plans, draft trial briefs, and argue their cases to the class. The class will also discuss client interviewing, mediation, settlement, and trial.

Students are required to take either Practice Foundations—Civil, Practice Foundations—Criminal Litigation, or Practice Foundations—Transactions prior to graduation.

Students who take a second Practice Foundations course may use it to satisfy the practice-oriented writing requirement, or the experiential course requirement, but not both..

PRACTICE FOUNDATIONS: CRIMINAL LITIGATION | Law-7665
(3 Credits)

This course exposes students to the mechanics of criminal litigation. Students will study the stages of the criminal process from charging through sentencing. There will also be instruction in advanced legal writing techniques and students will produce written briefs of the type frequently filed in trial courts in criminal litigation. The course will heavily emphasize California practice and procedure, although there will be some consideration of competing approaches taken in other jurisdictions. Students will learn primarily through simulated exercises in which students will act as lawyers litigating the various stages of a criminal case.

Grading will be based on performance in the simulated exercises as well as on several written exercises. This course is strongly recommended for students interested in practicing criminal law. Students in this course need not have taken Evidence or Trial Practice.

Prerequisite: Criminal Procedure: Police Practices.

This course is a core requirement for the Criminal Law Certificate. Students are required to take either Practice Foundations—Civil, Practice Foundations—Criminal Litigation, or Practice Foundations—Transactions prior to graduation.

Students who take a second Practice Foundations course may use it to satisfy the practice-oriented writing requirement, or the experiential course requirement, but not both.

PRACTICE FOUNDATIONS: TRANSACTIONS | Law-7657
(3 Credits)

This course will introduce students to transactional law practice by exploring the role of lawyers in executing business-related transactions. Students will participate in exercises and simulated transactions that lawyers handle in practice. Students will practice communicating with and advising clients, drafting documents, dealing with other attorneys, and handling transactions. Students will learn how transactional lawyers add value and solve problems for clients by identifying client objectives, understanding the business context of the matter, spotting legal and business issues, evaluating options, and closing a deal. Students will receive feedback about their progress and work.

Students are required to take either Practice Foundations—Civil, Practice Foundations—Criminal Litigation, or Practice Foundations—Transactions prior to graduation.

Students who take a second Practice Foundations course may use it to satisfy the practice-oriented writing requirement, or the experiential course requirement, but not both.

PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITY | Law-7139 California Bar Tested (General Bar Exam and MPRE)
(2 Credits)

TThis course is designed to master the law tested on the MPRE and the California Bar exam on the subject of legal ethics. Students will focus on the ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct, the ABA Model Code of Judicial Conduct, the California Rules of Professional Conduct, and relevant California state statutes. Topics include the ethical rules governing attorneys in every facet of their practice.

This course covers the federal regulation of the distribution and sale of stocks and other securities as a means of financing business operations. Students will closely examine the Securities Act of 1933 and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. The course will explore such topics as the definition and nature of securities; the registration and sale of securities to investors; exemptions from registration for public and private offerings; the philosophy of mandatory disclosure rules; the work of the Securities and Exchange Commission; the role of underwriters; civil and criminal liability of corporate issuers, directors, and officers for fraud and manipulation of securities markets; the regulation of brokers and dealers; and the unique professional responsibilities of attorneys who practice in the securities field. It is recommended that students successfully complete Corporations prior to this course.

This course is an approved elective for the Business Law certificate.

TAXATION OF BUSINESS ORGANIZATIONS | Law-7608
(3 Credits)

Problems in the taxation of subchapter K partnerships, subchapter C corporations, and subchapter S corporations are covered by this course. Topics pertaining to partnership taxation include the formation, operation, and termination of general and limited partnerships. Class discussion is held concerning the definition of the partnership and the possible treatment of a partnership and the possible treatment of a partnership as an association.

Topics pertaining to corporate taxation include tax treatment of a corporation and a corporate shareholder with respect to corporate formation; organization and property transfers, dividends and distributed income; accumulated earnings and undistributed income; non-liquidating corporate distributions; collapsible corporations; personal holding companies; and sale or liquidation of a corporation.

Prerequisite: Federal Income Tax.

This course is a core requirement for the Certificate in Taxation.

This course is an approved elective for the Business Law certificate.

This course is also a prerequisite for JD students who wish to enroll in Corporate Tax.

TRADEMARKS AND UNFAIR COMPETITION | Law-7824
(3 Credits)

This advanced course in intellectual property covers topics related to trademarks and unfair competition. The course will address the economic and policy aspects of trademark and unfair competition law in the federal and international systems, including related areas of comparative advertising and consumer protection law, and their adaptation to the internet age. The course will probe fundamental concepts like priority, use in commerce, distinctiveness, likelihood of confusion, geographical indicators, dilution and fair uses.

Through a combination of assignments and guest lectures from diverse California industries, students will be exposed to the challenges facing trademark practitioners, including selection and federal registration of marks, licensing, pursuing counterfeiters, defending against infringement claims, and assessing non-infringing uses.

During the semester, students will be expected to undertake and complete several practical assignments that together will apply toward satisfying the course’s writing requirements (which is in lieu of a final exam). These may include conducting an initial trademark clearance search, preparing an opinion letter on the availability of a mark for a new business, filing a (mock) intent to use registration at the USPTO, preparing a cease-and-desist letter, drafting a trademark license, and providing a client advisory on a recent case of interest. In addition to casebook assignments, students will be responsible for monitoring and analyzing trademark and unfair competition disputes in the news and presenting them in class

This course will satisfy the Practice Oriented Writing Requirement.

TRIAL PRACTICE | Law-7617
(3 Credits)

This is a practical skills course in advocacy which introduces students to the fundamental components of a typical civil and criminal trial. It requires students to perform exercises involving each component, and try a mock civil or criminal case from provided problem materials. The course requires student participation in discrete exercises, including jury voir dire, opening and closing statements, and direct and cross-examination.

Prerequisite: Successful completion of Evidence.

This course will satisfy the Experiential Course requirement.

This course is a core requirement for the Advocacy and Dispute Resolution certificate.

This course will meet the Law School’s Experiential Course requirement.

U.S. TAXATION OF INTERNATIONAL INCOME | Law-7880
(3 Credits)

An introduction to the U.S. taxation of international transactions, with consideration of policy and jurisdictional issues involved in the U.S. international tax laws and the U.S. tax treaty network. Topics covered will include source of income rules, taxation of foreign persons with passive U.S. investments, taxation of foreign persons operating a U.S. trade or business, taxation of foreign-owned U.S. real property interests, the branch profits tax, and the effect of U.S. tax treaties on such “inbound” transactions.

The course will also cover the U.S. taxation of worldwide income of U.S. citizens and residents, including the U.S taxation of “outbound” transactions (foreign activities of U.S. persons), the recent changes to U.S. taxation of foreign subsidiaries of U.S. parent companies, the effect of U.S. tax treaties, and the foreign tax credit mechanism.

J.D. Prerequisite: Federal Income Tax.
LL.M. Prerequisite: Income Taxation for LL.M. Students.

WILLS AND TRUSTS | Law-7334 California Bar Tested
(3 Credits)

Students with a first year cumulative GPA below a 2.6 must take this course as a graduation requirement.

BAR PREPARATION COURSES

Enrollment in Bar Preparation Courses is limited to 3L, and 4L students.

ADVANCED SELECTED TOPICS IN AMERICAN LAW | Law-7676 California Bar Tested
(3 Credits)

The enrollment in Advanced Selected Topics in American Law in the Spring will give priority to students entering their final year of law study ranked in the bottom 25% of their class and will be a small section course with no more than fifteen (15) students per section that will focus entirely on intensive writing practice in advance of the Bar Exam. Advanced Selected Topics will thus not be offered in the Fall Semester. All students are eligible for Legal Analysis Workshop, which will be offered both in the Fall and in the Spring.

Advanced Selected Topics in American Law is only offered in the spring semester.

LEGAL ANALYSIS WORKSHOP | Law-7504 California Bar Tested
(3 Credits)

All students entering their final year of law study ranked in the bottom 25% of their class MUST take Selected Topics in American Law in the fall semester and MUST take Advanced Selected Topics in the spring semester.

Because of the helpful and important nature of Selected Topics in American Law, all students are strongly encouraged to enroll even if it is not required.

CLINICAL COURSES

CRIMINAL DEFENSE CLINIC | Law-7945
(4 Credits)

Offered in partnership with the Orange County Public Defender's Office (OCPD), the Chapman University Fowler School of Law Criminal Defense Clinic (Clinic) provides a unique opportunity for second and third-year students to explore careers in advocacy, litigation, and criminal law, especially criminal defense law. Beginning on the first day of the Clinic, the professor, a Deputy Public Defender, will assign students a misdemeanor client. Students will work on all aspects of the client's case including discovery and trial preparation.

Additional Requirements: Email Professor Brown ( markbrown@chapman.edu)

with any questions you may have,
a copy of your updated resume;
a one-paragraph description of why you would like to join the Clinic;
a copy of the volunteer waiver form; and
a completed background check form.
Once the background check is completed and Professor Brown approves a student’s enrollment in the Clinic, the Registrar's Office will enroll the student in the course.

The clinic satisfies the experiential course requirement, and it is an approved elective for the Criminal Law Emphasis.

CRIMINAL PROSECUTION CLINIC | Law-7942
(4 Credits)

The classroom component of the clinic, taught by a Senior Assistant District Attorney, meets one night a week from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. to provide students with a legal and practical foundation in the prosecutorial tasks they will be called upon to perform in the field. In the fieldwork component, students devote approximately 10-12 hours a week to conducting hearings and assisting in the prosecution of felonies and misdemeanors under the supervision of an experienced prosecutor. This course will satisfy the Experiential Course requirement and is an approved elective for the Criminal Law Emphasis.

Email Professor Bogardus ( kbogardus@chapman.edu) with questions about the clinic.

Prerequisite or concurrent enrollment: Evidence Law-7142.

The clinic satisfies the experiential course requirement, and it is an approved elective for the Criminal Law Emphasis.

ENTERTAINMENT LAW CLINIC | Law-7631
(3 Credits)

This course will provide students with the opportunity to work with low budget independent filmmakers. Students conduct client interviews with Directors and Producers who are about to begin production on feature length films. Students prepare documents and contracts for 1-6 films each semester, including: forming an LLC; acquisition of underlying rights; employment contracts for director, producer, actors and crew; location agreements and releases. Students communicate directly with the filmmaker, prepare briefing memoranda on issues unique to each film, and create client files. Students will meet to discuss drafting challenges and issues and the role of the production attorney in advising a filmmaker or production company.

Prerequisite: Entertainment Industry Contracts.

This course will satisfy the Practice-Oriented Writing Requirement OR the Experiential Course Requirement; one course cannot satisfy both requirements.

This is an approved elective for the Entertainment Law Certificate.

HOMELESS POLICY PRACTICUM | Law-7950
(3 Credits)

Students work in collaboration with community groups, people with lived experience, county workers, policy advocates, and lawyers. Students will sharpen their oral and written advocacy, problem-solving, research, and leadership skills under the supervision of Professor Seiden, who launched the OCFVC’s Homelessness-Domestic Violence Task Force in 2018.

This course will satisfy the Experiential Course Requirement.

ADVANCED MEDIATION CLINIC | Law-7849
(1-3 Credits)

The Advanced Mediation Clinic provides an opportunity for students who have completed a semester in the Mediation Clinic to continue mediating court cases. Students in the advanced clinic seek ways to expand their mediation skills by working with mediation practitioners and exploring various techniques employed in mediation. Advanced clinic students co-mediate with Mediation Clinic students, providing assistance and guidance in the early stages of the Mediation Clinic experience.

Through this practice, advanced clinical students develop their mediation skills while teaching others. There is no weekly classroom meeting for students in the Advanced Mediation Clinic. Students meet regularly with clinic faculty during the semester and submit weekly journal entries for the cases mediated.

This course will satisfy the Experiential Course Requirement.

MEDIATION CLINIC | Law-7330
(3 Credits)

Students gain exposure to and experience dealing with a variety of conflict types across several areas of the law, including: Neighbor/Neighbor, Landlord/Tenant, Consumer/Merchant, Business/Business, Family/Domestic, Personal Injury and Employment/Workplace disputes. Students also interact with practicing attorneys, judges, and other court officers. The Mediation Clinic requires students to serve as mediators in court and to attend class each Monday morning. Students will be graded on full participation in the Mediation Clinic including, weekly journal assignments, regular court attendance, class participation and willingness to mediate.

This course will satisfy the Experiential Course Requirement.

Tentative Court Schedule for the Mediation Clinic
Monday - No court
Tuesday - 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Wednesday - 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Thursday - 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Friday - 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m.

DISPUTE RESOLUTION FOR JUVENILES CLINIC | Law-7354
(3 Credits)

The Criminal Justice Dispute Resolution Clinic & Mediation Clinic for Juveniles is a clinic based on the tenets of Restorative Justice, an approach to criminal justice that aims, through reconciliation with the victim, to repair the harm caused by the offender’s criminal behavior. Providing students with a unique opportunity to implement Restorative Justice and Restorative Practice, this clinic offers two approaches. First, clinic students will teach dispute resolution to in-custody juveniles, giving them tools to react differently to the conflicts with which they are confronted. Second, clinic students participate in Restorative Justice mediations between victims and Youth. Students will then draft settlement agreements.

Course Requirements: The clinic meets every Tuesday and Thursday at 2:45 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.

Our programming to in-custody Youth is conducted via Zoom with opportunities to interact with the Youth in the afternoons (2:45 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.) on Mondays, Tuesdays (required), Wednesdays, and Thursdays (required). Students are expected to track at least four (4) Restorative Justice mediations (or Guardianship/Elder Abuse cases in the event the RJ mediations are minimal), which are being conducted using a full technology platform (Zoom).

RJ Mediations and Guardianship/Elder Abuse cases will be scheduled throughout the week, typically ranging from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. with some family/Youth/Victim appointments scheduled between 5:30 p.m. until 8:30 p.m. on various days.

NOTE: There is a stipend that goes along with this clinic designed to offset any expenses for your technology needs.

ADVANCED DISPUTE RESOLUTION FOR JUVENILES CLINIC | Law-7679
(1-3 Variable Credits)

First,clinic students will teach dispute resolution to in-custody juveniles, giving them tools to react differently to the conflicts with which they are confronted.

Second,clinic students participate in Restorative Justice mediations between victims and Youth. Students will then draft settlement agreements.

Course Requirements: The clinic meets every Tuesday and Thursday at 2:45 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. Our programming to in-custody Youth is conducted via Zoom with opportunities to interact with the Youth in the afternoon block (2:45 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.) on Mondays, Tuesdays (required), Wednesdays, and Thursdays (required).

Students are expected to track at least four (4) Restorative Justice mediations (or Guardianship/Elder Abuse cases in the event the RJ mediations are minimal), which are being conducted using a full technology platform (Zoom). RJ Mediations and Guardianship/Elder Abuse cases will be scheduled throughout the week, typically ranging from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. with some family/Youth/Victim appointments scheduled between 5:30 p.m. until 8:30 p.m. on various days.

NOTE: There is a stipend that goes along with this clinic designed to offset any expenses for your technology needs. 120 hours of experiential time (excluding class time) are required.

TAX LAW CLINIC | Law-7941 (Replaces course formerly titled U.S. Tax Court Clinic)
(2-3 Variable Credits )

This course is counted as an elective toward the Certificate in Taxation.

This course will satisfy the Experiential Course Requirement.

Prerequisite: Federal Income Tax.

UKRAINE WAR PRACTICUM (Fall 2023): ASSISTING VICTIMS

The Practicum will be directed by Professor Michael Bazyler, Chapman law professor and founder of the law school volunteer Ukrainian Mothers and Children Transport ( UMACTransport.org) Initiative, a legal aid project created in Spring 2022 to provide emergency legal assistance to fleeing Ukrainian families. See https://nationaljurist.com/national-jurist/news/professor-leads-a-project-in-assisting-ukrainian-refugees/

This course will satisfy the experiential course requirement.

INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL LAW PRACICUM (Spring 2024): THE UKRAINE WAR

This Practicum focuses on the international law issues and humanitarian crisis arising from Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, the largest war in Europe since 1945. Ours is the first such legal program offered at any law school. The Ukraine War Law Practicum on Assistance for Victims and Accountability for Perpetrators (“Ukraine War Law Practicum”) will give Chapman law students the opportunity to engage in investigation and prosecution of aggression, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide.

The Practicum will be directed by Professor Michael Bazyler, Chapman Law professor and founder of the law school volunteer group: Ukrainian Mothers and Children Transport ( UMACTransport.org) Initiative, a legal aid project created in Spring 2022 to provide emergency legal assistance to fleeing Ukrainian families. See https://nationaljurist.com/national-jurist/news/professor-leads-a-project-in-assisting-ukrainian-refugees/

Bazyler’s scholarship, experience and teaching focuses on international human rights and humanitarian law, with a special emphasis on law and the Holocaust.

The Practicum is graded on a numeric basis. No exams; clinical projects.

Note: Effective Spring 2024, this course will satisfy the Practice-Oriented Writing Requirement OR the Experiential Course Requirement; one course cannot satisfy both requirements at the same time.

Note: Ukraine War Law Practicum: Assisting Victims is offered in the Fall semester and International Criminal Law Practicum: The Ukraine War is offered in the Spring semester. Students may take one or both parts/sections of the Practicum.

CO-CURRICULAR COURSES:

Academic credit is on a pass/no pass basis (Variable Credits)

ACADEMIC FELLOWS | Law 7939
(Variable Credits)

Subject to approval prior to registration by the faculty advisor, academic credit is awarded as follows:

1. Staff members may each receive one unit of academic credit per semester for a total of two units; and,
2. Board members may each receive one unit of academic credit per semester of participation for a total of two units.

EXTERNSHIP I | Law-7946
(Variable Credits)

Externships I is for first-time externs. Students who enroll for 2 or more units of Externship I will earn experiential course credit.

Externships II is for second- and third-time externs. Students who enroll in Externship II will not earn experiential course credit.

The Director of the Externship Program, Professor Carolyn Young Larmore ( larmore@chapman.edu), must approve all externships. To apply for admission to the Externship Program, submit a completed Externship Application to the Director as soon as possible, or at least 1 week before the start of the semester. The link to the application is found at the end of the Externship Handbook. If the Director approves the externship, students will receive a code to enroll.

LAW REVIEW | Law-7860

The Chapman Law Review is a legal journal edited and published by School of Law students selected on the basis of academic achievement and a writing competition. Students on the Chapman Law Review receive credit for demonstrable competence in scholarly writing and editing. Students are required to produce a student note as a Directed Research project under the direction of a faculty member during their first year on the Law Review.

This course is only available for students who have been invited to join one of the competition boards: Moot Court Board, Mock Trial Board, and ADR Board.