First Year Courses
Civil Procedure. (Law 516/G-517/G; 6 cr.-3 cr. each semester) An introduction to the theory and practice of litigation in federal and state courts. Topics studied include jurisdiction, pleading, joinder, discovery, motion practice, the right to jury trial, trial and post-trial motions, appellate review and preclusion doctrine.
Contracts. (Law 501/G-502/G; 6 cr.-3 cr. each semester) The basic principles governing the creation, interpretation and enforcement of private agreements.
Criminal Law. (Law 508/G; 3 cr. spring semester) Substantive criminal law, focusing on the theoretical foundations, general principles and doctrines that govern the rules of liability and defenses, both in the common law tradition and under the Model Penal Code.
Legal Research & Writing. (Law 513/G-514/G; 6 cr.-3 cr. each semester) An introduction to the sources and the literature of the law. The course emphasizes the function and content of basic legal materials, their use in the analysis and solution of legal problems and the preparation of legal memoranda and appellate briefs.
Property. (Law 505/G-506/G; 6 cr.-3 cr. each semester) Depending upon the section, the course may include problems in possession, gifts of personal property, bona fide purchasers of personal property including recording and priorities, estates in land, landlord and tenant, the modern land transaction, controlling the use of land, easements, licenses and equitable servitudes and constitutional limitations on the power of government to restrict individual economic liberties.
Torts. (Law 503/G-504/G; 6 cr.-3 cr. each semester) The legal protection afforded in civil proceedings against interference with the security of one's person, property, relations and other intangible interests. The course covers the substantive principles that govern tort claims (ranging from claims for intentional wrongdoing, to negligence claims, to claims that the defendant is strictly liable for harms caused to the plaintiff), and further explores the theoretical bases and practical implications of such claims.
