Course Descriptions

The Colorado Law courses and seminars listed below have been taught in the last three academic years, however, they are not always offered every year. Frequently, faculty develop new seminars to reflect current developments in the law and in their research interests; these seminars may be offered only periodically. The listed courses are taught regularly. Consult "Planned Course Offering Schedule" to determine the next term a course will be taught. Go to "Calendars and Schedules" to find a list of the courses and seminars being offered in the current academic term.

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Labor Law - LAWS 6511
Studies the subjects of evolution of labor relations laws; how a collective bargaining relationship is established; negotiation of the collective bargaining agreement; labor and the antitrust laws; and rights of the individual worker. The course materials frame the issue of how a developed or post-industrial democracy deals with the problems that arise out of the employment relationship: of the choices between laissez-faire, substantive regulation, and the private ordering of the employment relationship through the collective bargaining process. This course is offered at least every other year.

Land Conservation Law - LAWS 7164
Focuses on private land conservation efforts in the United States, and particularly Colorado, and also considers public land conservation programs. Analyzes real property principles and instruments used to protect land, and the development and acceptance of conservation easements in gross as a mechanism for protection, financing mechanisms for land conservation, including direct government funding and indirect funding through tax incentives at the federal, state and local levels. Understanding of Real Property and Tax concepts helpful.

Land Use Planning - LAWS 7154
The course focuses on the regulation of private land use and development, with topics that include planning, zoning and other primary land-use regulatory regimes, as well as the constitutional and statutory limitations on the public regulation of land use. There are no prerequisites for this course.

Law and Democratic Governance - LAWS 8205
Explores cutting-edge debates in election law. Studies different perspectives on the current controversies in the field, in addition to select opportunities to engage scholars directly about their work. Develops students’ understanding of the law of democracy, exposing students to some of the best scholarship, and improving students’ ability to evaluate and critique legal scholarship.

Law and Economic Development - LAWS 8450
Explores past and present debates over the role of the legal order in economic development. Studies the relationships among economic ideas, legal ideas and the development policies pursued at the national and international level in successive historical periods, beginning in the Seventeenth Century to the present. Focuses on the potential for an alliance of various traditions from economics, law and other disciplines to understand development.

Law and Economics of the Information Age - LAWS 8341
Examines basic regulatory and legal challenges of our information economy and digital age. Emphasis will be placed on the "networked" information industries, the proper role of "unbundling" policies to advance competition, and how intellectual property and antitrust rules should be developed. Prerequisite: Telecommunications Law and Policy, Antitrust, Law and Economics, or Copyright.

Law and Economics of Utility Regulation - LAWS 8351
Discusses economics of regulation and matters ranging from neoclassical economic analysis to public choice theory to new institutional economics. Discusses several regulatory domains, including antitrust law, telecommunications regulation, and energy regulation. Highlights both economic and non-economic goals, including universal service, sustainability (e.g., renewal energy), and architecture (e.g., free speech concerns with regard to telecommunications networks).

Law and Literature - LAWS 8458
This seminar offers an opportunity to study various works of literature with an eye to investigating the following questions, among others: How do the techniques of literary writing resemble and differ from those of legal writing?

Law and Neuroscience - LAWS 6308
Covers some neuroscience basics, including a brief history of neuroscience, how neurons and neurotransmitters work, what is currently known about how the brain is organized, both structurally and functionally, how modern neuroscience views the so-called Cartesian dichotomy between emotion and cognition, and the basics of the most common types of neuroimaging. We will then explore the law and neuroscience of pain, memory, lie detection and criminal responsibility, discussing how neuroscientific discoveries might or might not change how the law handles these discrete problems, and the related evidentiary issues of how to get neuroscientific evidence admitted or excluded in cases involving these problems. We will finish, time permitting, with some speculations about artificial intelligence and neuroprosthetics.

Law and Politics Colloquium: Race in America - LAWS 8645
This co-taught colloquium will expose students to highly prominent scholars conducting research on current topics at the intersection of race, social science, and the law, including racial profiling, hate crime, and affirmative action (among others). Each week will include an introduction to the landscape of that week's topic and a colloquium with that week's invited speaker. Students will complete a final paper satisfying the CU Law seminar writing requirement on a relevant topic of their choosing. This cross-listed class does not require that students possess any prior background in social science techniques or legal doctrine.

Law and Religion - LAWS 7085
Uses judicial decisions and historical and theoretical materials to explore significant aspects of the relationship between law and religion. The religion clauses of the First Amendment are a central but not exclusive subject of study.

Law and Social Sciences - LAWS 6503
Explores disparities in criminal sentencing and death penalty cases; quality and effectiveness of legal representation for indigent criminal defendants; relationship between modifications in traditional steps in legal process; connection between alternative tort doctrines and volume of litigation, trial rates, plaintiff success rates and award size; impact of congressional statutes and US Supreme Court decisions on handling and outcomes of habeas corpus petitions.

Law and the Holocaust - LAWS 6420
Explores comparative law, jurisprudence, conflicts of laws and international law. Examines the Nazi philosophy of law emanating from its egregious racial ideology, and how it was used to pervert Germany's legal system to discriminate against, ostracize, dehumanize, and eliminate certain classes of people. Studies the role of international law in rectifying the damage by bringing perpetrators to justice and constructing a legal system designed to prevent a repetition.

Law of Presidential Selection - LAWS 7335
Examines the laws and regulations that uniquely shape presidential selection, analyzing practical applications as well as the broader constitutional and policy considerations. A combination of federal, state, and local laws shapes how Americans select their president. But more than ever before, Americans are questioning the rules that influence presidential selection, such as the major party primary system, ballot access, presidential campaign financing, and the electoral college.

Law Practice Management - LAWS 7609
Studies the establishment of a solo or small-firm legal practice. Topics include the business structure (PC, LLC, etc.) office systems, marketing and development, staffing, liability insurance, managing time, technology, and billing. (This is a practice course that counts toward the 14 credit maximum of practice hours.) Course supported by the Section of Law Practice Management of the ABA in memory of Harold A. Feder, CU Law '59.

Lawyers for Social Change - LAWS 6205
Helps students expand their perspective to understand the ways in which lawyers more broadly participate in social change work in this service learning class. Analyzes case histories of cause lawyering. The service learning component is based on the precept that one of the most effective ways to learn a role is to perform that role. Students will participate as social change lawyers by working with a local community to help it develop projects that the community believes will help it better itself.

Legal Ethics and Professionalism - LAWS 6103
Examines the legal profession as an institution, its history and traditions, and the ethics of the bar with particular emphasis on the professional responsibilities of the lawyer. Discusses the Model Rules of Professional Conduct.

Legal Ethics and Professionalism: What Kind of Lawyer Do You Want to Be? - LAWS 5103
Explores both the kind of law students might decide to practice and the ethical, personal, and professional commitments central to the practice of law. Students who elect to participate in this 1-unit elective are committing to enroll in the fall of the 2nd year in LAWS 6133 for 2 units, focusing on the Model Rules of Professional Conduct.

Legal Interpretation and Legislative Process - LAWS 6128
Examines theories of legislation and of the relation between legislatures and courts, with emphasis upon problems of statutory interpretation and other issues in the judicial use or misuse of statutes.

Legal Negotiation - LAWS 7409
Explores the fundamentals of effective negotiation techniques for lawyers. Students engage in simulations of legal disputes, transactions, and other kinds of negotiations.

Legal Reasoning - LAWS 6823
This course of seven 100-minute classes aims to present legal reasoning skills crucial to the crafting and criticism of legal arguments. The classes will cover seven topics: rules and standards, the art of the legal distinction, dealing with legal contradictions, facts and framing, level of abstraction, baselines, and legal interpretation.

Legal Research Skills for Practice - LAWS 6876
Approaches legal research from a practice-focused perspective using hands-on sessions in the library. Instructs: How to find and use resources specific to a particular practice area; how to evaluate and weigh strengths and weaknesses of the various legal resources available; and, how to use legal resources efficiently. Includes research strategies and methods, primary and secondary resources, and research using library catalogs and Westlaw, Lexis and other vendors.

Legal Writing I - LAWS 5226
This course provides an intensive introduction to the resources available for legal research. Students also prepare written material of various kinds designed to develop research skills, legal writing style, and analysis of legal problems.

Legal Writing II - LAWS 5223
Students prepare appellate briefs and related documents and deliver oral arguments before a three-judge court composed of faculty members, upper-class students, and practicing attorneys. Practice arguments are videotaped and critiqued.

Legislation and Regulation - LAWS 5205
Introduces lawmaking in the modern administrative state. Examines the way Congress and administrative agencies adopt binding rules of law (statutes and regulations, respectively) and the way that implementing institutions – courts and administrative agencies – interpret and apply these laws. Considers the structure of the modern administrative state, the incentives that influence the behavior of the various actors, and the legal rules that help to structure the relationships among Congress, the agencies, and the courts.

Legislative and Policy Drafting - LAWS 6123
Exposes students to the process of drafting and amending enacted legal texts such as statutes, regulations, and polities of both governmental and non-governmental entities. Students will critically examine lawyers’ roles as counselors, advocates, and experts in different legislative and policy-drafting contexts.

Litigation Drafting - LAWS 6206
Examines the intersection of civil procedure and legal writing. Emphasizes the drafting of persuasive adversarial litigation documents, including complaints, answers, motions in limine, motions to dismiss, motions for summary judgment, and jury instructions. Intensive writing and workshop format.

LL.M Thesis - LAWS 9856
LL.M students are required to write a thesis in order to graduate. Requires significant work of original research on a topic chosen in close consultation with advisors and other law school faculty, and assignments include due dates for topic selection, drafts, and workshop delivery. Thesis is worth two credits. In exceptional circumstances and only after pre-approval, an LL.M student may enroll for a third or fourth credit.

LLM Seminar - LAWS 9846
LLM students study academic legal writing in this 1-credit per semester yearlong course. Topics covered will include: the purpose of academic legal writing; how academic legal writing differs from other forms of legal writing; topic selection; legal research (methods and ethics); first drafts; editing; academic workshops; and publishing. In addition, guest speakers will talk to LLM students about career planning and job seeking. International LLM students will learn about the American legal system. Restricted to Law students only.

Local Government - LAWS 7255
State legislative and judicial control of the activities, powers, and duties of local governmental units, including home-rule cities and counties; some problems of federal, state, and local constitutional and statutory limitations on governmental powers when exercised by local governmental units (e.g., the powers to regulate private activities, tax, spend, borrow money, and condemn private property for public uses).

Media, Popular Culture and the Law - LAWS 6065
Examines how the institutions, practices, and the very identity of law are in part affected by the media through which law is apprehended and communicated. Hence the general question posed in this course: To what extent and how are the forms and methods of the new media having an effect on the perception, role, and identity of law?

Media, Popular Culture, and Law - LAWS 8055
Examines how the institutions, practices, and the very identity of law are in part affected by the media through which law is apprehended and communicated. Hence the general question posed in this seminar: To what extent and how are the forms and methods of the new media having an effect on the perception, role and identity of law?

Mediation - LAWS 7439
Explores mediation, one of the more important methods of alternative dispute resolution, and the legal issues that may arise related to mediation. Considers what kinds of persons and disputes are most appropriate for mediation. Includes role playing exercises.

Mergers, Acquisitions and Reorganizations - LAWS 7411
Studies the planning of corporate mergers, acquisitions, and reorganizations, examining the application and integration of state corporate law, federal securities law, accounting principles, tax law, labor law, products liability law, environmental law, ERISA, and antitrust law.

Mining and Energy Law - LAWS 7122
Addresses major issues affecting the development of mineral resources in the western United States. Includes the regulation of the impacts of hardrock and coal mining and oil and gas development on the environment under federal and state laws. Covers the Mining Law of 1872, the Mineral Leasing Act, 'split estates,' and state regulation of mineral development

Modern Legal Theory: Core Ideas - LAWS 8538
Explores key ideas that have shaped American law and legal thought, such as Holmes; bad man, the Coase Theorem, the "hunch" theory of law, and others. Focuses on researching and writing many short papers.

Motions Advocacy - LAWS 7169
Practical training in preparing and arguing pretrial, post-trial, and chambers motions to an experienced federal judge based on materials from actual case files. Some research papers assigned. Limited to 15 third-year students with interest in trial advocacy and willingness to participate in confrontational exercises. Counts as practice hours.

Natural Resources & Environmental Law Clinic - LAWS 7209
In this clinic, students will engage in litigation and advocacy aimed at protecting the natural resources of the Rocky Mountain region. Students will represent clients in matters involving public lands, wildlife, and other resources. The seminar component will focus on practical aspects of environmental litigation, including administrative practice and decision-making, client representation, citizen suits, and ethical issues. No prerequisites necessary.

Non Profit Law - LAWS 7251
Examines the legal and policy issues raised by non-profits, including the formation of a non-profit, qualification for federal tax exemption, the rise and role of private foundations, fiduciary duty issues, restrictions on political activity and private benefit, etc. Also focuses on the broader social questions raised by giving, charities, and philanthropy.

Oil & International Relations - LAWS 8320
This seminar will address the extent to which the international community of nations is oil dependent. It will assess the impact, and the geo-political dangers to international relations arising from the expanding demand for scarce oil from developing as well as developed economies.

Oil and Gas - LAWS 7102
Deals with the legal problems associated with private arrangements for the ownership and development of oil and gas: deeds and leases to oil and gas rights, trespass, adverse possession, implied covenants in leases, conveyances of fractional interests, and the interaction of private rights and conservation regulation.

Parent, Child and State - LAWS 7135
This course will examine the legal rights of parents and children in a constitutional framework, as well as the state's authority to define and regulate the parent-child relationship. This course will be offered every other year.

Partnership Taxation - LAWS 6167
Studies federal income taxation of pass-through entities such as are used by most small businesses in the U.S. Includes creation, operation, distributions, sale of interests, and liquidation. PREREQUISITE: LAWS 6007 INCOME TAXATION

Patent Law - LAWS 7311
Covers selected topics such as patentable subject matter, patentability, and utilization of patent rights through licensing and infringement litigation. Practice and procedure of the Patent and Trademark Office will also be covered.

Patent Litigation - LAWS 7323
Focuses on unique aspects of patent litigation: substantive patent law, civil procedure, federal jurisdiction and litigation strategy; includes claim construction, infringement, anticipation and obviousness defenses, unenforceability challenges, declaratory judgments, injunctions, damages, settlements, licenses and trial strategy. Of interest and useful to those interested in intellectually property generally, not just patents or litigation.

Payment Systems - LAWS 6011
Examines the methodology and policies of Articles 3 and 4 of the Uniform Commercial Code, dealing with such topics as negotiable instruments, bank deposits, collections, letters of credit, and electronic fund transfers.

Philosophy of Law - LAWS 6508
Questions the nature of law, characteristics and considerations of a legal system, rights and from where they come; thinking like a lawyer, basic techniques of legal reasoning, difference between doctrinal and normative legal analysis. Explores law's frontier and what distinguishes law from morality or politics. Focuses on influential texts from the end of WWII to the end of the Cold War.

Post-Conviction Criminal Procedure - LAWS 6055
Addresses sentencing process and schemes, direct appeals, probation modification and revocation, parole revocation, pardon and commutation processes, post-conviction litigation and appeal in both state and federal court, federal review of state convictions through habeas and/or the AEDPA, and ethical issues that arise in post-conviction proceedings.

Poverty Law - LAWS 7515
Explores the legal and policy responses to poverty in the United States and addresses how the law shapes the lives of poor people and communities. Examines the extent of poverty in the United States, the root causes, and the historical development of social welfare policy. Focuses on the rights-based aspect of poverty law and various policies that attempt to ameliorate poverty.

Poverty, Health and Law - LAWS 7535
Introduces students to the substantive areas of health and poverty law. Topics include health disparities and the role of law, cultural competence, standards of care for vulnerable populations, relationships between income, employment, housing, education, and health. Students will also help with intake of clinic patients and support client representation by the attorney of record.

Poverty, Health and Law Practicum - LAWS 7545
A service learning course in which students draw from the substantive materials studied in LAWS 7535 (Poverty, Health and Law) to develop competency in case planning, problem solving, cooperative decisionmaking, and client counseling. Students will staff cases under the supervision of a Colorado Legal Services (CLS) staff attorney or a pro bono attorney working on behalf of CLS. Prerequisite: Poverty, Health and Law.

Power, Ethics, and Professionalism - LAWS 8608
Examines critically the possibility and character of ethical reasoning within the legal profession in light of its institutional structures. Explores descriptive/normative accounts of the profession's structure, "professionalism," and individual conscience. Put simply, the seminar explores whether it is possible to be a good lawyer and ethical person.

Press and Constitution - JOUR 6651
Graduate seminar in communications law. Studies changing law and applied legal research techniques. Does not satisfy law seminar requirement.

Principles of Auditing, Compliance, and Risk Management - LAWS 6221
Introduces the fundamental legal and business rules and processes involved in performing audit, compliance, and risk management. Investigates understanding and measuring risk, establishing standards for aggregating disparate information, gathering market data, calculating risk measures, and creating timely reporting tools for managing risk. Covers important regulations including Sarbanes-Oxleyk, HIPAA, and FISMA.

Privacy and Security in the Digital Age - LAWS 7361
This course will introduce students to the evolving legal framework governing information management and the basic technologies that have been the impetus behind its evolution. In so doing, this course will examine delve into the constituent elements of this legal framework, including common law and constitutional privacy principles, the Federal Wiretap Act, the Telecommunications Act of 1996, the HIPAA Privacy and Security Rule, the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, and the European Union Data Protection Directive.

Problem Solving, Professional Judgment, and Decision Making - LAWS 6813
Drawing from materials in psychology, behavioral economics, and mathematics, the course studies a range of patterns, fallibilities, and best practices concerning the complex problems commonly encountered by attorneys. Topics include general problem-solving strategies, techniques for operating in environments of uncertainty and complexity, empirically supported cognitive biases and errors, and strategies for recognizing and overcoming those errors.

Property - LAWS 5624
Topics include personal property, estates and interests in land, landlord-tenant, basic land conveyancing, and private land use controls.

Property II - LAWS 5634
Topics include personal property, estates and interests in land, landlord-tenant, basic land conveyancing, and private land use controls.

Proposed Federal Civil Practice Clinic - LAWS 6089
Studies evidence and procedural issues, discovery (including document management), pretrial preparation, motions, pretrial conferences, and jury selection. Focuses on opening and closing statement strategies, elements of direct and cross-examination, and impeachment; how to present evidence using technology, including presentation software. Students participate in preparing and arguing motions in federal court and may participate in trial proceedings.

Protected Public Lands - LAWS 8022
Explores the effectiveness of various techniques to balance the increasing interest in visiting national parks, wilderness, and other protected areas against the need to preserve ecological systems and biological diversity.

Public Health Law and Ethics - LAWS 8405
Explores rules of law pertaining to the American public health care system and the ethical issues raised by the government's effort to protect the health of the American people. To be held at Health Sciences Campus.

Public Land Law - LAWS 6002
Deals with the legal status and management of resources on federal lands, including national forests, parks, and BLM lands. Explores federal law, policy, and agency practice affecting the use of mineral, timber, range, water, wildlife, and wilderness resources on public lands. Prereq. LAWS 6112.

Quantitative Methods - LAWS 6803
Equips students to deal effectively with experts, whether as consultants or as adverse witnesses, and to enable the identification of a quantitative issue. Helps students to become multi-dimensional in quantitative literacy. Enables students to be comfortable reading statistical arguments, performing basic analyses, writing about statistics, expressing quantitative ideas in graphs, questioning an expert, and understanding the power of computer programming.

Race and American Law - LAWS 7525
Examines the judiciary's approach to racial discrimination from America's colonial period to the present day. Concludes with an analysis of the contemporary status of racial subordination in the legal system and considers recent scholarly critiques of the law's limitations in effecting racial justice. Employs an interdisciplinary approach and covers the experiences of American Indians, African Americans, Asian Pacific Americans, and Chicana/os.

Real Estate Planning - LAWS 7024
Considers various contemporary legal problems involved in the ownership, use, development, and operation of real estate. Particular emphasis on the income tax and financing aspects of commercial and residential use and development such as shopping plazas and apartment buildings. PREREQUISITE: INCOME TAXATION (LAWS 6007)

Real Estate Transactions - LAWS 6004
Focuses on legal issues that arise in all phases of real estate transactions, with an emphasis on the role of the lawyer in the business of real estate as well as on the regulation of real estate markets.

Refugee and Asylum Law - LAWS 7605
Focuses on protections offered under international and domestic law for persons who are threatened by persecution or other adverse conditions in their country of origin. Covers who is a refugee and the protections they have or do not have under United States and international law.

Regulation of Financial Institutions - LAWS 7031
Focuses on the core banking law and works outward to cover a broader spectrum of bank-like financial institutions. Covers bank licensing, restrictions on bank business, regulating safety and soundness of banks, consumer protection of depositors and other bank customers, and regulatory examination and enforcement.

Renewable Energy Project Finance and Development - LAWS 6732
Examines renewable energy and how legal topics impact financing projects. Reviews structure, regulation, and functioning of electric energy industry and laws applicable to development, ownership and operation of renewable energy projects across technologies. Addresses legal policy, economic and financing issues associated with expansion and improvement of the transmission grid to support renewable energy development.

Research and Writing in Income Taxation - ACCT 6420
This course is designed to provide you with tax research and legal writing skills. To this end, you will:
Analyze IRS and AICPA rules and ethics in tax practices.
Delineate the steps of the tax research process.
Understand the federal tax legislative process.
Examine the primary sources of federal tax law and evaluate the nature and structure of these sources, including the US Constitution, Internal Revenue Code, Treasury Regulations, IRS administrative rulings, and judicial decisions.
Understand the function of the citator in the tax research process.
Examine secondary sources of federal tax law.
Evaluate the hierarchy of primary sources of federal tax law.
Locate tax resources using the internet and develop internet tax research skills.
Study CREAC form of legal analysis.
Understand the structural format of the office memorandum, including question presented, short answer, statement of facts, and discussion.
Write technical memoranda using CREAC method of legal analysis.

Rothgerber Moot Court Competition - LAWS 7106
Intensive involvement in legal research, appellate brief writing and oral arguments in a competitive context. Student finalists may continue involvement in regional and national competitions. Credit is limited to students who complete two rounds of the competition.

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