COURSE DESCRIPTIONS
Updated September 2023
MSL:500 Introduction to Law and American Legal System (3 credits)
The purpose of this course is to familiarize students with the American Legal System; legal reasoning; certain fundamental areas of law; and professional ethics and the role of the lawyer.
MSL:501 M.S.L. Capstone Experience (3-4 credits)
The capstone project serves as a means of synthesizing the applying the student’s legal learning in his or her area of concentration. Projects typically involve the application of the law to a complex situation that the student might encounter in a real world legal environment.
LAWX:601 Civ.Pro.:Federal Jurisdiction (3 credits)
Explores various issues regarding litigating a case in the federal court system. Students will study the issues regarding the “jurisdiction” or “power” of federal courts to hear cases; litigation issues, including the appropriate “venue” for a case, what law should govern when federal courts hear state-law claims, and when it is permissible to join more than one “claim” or “party” in a single case.
LAWX:602 Civ.Pro: Federal Litigation (3 credits)
Students will study the process for moving a case through the federal course system. Students will also study claim and issue preclusion, which are used to prevent a party from relitigating issues that the party has previously litigated and lost, as well as some aspects of appellate procedure in the federal courts.
LAWX:603 Con. Law: Governmental Authority (3 credits)
Governmental authority and its distribution under the Constitution.
LAWX:604 Con.Law: Individual Rights (3 credits)
Individual Rights, privileges and immunities under the Constitution.
LAWX:607 Criminal Law (3 credits)
Nature and source of criminal liability studied in light of modern developments. The act, mental conditions requisite to criminal responsibility. Specific crimes and defenses thereto.
LAWX:608 Evidence (3 credits)
Covers basic evidence law with emphasis on the Federal Rules of Evidence and state rules patterned thereon.
LAWX:609 Fundamentals of Lawyering (0 credits)
This course is a week long first year lawyering skills course that teaches students the skills necessary to succeed in law school. Intentional Torts is used as the vehicle to introduce students to concepts including legal analysis, the Socratic Method, legal problem solving, and communicating like a lawyer.
LAWX:611 Contracts (4 credits)
Survey of basic Contracts and its function.
LAWX:612 Professional Responsibility (3 credits)
Legal profession as an institution. Responsibilities of lawyers. Duties and privileges. Professional qualifications.
LAWX:613 Pro Bono Requirement (0 credit)
To provide positive experiences to law students that will promote their future involvement as practitioners and provide independent educational value (direct knowledge) concerning the plight of persons of limited means and their access to justice.
LAWX:618 Advanced Legal Research (1 credit)
Prereq: LAWX:618 & LAWX:619. The purpose of this course is to further develop the legal research skills of law students beyond basic legal research to prepare them for the practice of law, by covering legal research materials in greater depth and by introducing students to specialized legal sources.
LAWX:619 LARW I (3 credits)
Introduction to basic skills in legal research, particularly case law, statutes, and secondary authority; development of skills in legal analysis and writing through expository writing (research memoranda) and persuasive writing and oral advocacy (motions and appellate briefing and argument).
LAWX:620 LARW II (2 credits)
Prereq: LAWX:619. Introduction to basic skills in legal research, particularly case law, statutes, and secondary authority; development of skills in legal analysis and writing through expository writing (research memoranda) and persuasive writing and oral advocacy (motions and appellate briefing and argument).
LAWX:622 Administration of Criminal Justice (3 credits)
Administration of criminal justice relating processes of criminal law to objectives of criminal correction. Effects of federal constitutional provisions on criminal procedures.
LAWX:623 Administrative Law (3 credits)
An examination of the role and operation of government agencies, including the procedures agencies are required to follow, public participation and hearing requirements, and the standards and mechanisms governing judicial review of agency decisions.
LAWX:624 Fundamentals of Lawyering II (2 credits)
This course is assigned based on GPA. The course addresses how to become an active learner, self correct, undertake all aspects of legal analysis and discussion, prepare for and take exams, and prepare a course study outline.
LAWX:625 Torts (4 credits)
Survey of basic tort law and its function; allocating cost of unintentionally caused harm by negligence of strict liability; intentional wrongs; dignitary wrongs
LAWX:626 Business Associations (4 credits)
This course introduces the fundamental legal principles underlying all business operations (including agency relationships, partnerships, limited liability companies and corporations) with a focus on the regulation of the conflicts of interest inherent in any business structure that are necessary to facilitate the continuing existence of the business.
LAWX:627 Payment Systems (3 credits)
The Law of Negotiable Instruments and Bank Collections under Article 3 and 4 of the Uniform Commercial Code, the law of sales under Article 2, and UCITA.
LAWX:628 Seminar in Pretrial Advocacy (3 credits)
Prereq: LAWX:601 & LAWX:602. A practical course designed to simulate all of the necessary steps leading to trial, beginning with the client interview and up to and including the final pretrial statement.
LAWX:629 Secured Transactions (3 credits)
Prereq: Students must have completed at least 14 credit hours of law school coursework. The Law of Secured Transactions under Article 9 of the Uniform Commercial Code. Including an examination of the impact of the federal bankruptcy law and the Federal Tax Lien Act on Article 9 security interests.
LAWX:633 Corporations (3 credits)
An introduction to the law relating to the typical American enterprise. Principal emphasis is on financing, control, management and regulation of corporations, both publically owned and closely held.
LAWX:634 Law and Psychiatry (2-3 credits)
Exploration of intersections between psychiatry and mental illness and legal rules and procedures.
LAWX:635 Bankruptcy Law (3 credits)
Prereq: LAWX:629 recommended. Provisional remedies and enforcement of judgments. Fraudulent conveyances. General assignments for benefit of creditors. Creditor’s agreements. Bankruptcy.
LAWX:636 Human Resources Lawyer (3 credits)
This course offers a unique, in-depth review of interesting and challenging areas within employment and labor laws that affect the expanding field of human resources.
LAWX:638 Family Law (3 credits)
Major areas of family law; theories that have influenced its development. Functions performed by various agencies which seek to effect a non-judicial settlement of domestic problems. Adoption.
LAWX:639 Estate & Gift Taxation (3 credits)
A survey of federal estate and gift taxation; relation between federal income tax and federal taxes on gratuitous transfers; the place of federal taxes in estate planning.
LAWX:640 Individual Taxation (3 credits)
Survey of federal income tax laws applicable to individuals.
LAWX:641 Corporate Taxation I (3 credits)
Prereq.: LAWX:640. Survey of federal income tax laws applicable to corporations.
LAWX:642 Alternative Dispute Resolution (2-3 credits)
A survey of the alternatives to litigation available for resolving disputes.
LAWX:645 Property (4 credits)
Survey of basic elements under Anglo-American law for the ownership, and control of the use of property.
LAWX:646 Health Law (3 credits)
This course concentrates on the relationship between the physician and the patient and how this relationship impacts quality, costs and access to healthcare.
LAWX:647 Juvenile Law (3 credits)
Study of laws relating to juveniles (neglect, dependency and delinquency).
LAWX:648 Insurance Law (3 credits)
Legal principles of insurance of person and property, including insurable interest, measure of recovery, subrogation, rights of assignees and beneficiaries, warranty, concealment, representation and fraud. Adjustment of claims. Regulation.
LAWX:649 International Law (3 credits)
Nature and breadth of international law, its sources and subjects; and its relation to municipal law, to individuals and to international organizations.
LAWX:651 Employment Law (3 credits)
Developments in employment law; legislation, regulations, judicial decisions, and changes in the social and economic structure of the workplace.
LAWX:653 Experiential Learning (1-3 credits)
This course provides an experiential learning experience. (Course umbrella)
LAWX:656 Law Review Staff (0-2 credits)
Completion of first year and invitation predicated upon scholarship or demonstrated writing skills. Preparation of note: analysis and criticism of recent cases; citation checking and critical review ("spacing") of notes or articles of others. Students must take this course for at least 2 credit hours and may take the course for up to 4 credit hours. Students may elect to take the course for 0, 1, or 2 credits in the fall and for 0, 1 or 2 credits in the spring semester, subject to the requirement that student must take a minimum of 2 credit hours for the academic year. If this course is taken in the fall semester, it may be repeated in the following spring semester, but may not be repeated after that. Student will receive an IP for fall semester work. Credits for the fall semester will be awarded following successful completion of fall and spring semester work.
LAWX:657 Law Review Senior Staff (0-2 credits)
Critical review and evaluation of notes and comments prepared by Law Review Assistant Editors. May be repeated. Students earn a maximum of 2 credit hours in an academic year. Students must take the course for 2 credit hours for the academic year unless they receive permission from a Law Review advisor to take the course for 1 credit hour or 0 credit hours for the academic year. Students may elect to take the 2 credit hours for the course in either the fall or spring semester or may elect to take 1 credit hour in both the fall and spring semesters. Students will receive an IP for fall semester work. Credits for the fall semester will be awarded following successful completion of fall and spring semester work.
LAWX:658 Law Review Editorial Board (0-2 credits)
Performance of significant and appropriate editorial duties. May not be repeated. Students may take the Law Review Editorial Board course in the fall semester for 1, 1, or 2 credit hours. Students must take the course for 2 credit hours in the spring semester unless they receive permission from a Law Review advisor to take the course for 1 credit or 0 credits.
LAWX:659 Negotiations (1-3 credits)
Prereq.: LAWX:602. The lawyer's role as negotiator in planning negotiations and determination of strategies to effect objects, weighing legal, economic, behavioristic, ethical and social factors that condition outcomes.
LAWX:661 Environmental Law (3 credits)
An examination of major federal environmental statutes and pollution control programs, common law remedies for environmental damage, and polic issues involved in decisions concerning the environment.
LAWX:662 Law Firm Administration Seminar (2-3 credits)
Prereq.: LAWX:626. This seminar will provide students with a comprehensive view of all the areas a solo and small firm practitioner will need to plan for as they are deciding whether or not to "hang out their shingle."
LAWX:667 Substantial Skills (1-3 credits)
May be repeated. Skills-centered courses that involve faculty assessment and grading based upon skills performances, offering students the opportunity to satisfy the skills requirement.
LAWX:667 Subtopic: Drafting for Estates (3 credits)
Prereq.: LAWX:685 recommended. A “how-to” course emphasizing practical applications over legal theory. Students will learn the fundamentals of drafting documents used for basic estate planning where no federal tax implications are involved. Taught by lecture and honed through regular writing assignments and a written project in lieu of a final. Course can satisfy the Legal Drafting Requirement
LAWX:668 Remedies (3 credits)
Equitable remedies, unjust enrichment and restitution; remedies for injuries to tangible property, and economic, dignitary and personal interests including wrongful death. Disaffirmance and remedies for deception, duress, undue influence, hardship, unconscionability, mistake, break of contract and nominally unenforceable transactions.
LAWX:669 UCC Sales (2-3 credits)
Prereq.: LAWX:611. A survey of the Law of Sales in the Uniform Commercial Code, including formation, execution and remedies, with emphasis on the acquisition of skills for solving problems in this area.
LAWX:670 Prosecution Function (3 credits)
Bring an understanding of the prosecution side of the justice system. An effort is made to discuss the dual and sometimes conflicting role of the prosecutor as chief law enforcement officer and chief dispenser of justice.
LAWX:671 Securities Regulation (3 credits)
Prereq.: LAWX:633. State and federal law and rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission in issuance and trading of securities; legal and self-regulatory aspects of the securities industry.
LAWX:672 Seminar in Business Planning (3 credits)
Prereq.: LAWX:633 or permission. Advanced course using the problem approach in planning business transactions in light of applicable corporate, tax and securities law considerations.
LAWX:673 Advanced Legal Applications (3 credits)
This course is designed to enhance student ability to prepare for the bar exam, and to provide students with an understanding of the critical skills, techniques and strategies necessary to pass the bar examination. This course is a pre-preparatory course intended to supplement and compliment, not replace, commercial bar preparation courses.
LAWX:674 International Business Transactions (3 credits)
This course provides a general overview of international business transactions involving private entities operating in a global setting, and particularly focuses on international sales transactions.
LAWX:675 Entrepreneurship (3 credits)
This interdisciplinary course offered with the College of Business Administration is an exceptional opportunity for ALL law students to acquire the skills that will improve both your employment prospects after graduation and your abilities to serve entrepreneurial clients and venture capital supported firms.
LAWX:676 Legislation and Regulation (2 credits)
This course presents an overview of the legislative process, judicial statutory interpretation approaches and administrative agency roles.
LAWX:677 Real Estate Law (3 credits)
An in-depth study of the legal regimes affecting real estate transactions.
LAWX:680 Family Law Practicum (2 credits)
Prereq.: LAWX:638, LAWX:647, LAWX:682 or domestic violence course. Teaches lawyering skills in the context of family law. The focus is on developing lawyering skills for practice including negotiating and drafting agreements, interviewing, and counseling clients, interdisciplinary work with experts, financial investigation and analysis, law office management, drafting pleadings and memoranda, and mediating disputes.
LAWX:681 Summer Trial Academy (3 credits)
Prereq.: LAWX:608. The Summer Trial Academy is a specialized intensive course spanning two weeks that enlists leading trial attorneys and judges from around the region to instruct, guide, and direct you in the art and practice of trial advocacy. The course culminates in a full-day jury trial before a real judge in the judge's courtroom.
LAWX:683 SEED Clinic (2-3 credits)
Prereq.: LAWX:626, LAWX:633, successful completion of 28 credit hours. The SEED Clinic affords students the opportunity to obtain hands-on, practical, entrepreneurial, experience in transactions involving business and nonprofit clients.
LAWX:684 Seminar in Selected Legal Problems (1-3 credits) (umbrella course)
Analysis of special or current legal problems offering opportunities for legal research, effective integration of legal and relevant non-legal materials, and expository legal writing. (May be repeated)
LAWX:685 Wills Trusts & Estates (4 credits)
Prereq.: LAWX: 645. Intestate succession; execution, revocation and revalidation of wills; creation and termination of trusts; gifts to charity; will substitutes; future interests; powers of appointment; class gifts.
LAWX:687 Expert Evidence (3 credits)
Prereq.: LAWX:608. Course designed to give the student extensive practice in solving difficult evidence problems involving the use of experts.
LAWX:688 Legal Drafting (1-2 credits)
Prereq.: LAWX:619 & LAWX:620. Refinement of skills in written legal analysis through performance of drafting assignments in a specific legal context. The exact drafting context (e.g. litigation, transactional, judicial, contract, writing for legal practice, etc.) varies based on instructor. Required course for all students.
LAWX:690 Trial Advocacy I (3 credits)
Prereq.: LAWX:608 – can be taken as a co-requisite. Fundamental techniques of trial preparation, direct examination, cross examination, introduction of exhibits, objections, opening statements and closing arguments.
LAWX:691 Civil Litigation Clinic (2-3 credits)
Prereq.: Successful completion of 28 credit hours and approval of Clinical Coordinator. The Civil Litigation Clinic allows students to represent real clients who face the loss of housing. Students will learn negotiation, investigation and advocacy skills.
LAWX:692 Trial Advocacy II (3 credits)
Prereq.: LAWX:690. Preparation and actual trial of two civil cases and two criminal cases; jury selection; ethical and political considerations of trial advocacy.
LAWX:694 Trial Team (1-2 credits)
Practical training in trial advocacy skills. To earn credit students will research evidentiary and procedural issues; prepare opening statements and closing arguments; prepare direct and cross-examinations of lay and expert witnesses; attend practice sessions and competitions. Students must take Trial Team for credit unless that requirement is waived by the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs or the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs. Student must complete and document 42.5 hours of work for each hour of credit.
LAWX:695 Moot Court (0-2 credits)
Prereq.: LAWX:716. Practical training in written and oral appellate advocacy. To earn credit students will research a legal issue and draft an appellate brief; attend practice sessions and competitions. Students must take Moot Court for credit unless that requirement is waived by the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs or the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs. Student must complete and document 42.5 hours of work for each hour of credit.
LAWX:696 Externship Program (2-6 credits)
Prereq.: Successful completion of 28 credit hours and approval of Externship Coordinator. The Externship Program involves real word experience and networking through placement of students in supervised settings with judges, governmental agencies, nonprofits and other institutions.
LAWX:698 Individual Studies & Research (2-3 credits)
Prereq.: Permission of Associate Dean. With permission of Associate Dean, special problems, projects or research may be taken for credit under the supervision of a member of the faculty. The paper for this course must have a minimum length of thirty (30) pages if taken for two (2) credits or a minimum length of forty-five (45) pages if taken for three (3) credits; unless the instructor approves an alternative form appropriate at to the project. this course may be used to satisfy the General Writing Requirement. Except under rare and compelling circumstances, this course may not be taken to write a research paper on a subject on which the school offers a coruse which provides the student an opportunity to pursue that area of study. (May be repeated for a total of six credits)
LAWX:699 Immigration Law (1-3 credits)
The study of the law and processes governing immigration, naturalization, and deportation.
LAWX:701 Healthcare Organization and Finance (3 credits)
The focus on this course is on healthcare organizations (hospitals, nursing homes, hospice care facilities, insurers and managed care organizations) and finance.
LAWX:702 Government Provisions of Healthcare (2 credits)
This course focuses on government programs that provide or finance health care including the federal Medicare program, the state and federal Medicaid program and the State of Children's Health Insurance Program.
LAWX:703 Bioethics (3 credits)
This course examines the legal, ethical, and political aspects of current controversies in bioethics.
LAWX:706 Domestic Relations Practicum (1-3 credits)
Prereq.: LAWX:638, LAWX:647. This practicum provides students with a State of Ohio legal intern certificate the opportunity to handle family law matters in the Portage County Domestic Relations Court.
LAWX:708 Honors Seminar (1-3 credits)
This course provides broad exposure to the field and study of law by presenting key topics from an array of subject areas.
LAWX:709 Reentry Clinic (2 credits)
The Reentry Clinic introduces students to the practice of law by assisting clients whose convictions operate as an impediment to employment, housing and other benefits.
LAWX:712 Technology in Law (3 credits)
This course is designed to introduce students to the kinds of technology, information knowledge and technology skills essential to law practice.
LAWX:716 Appellate Practice & Procedure (2 credits)
Prereq.: LAWX:619 & LAWX:620. This course will provide students with instruction in appellate practice and procedure and skills training in written and oral advocacy in the appellate context. Students will learn fundamental principles of appellate practice and procedure, including standards of review, preservation of issues for appeal, and creation of the appellate record.
LAWX:717 Mergers & Acquisitions (2-3 credits)
This course studies how one business entity gains control of another. Mergers and acquisitions ("M&A") involve myriad legal issues, including corporate governance, securities regulation, tax and accounting, employment law, successor liability, creditor rights and antitrust.
LAWX:718 MBE Skills for the Bar Exam (1 credit)
This course covers substantive law needed to pass the MBE as well as study skills and strategies necessary to pass the examination. The course is intended to supplement, not replace, commercial bar preparation courses.
LAWX:719 21st Century Litigation (2-3 credits)
Prereq.: LAWX:601 & LAWX:602. This is a course in advanced civil procedure. The course addresses issues that are relevant to litigation in both federal and state courts.
LAWX:722 3L Extended Bar Review Course (3 credits)
This course is designed to jumpstart your bar exam preparation by developing your substantive knowledge and sharpening your critical bar exam success skills.
LAWX: 723 The Vietnamese Legal System in Comparative Perspective (2 credits)
This course will include readings and discussions about Vietnam’s modern history. Current events and economic growth within the global economy – as well as their relationship to the current Vietnamese legal system.
LAWX:800 Fundamentals of Intellectual Property (3 credits)
An introduction to the policies underlying the protection of intellectual property, common law protection under state law, and major fields of intellectual property protection (patent, copyright, trademark, and trade secrets).
LAWX:801 Patent Law & Policy (3 credits)
A study of the law and process of patent protection and enforceability and the policies that underlie patent protection.
LAWX:802 Trademark Law (3 credits)
A study of the law and process of protecting trademarks and trade secrets, and the policies underlying the system.
LAWX:803 Copyright Law (3 credits)
A study of the law and policy protecting intellectual property through copyright, and enforcing and licensing copyrights.
LAWX:804 Trade Secrets (2-3 credits)
A study of protecting intellectual property through common law mechanisms, and on helping clients choose a method of protection suited to their needs and the property.
LAWX:805 Licensing Intellectual Property (1-3 credits)
Methods of exploiting intellectual property by licensing others to use it; contractual necessities, rights and obligations to protect ownership.
LAWX:806 International Intellectual Property (3 credits)
Prereq.: LAWX:800. A study of the major conventions governing the protection of intellectual property internationally and of current policy issues in the field.
LAWX:807 Patent Prosecution (3 credits)
The process of researching, preparing and prosecuting valid and enforceable applications to obtain U.S. patents.
LAWX:811 Intellectual Property Practicum (3 credits)
Intellectual Property Practicum provides a supplement to Fundamentals of Intellectual Property and other IP law classes by allowing students the opportunity to draft writing assignments focused on IP law practice situations.
LAWX:812 Intro to IP and Technology Law and Practice (1 credit)
This class introduces IP Pro JD students to the substance and practice of intellectual property and technology law.
LAWX:816 International Patent Law (1-3 credits)
Prereq.: LAWX:800, LAWX:801. Study of major treaties and agreements affecting the international practice of patent law.
LAWX:824 International Patent Prosecution (1-3 credits)
Prereq.: LAWX:800, LAWX:801, LAWX:816. To explore strategy, tactics and procedure for the examination of patent applications beyond the United States.
LAWX:825 Antitrust Law (3 credits)
Fundamentals of antitrust; questions of evidence in price fixing and boycotts under the Sherman Act, resale restrictions and tie-ins, scope of antitrust law and certain exemptions.
LAWX:827 Patent Office Litigation (3 credits)
Prereq.: LAWX:800, LAWX:801, LAWX:807. This course covers the law, procedure, and practice skills relating to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”) post-grant proceedings—known as inter partes review, covered business method review, and post-grant review. These proceedings were created by the 2011 America Invents Act (“AIA”), and are quasi-litigation matters brought before Patent Trial and Appeal Board (“PTAB”).
LAWX:884 Seminar in Selected Legal Problems (1-3 credits)
(Umbrella course) Analysis of special or current legal problems offering opportunities for legal research, effective integration of legal and relevant non-legal materials, and expository legal writing. (May be repeated)
LAWX:896 Trademark Clinic (2 credits)
Prereq.: LAWX:800. Conducted within a pilot program of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Application of intellectual property practical legal skills in interviewing, researching, investigating, counseling and drafting in the area of trademark and copyright issues. The clinic has a public interest component in that the clients served have limited economic resources.