Course Catalog

 

LAW 816A - Accounting for Lawyers

This introductory course gives students a basic understanding of the structure of an accounting system; the mechanics of accounting entries; and the related legal, tax and business ramifications of implementing various accounting conventions and methods. Course lectures and text include discussions and cases covering generally accepted accounting principles, financial statement analysis and disclosure, auditing, choice of entity issues, and the attorney's role in dealing with accountants, auditors, and other financial professionals.
Credit: 2 Units   Offered: Fall 2009  

LLM 370 - Air, Space, and Telecommunications Law

This course acquaints students with public, private, and commercial aspects of international air and space law in the context of national sovereignty over territorial air space. Students also explore the commercial uses of space and outer space for satellite communications, direct broadcasting, remote sensing, weather forecasting, and other uses of space for peaceful purposes within the existing framework of relevant multilateral treaties.
Credit: 3 Units  

LAW 815 - Alternative Dispute Resolution

The purpose of this course is to help students learn approaches to negotiation and conflict resolution, and to understand various dispute resolution processes, principally mediation and arbitration. Students will be exposed to simulated negotiations and mediations and will be expected to participate in exercises and to act as advocates and/or mediators. Guest lecturers may include a hostage negotiator, an aikido master, a retired superior court judge now serving as a JAMS mediator, and prominent mediators and arbitrators. Prerequisites: Civil Procedure I and II.
Credit: 3 Units   Offered: Fall 2009  

LAW 890A - Antitrust

This study of the federal antitrust laws (and corresponding California provisions) has a particular emphasis on price fixing, boycotts, discriminatory dealing, and other marketing restraints. The course focuses on counseling for small businesses and on understanding antitrust pitfalls. Current issues, particularly those relating to health care and intellectual property, are highlighted.
Credit: 3 Units  

LAW 835 - Banking & Financial Institutions Law

This course introduces students to the legal framework that governs banks and financial institutions in the United States and in the State of California. The course will address bank and financial institution regulation in the light of the current economic crisis and help the student to analyze regulatory reform proposals. Guest speakers from the industry and regulatory agencies will add their distinct perspectives.
Credit: 3 Units   Offered: Spring 2010  

LAW 826C - Bankruptcy Law

This course covers all the major aspects of bankruptcy law, including eligibility, types of bankruptcy, the automatic stay, trustee strong-arm powers, rights of debtors and creditors, filing claims, and discharging debts. The course introduces students to substantive bankruptcy law and bankruptcy court procedures that are helpful to all practitioners, even those not specializing in bankruptcy law.
Credit: 2 Units   Offered: Spring 2010  

LAW 802A - Business Associations

This course covers the formation, financing, structure, control, and management of business associations, including corporations, partnerships, and limited liability entities. The course also examines agency principles and uniform acts related to business associations and selected provisions of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.
Credit: 4 Units   Offered: Fall 2009 , Spring 2010  

LAW 816B - Business Contracts

This course focuses on the nature and purpose of various basic agreements found in business settings, including contracts for the manufacture of goods, for the distribution of goods, and for the provision of services. Each session is comprised of a lecture in a seminar style followed by a practical exercise designed to help students understand how to draft contracts from scratch, analyze contracts drafted by others, spot problem areas, and formulate solutions while avoiding common mistakes. One series of exercises will simulate key components in the formation of a business contract, including interviewing a client, drafting deal points from that interview, and a negotiating deal points with the client?s adversary. Another series of discussions and exercises will analyze the structure and component parts of a typical contract, using a sample contract as a guide. The goal is to provide students with sufficient background information to dissect and understand the moving parts in an agreement, together with the real-world challenge of negotiation and drafting. Prerequisites: Contracts I & II, Writing & Research I & II. Preferred: Business Associations.
Credit: 2 Units  

LAW 842B - Business Immigration Law

This course is an in-depth review of the law, policies, and procedures regulating the entry into the United States of foreigners for business, employment, and investment purposes. Students examine the various strategies available to U.S. employers and to foreign individuals under existing law. Students further familiarize themselves with the federal agencies that regulate the dispensation of temporary and permanent immigration benefits in business, employment, and investment contexts, and develop insights into counseling and procedures for obtaining those benefits. The course also addresses related issues, such as employer compliance with federal employment eligibility verification requirements, and, to a lesser extent, export control issues, the impact of mergers and acquisitions, the intersection of immigration and employment law, and tax aspects of immigration.
Credit: 2 Units   Offered: Spring 2010  

LAW 816 - Business Planning

This course follows a small business through the formation and early development stages, including the corporate, partnership, and tax issues raised in formation; relationships among the founders; employee stock and option structures; and venture capital and other capital-raising efforts. The course emphasizes practical aspects of representing small businesses and includes drafting and negotiation practice. Prerequisites: Business Associations, Federal Income Taxation.
Credit: 3 Units  

LAW 803B - Commercial Finance

This introduction to the law of basic business financing covers the rules regulating lenders and the manufacturers, dealers, and consumers who borrow from them (and from one another) in our modern credit economy. This is also an introduction to the commercial world for students unfamiliar with elementary business practices. It is strongly recommended for anyone planning to represent business clients in litigation or commerce. The course covers Article 9 of the Uniform Commercial Code.
Credit: 3 Units   Offered: Spring 2010  

LAW 883C - Commercial Leasing

Commercial leasing constitutes a major area of modern real estate practice. This course introduces students to substantive law, drafting skills, and essential negotiation techniques that practitioners use and look for in their new hires. Some of the issues covered will be letters of intent, rentable space, expenses, use provisions, recapture provisions, repair & compliance clauses, tenant improvements, insurance, SNDAs, CAM, ADR, ADA, financing, and bankruptcy. Prerequisite: Property I & II.
Credit: 2 Units   Offered: Spring 2010  

LAW 890C - Comparative Anti-Trust Law

This course is a general introduction to a comparative analysis of US, European and global antitrust law. The course will emphasize the attorney's role in dealing with clients engaged in business in the US and/or in Europe. Students will acquire the fundamental analytical tools needed to represent clients faced with potential or actual antitrust problems. They will examine the cultural and historical aspects underlying the differences between the US and EU approaches to certain cases (i.e. Microsoft, GE/Honeywell merger, etc.). Finally, the course will explore applying international antitrust law notably within the framework of the WTO.
Credit: 2 Units   Offered: Summer 2009  

LAW 705A - Contracts I

This yearlong course (see Contracts II) covers basic contract law, including contract formation and legal devices designed to police the bargaining process. It also covers problems of performance, excuses from performance, breach of contract, remedies, third-party beneficiary contracts, assignments, and delegation of contract rights and duties.
Credit: 3 Units   Offered: Fall 2009  

LAW 705B - Contracts II

This yearlong course (see Contracts I) covers basic contract law, including contract formation and legal devices designed to police the bargaining process. It also covers problems of performance, excuses from performance, breach of contract, remedies, third-party beneficiary contracts, assignments, and delegation of contract rights and duties. Prerequisite: Contracts I
Credit: 3 Units   Offered: Spring 2010  

LAW 802C - Corporate Governance

This course will highlight the rising importance of corporate governance as evidenced by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and the adoption of related rules promulgated by the Securities and Exchange Commission, the national securities exchanges and the national securities associations. It will focus on the impact of these regulatory initiatives on corporations, their executive officers, their directors, their auditors, and their attorneys. The course will also address the increasing importance of corporate governance on investor behavior and evaluate the evolving consensus on corporate governance best practices. Prerequisites: Business Associations.
Credit: 3 Units   Offered: Fall 2009  

LLM 322A - Corporate Taxation

This course addresses tax treatment, planning techniques, and problems of transactions between corporations and their shareholders, transfers to a corporation, capital structure of corporations, dividends and other distributions, stock redemptions, corporate liquidations, and tax free reorganizations. Prerequisite: Characterization of Income & Expenditures or Federal Income Taxation. (Offered through the LLM in Taxation Program. JD students seeking to enroll must obtain the approval of the program director.)
Credit: 3 Units   Offered: Fall 2009 , Spring 2010  

LAW 832A - Employment Discrimination

This course examines the major federal statutes prohibiting employment discrimination based on race, color, sex, sexual orientation, religion, disability, citizenship status, national origin, and age. California law regulating employment is also briefly examined. In addition to covering the substantive law, the course critically examines the law's assumptions about the nature of the employment relationship, the definition of discrimination, and the role of the government in regulating employment.
Credit: 3 Units   Offered: Spring 2010  

LAW 831 - Employment Law

This course examines the relationship between employers and individual employees. Topics include hiring, wrongful termination, employees' duty of loyalty, restrictions on post-employment competition, workplace privacy and defamation, and protection against harassment and other abusive conduct in the workplace. The course covers substantive law and examines prevailing assumptions about the employment relationship. While the course covers some discrimination issues, it does not offer in-depth coverage of that area of law.
Credit: 3 Units   Offered: Fall 2009  

LAW 858C - Evolving Role of In-House Counsel

Today, corporate general counsel and law departments face new responsibilities, heightened expectations and unprecedented challenges. In-house counsel is driven by corporate management, evolving client expectations regarding legal services, trends in the external legal marketplace and the changing legislative and regulatory landscape. This class will look at the role of company lawyers and discuss best practices. The goal is to familiarize students with an analytical approach to issues in each of the following key areas: General Business Contracts; Corporate Governance; Corporate Compliance; Employment Law; Intellectual Property; Litigation; and Working With Outside Counsel. Pre-requisites: Contracts I & II, Business Associations (may be taken concurrently but will require paper registration); Recommended: Professional Responsibility, Employment Law, IP classes, Litigation classes.
Credit: 2 Units  

LAW 896A - Externship: Civil Field Placement

Students work in private or non-profit law offices, government agencies, or business legal departments as law clerks, working on civil litigation or engaging in transactional work. Students also attend seminar class meetings. Students may work in a wide variety of areas such as civil rights, corporate law, entertainment law, family law, intellectual property law, international law, and personal injury law. This course is graded on a Credit/No Credit basis. Application form and consent of instructor required.
Credit: 2 - 4 Units   Offered: Summer 2009 , Fall 2009 , Spring 2010  

LAW 838B - Federal Income Taxation

This study of the law of federal income taxation of the individual taxpayer covers the nature of income, statutory and regulatory exclusions from gross income, income splitting, personal and business deductions, at-risk and passive-loss rules, capital gains and losses, and elementary tax accounting. Prerequisites: Property I & II
Credit: 3 Units   Offered: Summer 2009 , Spring 2010  

LAW 827B - High Technology Start-Up: Business & Legal Issues

This course will explore the business and legal issues associated with starting up and running a high technology company. It will cover the following topics: Formation of the entity (and governance), Founder's equity (and stock options), Business contracts (sale of goods, services, and E-commerce), Financings (venture capital and securities regulations), Employment issues, Intellectual property protection, and Exit strategies (M&A and IPO). This is a "hands-on" practical-oriented course, for those students planning to either become entrepreneurs, or provide legal advice to entrepreneurs. There will be Group Projects (50% of grade), as well as a final exam (50% of grade).
Credit: 3 Units   Offered: Spring 2010  

LAW 845 - Insurance Law

This course studies the interpretation and enforcement of liability, property, and life insurance policies, including the liability of insurers for bad faith. Emphasis is on the function of insurance in civil litigation and on public policy, including recent changes in California insurance laws. Prerequisite: Contracts I and II.
Credit: 3 Units   Offered: Spring 2010  

LAW 846B - International Business Transactions

This introduction to the law and practice of international trade and investment focuses on typical transactions, such as sale of goods, transfer of technology (including franchising and licensing), and transnational investment. The course also examines the regulation of imports and exports and the role of competition law in international business. Recommended: Sales.
Credit: 2 Units  

LLM 360 - International Business Transactions

This introduction to the law and practice of international trade and investment focuses on typical transactions, such as sale of goods, transfer of technology (including franchising and licensing), and transnational investment. The course also examines the regulation of imports and exports and the role of competition law in international business. Recommended: Sales.
Credit: 3 Units   Offered: Fall 2009  

LAW 741 - International Commercial Arbitration

Given the internationalization of the business world, disputes, with increasing frequency, involve parties from different parts of the globe. The intent of this course, therefore, is to provide GGU students with an introduction to international commercial arbitration currently and foreseeably the dominant vehicle by which transnational commercial disputes are resolved. The course will provide a basic understanding of the legal underpinnings of arbitration as well as the key issues surrounding the assemblage of an arbitration agreement; the conduct of an arbitral proceeding and the enforcement issues confronting a successful commercial disputant.
Credit: 2 Units   Offered: Fall 2009  

LAW 741A - International Commercial Dispute Resoltn

As global markets continue to expand so has the need for resolving transnational disputes. While some international disputes will be resolved through litigation, most will be settled by alternative means. This course will concentrate on the various forms of dispute resolution available to international parties in both foreign and domestic legal settings. The course will emphasize the utility of mediation, conciliation, arbitration, and litigation as appropriate vehicles for the settlement of international disputes.
Credit: 2 Units  

LLM 352A - International Contracts

This course explores the practical aspects of drafting, negotiation, administration, and dispute resolution as they apply to international commercial contracts. A primary goal is to identify international and cross-cultural issues. Six categories of contracts are examined: distribution, sales, construction, loans, licensing, and joint ventures. The aim of the class is to endow students with the the lawyering skills expected of an international business attorney.
Credit: 2 Units  

LLM 322 - International Trade Regulation

This survey of the international regulation of trade in goods and services emphasizes the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) and the World Trade Organization (WTO). Other topics include the role of regional economic arrangements (such as NAFTA and the EC), the relationship of U.S. trade law to the international trading regime, the role of specialized U.N. agencies, and the position of developing countries in the global trading system.
Credit: 3 Units   Offered: Spring 2010  

LAW 854A - Labor Law

This course will provide an overview of union and management relations under the National Labor Relations Act, focusing on employees' right to organize, union representation, collective bargaining, right to fair representation, employer and union economic weapons, and recent proposed legislative changes. Students will learn how the political, economic, and social environment have shaped the law of labor relations and gain an appreciation for competing visions of how the 64-year-old Act applies, or may need to be changed, to deal with many issues in the contemporary workplace.
Credit: 3 Units   Offered: Spring 2010  

LAW 744 - Mergers and Acquisitions

The course focuses on the multitude of legal and nonlegal issues confronting lawyers handling mergers and acquisitions of entities. Issues include corporate, securities, tax, and antitrust issues. In a part-lecture, part-workshop approach, the course analyzes the lawyer's diverse role in managing a complex business restructuring. Public and private company mergers and other restructurings are considered, as are the various M&A roles played by directors, senior officers, investment bankers, accountants, and others.
Credit: 3 Units  

LAW 833D - Negotiating and Drafting Contracts in the Entertainment Business

This advanced course in entertainment law focuses on the drafting and negotiation of the numerous agreements involved in entertainment projects. Sound recording and publishing contracts in the music business and licensing agreements for the online distribution of music and audiovisual works are examined in detail. Students get hands-on experience in drafting these agreements. They also analyze negotiation points and discuss negotiation tips and strategies with experienced practitioners in entertainment law.
Credit: 2 Units   Offered: Spring 2010  

LLM 378P - Pacific Rim Trade Seminar

This course provides an overview of the international trade policies followed by selected Asian and Pacific Rim nations and then examines the legal issues arising from the execution of those policies. The Pacific Rim Trade Seminar is a natural extension of the basic course in International Organizations and will focus on legal issues and the organizations, trade agreements and mutual defense/cooperation agreements that have been implemented to resolve them. The seminar emphasizes student participation in discussions examining the issues from the perspective of the State, the courts, international businesses, and the individual. The seminar will allow students to review applicable rules of international law dealing with the regulation of international trade and then apply them to real world scenarios unfolding around them. Typical subjects for discussion include: (1) the effectiveness of (Pacific Rim) regional trade organizations such as ASEAN, NAFTA, and MERCOSUR; (2) advantages/disadvantages of (Pacific Rim) regional trade organizations; (3) advantages/disadvantages of supranational organizations such as the European Union and the Free Trade Area of the Americas; (4) compliance by Pacific Rim nations with WTO rules, regulations, and requirements; (5) legal issues arising out of doing business in a foreign jurisdiction (students will gain practical experience in advising a client considering an international business transaction involving Pacific Rim nations). Substantive material will be presented through and grades will be determined by: (1) Classroom lectures and student presentations; (2) Assigned reading material; (3) Case studies; (4) Participation in class/seminar discussions and exercises; and (5) A final research paper on a topic of the student's own choosing.
Credit: 3 Units   Offered: Summer 2009  

LAW 740 - Sales

Students examine Article 2 of the Uniform Commercial Code but also learn about the U.N. Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods. The course focuses on formation, express and implied contractual terms, warranties, performance, and remedies for breach of contract. Prerequisites: Contracts I and II.
Credit: 2 Units   Offered: Fall 2009 , Spring 2010  

LAW 802B - Securities Regulation

Students investigate the Securities Act of 1933 and selected portions of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, together with analogous provisions in the Uniform Securities Act and California Corporate Securities Law. Topics include the role of the underwriter, the nature of a security, the registration process, exemptions from registration, and civil liability provisions. Prerequisite: Business Associations.
Credit: 3 Units