Course Catalog

 

LLM 321C - Advanced International Tax

This course explores the interplay among U.S. and international tax, legal, and business considerations in formulating an overall tax-efficient global strategy. Students will explore a variety of international tax topics in a case study format. Topics may include subpart F, foreign tax credits, foreign currency, hybrid instruments, choice of entity issues, international corporate reorganizations, tax treaties, and concerns of foreign investors in the U.S. Prerequisite: International Taxation. Recommended: Corporate Tax. (Offered through the LLM in Taxation Program. JD students seeking to enroll must obtain the approval of the program director.)
Credit: 2 Units   Offered: Summer 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 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 871D - Climate Change & International Law

This course focuses on the most challenging environmental issue that this generation and many generations to come must confront, climate change. The course's orientation will be on international institutional responses, including the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Kyoto Protocol and the European Trading System. The course will also examine international causes of action for damages associated with climate change in judicial and quasi-judicial fora, including the International Court of Justice, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, the World Heritage Commission and under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
Credit: 3 Units   Offered: Summer 2009  

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 818B - Comparative Civil Procedure

This course compares civil proceedings in common law (US, England) and civil law (Italy, Germany, with references to Japan) systems, mainly focusing on the following issues: (i) the fact-finding process; (ii) the law of evidence; (iii) the application of the law of evidence to facts; and (iv) the application of substantive law to (proven) facts. These issues will be addressed during the course, focusing on similarities existing among those proceedings, digging into some of the main devices concerning fact-finding and evidence. The course is intended to provide students and future international lawyers and scholars with tools to manage transnational litigations and arbitrations, and think about different legal systems in a comparative perspective, through the theory and practice of civil procedure and civil litigation. Students will write one final paper (approximately 20 pages).
Credit: 2 Units   Offered: Spring 2010  

LAW 801G - Comparative Constitutional Design

This seminar invites students to explore the issues behind writing a constitution. What motivates a nation to select among different options for judicial and executive power or to enforce certain rights rather than others (e.g., dignity, property rights and social welfare rights) and who should decide the content of a constitution? Readings will include historical examples of constitutional drafting from a variety of countries, popular and academic opinion about how to write (or amend) a constitution, and other writings to allow the students to formulate their own opinion of best practices for constitution drafting. Classes will be discussion-based and interactive. The course will culminate in a research paper in lieu of a final exam. Co-requisite: Constitutional Law I
Credit: 2 Units  

LAW 763A - Comparative Corporate Law

Using a comparative and functional approach, the course examines the various regulatory and governance strategies employed in different legal systems to address three recurring problems of corporation law: mediating the tensions between owners and managers, between majority owners and minority owners, and between the corporation and society. The primary comparison will be between US and French/EU law. There is no prerequisite for this course. This course is offered only through the Paris Summer Program.
Credit: 2 Units  

LAW 761A - Comparative Criminal Justice

This course compares the U.S. approach to criminal justice with that of European countries through readings and lively discussions. Specifically, we will consider the rights of one charged with an offense during investigation and interrigation; the right to counsel; search and seizure law; plea bargaining; roles of judges, lawyers and victims; and trial rules and proceedings. This course is offered only through the Paris Summer Program.
Credit: 2 Units   Offered: Summer 2009  

LAW 818C - Comparative Criminal Justice

This course explores the US approach to criminal justice compared with that of European countries through readings and lively discussions. Specifically, it will consider the rights of one charged with an offense during investigation and interrogation, the right to counsel, plea bargaining, the roles of judges, juries, prosecutors and victims. This course also examines substantive criminal law issues such as the crime of rape and punishment considerations, including the death penalty.
Credit: 2 Units  

LAW 803D - Comparative Criminal Procedure

This seminar compares the Anglo-American adversarial model of criminal procedure with the continental European inquisitorial system. In particular, students look at how these different systems deal with issues of pretrial detention, right to counsel, judges versus juries, confessions and trial testimony, prosecutors and plea bargaining, and search and seizure. Prerequisites: Criminal Procedure I, Evidence.
Credit: 3 Units  

LAW 762A - Comparative Equality (Civil Rights) Law

This course examines issues of equality (civil rights), including hate speech (France, Germany, U.S.); same-sex marriage (France, Denmark, U.S.); sexual harassment (France, U.S.); affirmative action (France, India, U.S.); discrimination remedies (France, Britain, U.S.); religious apparel in public schools (France, Turkey, U.S.); and reparations (Germany, U.S.). This course is offered only through the Paris Summer Program.
Credit: 2 Units   Offered: Summer 2009  

LLM 301A - Comparative International Tax

This seminar compares current tax law in countries from all parts of the developed and developing world. The course will explore similarities and differences among countries? income and other tax systems and identify the implications for tax practice. Using a structural framework, the course materials include recent cases and commentaries. The seminar will also assess national tax regimes in light of international tax treaty requirements and models (OECD, UN, EU, WTO, etc.).
Credit: 2 Units   Offered: Fall 2009  

LLM 352 - Comparative Legal Systems

This global approach to the study of legal systems in various parts of the world is designed to enable students to recognize and analyze legal problems that might confront lawyers dealing with matters involving application of foreign law. The course focuses on the fundamental historical, institutional, and procedural differences between the common law and the civil law systems, with an emphasis on the code systems of continental Europe, and on their use as models for law reform in developing countries. References are also made to legal systems based on religious principles or socialist legal principles.
Credit: 3 Units   Offered: Fall 2009  

LAW 763B - Comparative Remedies Law

This course examines the remedies available in torts, contracts, and property law (i.e., kinds of damages, injunctive relief), comparing American remedies with French and other E.U. remedies, and the procedures available for seeking relief (i.e., jury trials, restraining orders). This course is offered only through the Paris Summer Program.
Credit: 2 Units  

LAW 899M - Competition: Jessup International Law Moot Court

The American Society of International Law sponsors this moot court competition, which enables students to argue timely questions of international law in regional and final competitions against teams from 150 law schools in 20 different countries.
Credit: 1 - 2 Units   Offered: Fall 2009 , Spring 2010  

LAW 899S - Competition: Outer Space Moot Court

The Outer Space Moot Court Competition is named after late Judge Manfred Lachs formerly of the International Court of Justice at The Hague. The course affords the students an opportunity to examine and discuss/argue fundamental legal questions relating to the international law of outer space.
Credit: 2 Units  

LAW 801K - Constitutional Issues Seminar

This course explores US Constitutional law through the lens of foreign and comparative law and with a focus on contemporary issues in domestic and foreign constitutional law. The goal of the course is to improve critical thinking, discussion and writing skills through a more focused engagement in topics of interests to the class. Students will improve their analytical, writing and presentation skills in connection with a paper on a constitutional law topic of their own choosing. This course will have a final paper; no exam. Prerequisites: Constitutional Law I or II.
Credit: 2 Units   Offered: Spring 2010  

LLM 366C - Contemporary Issues in International Law

This course focuses on the application of principles of public international law to current events. Students will evaluate selected topics drawn from contemporary/current news sources and determine whether the action of the nations or international organizations involved are consistent with the principles of public international law. Each class will begin with a review/overview of the applicable principle of international law (e.g. the law of treaties, the legitimate use of force, the law of armed conflict, international human rights law, etc.) and then students will participate in a discussion of the selected contemporary issue in light of the principle(s) just reviewed. Examples of topics for discussion include: the status of detainees at Guantanamo Bay Cuba, the legitimacy of the use of force in Iraq, violations of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (by Iran, North Korea, India, Pakistan), the Central American Free Trade Agreement (and its relation to NAFTA and the European Union), and the protection of intellectual property in foreign jurisdictions. Students may also propose topics for discussion as appropriate. Grading will be based upon class participation and on a 25-page research paper due on the date of the last class meeting.
Credit: 3 Units   Offered: Spring 2010  

LAW 846F - European Union Law

This course surveys the development of regional law in Europe, culminating in the formation of the European Community, European Union, and European Economic Area.
Credit: 3 Units  

LAW 842D - Immigration and Refugee Policy Seminar

This course will focus on U.S. and national asylum law and procedure, international refugee protection law and procedure, and significant debates regarding these topics. Students will become familiar with the process involving USCIS, US ICE, Immigration Courts, the Board of Immigration Appeals, and the federal courts of review.
Credit: 2 Units   Offered: Fall 2009  

LAW 842A - Immigration Law

This introduction to immigration and naturalization law and procedure examines major immigration policies and covers immigration and naturalization statutes, regulations, major administrative and court decisions, and constitutional rights as affected by alienage.
Credit: 3 Units   Offered: Fall 2009  

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  

LAW 847C - International Environmental Law Seminar

Students examine the law and institutions relevant to managing transboundary, regional, and global environmental problems.
Credit: 3 Units   Offered: Fall 2009  

LLM 362 - International Environmental Law Seminar

This course will seek to provide an overview of the status of international environmental law in the 21st Century. In so doing, we will explore all of the following questions: Why do States cooperate in developing international environmental norms and regimes, and to what extent? What are the sources of international law, and what legal mechanisms or approaches facilitate the development of international environmental agreements and norms? What mechanisms do we use to facilitate assessment of compliance with, and implementation of, international environmental agreements, and what metrics do we employ to assess treaty effectiveness? How effective are some of the primary international environmental agreements in force today? How can we make these agreements more robust? What is the interface between international environmental law and other important international institutions, e.g. trade, human rights and financial regimes? This course is open only to LLM students.
Credit: 3 Units   Offered: Spring 2010  

LLM 364 - International Human Rights Seminar

This course begins with a brief historical introduction to the concept of international human rights and their antecedents. Selected international human rights instruments, including U.N. documents, regional instruments, U.S. reservations, U.S. legislation, and war crimes documents, are then examined in detail with appropriate classifications of human rights in accordance with their contents or substance and the chronological and generational stages of their development.
Credit: 3 Units   Offered: Spring 2010  

LAW 823C - International Intellectual Property Law

This course discusses the impact of TRIPS and other international intellectual property treaties, including Paris and Berne, on the changes and interpretations in domestic U.S. law and selected countries outside the United States. The post-TRIPS environmental, current, and proposed legislation are also covered. Recommended: Intellectual Property Law Survey, Patent Law of the U.S., or Trademark Law of the U.S.
Credit: 2 Units   Offered: Fall 2009  

LLM 360A - International Investment Law

This course examines the law regulating international investment, exploring the range of issues practitioners deal with, including different bodies and mechanisms set up for the settlement of investment disputes, as well as selected international instruments at regional, interregional, and multilateral levels.
Credit: 3 Units   Offered: Spring 2010  

LLM 366 - International Law

This basic course introduces the progressive development of international law, which primarily regulates the relations between states but also governs the rights and obligations of subjects other than states, namely, international organizations and individuals. Sources of international law are examined. Substantive topics for study include jurisdiction, territories and responsibility of states, the law of treaties, and international liability of states for injurious consequences of acts not prohibited by international law.
Credit: 3 Units   Offered: Fall 2009  

LLM 378A - International Organizations

This survey of international organizations includes the United Nations and its specialized agencies, as well as institutions for dispute resolution.
Credit: 2 Units  

LLM 378 - International Organizations

This survey of international organizations includes the United Nations and its specialized agencies, as well as institutions for dispute resolution.
Credit: 3 Units  

LLM 380A - International Patent Law

This course is divided into two parts. The first part provides students with a working knowledge of the treaties, regulations, and procedural requirements that govern the protection of intellectual property in the international legal system. In the second part, students apply that knowledge to a series of practical exercises emphasizing real-world considerations, analyses, and drafting skills. Topics include patents under international law, international agreements and patent treaties, filing international patent applications, overview of foreign patent laws, and licensing technology in other countries.
Credit: 3 Units  

LLM 381 - International Trade & Environmental Protection

This course examines the legal relationship between international trade rules and policies to protect the natural environment. The course content is related to material covered in courses on international trade regulation and international environmental law. Prerequisite: International Law or one introductory environmental law course recommended but not required.
Credit: 3 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  

LLM 383A - Intra-State Conflict & Peace Building

This course aims to introduce students to the theories of intra-state conflicts and international practices of resolving them at the very basic level. Students will explore sources and causes of conflicts, ongoing conflicts, successful resolution practices, peace building, relevant international law and the role of international and regional organizations in resolving intra state conflicts. General knowledge of or familiarity with international law required.
Credit: 2 Units  

LAW 760 - Intro to French & European Union Law

This introduction to French and European Union Law has 2 main goals. First, to provide a solid foundation for understanding both the French legal system, which relies on statute law and codes as its primary source of law, and the unique European legal system, which relies on treaty law as its primary source of law and on regulations and directives. All subjects addressed during this course will explore the interaction between French and European Union law. The second goal of the course is to make a close study of key legal terminology in order to avoid some of the most common misunderstandings that arise between French and American lawyers. In particular, we will explore some of the fundamental differences that lurk behind deceptively similar terms, such as 'contrat' in French and 'contract' in English. During the 2-week course, students will have opportunities to visit French courts; interact with a number of French, European, and American lawyers; and take a field trip to Brussels, where they will hear lectures by members of the commission or its staff. This course is offered only through the Paris Summer Program.
Credit: 2 Units   Offered: Summer 2009  

LAW 817B - Introduction to Islamic Law

This course introduces students to the basic concepts of Islamic law and their applicability in contemporary legal systems. Throughout the course students will learn the history and evolution of Islamic law, development of different schools of thought, an overview of the substantive principles and comparative analyses with existing legal principles in the world. Students will also have an opportunity to explore Islamic legal systems in diverse communities, the impact of colonialism and modernity on Islamic law, and to examine the presence of Islam in today's western societies.
Credit: 2 Units   Offered: Spring 2010  

LLM 383 - Law of International Armed Conflicts

Students explore the body of law governing the actions of nations and individuals during a state of armed conflict. Topics include the use of force between states, rules of international armed conflict, war crimes and war crimes tribunals (including applications to ongoing conflicts), international humanitarian law, the Geneva Convention, arms control and disarmament, weapons of mass destruction, collective security, the United Nations and U.N. peacekeeping efforts, and the applicability of the laws to national and international terrorism.
Credit: 3 Units  

LAW 860 - Law of the Sea Seminar

This course examines the legal rights and obligations of nation-states regarding uses of the world's oceans. Coverage includes, but is not limited to, coastal state control over territorial waters and strategic straits; establishment of offshore exclusive economic zones and fisheries; activities on the high seas including efforts to control marine pollution, interdiction of drug and human smuggling, and terrorism and piracy; protection of underwater cultural heritage; resolution of international sea boundary disputes; and exploitation of the mineral resources of the international seabed. The course will view these matters through the structure and scope of the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and other relevant international agreements, as well as applicable domestic legislation and regulatory mechanisms. (Note: In the event of insufficient enrollment for this class as a seminar, interested students may apply to the instructor to pursue it as an Independent Study project.)
Credit: 2 Units  

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  

LLM 376B - Pacific Settlement of Disputes Between States

This course examines various methods available in the resolution of conflicts between States. The course examines the International Court of Justice, the International Tribunal on the Law of the Sea at Hamburg, the International Criminal Tribunal at The Hague for former Yugoslavia, and the International Criminal Tribunal at Arusha for Rwanda, as well as the interplay of other methods of dispute settlement between States, such as the DSB and its Appellate Body under the WTO in Geneva, the Permanent Court of Arbitration at The Hague, and United Nations-sponsored conciliation, mediation, enquiry, good offices, and negotiations.
Credit: 3 Units  

LAW 820A - Private International Law: Transnational Litigation

This course provides a comprehensive introduction to the wide range of issues typically encountered in the context of transnational litigation. In particular, the course explores the resolution of transnational disputes involving one or more private parties. The course covers issues such as lex mercatoria, jurisdiction and forum non conveniens, choice of law and extraterritorial application of law, forum selection clauses and lis pendens, foreign sovereign immunity, international judicial assistance (e.g., in connection with service of process or taking evidence abroad), and the recognition and enforcement of judgments abroad. Throughout the course, we examine not only US law, but also relevant international law, as well as the rules and practices of other common and civil law countries. This is a field in which the US rules and practices differ vastly from those found in other countries, and where the potential for lawyers from different legal systems to misunderstand each other is huge. The course is suitable both for JD students who might wish to deepen their knowledge and understanding of U.S. civil procedure (as it pertains to transnational cases), as well as for LLM and SJD students without any previous knowledge of U.S. civil procedure or conflict of laws.
Credit: 3 Units   Offered: Spring 2010