LAW 811 - Administrative Law
This course surveys the organization, authority, and procedures of administrative agencies in relation to rulemaking, adjudication, and judicial review of administrative rulings and decisions. The course examines both federal and state agencies.
Credit: 3 Units
LAW 732A - Advanced Appellate Practice
Students will write briefs and orally argue real cases pending in California appellate courts. Actual trial court transcripts in civil and criminal cases will be examined and used as the bases for presenting these arguments. Class discussion will focus on practical strategies for winning appeals and writs. Prerequisites: Appellate Advocacy, Civil Procedure II, Criminal Procedure I.
Credit: 2 Units
Offered:
Fall 2009
LAW 727E - Advanced Legal Research: eSearch
This course explains the structure and use of legal materials. The goal is research proficiency, especially in a virtual law library. Each student is responsible for using the various online research tools, theories, and strategies presented by the instructors to complete weekly exercises and compile a comprehensive research memorandum/guide. Hard copy and electronic resources will be compared to explore their relative strengths and weaknesses, so students can also expect to sharpen their research skills with traditional print materials. This course is open only to upper division JD students.
Credit: 2 Units
Offered:
Summer 2009
,
Fall 2009
,
Spring 2010
LAW 726A - Advanced Legal Writing
This course explores the art of legal writing. Students will focus on the writing process (from outlining to rewriting) as a series of strategic decisions. Assignments include writing and rewriting two closed library assignments. Students will also rewrite a document from a previous class (e.g., Appellate Advocacy brief) using the advanced writing techniques learned in class. Students who received less than a B- in Appellate Advocacy must obtain instructor permission prior to registering. Prerequisites: Must be taken after, and not concurrently with, Appellate Advocacy.
Credit: 1 Units
Offered:
Fall 2009
,
Spring 2010
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 732 - Appellate Advocacy
This course builds on the writing skills developed in the first year of law school. Students prepare appellate briefs and present oral arguments in a moot court program. Prerequisites: Writing and Research I and II.
Credit: 2 Units
Offered:
Summer 2009
,
Fall 2009
,
Spring 2010
LAW 858 - Business of the Practice of Law
This course explores the business aspects of the practice of law for students interested in solo practice, those starting a firm with friends, or for students interested in understanding management issues of an existing firm or corporate law department. The course will consider the different forms of practice, client management issues, marketing, budgeting and financial planning, space and equipment planning, fee setting, compensation and human resource issues and associated ethical considerations. In lieu of a final exam, over the semester students will draft a number of documents including a law firm structure outline, a business plan, including a budget, client letters, a personal career plan and resume, a diary of observations and insights and time records.
Credit: 3 Units
Offered:
Spring 2010
LAW 700C - California Civil Procedure
California civil procedure differs in significant respects from federal civil procedure. Five hands-on exercises provide reinforcement for the case law. These include a client interview, drafting a pleading, researching and writing a simple motion and memorandum of points and authorities in support, oral arguments in support or opposition to a motion, and a court-administered settlement conference. This course covers procedural steps in California ranging from client intake through the appellate process. The course covers the California Code of Civil Procedure and the California Rules of Court, and introduces California forms and local rules. Prerequisite: Civil Procedure I & II.
Credit: 3 Units
LAW 869 - California Legal Research
This course demonstrates the structure and use of legal resources as they relate to California practice. The course goal is research proficiency, especially with electronic California legal materials. Each student is responsible for learning to use the electronic research tools, theories, and strategies presented by the instructors. Weekly exercises are assigned, and students may also be expected to complete either a semester research project or a shorter end-of-semester project to demonstrate a comprehensive grasp of research skills. Paper and online resources will be compared to reveal their respective strengths and weaknesses, so students in this class can also expect to hone their skills in researching California printed legal materials.
Credit: 2 Units
Offered:
Summer 2009
,
Fall 2009
,
Spring 2010
LAW 896J - Capital Post Conviction Defense Clinic
Capital Post Conviction Defense Clinic introduces students to the representation of indigent defendants challenging their convictions and death sentences on direct appeal and through habeas corpus proceedings in the California Supreme Court. In addition to discussing legal and topical issues concerning death penalty representation at the weekly seminar sessions, students will work under the supervision of experienced capital defense attorneys to represent indigent defendants in their research and drafting of pleadings, the investigation of claims, and the collection and preservation of evidence. GGU law students in the past have drafted appellate arguments and habeas corpus claims, reviewed capital trial testimony, witness statements, and police reports, evaluated crime scene evidence, researched and drafted office memoranda and resource materials on various topics, collected defendant life history documents, and prepared litigation outlines and chronologies. In addition, CAP student externs are encouraged to attend oral arguments, to participate in litigation meetings, and to visit a client on death row. Please contact CAP Deputy Director Patricia Kern, <b>PKern@capsf.org</b>, if you have questions about this clinic. CAP is located at 101 Second Street, Suite 600. This course is graded on a Credit/No Credit basis.
Credit: 3 - 4 Units
Offered:
Fall 2009
LAW 897A - Civil Litigation: Pretrial Phase
In this course, students handle every aspect of the pretrial preparation of a civil lawsuit. They proceed from the initial client contact, through formulating client representational strategy, to developing a case theory. They draft all the case pleadings as well as motions challenging the sufficiency of the pleadings. Students also engage in all aspects of fact investigation. The course ends with a pre-trial settlement conference. Prerequisites: Civil Procedure I and II.
Credit: 3 Units
Offered:
Fall 2009
,
Spring 2010
LAW 700A - Civil Procedure I
This yearlong course (see Civil Procedure II) is a survey of the procedures regulating the litigation of civil disputes. Civil Procedure I covers personal jurisdiction, subject matter jurisdiction, venue, and choice of law.
Credit: 3 Units
Offered:
Fall 2009
LAW 700B - Civil Procedure II
This yearlong course (see Civil Procedure I) is a survey of the procedures regulating the litigation of civil disputes. Civil Procedure II covers elements of pleading, joinder of parties and claims, discovery, functions of court and jury, verdicts, post-judgment motions, and appeal. The main focus is the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure although comparisons will be made to the California Rules of Civil Procedure when they are materially different. Prerequisite: Civil Procedure I
Credit: 3 Units
Offered:
Spring 2010
LAW 899J - Competition: Advanced Mock Trial
This course is open only to students who have been selected to represent the law school in an interschool trial competition. Students may enroll in this course twice if they are selected twice for competitions. Prerequisites: Trial Advocacy, Mock Trial. Consent of instructor required.
Credit: 2 Units
Offered:
Spring 2010
LAW 899E - Competition: Traynor Moot Court
The Roger J. Traynor California Moot Court Competition is a prestigious interscholastic moot court competition open to California law schools. The competition is designed to provide students with a learning experience that reflects contemporary appellate practice in California, and uses an edited record from an actual California Court of Appeal case. A team of two or three students will prepare and submit an appellate brief representing one side, and present oral arguments representing both sides.
Credit: 2 Units
Offered:
Spring 2010
LAW 855 - Courtroom as Theatre
This course teaches performance skills related to the use of voice, body, and movement in the context of the courtroom. It is designed for law students who want to improve their presentations as trial and appellate advocates or to simply be more effective in ordinary lawyer communications. The premise of the instructors is, "Lawyers don't have a constitutional right to be boring!" This course is graded on a Credit/No Credit basis.
Credit: 2 Units
Offered:
Fall 2009
,
Spring 2010
LAW 804E - Electronic Evidence
This course examines how the increased use of computers to create, process, and store information affects the use of that information as evidence in the decision-making process in criminal and civil trial proceedings in California state trial courts or United States District courts. Students participate in trial situations to gain an appreciation for proper procedures for offering or challenging admission of electronic information. Students learn to create and authenticate electronic charts, diagrams and slides. The course also explores application of the rules of discovery to electronic information. Students will need access to a computer to complete class assignments. (Access to GGU computer lab will suffice) Co-requisite: Evidence.
Credit: 3 Units
LAW 804 - Evidence
This course is a survey of the principles of law and rules governing the admissibility of proof at criminal or civil trials, including direct and cross-examination of witnesses, impeachment of credibility, expert testimony, hearsay, privileged communication, and documentary proof. Prerequisite: Civil Procedure I, Corequisite: Civil Procedure II
Credit: 4 Units
Offered:
Summer 2009
,
Fall 2009
,
Spring 2010
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 896C - Externship: Judicial
In this field placement program, students work in selected courts under the supervision of a judge. Students must complete 45 hours of work for each unit. A full-time externship can require up to 13 units; most students take 3 to 5 units at a time. Arrangements are made on an individual basis with the externship director. In addition to working at the court placement, students must attend a mandatory seminar, the first day of which is just before the start of the term. Students who enroll in this course in a summer session are limited to 8 units of credit. Prerequisite: Students must have completed 40 units and have a cumulative GPA of 2.5 for state trial court and 2.75 for appellate and federal court externships. Corequisite: Evidence, or consent of instructor. This course is graded on a Credit/No Credit basis.
Credit: 2 - 13 Units
Offered:
Summer 2009
,
Fall 2009
,
Spring 2010
LAW 824D - Extership: Homeless Advocacy
Students learn counseling, interviewing, and negotiating skills in class simulations, then work with real clients through the Homeless Advocacy Project (HAP), which is sponsored by the Bar Association of San Francisco Volunteer Legal Services Program. Training is provided in both lawyering skills and substantive law. Under the professor's supervision, students act as advocates for HAP clients in a variety of settings. Students in the Honors Lawyering Program (HLP) may not enroll in this course.
Credit: 3 - 4 Units
Offered:
Spring 2010
LAW 838C - Federal Courts
Students examine issues involved in federal court litigation, including habeas corpus, three-judge courts, suits brought by and against the federal government, governmental immunity, procedural barriers to obtaining federal court jurisdiction, and proposals for change in the jurisdiction of the U.S. Supreme Court. Prerequisites: Civil Procedure I and II, Constitutional Law I and II.
Credit: 3 Units
LAW 824G - Guerrilla Lawyering
This seminar focuses on lawyering for social change. It teaches the art of using guerrilla fighting techniques in the legal arena. Guerrilla lawyers are characterized by limited resources and by an alternative vision of the dominant culture. The class first explores the lawyer-client relationship, then moves on to unmasking legal dogma. Through role-playing students learn how to use the law as an organizing tool. There will be two class sessions in an actual courtroom at the federal building where each student will argue a bail motion or sentencing hearing. Students will learn how to exert power in formal legal settings. The course emphasizes merging political/legal theory with practical lawyering. There will be a short final paper, but no final exam in this course.
Credit: 1 Units
Offered:
Spring 2010
LAW 726 - Intermediate Legal Writing
In this course students will develop their written communication skills by focusing on the writing process through several assignments. This course covers logical organization, legal analysis, grammar, punctuation, and style. It does not cover legal research or exam writing. Consent of the Associate Dean for Law Student Services required. Prerequisites: Writing & Research I & II. Must be taken before and not concurrently with Appellate Advocacy.
Credit: 1 Units
Offered:
Fall 2009
LAW 861C - Law Review Associate Editor
Required of all Law Review members during their second year on Law Review (2 units/Fall, 1 unit/Spring). (Not applicable to Law Review Board members, see LAW 861D). In the Fall term, 12 hours of mandatory seminar sessions will be scheduled. During the course of the two semesters, each member will edit and cite check the work of various first year Law Review members or work on selected articles from outside authors. The total of 3 credits will be awarded at the end of the Spring term. This course is graded on a Credit/No Credit basis.
Credit: 1 - 2 Units
Offered:
Fall 2009
,
Spring 2010
LAW 861D - Law Review Board
Required of all Law Review Board members during the Fall and Spring terms (2 units/Fall & 2 units/Spring). Outlines of the requisite responsibilities of the board members are found in the Law Review Bylaws. This course is graded on a Credit/No Credit basis.
Credit: 2 Units
Offered:
Fall 2009
,
Spring 2010
LAW 861A - Law Review Writer
Required of all Law Review members during their first year on Law Review (2 units/Fall, 1 unit/Spring). Over the course of the two semesters, each student will write a scholarly casenote or comment. During the Fall semester, 12 hours of mandatory seminar sessions will be scheduled. The total of 3 credits will be awarded at the end of the Spring term. This course is graded on a Credit/No Credit basis. Enrollment is limited to persons invited to join the Law Review. Membership on Law Review is determined in two ways: by first-year grades (top 10%) or through a writing competition that is held during the middle of the second semester of the first-year.
Credit: 1 - 2 Units
Offered:
Fall 2009
,
Spring 2010
LAW 805L - Legal Profession Seminar
This course provides an overview of the US legal profession and the historical, economic, and sociological forces that shape the profession and the practice of law. A central focus of this course is to examine the everyday realities of the practice of law and explore what it means to be a lawyer--a "professional"--in a variety of the many contexts in which lawyers work, including big-firms, small firms and solo practices, and government law offices. Class reading and critical discussion will examine such topics as the history of the American legal profession, the changing social structure of the bar, the business of practicing law, public interest and "cause" lawyering, the realities of legal ethics in everyday law practice, gender issues in the practice of law, and the future of legal practice and the legal profession. The course requires seminar participants to actively participate in class and to complete several analytic memos and brief essays throughout the semester.
Credit: 2 Units
Offered:
Spring 2010
LAW 870C - Mediation & Collaborative Lawyering
Students examine the non-adversarial processes of facilitative mediation and Collaborative Practice. The course focuses on: 1) the practical and ethical considerations that arise for attorneys who are not representing their clients, and 2) how attorneys efficiently conduct themselves as part of an interdisciplinary team working with mental health and financial professionals.
Credit: 2 Units
Offered:
Spring 2010
LAW 863 - Practical Legal Writing
This is an upper level writing course that focuses on the legal documents most commonly prepared by attorneys in the practice of law. In-class exercises include a variety of legal writing documents, some of which are modeled on those used in the performance section of the California Bar Examination. Practical Legal Writing is limited to students who will be classified as D3 or E4 at the beginning of the semester in which they take the course. Students are recommended to take this class during the final semester of law school. Prerequisites: Appellate Advocacy.
Credit: 2 Units
Offered:
Fall 2009
,
Spring 2010
LAW 805A - Professional Responsibility
This course examines the attorneys responsibility to the client, the profession, and society, as well as the structure and operation of the U.S. legal profession. Both ABA and California rules are discussed.
Credit: 2 Units
Offered:
Summer 2009
,
Fall 2009
,
Spring 2010
LAW 806 - Remedies
This survey of the legal and equitable remedies available to litigants based on their substantive rights emphasizes the type and extent of damages awarded in different legal settings. Also covered are specific performance, injunctive relief, and restitutionary remedies. Prerequisites: Constitutional Law I, Constitutional Law II and Property II
Credit: 3 Units
Offered:
Summer 2009
,
Fall 2009
,
Spring 2010
LAW 899B - Trial Advocacy
This is the entry course for the litigation program, and it teaches the basic skills needed by every lawyer going to court: conducting a direct examination of a witness, introducing documents and physical evidence, cross-examining witnesses, making and answering objections, and preparing opening statements and closing arguments. Much of the students' work is videotaped. The final examination for this course is a full trial conducted in a local courthouse. Prerequisite/Corequisite (depending on the instructor): Evidence.
Credit: 3 Units
Offered:
Fall 2009
,
Spring 2010
LAW 725A - Writing and Research I
In this process-based course, students begin working with the basic legal research resources. They become familiar with legal citation, legal reading and legal analysis. They develop their ability to formulate research plans and to analyze legal issues as they research and write predictive memoranda responding to specific legal problems.
Credit: 2 Units
Offered:
Fall 2009
LAW 725B - Writing and Research II
The second semester of Writing and Research continues to focus on the predictive memo as the vehicle to further develop research and analytical skills. The memo problems are more complex, requiring more in-depth research. Prerequisite: Writing and Research I
Credit: 1 Units
Offered:
Spring 2010
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