Course Catalog

In the modern regulatory state, the rules that most profoundly shape private conduct come not from the common law but, instead, from legislatures and agencies. This class will explore the lawmaking function of these institutions and the virtues and vices of administrative governance. Among other things, the class will cover: the nature of the legislative process; statutory interpretation; the justifications for regulatory intervention; regulatory tools and strategies; the allocation of authority between legislatures and agencies; the varied forms of agency decision-making; and judicial review of agency decisions. In offering a survey of public law, the course will introduce students to the essentials of both statutory interpretation and administrative law.

• Type: Upper Class

Technology has fundamentally transformed how litigation is conducted, and the pace of change is accelerating. This course will teach students what they must know to succeed in the new world of technology enabled litigation. We will cover how lawyers deploy sophisticated technology and services to: manage big data and harvest key information; handle specialty matters involving white collar crime, civil liability investigations, cyber incident responses, and federal challenges to mergers and acquisitions; and meet professional obligations and avoid sanctions from courts and regulators. Recent enforcement guidance and initiatives from the DOJ, SEC and FTC have raised the stakes of missteps substantially for counsel and clients in these areas. We will have technical and operational experts conduct simulation exercises in key areas, in which students will participate, to provide real-world, practical knowledge that can be applied when students enter litigation practice.

• Type: Upper Class

Students in the Low-Income Taxpayer Clinic (LITC) represent individuals with federal and state tax controversies through administrative advocacy and litigation in the United States Tax Court. Students can expect to gain exposure to a broad range of tax problems, both substantive and procedural, that will be valuable when working with clients of any income level in the future. Students also work with community organizations to provide information about tax issues and taxpayer rights and responsibilities to individuals who speak English as a second language. The LITC is a 7 credit course and meets the New York Pro-Bono requirement. Students must enroll in the 4 credit clinic and the 3 credit seminar, taken concurrently. The 4 credit clinic and 3 credit seminar are mandatory graded and ineligible for letter grade conversion to pass ("P") election. The Clinic fulfills the Law School's professional responsibility requirement for graduation, but does not fulfill the New York State Bar ethics requirement. The Clinic fulfills the Statutory or Regulatory Course Distribution Requirement for graduation applicable to JD students who matriculated in May 2016 and thereafter.

• Type: Clinic

Students in the Low-Income Taxpayer Clinic (LITC) represent individuals with federal and state tax controversies through administrative advocacy and litigation in the United States Tax Court. Students can expect to gain exposure to a broad range of tax problems, both substantive and procedural, that will be valuable when working with clients of any income level in the future. Students also work with community organizations to provide information about tax issues and taxpayer rights and responsibilities to individuals who speak English as a second language. The LITC is a 7 credit course and meets the New York Pro-Bono requirement. Students must enroll in the 4 credit clinic and the 3 credit seminar, taken concurrently. The 4 credit clinic and 3 credit seminar are mandatory graded and ineligible for letter grade conversion to pass ("P") election. The Clinic fulfills the Law School's professional responsibility requirement for graduation, but does not fulfill the New York State Bar ethics requirement. The Clinic fulfills the Statutory or Regulatory Course Distribution Requirement for graduation applicable to JD students who matriculated in May 2016 and thereafter.

• Type: Clinic

Managing Crisis: Strategies and Tactics for Corporate Distress and Restructuring Welcome to what many in business consider the Wild West: the world of Corporate Distress and Restructuring. Attorneys, bankers, and consultants of all sorts find themselves representing one of the many stakeholders in a corporate restructuring. They can act as advisor to a landlord (for example, Simon Property Group) who has a tenant (such as, J. Crew) that files for chapter 11. They can be counsel to a lender (for example, Citibank) that has a troubled loan extended to a distressed borrower (such as, well, anyone in chapter 11 -- and many who are not). They can work as turnaround consultants to a company working through strategic options to survive an existential challenge, which can be related to business-model dynamics, compliance issues with debt documents, product litigation, and more. This new course provides a framework for understanding how these distress situations play out in our legal system. We will examine the types of transactions and strategies implemented, including liability-management transactions (i.e., maturity extensions and/or distressed debt exchanges), distressed M&A, vulture investing, operational turnarounds, and more. Our goal is to understand the world of Distress and Corporate Restructuring, a subsector in our financial and legal system that is poised for very busy times in the upcoming years due to the current interest-rate dynamics and near-term economic outlook. The course will meet weekly to discuss assigned reading and case studies. To enhance learning and keep focused on practical realities, there will be frequent guest presentations from nationally recognized experts, who include lawyers in private practice, investment bankers, consultants, business executives, and others. They will present their own case studies drawing on their own experiences in real world situations. The basic bankruptcy course is not a prerequisite, but certainly lends itself to this course for those interested in a deeper dive into the world of Corporate Distress and Restructuring. Rest assured, bankruptcy newcomers are most welcome and equally positioned for success. We will cover a series of advanced topics in corporate restructuring across a broad array of disciplines ranging from investment banking to turnaround consulting, from legal strategy to hedge-fund investing. Upon completion of this course, students will be versed in the general dynamics, relevant lingo, and current-event issues in the world of corporate restructurings. They will also be well-positioned to apply the lessons learned to practical, real-world situations.

• Type: Upper Class

The Public Defender Training Institute is an intensive immersion into the world of indigent defense designed to train aspiring public defenders. The Institute kicks off in the fall semester with a three-day intensive retreat at the law school in the fall. During the fall semester, students learn about the role of the public defender, different kinds of public defender work, how public defenders differ from prosecutors and private defense attorneys, how to incorporate social science into their advocacy, how to address race and deal with implicit and explicit racial bias in the system, and how to handle the challenges that public defenders face (including excessive caseloads, secondary trauma, and ethical issues). They also learn effective pre-trial preparation with skills-based training on client interviewing, investigation, taking witness statements, obtaining discovery, storytelling and persuasion, preliminary hearings, and developing a theory of the case.

• Type: Practice Simulation

Mediation is a powerful, popular and oft-required dispute resolution process in which attorneys are frequently involved, whether they are serving as mediators in legal disputes or as advocates for their clients in the mediation process. In this experiential practicum, through simulated conflicts, role play and guidance from experienced mediators, you will act as both mediators and advocates for your clients in mediation. You will learn the ins-and-outs of the mediation process, and you will learn and utilize practical and effective mediation skills, strategies and techniques, including client preparation, management of difficult personalities, and effective oral and written mediation advocacy. This is a very interactive, hands-on course in which you will learn communication and conflict resolution skills that you will find useful, not only in your mediation practice, but in many areas beyond it.

• Type: Practice Simulation

Founded in 2009, the Michigan Innocence Clinic was the first innocence clinic in the country to focus exclusively on non-DNA cases. In the MIC's sixteen-year history, it has achieved victories in 45 cases on behalf of clients who had been wrongfully convicted of crimes they did not commit. Students registered in the MIC investigate and litigate cases on behalf of incarcerated people who are actually innocent of the crimes for which they have been convicted. Students work on all aspects of the cases, including researching claims of innocence and the law pertaining to them, investigating new evidence, writing and editing court briefs and motions, and participating in courtroom activities when there are hearings scheduled in their cases. The clinic also features a seminar component, where students explore in class the legal and policy issues underlying wrongful convictions and engage in practical skills exercises such as mock direct/cross exams and oral arguments. There are no exams or papers; students are graded on their preparedness and contribution to class, various in-class exercises, the progress they make in their cases, and the quality of their case-related work product. Students are required to complete six office hours per week in the clinic's office, in addition to class time and the usual outside-of-class time spent doing seminar readings and case-related tasks. The MIC's docket spans both state and federal courts and is quite diverse and novel. No two cases are the same, and non-DNA innocence litigation continues to be a fascinating challenge within the field of criminal litigation. Students work with supervising attorneys to craft legal strategies and explore evidentiary and procedural avenues for obtaining relief, many of which have been expanded in recent years due to the work of the MIC and other such organizations. Students interested in criminal law/procedure, appellate practice, brief writing, public interest work, innocence litigation, or courtroom advocacy would be especially suitable for the MIC. That said, there is also plenty in the clinic that would interest those who don't plan to pursue a litigation career. There are no specific prerequisites (outside of the regular first-year courses), and no prior specialized knowledge of criminal defense or innocence litigation is required or expected. * Clinic spans fall and winter semesters of one academic year. Students may register during winter of 1L or 2L year for enrollment during 2L or 3L year, respectively.

• Type: Clinic

Founded in 2009, the Michigan Innocence Clinic was the first innocence clinic in the country to focus exclusively on non-DNA cases. In the MIC's sixteen-year history, it has achieved victories in 45 cases on behalf of clients who had been wrongfully convicted of crimes they did not commit. Students registered in the MIC investigate and litigate cases on behalf of incarcerated people who are actually innocent of the crimes for which they have been convicted. Students work on all aspects of the cases, including researching claims of innocence and the law pertaining to them, investigating new evidence, writing and editing court briefs and motions, and participating in courtroom activities when there are hearings scheduled in their cases. The clinic also features a seminar component, where students explore in class the legal and policy issues underlying wrongful convictions and engage in practical skills exercises such as mock direct/cross exams and oral arguments. There are no exams or papers; students are graded on their preparedness and contribution to class, various in-class exercises, the progress they make in their cases, and the quality of their case-related work product. Students are required to complete six office hours per week in the clinic's office, in addition to class time and the usual outside-of-class time spent doing seminar readings and case-related tasks. The MIC's docket spans both state and federal courts and is quite diverse and novel. No two cases are the same, and non-DNA innocence litigation continues to be a fascinating challenge within the field of criminal litigation. Students work with supervising attorneys to craft legal strategies and explore evidentiary and procedural avenues for obtaining relief, many of which have been expanded in recent years due to the work of the MIC and other such organizations. Students interested in criminal law/procedure, appellate practice, brief writing, public interest work, innocence litigation, or courtroom advocacy would be especially suitable for the MIC. That said, there is also plenty in the clinic that would interest those who don't plan to pursue a litigation career. There are no specific prerequisites (outside of the regular first-year courses), and no prior specialized knowledge of criminal defense or innocence litigation is required or expected. * Clinic spans fall and winter semesters of one academic year. Students may register during winter of 1L or 2L year for enrollment during 2L or 3L year, respectively.

• Type: Clinic

Course description depends on the mini-seminar topic. https://michigan.law.umich.edu/resource-center/mini-seminars

• Type: Mini-Seminar

Modern American Legal History This course will introduce students to the major problems and interpretations in the field of American legal history. Through lectures as well as discussions of cases and secondary materials, the course will survey American public and private legal development from the Civil War to the present. The course employs a braided narrative, interweaving (a) the chronological story of the rise of modern legal liberalism and an administrative and regulatory state with (b) a week-to-week sampling of different historical topics, methods, and problematics. Topics to be covered this semester include: the 14th Amendment and the remaking of American citizenship, the rise of the legal profession, classical legal thought, corporation and labor law in the Gilded Age, progressive reform, the origins of civil liberties, New Deal constitutionalism, and the modern civil rights revolution. The course also attempts to introduce some of the theoretical and historiographical perspectives that have fueled recent developments in the field.

• Type: Upper Class

Course description is coming...

• Type: Upper Class

This class will explore the emerging reality of investment funds that invest in private markets but are aimed at the general public. Each of these terms is worth briefly unpacking. An investment fund is a legal entity that pools investor money and invests it on their behalf. Private markets are markets for assets -- like the stock and debt of private companies -- that are not listed on a financial exchange. The general public is anyone interested in investing. Investment funds that invest in private markets, but are open to anyone, are, in essence, "private equity for the public." It is an area that foregrounds some of the thorniest, most profound, and most important questions of securities regulation and financial policy (e.g., "Who should be able to invest in what? And how?" "How large should private markets become?"). It is also a cutting-edge area of transactional law. A practice area that barely existed five years ago now involves half a trillion in assets, with growth soon expected to reach the many trillions. The emergence of "private equity for retail investors" blurs, complicates, and transforms longstanding legal boundaries. It is connected to some of the largest trends in finance of the last decade, including the growth of "private credit," giant asset managers, and investment funds as a whole. Understanding this emerging area will take us into the world of mutual funds, ETFs, and private equity.

• Type: Upper Class

National Security and Civil Liberties This course will examine the balance between protecting national security and safeguarding constitutional values. We will explore government tools designed to prevent and disrupt terrorist attacks and to detect espionage. We will also study the impact these tools have on privacy, free speech, free assembly, open courts, and transparency in government. Topics will include electronic surveillance conducted by NSA and FBI pursuant to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act ("FISA"); investigative techniques authorized by the USA PATRIOT Act; use of informants and sting operations; the Classified Information Procedures Act ("CIPA"); the role and impact of leaks, such as those by Edward Snowden and WikiLeaks; detention of enemy combatants at the Guantanamo Bay detention facility and military tribunals; free speech implications of prohibiting material support to designated terrorist organizations; the use of immigration law to protect national security; exploitation of social media; free speech and assembly rights of domestic extremist groups; and related topics.

• Type: Upper Class

Law 990 - This course offers students the opportunity to integrate practical experience in a legal setting outside the Law School with a Law School classroom experience. Each student will spend at least EIGHT (Section 1), TWELVE (Section 2), SIXTEEN (Section 3) or TWENTY (Section 4) hours per week working under the supervision of an attorney at a local non-profit, government agency, or court. Students may not receive any compensation for their work. Students will arrange their own placements, though interested students who need guidance about how to pursue a placement are welcome to make an appointment with the course professor, Amy Sankaran ([email protected]). Past placements have included the ACLU of Michigan, Family Law Project, Neighborhood Defender Service of Detroit, Magistrate, District, and Court of Appeals Judges, the Washtenaw County Prosecutor's Office and Office of the Public Defender, and the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center, to name a few. Part-Time Externship students will be co-enrolled in the Part-Time Externship Seminar (Law 991, 1 credit). Thus a student participating in the Part-Time Externship, Section 1 will receive 3 credits total, a student participating in the Part-Time Externship, Section 2 will receive 4 credits total, a student participating in the Part-Time Externship, Section 3 will receive 5 credits total, and a student participating in the Part-Time Externship, Section 4 will receive 6 credits total.

• Type: Externship

This contemporaneous, one-credit seminar is held every semester as a required companion to the Part-Time Externship (Law 990). For more information, please visit the course description for Law 990.

• Type: Externship

This course will provide an introduction to basic concepts of patent law, focusing on legal issues that arise in the course of obtaining and enforcing patents. The course is designed to be suitable for students planning to enter a general practice as well as those planning to specialize in intellectual property. A technical background is not a prerequisite, but students will be required to read and discuss cases involving technical facts.

• Type: Upper Class

One of the first medical-legal partnerships to be based in a law school setting, Pediatric Advocacy Clinic (PAC) students become part of an interdisciplinary team working to improve child health by providing legal assistance to low-income families on issues related to child health. Casework includes advocacy around special education, school discipline, domestic violence and family law, Medicaid and other public benefits, and housing conditions. PAC students take "first chair" responsibility for their cases and are involved in all aspects of a case. They learn a range of advocacy skills, from preventive legal advocacy (focusing on identifying issues at an early stage and on developing creative, multidisciplinary approaches to addressing them) to traditional litigation skills in both administrative and trial court settings. The PAC is 7 credits (4 for the seminar and 3 for the clinic) and all credits are graded. The PAC meets the New York Pro Bono requirement. The Clinic seminar fulfills the Law School's professional responsibility requirement for graduation, but does not fulfill the New York State Bar ethics requirement.

• Type: Clinic

One of the first medical-legal partnerships to be based in a law school setting, Pediatric Advocacy Clinic (PAC) students become part of an interdisciplinary team working to improve child health by providing legal assistance to low-income families on issues related to child health. Casework includes advocacy around special education, school discipline, domestic violence and family law, Medicaid and other public benefits, and housing conditions. PAC students take "first chair" responsibility for their cases and are involved in all aspects of a case. They learn a range of advocacy skills, from preventive legal advocacy (focusing on identifying issues at an early stage and on developing creative, multidisciplinary approaches to addressing them) to traditional litigation skills in both administrative and trial court settings. Students in the seminar learn substantive law and core lawyering skills and engage in reflection and simulations designed to solidify these skills. The PAC is 7 credits (4 for the seminar and 3 for the clinic) and all credits are graded. The PAC meets the New York Pro Bono requirement. The Clinic seminar fulfills the Law School's professional responsibility requirement for graduation, but does not fulfill the New York State Bar ethics requirement.

• Type: Clinic

From our nation's founding on, we have debated (and, at times, litigated) the appropriate balance of power among the executive (the President), legislative (Congress), and judicial (the courts) branches of government. Emerging issues in the 21st century have amplified those debates. Many of these debates appear to be attributable to Congress retreating from its historical policymaking role. In that legislative vacuum, recent Presidents, seemingly more often than in the past, have exerted policymaking initiatives through executive orders, agency action, and their discretion to enforce federal laws. And many of those presidential acts have been challenged in federal court, leaving the courts to resolve thorny legal issues with profound policy implications. The seminar will focus on the evolution of presidential power, with a focus on the 21st century. The course has three aims. The first is to familiarize students with historical aspects of presidential power. The second is to emphasize legal developments involving the President over the last 25 years. The third aim is more practical. Students will come away with a practical understanding of how the President receives legal advice, and how the Department of Justice represents the President (as well as other actors in the executive branch) in court.

• Type: Seminar

Progressive Prosecution: Law and Policy Although prosecuting attorneys have typically taken a "tough-on-crime" approach, a growing number of elected prosecutors from across the country are taking a "progressive" approach. These "progressive prosecutors" see their role as combatting overincarceration, eliminating racial and socioeconomic inequity, and changing a criminal legal system that too frequently exacerbates those inequities. This course, co-taught by Washtenaw County Prosecuting Attorney Eli Savit and Chief Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Victoria Burton-Harris, will explore the theoretical underpinnings behind the "progressive prosecutor" movement; its promises and limitations; and the progress the movement has made over the past several years. During the latter part of the course, students will work on real-world research and writing projects that will be used by the Washtenaw County Prosecutor's Office to move forward its progressive vision.

• Type: Practice Simulation

This foundational course surveys the law of property, which defines the interests, rights, and duties with respect to spaces and things that the law recognizes and protects. The course covers how property interests may be obtained, held, used, and transferred, as found in the law of possessory estates and future interests in land, concurrent estates, easements, covenants, personal property, bailments, intellectual property, conveyancing, adverse possession, nuisance, zoning and land-use, takings, and housing law. The concepts of property, possession, and ownership--and the consequences flowing from these concepts--will be constantly examined. The overall focus will be on how property law fundamentally structures the rights and duties between individuals in their interactions with the world, shaping our physical, social, and economic spaces.

• Type: Upper Class

<p>Psychologically Informed Lawyering will examine psychological issues that affect lawyers and the clients we serve in critically important and potentially determinative ways. Topics will include trauma (including historical, direct, and vicarious), mental health issues, substance abuse, public and private mental health services, challenges to well-being in the legal profession, and developing professional skills informed by these and other considerations. This class seeks to foster dialogue across practice areas, develop students' understanding of and compassion for clients with psychological challenges, and enhance students ability to apply psychological knowledge to client representation. We will consider psychological factors at the individual, family, and societal/structural levels to develop a base of knowledge and skills more broadly applicable than in a single case or area of law.</p>

• Type: Seminar

Public Interest Litigation Ethics In this course, we will examine professional ethics and professional responsibility with a concentration on the practice of public interest law. We will utilize the Model Rules of Professional Conduct (Model Rules) and will use a variety of sources of guidance to help us understand the rules and their application. More specifically, we will identify and analyze ethical issues that arise in the practice of public interest law -- public defense and prosecution, government lawyering, immigration, and civil rights cases. Among the issues we will address are client loyalty, communications, confidentiality, and conflicts of interest. We will also consider how our personal morality interacts with and impacts our professional ethical responsibilities.

• Type: Upper Class

This workshop will engage legal scholarship in the areas of administrative law, constitutional law, and public law generally, focusing this year on executive power, the administrative state, and regulation in a time of radical doctrinal flux. Most class sessions will feature a visiting scholar presenting a work-in-progress. For the remaining class sessions, participants will read cases, scholarship, and other materials addressing the subject matter and discuss the materials in a standard seminar format. Students will be expected to write eight reflection papers (3-4 pages each) over the course of the semester and to participate actively in discussion each week. Sessions with speakers are open to the academic community at large.

• Type: Seminar

Public-Sector Structural Reform in K-12 Education Externship The United States is in the midst of a massive restructuring of public-sector service delivery and regulation, particularly as they relate to the governance and management of its public schools. Staffed by broadly interdisciplinary teams of accomplished professionals, the most successful of the new federal, state, and local education organizations are replacing decades-old public bureaucracies and interest group politics with "learning organizations" committed to using public problem solving techniques to accelerate adult and institutional, as well student learning. This Public Education Policy Seminar and Practicum originates at Columbia Law School, and attracts upper-level graduate students in law, business, education, and policy from Harvard, Michigan, NYU, Penn, Stanford, Vanderbilt, Yale, and other universities for a full semester of intensive engagement with each other around transformational change in public education. Second and third-year law students may take the course either in the fall semester or the spring semester. 13 units of credit are awarded with the grades transferring to Michigan Law School. Participants in the program take part in a rigorous and rewarding learning experience, including: (i) An engaging interdisciplinary seminar in the design, regulation, governance, democratic accountability, and transformation of K-12 school systems and allied public- and social-sector organizations; [4 credits] (ii) Comprehensive skills training in team-based problem solving, managing multidimensional (legal, operational, etc.) projects to specified outcomes in complex environments, client counseling, and effective communication [2 credits]; and (iii) A high-priority project designing and implementing legal and policy solutions to a complex problem at the core of a client public- or social-sector organization's mission to improve the educational outcomes and life chances of children. [7 credits]. The Program Offers: * Intensive experiential learning on interdisciplinary teams and cutting-edge projects * Deep engagement in public education improvement strategies and debates * Panels and field trips interacting with prominent education leaders * 1:1 mentoring, K-12 education career support, and networking opportunities * Merit scholarships for exceptional students * Challenging, fun, and meaningful work helping to improve kids' learning and lives Admission to the course is by application. A limited number of $25,000 scholarships are available for exceptional students to apply to their law school tuition in return for a commitment to spending time after graduation and judicial clerkships in a public or nonprofit job in the education sector. For more information, including a course FAQ, names of Michigan Law students who have taken the previous version of the course, or lists of past projects in which students have engaged in the Course, please email [email protected] or Professor Amy Sankaran at [email protected]. *This description was adapted from Columbia Law School's own course description, which can be found on Columbia Law School's web site: http://www.law.columbia.edu/ (search on L8016).

• Type: Externship

Public-Sector Structural Reform in K-12 Education Practicum The United States is in the midst of a massive restructuring of public-sector service delivery and regulation, particularly as they relate to the governance and management of its public schools. Staffed by broadly interdisciplinary teams of accomplished professionals, the most successful of the new federal, state, and local education organizations are replacing decades-old public bureaucracies and interest group politics with "learning organizations" committed to using public problem solving techniques to accelerate adult and institutional, as well student learning. This Public Education Policy Seminar and Practicum originates at Columbia Law School, and attracts upper-level graduate students in law, business, education, and policy from Harvard, Michigan, NYU, Penn, Stanford, Vanderbilt, Yale, and other universities for a full semester of intensive engagement with each other around transformational change in public education. Second and third-year law students may take the course either in the fall semester or the spring semester. 13 units of credit are awarded with the grades transferring to Michigan Law School. Participants in the program take part in a rigorous and rewarding learning experience, including: (i) An engaging interdisciplinary seminar in the design, regulation, governance, democratic accountability, and transformation of K-12 school systems and allied public- and social-sector organizations; [4 credits] (ii) Comprehensive skills training in team-based problem solving, managing multidimensional (legal, operational, etc.) projects to specified outcomes in complex environments, client counseling, and effective communication [2 credits]; and (iii) A high-priority project designing and implementing legal and policy solutions to a complex problem at the core of a client public- or social-sector organization's mission to improve the educational outcomes and life chances of children. [7 credits]. The Program Offers: * Intensive experiential learning on interdisciplinary teams and cutting-edge projects * Deep engagement in public education improvement strategies and debates * Panels and field trips interacting with prominent education leaders * 1:1 mentoring, K-12 education career support, and networking opportunities * Merit scholarships for exceptional students * Challenging, fun, and meaningful work helping to improve kids' learning and lives Admission to the course is by application. A limited number of $25,000 scholarships are available for exceptional students to apply to their law school tuition in return for a commitment to spending time after graduation and judicial clerkships in a public or nonprofit job in the education sector. For more information, including a course FAQ, names of Michigan Law students who have taken the previous version of the course, or lists of past projects in which students have engaged in the Course, please email [email protected] or Professor Amy Sankaran at [email protected]. *This description was adapted from Columbia Law School's own course description, which can be found on Columbia Law School's web site: http://www.law.columbia.edu/ (search on L8016).

• Type: Externship

Public-Sector Structural Reform in K-12 Education Seminar The United States is in the midst of a massive restructuring of public-sector service delivery and regulation, particularly as they relate to the governance and management of its public schools. Staffed by broadly interdisciplinary teams of accomplished professionals, the most successful of the new federal, state, and local education organizations are replacing decades-old public bureaucracies and interest group politics with "learning organizations" committed to using public problem solving techniques to accelerate adult and institutional, as well student learning. This Public Education Policy Seminar and Practicum originates at Columbia Law School, and attracts upper-level graduate students in law, business, education, and policy from Harvard, Michigan, NYU, Penn, Stanford, Vanderbilt, Yale, and other universities for a full semester of intensive engagement with each other around transformational change in public education. Second and third-year law students may take the course either in the fall semester or the spring semester. 13 units of credit are awarded with the grades transferring to Michigan Law School. Participants in the program take part in a rigorous and rewarding learning experience, including: (i) An engaging interdisciplinary seminar in the design, regulation, governance, democratic accountability, and transformation of K-12 school systems and allied public- and social-sector organizations; [4 credits] (ii) Comprehensive skills training in team-based problem solving, managing multidimensional (legal, operational, etc.) projects to specified outcomes in complex environments, client counseling, and effective communication [2 credits]; and (iii) A high-priority project designing and implementing legal and policy solutions to a complex problem at the core of a client public- or social-sector organization's mission to improve the educational outcomes and life chances of children. [7 credits]. The Program Offers: * Intensive experiential learning on interdisciplinary teams and cutting-edge projects * Deep engagement in public education improvement strategies and debates * Panels and field trips interacting with prominent education leaders * 1:1 mentoring, K-12 education career support, and networking opportunities * Merit scholarships for exceptional students * Challenging, fun, and meaningful work helping to improve kids' learning and lives Admission to the course is by application. A limited number of $25,000 scholarships are available for exceptional students to apply to their law school tuition in return for a commitment to spending time after graduation and judicial clerkships in a public or nonprofit job in the education sector. For more information, including a course FAQ, names of Michigan Law students who have taken the previous version of the course, or lists of past projects in which students have engaged in the Course, please email [email protected] or Professor Amy Sankaran at [email protected]. *This description was adapted from Columbia Law School's own course description, which can be found on Columbia Law School's web site: http://www.law.columbia.edu/ (search on L8016).

• Type: Externship

This seminar examines the legal history of the interrelationship of race and citizenship in the United States in the 19th and 20th centuries. The course pays special attention to the active role that law has played historically in racially defining U.S. and state citizenship and the consequent rights and duties that flowed from it. The changing law of American citizenship was an important determiner of inclusion and exclusion in the US and a site for the legal construction of persistent socio economic inequalities. The seminar will attempt to incorporate both primary sources as well as secondary studies by leading legal-historical scholars as we survey the major citizenship cases and controversies, from the original U.S. Naturalization Act to Dred Scott; from the role of judicial statutory interpretation in defining race to epic 20th century battles over immigration and its restriction.

• Type: Seminar

In this course, we consider the salient aspects of a variety of real estate transactions. Students (i) learn to identify the issues involved in each one, (ii) become familiar with the documents often utilized, (iii) determine the perspective the respective parties bring, and (iv) consider how various issues might be resolved. This course satisfies the "practicum" requirement.

• Type: Practice Simulation

<p>Student pursues independent research project under faculty supervision.</p> <h3>JD Program</h3> <p>Second and third year students (including summer starters in their third term) with an honor point average of at least 2.0 may enroll for 1 to 3 credits of independent research under any member of the Law School faculty who is willing to supervise such work. The credit to be given, as well as the scope and subject matter of the project, will normally be determined by the faculty member who undertakes to supervise and grade the student's research. If more than 3 credits is to be given for the project, both the project and the completed product must be approved by a committee of three faculty members, one of whom must be the faculty member responsible for supervising the research. A student may not offer more than a total of 6 credits earned for independent research in satisfaction of the requirements for the JD degree.</p> <h3>MACL or LLM Program</h3> <p>Students may enroll for 1 to 6 credits of independent research under any member of the Law School faculty who is willing to supervise such work. The credit to be given, as well as the scope and subject matter of the project, will be determined by the faculty member who undertakes to supervise and grade the student's research. A student may not offer more than a total of 6 credits earned for independent research in satisfaction of the requirements for the MCL or LLM degree. If a student wishes to receive more than a total of 6 credits of independent research toward the MCL or LLM, he or she first obtains the approval of the Global Affairs Committee through the Assistant Dean for International Affairs.</p> <h3>LLM/SJD Program</h3> <p>Students may enroll for 1 to 6 credits of independent research under any member of the Law School faculty who is willing to supervise such work. The credit to be given, as well as the scope and subject matter of the project, will be determined by the faculty member who undertakes to supervise and grade the student's research. If more than 6 credits is to be given for the project, both the project and the completed product must be approved by a committee of three faculty members, one of whom must be the faculty member responsible for supervising the research.</p>

• Type: Research

This course is restricted to foreign students in the advanced degree program. Its purpose is to acquaint students from civil law countries with American legal analysis, research, and writing.

• Type: Upper Class

At any given time, several members of the faculty sponsor ongoing research projects that include opportunities for student research. You can get 1-3 independent research credits (pass/fail or graded, as determined by each professor) for participating in such a project, depending on the amount of time you spend. (For students interested in spending fewer hours than is required to earn credit, pro bono participation is also an option. The hours of pro bono participation would count towards fulfilling the Law School's Pro Bono Pledge but would not count towards fulfilling the New York's Pro Bono Bar Admissions Requirement.) The project requirements vary, and enrollment requires the pre-approval of the sponsoring faculty member. Interested students should contact that faculty member directly. If permission to enroll is granted, students should follow the directions in the online registration instructions (Enrolling for Research Credits). CIVIL RIGHTS LITIGATION CLEARINGHOUSE: This website, at https://clearinghouse.net, collects documents and information from civil rights cases in over a dozen case categories ranging from jail and prison conditions to same-sex marriage to deinstitutionalization. It is used by scholars, teachers, students, policymakers, advocates, and the public, to facilitate greater understanding of civil rights litigation. 2 or 3 credits, only, unless you've previously worked on the Clearinghouse for credit, in which case you can sign up for 1 credit. Faculty Sponsor: Margo Schlanger, [email protected] DATA FOR DEFENDERS: Data for Defenders (https://datafordefenders.org) is a publicly-available database with sample briefs and motions that incorporate social science into criminal defense advocacy. MDefenders partners with public defender offices and organizations, MDefenders alumni, and indigent defense providers around the country to incorporate motions and briefs into the database that will be used by defense attorneys to inject social science research into criminal courtrooms. A few students each year work with Professor Primus to research and draft motions and briefs for inclusion in the database and to review submissions to the database. Faculty Sponsor: Eve Brensike Primus, [email protected] MICHIGAN LAW REVIEW: Students serving in positions on the Editorial Board of the Michigan Law Review, the University of Michigan's flagship journal that publishes 8 issues per year, discuss how to evaluate and edit legal scholarship; the functions of legal scholarship; organizational and project management techniques; and approaches to leadership. 1 credit - Mandatory Pass/Fail. Leah Litman, [email protected] TRIBAL COURT CLERK: Students working as tribal court clerks for faculty member who serves as a tribal appellate judge will research pending tribal court cases, draft bench briefs that summarize the legal questions and offer preliminary recommendations, and prepare draft opinions. Students may also be involved in tribal court improvement and infrastructure development projects such as drafting tribal codes and court rules, or work related to entities such as the Michigan Tribal-State-Judicial Forum. Faculty Sponsor: Matthew Fletcher, [email protected]

• Type: Research

The Revolution in Corporate Law --- Corporate law is in a season of strife. Over the last decade, virtually every major area of corporate law jurisprudence has come under attack. This includes what the purpose of the corporation is (e.g., to maximize shareholder wealth or stakeholders concerns), whether parties can contract around corporate law fiduciary duty doctrines, how to regulate controlling shareholders, changes in mergers & acquisitions practice, whether shareholders can put forward ESG proposals, how shareholder voting works, whether we should regulate institutional investors, whether firms can leave Delaware, what are the board's duties to prevent corporate wrongdoing, how and when shareholders can sue directors and officers, the role of technology in corporate governance, and much more. This seminar examines these developments and assesses what implications they have for our understanding of corporate law and governance. We begin with the developments in the US -- specifically Delaware -- and then fan out to other jurisdictions around the world. These changes are global and likely to reverberate through corporate law for years to come making the question of whether there is a revolution in corporate law and how to understand it most critical.

• Type: Seminar

This course covers the regulation of securities offerings and trading under the Securities Act of 1933 and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. It examines offerings and the registration process under the Securities Act, along with reporting requirements under the Exchange Act. The course will also cover fraud, insider trading and civil liabilities under both Acts.

• Type: Upper Class

Inquire at the Center for International and Comparative Law for more information.

• Type: Study Abroad

Student writes a research paper related to previously approved international external studies program under faculty supervision. Inquire at the Center for International and Comparative Law for more information.

• Type: Study Abroad

In the Senior Judge Seminar students work closely with Legal Practice professors in connection with various aspects of the first-year Legal Practice course. Each Legal Practice professor interviews, chooses and supervises the Senior Judge Seminar students for the Legal Practice section taught by that professor.

• Type: Upper Class

The Senior Judge Seminar II is a graded course intended to allow selected students who have excelled in the Senior Judge I seminar to work in greater depth with a Legal Practice professor in connection with the Legal Practice course. Each Legal Practice professor interviews, chooses and supervises the Senior Judge Seminar II students for the Legal Practice section taught by the professor.

• Type: Upper Class

Student Directed Work (SDW) credit is a category of mandatory pass/fail graded credit, available through an application and approval process for student work done outside the classroom in connection with student-run activities. To qualify for SDW credit, student work must provide substantial academic enrichment and skills development. Students may earn up to two SDW credits for any one particular activity, up to a maximum of four SDW credits during their law school career.

• Type: Upper Class

Tax Planning for Real Estate Transactions This practice/simulation course will deal with the tax planning related to real estate transactions, including particularly the choice of entity and the acquisition, development, operation and sale or other disposition of real estate. Within this context, we will discuss a number of issues, including capitalization vs. deductibility of expenses, deferring gain on disposition through various techniques, creative financing in today's markets and the consequences of troubled real estate.

• Type: Practice Simulation

This is the basic course in federal income taxation. It is a statutory course, and the principal source of law will be the Internal Revenue Code. The topics covered will include the definition of gross income and the determination of permissible deductions from gross income. The class will also analyze numerous Code provisions and doctrines that raise issues of tax timing (that is, in what year should a given item of income or a given deduction be taken into account) and income attribution (that is, to whom should a given item of income or a given deduction be attributed). The bulk of the course will be devoted to learning basic statutory analysis. In addition, however, the class will spend some time studying the policy rationales underlying the structure of the current federal income tax laws and will consider the pros and cons of alternative systems. This course is a prerequisite to a number of other courses, including Corporate Taxation, Partnership Tax, Business and Estate Planning, and International Tax.

• Type: Upper Class

Commercializing intellectual property and technology is a central part of our economy, around which lawyers play a critical role. This course will serve as a practical guide to technology transactions, through which students will learn how to counsel clients and negotiate and draft contracts on the client's behalf. Through hands-on practical exercises and simulations, students will be introduced to the typical work of technology transactions lawyers and learn foundational concepts and skills, such as technology deal structures and how they are papered, the anatomy of intellectual property and technology contracts, working as outside counsel with client teams consisting of in-house lawyers and business units, and the nuances of advising effectively from a legal and business perspective, both in writing and verbally. Through this course, students will develop not only technical lawyering skills but also the professional skills necessary to be a trusted advisor on technology transactions.

• Type: Practice Simulation

Since Bitcoin arrived on the scene in 2009, innovators have created thousands of cryptocurrencies -- digital representations of tokens that reside on blockchains. Many view them as the future of money. But what is "money"? In this seminar, we will first explore the economic theory of money and the legal infrastructure that is required for its stability and proliferation. We will also examine the financial history of money to understand what happens when money is poorly designed: financial crises. These building blocks will allow us to assess digital assets like cryptocurrencies, stablecoins, and central bank digital currencies. We will focus on their implications for financial stability, monetary sovereignty, and national security, analyze proposed responses by Congress and financial regulatory agencies, and survey the evolving international landscape.

• Type: Seminar

In this seminar we will think about whether and how we might speak and write and thus live well and authentically as lawyers and human beings in a flawed and often false-feeling world. You will read selections from various legal and literary sources collected in a book written for this seminar by James Boyd White. You will do weekly assignments in the form of one-page papers that will ask you to write about various topics in various ways. Those papers will be distributed anonymously to the class and will be the focus of our weekly conversation.

• Type: Seminar

What role does the criminal law have in advancing equality in society? Should it treat defendants who come from privileged positions differently than those who come from disadvantage positions? This seminar will focus on how various inequalities shape our moral responses to crime. We will look at how the criminal law should respond to police violence, economic crimes, crimes of racial and gender subordination, and other forms of wrongdoing from those in positions of power. We will also discuss to what extent a society that fails to provide sufficient alternatives can blame the disadvantaged when they commit crimes. No background in philosophy is necessary to take this course.

• Type: Seminar

What is the role of rights in private law? In a famous passage of Palsgraf, Judge Cardozo suggested that "what the plaintiff must show is 'a wrong' to herself, i.e., the violation of her own right." Cardozo was focused on tort law, of course, but his doctrinal claim -- that a plaintiff can sue only for the violation of their own rights -- seems to extend to contracts, property, and restitution too (e.g., in the general rule that only parties to a contract can sue for its enforcement). What does Cardozo's claim amount to, though? Is it getting the doctrine right? And is this rights-centered view of private law a normatively defensible one, or is there a better way to see things? In this seminar, we'll try to make some progress on these questions. Over the course of the semester, we'll read both judicial opinions and scholarly articles in an effort to better understand the structure of private law, the logic, function, and justification of rights (both moral and legal), and the connection between rights and remedies. Along the way, we'll look at doctrines that seem to speak in favor of a rights-centered view of private law. But we'll spend more time on doctrines that seem like a puzzle for a rights-centered view (e.g., third-party beneficiaries in contract, third-party loved ones in tort, forms of strict-seeming liability in contract and tort, and more) and investigate their theoretical foundations. By and large, the assigned readings will be by moral and legal philosophers, but no background in philosophy is required.

• Type: Seminar

Compensation at law for private wrongs and intentional wrongs as well as accidents, with principal emphasis on harms to person and property. Special areas such as product liability, defamation, or business torts will be treated selectively.

• Type: First Year Required

In this practice simulation course, students will begin to develop the skills needed to represent clients in business transactions. Among other things, the course covers translation of client business objectives into legal concepts and enforceable contract language that is clear, consistent, and concise. Students will learn how to analyze a contract from the client's perspective, with an eye to advancing the client's interests and protecting the client as much as possible from risk. The practice simulation course also identifies how attorneys can use drafting techniques and the negotiation process to resolve issues and improve outcomes for clients. Students will engage in simulations and exercises in class and undertake drafting assignments outside of class, including communications with clients and opposing counsel about contract terms, risks, and potential resolutions.

• Type: Practice Simulation

Transnational Law: Forced Labor Colloquium This seminar explores forced labor with a particular focus on the domestic and international legal and policy frameworks that govern labor recruitment practices. Students will engage with scholarly work, case studies, and advocacy reports to evaluate how labor recruitment systems operate -- and how they often enable coercion, deception, and exploitation. The course is organized around the 2025 Transnational Law Symposium, scheduled for November 7-8, which will bring together globally recognized scholars, advocates, and policymakers to set baselines and debate possible reforms. This year's Symposium will examine unfair recruitment practices across a range of sectors where abuse has been all too common, including construction, electronics, nursing, temporary agricultural labor, and even sports. Students will work closely with these experts and will formulate a set of normative and policy guidelines for the field, drawing on the semester's work and the outcomes of the Symposium.

• Type: Seminar