Sports Law

This course examines the circumstances in which courts will shift loss from those who have suffered harm to their person, property, reputation, or psyche to those who have been involved in causing that harm. It is limited to civil (non-criminal) cases that are not typically based on mutual promises made by parties to a contract. The primary focus is on accidental injuries that cause physical harm where negligence or fault is the predominant liability standard, although intentional torts such as assault and battery as well as strict liability (no-fault) may be covered. Justifications for the law imposing liability, both philosophic and economic, are also considered. Procedural aspects, including the respective roles of judge and jury and difficulties of proof, which are central to tort law in the U.S., are raised continuously throughout the semester. Consideration of appropriate liability schemes for new technology, such as autonomous vehicles, may be included.

Federal income tax is life. This class lives in a statute, the Internal Revenue Code. It focuses on reading, interpreting, and applying the rules of the Code. It is primarily a statutory interpretation class. Students will calculate the federal income tax liabilities of taxpayers by determining each taxpayer's gross income, determining and subtracting above the line deductions, noting adjusted gross income, subtracting either itemized deductions or the standard deduction, applying tax rates and then calculating and subtracting any available tax credits. We will do calculations using only the +, -, multiply, and divide functions on a $5ish calculator.

A survey of the rights and duties of employers, unions, and employees under the National Labor Relations Act. (This may be a two-hour course during some years.)

A survey of statutory and common-law claims, including discrimination, wage and hour, OSHA, FMLA, intentional torts, contracts, and workers' compensation; also included are preventative approaches for employers and the use of alternative dispute resolution.

This course provides a survey of the "core" areas of federal intellectual property law (IP law)-trademarks, copyrights and patents. As a result of this course you will be able to: 1) identify the IP issues raised by a client; 2) explain why something is or is not entitled to IP protection; 3) Analyze a basic trademark, copyright or patent infringement issue; 4) Draft correspondence to IP clients concerning acquisition or enforcement of IP rights.

An overview of federal antitrust law or competition law, including laws related to agreements restraining trade (especially agreements between competitors), monopolization and attempted monopolization, unfair trade practices, and merger policy and practice. These topics are relevant to all businesses and their lawyers. The course focuses on learning the fundamentals and a practical approach for counseling clients in this area.

In this course you will be exposed to major court decisions that have shaped elementary and secondary education in the US. Although we will at times discuss the legal authority and legal problems faced by private schools and institutions of higher education, the emphasis of the course is K-12 public and charter schools and the unique challenges faced by these governmental entities. A broad range of education law topics will be covered at a very quick pace, including: compulsory education; the establishment clause; local board control; the use of school facilities; desegregation; gender equality; student rights; special education; and the rights of public employees.

This course covers the essential aspects of state mandated, no-fault, programs that compensate employees injured or killed at work. The focus is on determining under what circumstances an employer is liable for the injury or disease suffered by an employee, the employment relationship, what constitutes a compensable injury and occupational disease, and the exclusivity of the workers' compensation remedy in place of the traditional tort remedy. The course will highlight the difference between the tort system that focuses on fault as a basis for liability and workers' compensation that focuses on the connection to work as the basis of liability.

This course will cover a broad range of topics as we survey the landscape of immigration law: Who is a citizen of the United States? Who else can enter and reside lawfully as a permanent resident or on a short-term visa? When can noncitizens be forced to leave? Who has the authority to answer the preceding three questions? Immigration law is a statutory course, focusing on provisions on the Immigration & Nationality Act. We will also cover important cases of constitutional law.

This course focuses on the basics of copyright law, including: the subject matter of copyright; how copyright is secured and maintained; the scope of protection; and the duration, renewal and transfer of rights. It also explores enforcement of copyright, the impact of new technologies, and issues relating to access and use of copyrightable subject matter. This course may be used to satisfy the LAWR IV requirement.

This course focuses on the basics of trademark law, including: how trademark rights are acquired at common law and under the Lanham Act; the distinctiveness spectrum and the problems of "genericness," and how to protect product packaging and design as source identifiers. It also explores issues relating to traditional trademark infringement as well as dilution and anti-cybersquatting. Students taking this course will be required to complete a team project for their final grade.