Are you considering business law? Whether you work at a law firm, for a business, or as a sole proprietor – if your client is a business you WILL work with in-house counsel. This class provides invaluable knowledge about the role of in-house counsel and gives you greater insight into your future clients. It is designed to provide students with a mixture of practical skills, opportunities to use and apply them as they learn to navigate some of the challenges corporate counsel face. Students will learn to translate their legal knowledge into client-friendly communications, present to an audience of non-lawyers, develop remote working networking and professionalism strategies, and have opportunities to interact with legal counsel at a variety of corporations. To meet these objectives students will complete Harvard Business School case studies, read articles directed at practicing attorneys, give presentations and work through training modules.
Tentative topics include the Role of In-House Counsel, Shareholder Activism, Internal Investigations, Privileges and Confidentiality, Business Ethics and Professional Responsibility, Conflict of Interest policies, Employment and Labor Law, Establishing Credibility and Reliability, and Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and Anti-Bribery.
Prerequisites and Sequence: There are no prerequisites for this course.
Evaluation: There are three short response papers and a final paper. In addition, there are two ten-minute presentations and small homework assignments which are part of class preparation. You will not have to write daily response papers.
The course will be fully in-person. The schedule for 2025 is May 19 – 30.
This survey course is intended for those students who are interested in pursuing a transactional practice, whether at a law firm or in-house. Through classroom lecture and hands-on review and analysis of actual transaction documents, students are introduced to asset purchase and sale agreements, stock purchase and sale agreements, limited liability company organizational and governing documents, limited partnership organizational and governing documents, documents for contractual joint ventures, asset-backed bank loan agreements, high yield debt issuance agreements, and hedging transactions. Students will learn about concepts such as representations and warranties and covenants in key documents, along with understanding purchase price adjustments, effective date and closing date provisions, termination provisions and closing conditions. Although the class is not a tax class, we will cover how transactions are structured to provide the client with the highest net after-tax return on its investment, a key component for a successful transactional lawyer. Completing this course puts the new lawyer ahead of colleagues who have not become familiar with drafting and analyzing standard transaction documents before beginning their transactional practice.
The class uses sample transactions occurring in a conventional and renewable energy and natural resources practice to illustrate the transaction documents, but most provisions in these documents are present in similar documents for other industries such as real estate and manufacturing. Course materials will include a limited number of provisions from the Internal Revenue Code, sample transactional documents, and selected law review articles, all of which will be published on a class website.
Sequence and Prerequisites: A federal income tax class and a business organizations class are helpful but absolutely not required. The student will be provided with all required background in these areas.
Evaluation: Administered final exam, with consideration for exceptional class participation.
In the years since the September 11, 2001 attacks, the problem of terrorism has become one of the most important issues facing the international community. This course will consider the history and causes of terrorism, the challenges that terrorism poses for law enforcement, and the effects of anti-terrorism activities on human rights and civil liberties.
Sequence and Prerequisites: None
Evaluation: Grades in the course will be based on your participation in class and on the final exam. Grades will be assigned based on the following: Take-home final exam: 50%; and Class Participation: 50%.
This course provides important background on the U.S. legal system, the approach to learning law in a U.S. classroom, basic legal research and writing skills, as well as effective communication and classroom participation skills. Students will learn how to research legal authorities, analyze legal problems using these authorities, and convey that analysis in a written form which adheres to the conventions of the U.S. legal profession.
Sequence and Prerequisites: None
Evaluation: Pass/Fail. Various short research and writing assignments, a final research examination, and a final writing project.
This interactive course explores the legal issues that often arise when litigants are engaged in the discovery of electronically stored information (ESI). Using the framework of the Electronic Discovery Reference Model (EDRM), we will discuss the fundamentals of eDiscovery law, as well as the core technologies involved in the identification, preservation, collection, processing, review, and analysis of ESI, along with their limitations. Topics will include computer forensics, cross-border discovery, data privacy concerns, and other issues that impact the real-life practice of discovery. While exploring the business of eDiscovery and the industry’s key players, students will be exposed to a variety of career paths and roles across the EDRM. They will also gain hands-on experience using an industry-leading discovery software, Relativity. Guest speakers will provide additional perspectives to prepare students for a career in eDiscovery or any role where ESI technology and the law intersect.
Sequence and Prerequisites: None.
Evaluation: Grades will be based on a final paper, as well as class participation and preparation (including at-home exercises).
This course provides a comprehensive overview of mediation within the broader field of Alternative Dispute Resolution. It introduces the theoretical foundations of mediation, including negotiation theory, communication strategy, and the mediator’s function within legal, institutional, and ethical frameworks. Students will engage in structured, simulation-based exercises designed to cultivate professional competence in managing disputes, facilitating dialogue, and drafting settlement agreements. The course emphasizes practical application through extensive role-playing, as mediator and counsel, across multiple practice areas, including personal injury, family law, and business or commercial disputes. Guest lectures from experienced mediators will offer insight into current practices and professional pathways in mediation.
Sequence and Prerequisites: None
Evaluation: Class participation, participation in mediation role-playing, and a final reflection journal.
Course Classification: Experiential
In the Immigration Law Clinic, students receive intensive instruction in the substantive law, procedures, and concepts required to represent clients in a multitude of immigration matters, including: affirmative applications to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services for immigrant victims of crimes and/or persecution, for abused, abandoned or neglected children, defense in removal proceedings before the Executive Office of Immigration Review; appeals before the Board of Immigration Appeals; and for individuals seeking permanent residence status or naturalization. Authorized by federal regulation, second- and third-year law students engage in representation of real clients in immigration matters. Students complete these direct services under the supervision of clinic faculty to ensure representation consistent with best practices. Students may appear in court and in non-adversarial administrative interviews. Students gain experience in client interviewing and counseling, factual investigation, trial preparation, advocacy, persuasive writing, and other work relevant to representation of immigrant clients. Students will also hone oral advocacy skills as they present to their classmates and to community members on topics in immigration law.
Sequence and Prerequisites: Both second- and third-year law students are eligible for participation in this clinic under 8 C.F.R. §1292.1(a)(2). This course does not require eligibility (completion of 45 hours) for certification under Illinois Supreme Court Rule 711.
Evaluation: This is a five credit, graded course that includes both a clinic and seminar. Students will be expected to complete a minimum of 225 hours during the semester.
Course Classification: Experiential
This course will examine U.S. and Illinois data privacy law, including core concepts, and key laws, regulations, and cases. Topics include the intersection of information privacy, technology and the law, access to government and private records, 4th Amendment issues, social media, HIPAA, genomic privacy, and biometrics.
Sequence and Prerequisites: None
Evaluation: The course will be evaluated by final exam.
The Veterans Legal Clinic (VLC) offers students the opportunity to learn holistic, client-centered lawyering through representing military veterans in a broad array of civil legal matters. While some of the cases the VLC will handle are specific to this client population, such as discharge upgrades, the majority of the clinic’s cases involve broader civil legal issues, including family law, housing, consumer disputes, public benefits, disability, employment, etc. The clinic seeks to foster in its students a strong professional identify, advocacy skills, and consistent engagement in reflective, intentional practice while providing excellent legal services to a severely underserved population. Students will take the lead in all aspects of their cases, including client interviews, pleading drafting, fact investigation, discovery, negotiation, and court hearings. Students will also have the opportunity to interact professionally with a wide variety of social service, medical, mental health, and other providers in the effort to meet their client needs.
Sequence and Prerequisites: A student must be eligible for certification under Illinois Supreme Court Rule 711 which requires, among other things, that a student has completed 45 semester hours toward graduation.
Evaluation: This is a five credit, graded course that includes both a clinic and seminar. Students will be expected to complete a minimum of 225 hours during the semester.
Course Classification: Experiential
The Land Use Planning course provides students with an introductory understanding of the governmental structure, legal aspects, and professional practice of land use planning. Topics discussed in the class include comprehensive planning, subdivision/development regulation, by-right zoning, special approvals such as variances, planned developments, special use permits, and the intersection of land use planning with legal and planning issues in transportation. Throughout the course, we will explore questions about how policy goals are given the force of law, who participates in that process and who does not, to which populations the benefits and burdens of the law flow, and the remedies and standards of review available to individuals challenging land use planning decisions. The course provides a foundation for students interested in pursuing more advanced studies in land use law and urban planning. It will also provide practical knowledge for students seeking careers in local government or real estate law.
Sequence and Prerequisites: Law 602, Property is a prerequisite.
Evaluation:
Three assignments comprise the bulk of the grade for this course. A subdivision and zoning exercise requires students to apply ordinance language to a selection of land development proposals. A mock Plan Commission case requires students to analyze a specific land use proposal, prepare a report, and deliver a presentation in a simulated Plan Commission hearing. A short paper requires students to analyze policy and legal considerations of a current topic in land use law. In addition to these assignments, final grades may be modified on the basis of exceptionally strong or poor performance.