UH Law Center

Courses: Law (LAW)

 

5103:6209:6358: Health Law Journal
Prerequisite: Membership on Health Law Journal staff. Advancement from candidacy to staff requires satisfactory completion of two case notes or one comment. Credit is given for satisfactory staff service.

5104:6211:6318: Houston Business/Tax Journal
Prerequisite: Membership on Houston Business/Tax Journal staff. Advancement from candidacy to staff requires publication of two case notes or one comment. Credit is given for satisfactory staff service.

5107:6208:6355:5415:6500: Clinical Externship II
Cr. 1-5. Prerequisite: Approval of instructor. Students have the opportunity to continue their work with an external placement. A second placement allows a student to improve on lawyering skills learned in Health Law Externship I.

5108: Advanced Health Law
Cr. 1. (1-0). This course provides LL.M. students with an opportunity to develop and present their own research projects as well as to survey a wide range of topics in health law and policy. This course is limited to, and required for, LL.M. students.

5109: Advocates-Negotiation-Current Year
Cr. 1. (0-1). This course is for students participating in the Advocates Negotiation Competition, and includes negotiating a problem set provided by the American Bar Association, drafting a contract that reflects the negotiation, and drafting a short memo detailing their negotiating strategy.

5110:5210:6356:5410: Law Review
Prerequisite: Membership on Law Review staff. Advancement from candidacy to staff requires publication of two case notes or one comment. Credit is given for satisfactory staff service.

5111: Advocates - Blakely Moot Court
Cr. 1. (0-1). May be repeated for a maximum of four semester hours.

5112: Advocates - Hippard Mock Trial
Cr. 1. (0-1). May be repeated for a maximum of four semester hours.

5113: Advocates
Cr. 1. (0-1). May be repeated for a maximum of four semester hours. Counts as credit for advocates board membership or competitive team membership.

5202: Transactional Clinic II
Cr. 2. (0-2). Prerequisite: LAW 6324 (Transactional Clinic I). At a heightened level, students in Transactional Clinic II continue the work done in Transactional Clinic I. They also work in teams with Transactional Clinic I students.

5116: Judicial Process
Cr. 1. (1-0). Prerequisite: Approval of instructor. Students perform exercises that compliment the work they are doing at a court and discuss issues impacting the judiciary. This course is taken concurrently with Judicial Internship I.

5117: Public Interest Workplace
Cr. 1. (1-0). Prerequisite: Approval of instructor. Students perform exercises that complement the work they are doing in field placement and discuss issues impacting their externships. This course is taken concurrently with Clinical Externship I or Health Law Externship I.

5119: Advocates-Negotiation-Retro
Cr. 1. (0-1). This course is for students who have participated in the Negotiation Competition and includes negotiate a problem set provided by the American Bar Association and then draft a contract that reflects the negotiation. As part of the contract submission, students also draft a short memo detailing their negotiating strategy.

5120:6232: Legal Drafting
Cr. 1-2. (1-0; 2-0). Rules and strategies for, and actual drafting of both litigation documents and documents intended to avoid litigation. Emphasizes planning documents needed in preventive law, such as various types of contracts, policies, and regulations.

<5121: Moot Court Board
Cr. 1. (0-1). Assists the Moot Court Director in all administrative aspects of the Moot Court Program, and facilitates the judging process for the John Black mandatory rounds, including providing training for judging, coordinating the organization of the competition with The Advocates and Legal Analysis Research and Communication, and researching the problems issues to provide summaries and questions for the judges.

5122: Advocates-Hippard Mock Trial RETRO
Cr. 2. (0-2). Student seeking credit for this course must participate in the Hippard Mock Trial Competition in a previous semester. This is an intra-scholastic competition where students can compete in the Hippard Open or Hippard Novice Competition.

5124 Immigration Clinic II
Cr. 1 (1-0). Prerequisites: LAW 5399, 5405 (Immigration Clinic I). Covers practical and theoretical training in immigration law.

5125: Small Firm Practice Skills
Cr. 1. (1-0). Prerequisites: Currently enrolled in Externship/Apprenticeship Clinic. Classroom component where students learn a new perspective in terms of the realities of the "law school experience" contrasted with the actual practice of law in a small-to-mid-sized firm.

5128: Personal & Professional Ethics
Cr. 1. (1-0). Prerequisites: None.  The goal of the course is to explore the causes of and possible cures for law student and lawyer distress.

 5131:5427: Consumer Dispute Resolution
Cr. 1, 3, 4. (0-4). Provides students with an opportunity to work in the Texas Consumer Complaint Center. Students deal directly with consumers and consider the legal and ethical problems that arise.

5132: Advocates-Blakely Moot Court - RETRO
Cr. 1. (0-1). Student seeking credit for this course must participate in the Blakely Moot Court Competition in a previous semester. The Blakely Competition is an intra-scholastic moot court competition.

5136:5274: Interscholastic Moot Court-RETRO
Cr. 1-2. (0-1; 0-2). This is a Moot Court Competition. Participants will engage in legal research, brief writing, and oral arguments pursuant to competition rules.

5147:5247:6354: Houston Journal of International Law
Prerequisite: Membership on Houston Journal of International Law staff. Advancement from candidacy to staff requires publication of two case notes or one comment. Credit is given for satisfactory staff service.

5151: Tax Research
Cr. 1. (1-0). Prerequisite: LAW 5359, LAW 5459 (Federal Income Tax), A specialized course in tax research open only to master's degree students specializing in taxation.
5176:6276:6376:5476: Environmental, Energy, and Policy Law Journal
Cr. 2-4. An academic publication of the Law Center in which the law students, under the direction of the faculty, edit articles of distinguished faculty and scholars around the country.

5188:5286: Interscholastic Mock Trial-Retro
Cr. 1-2. (0-1; 0-2). This is a Moot Court Competition. Participants will engage in legal research, brief writing, and oral arguments pursuant to competition rules.

5197:5297:5397:5497: Selected Topics
Cr. 1-4. per semester. (1-0; 2-0; 3-0; 4-0). Temporary course number. May be repeated for a maximum of six semester hours.

5198:5298:5398: Special Research and Writing
Cr. 1-3 per semester. Prerequisites: second- or third-year standing and consent of instructor.

5199: Special Problems
Cr. 1-3 per semester. Prerequisite: Approval of the dean. May be repeated for a maximum of four semester hours. For law students who wish to pursue special studies for which a course is not organized.

5200: Depositions Workshop
Cr. 2. Students learn through simulation exercises how to take and defend depositions including the skills of developing a deposition outline, beginning a deposition, entering into stipulations, using different questioning styles, gaining admissions, making objections and protecting the witness.

5201: Intellectual Property Survey
Cr. 2. (2-0). Study of the main principles and doctrines of trade secret, copyright, trademark, and patent law.

5204: Health Legislation
Cr. 2. (2-0). Focus on state legislation, but also addresses issues relating to federal legislation, city codes, and regulations.

5206: Introduction to Mexican Law
Cr. 2. (2-0). Provides an introduction to the Mexican legal system, concentrating on selected aspects of laws and legal institutions.

5207:5337: Clean Air Act
Cr. 2-3. (2-0; 3-0). Legal requirements for air pollution control under the federal Clean Air Act, with emphasis on the 1990 amendments and state and local approaches including an examination of the Texas Clean Air Act.

5208: Rural Health Law
Cr. 2. (2-0). Focuses on the unique issues of the rural community and how health policy, laws and regulations impact health care services in those areas.

5211:5377: Life and Health Insurance Law
Cr. 2-3. (2-0; 3-0). Addresses federal and state regulation of the life and health insurance industry. The health insurance component addresses the major federal regulatory statutes: ERISA, COBRA, HIPAA, pending federal legislation, as well as state initiatives. The life insurance segment addresses insurance regulations, including anti-forfeiture laws, accounting issues, securities regulation and tax issues.

5212: Advanced Legal Writing (LARC III)
Cr. 2. (2-0). Prepares students to undertake the analytical and informational writing tasks demanded of lawyers and expected by legal employers.

5213: Digital Transactions
Cr. 2. (2-0). This course focuses on issues in software and database licensing, and on transactions conducted online.

5215: Biotechnology and the Law
Cr. 2. (2-0). Surveys ethical, regulatory, and policy issues with modern medical technologies, such as genome-based products and nanotechnology, with emphasis on the challenges of regulating novel products and resolving barriers to research and commercialization. No scientific background is required.

5216: Clean Water Act
Cr. 2. (2-0). Focuses on the Federal Clean Water Act and its administrative implementation. The course specifically focuses on current issues of concern in the Act.

5217: Communication Law
Cr. 2. (2-0). Examines the federal regulation of the electronic mass media with particular focus on regulatory models for legislative and judicial oversight of broadcasting, cable, and new communications technologies. Classroom discussion and student papers will focus on laws governing the broadcast and cable industries and the policy-making process by which those laws are formed.

5218:5371: International Petroleum Transactions
Cr. 2-3. (2-0; 3-0). A study of key provisions in development contracts (licenses and production-sharing contracts); relationships with host governments; and international joint operating agreements. Recommended prerequisite - not required, LAW 5355 (Oil & Gas).

5219: Advanced Bankruptcy
Cr. 2. (2-0). Prerequisite: LAW 5365 (Bankruptcy), or consent of instructor. The focus of this course will be entirely on Chapter 11 cases.

5221:6301: International Commercial Arbitration
Cr. 2-3. (2-0, 3-0). A comprehensive study of international commercial arbitration which includes examination and analysis of international arbitration procedure, arbitration agreements, institutional rules and international conventions.

5222:6321: Professional Responsibility
Cr. 2-3. (2-0; 3-0). A study of the legal and ethical responsibilities of members of the legal profession. Meets PR requirement.

5223: Post-Mortem Estate Planning
Cr. 2-3. (3-0). Prerequisites: LAW 5359, LAW 5459 (Federal Income Tax) and (LAW 5339, LAW 5440 (Trusts and Wills). Issues associated with estate administration; estate tax compliance and audit procedures; examination of the use of trusts as estate surrogates.

5224:6305:Animal Law
Cr. 2. (2-0). The study of statutory and decisional law in which the nature - legal, social, or biological - of non-human animals is an important factor.

5225: Hazardous Waste Law
Cr. 2. (2-0). This course will focus on the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act.

5226: Patent Remedies and Defenses
Cr. 2. (2-0). Prerequisite: LAW 5332 (Patent Law), LAW 5201 (IP Survey) or consent of instructor. Statutory and rules provisions governing U.S. patent litigation; commonly sought remedies and defenses; recent Federal Circuit decisions; jurisdictional and venue issues.

5227: International Enforcement of Intellectual Property
Cr. 2. (2-0). Analyzes the remarkable debate regarding how to enforce trademarks, patents and copyrights beyond national boundaries.

5230: Mergers & Acquisitions
Cr. 2. (2-0). Prerequisite: LAW 5421 (Business Organizations). An examination of the law and finance of corporate acquisitions; evaluation of capital markets and the efficient markets hypothesis; analysis of the motives underlying acquisitions; legal duties and liabilities of directors facing takeover bids.

5231: Anti-Corruption Law & Development
Cr. 2. (2-0). Reviews anti-corruption efforts in law and law enforcement, and examines the major instruments in anti-corruption, including international conventions and standards, and US and foreign criminal and civil legislation.

5232: Trade Secrets
Cr.2. (2-0). Study of characteristics, protection and enforcement of trade secrets as tangible property rights. Emphasis on litigation tactics, including specialized injunctive relief, proof, evidence, remedies and calculation of damages.

5234: Health Privacy
Cr. 2. (2-0). This course will examine the health information privacy standards adopted by the federal Department of Health and Human Services pursuant to the Administrative Simplification provisions of the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996.

5235: Legal Research & Writing
Cr. 2. (2-0). This course teaches the basic skills needed by a practicing attorney in order to perform legal research and prepare legal documents. It is a required course, open to first year law students only.

5236: Legal Research and Advocacy
Cr. 2. (2-0). Prerequisite: passing LAW 5235 (LRW). This course teaches the basic skills needed by a practicing attorney in order to perform legal research and prepare legal documents. It is a required course, open to first year law students only.

5237: Baseball & the Law
Cr. 2. (2-0). Exploring the legal aspects of baseball, but that invariably also requires an examination of the business aspects fo the game, and some of the historical roots of the national pastime.

5238:6338: North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)
Cr. 2-3. (2-0; 3-0). Examines the provisions of NAFTA that affect business transactions between the United States and Mexico. To the extent feasible, class discussions will center on problems that cover the agreement as well as domestic law.

5239: Oil and Gas Tax
Cr. 2. (2-0). Prerequisites: LAW 5359, LAW 5459 (Federal Income Tax). Focuses on federal taxation of domestic oil and gas exploration and production operations. Taxation of foreign oil and gas exploration and production operations will also be included in the course, although in summary fashion addressing tax models foreign jurisdictions can adopt and the resulting U.S. tax overlay.

5240: Applied Appellate Advocacy
Cr. 2. (2-0). This course offers intensive instruction in brief writing and oral advocacy skills in an appellate advocacy setting.

5242: Medical Malpractice Litigation
Cr. 2. (2-0). Malpractice law and policy including the effect of malpractice on health care access, quality, and cost; impact of legislative reforms on malpractice legal doctrine.

5243: International Law of Foreign Investment
Cr. 2. (2-0). A basic knowledge of the standards of protection under international treaties, customary international law, and general principles of international law that countries, in order to foster and protect foreign investment, afford to corporate entities and individuals that invest in those countries.

5123:5245:5302:5417: Civil Practice Clinic II
Cr. 1-4. Prerequisites: LAW 6371, LAW 5420 (Civil Practice Clinic I), LAW 5401 (Criminal Defense Clinic I), LAW 6375 (Child Dependency I). Students, under close faculty supervision, represent clients with a broad variety of legal problems arising in a civil context. Attendance mandatory for the classroom component necessary to learn skills for effective lawyering.

5124:5205:5301:5414: Immigration Clinic II
Cr. 1-4. (1-0; 2-0; 3-0; 4-0). Prerequisite: LAW 5405 (Immigration Clinic). Covers practical and theoretical training in immigration law.

5246: International Litigation
Cr. 2. (2-0). This course will address, among other subjects: suits against foreign defendants in United States courts, suits by foreign plaintiffs, foreign sovereign immunity, and the recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments.

5251: Accounting in Law
Cr. 2. (2-0). Prerequisite: Consent of instructor. Study of legal problems in accounting situations. Previous accounting training is not required.

5253: Mediation Advocacy
Cr. 2. (2-0). Covers the law of representing clients in a mediation setting and the skills ued in providing such representation.

5254: Tax Controversy & Litigation
Cr. 2. (2-0). Prerequisite: LAW 5459 (Federal Income Tax). Covers the tax controversy process, starting with handling an IRS audit, administratively protesting before IRS Appeals, and representing a client before the United States Tax Court.

5255: Practicing Consumer Law
Cr. 2. (2-0). Teaches the practical side of starting a consumer law practice, including learning the ethical issues encountered by consumer lawyers, marketing, formal and informal discovery, expert witnesses, protective orders, and tax consequences to clients, to name a few.

5258: Food and Drug Law
Cr. 2. (2-0). Study of government's attempts to protect the public health and individual welfare in the development and marketing of foods, drugs, medical devices, and cosmetics. Focuses on the federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, with particular emphasis on the regulation of drugs, nutritional supplements, and medical devices.

5259: State and Local Tax
Cr. 2. (2-0). Prerequisites: LAW 5359 or LAW 5459 (Federal Income Tax). An examination of the various laws concerning state taxes, including income, franchise, property, excise, and severance taxes. State taxation of interstate businesses.

5260: Advanced Corporate Tax
Cr. 2. (2-0). Prerequisites: LAW 5359 or LAW 5459 (Federal Income Tax) and LAW 5352 (Corporate Taxation). Advanced study of the law governing the taxation of corporate entities.

5261: Real Estate Tax
Cr. 2. (2-0). Prerequisites: LAW 5359 or LAW 5459 (Federal Income Tax). Analysis of state and federal tax considerations pertaining to the ownership, rental, and sale of interests in real estate.

5263: Taxation of Compensation
Cr. 2. (2-0). Prerequisites: LAW 5359 and LAW 5459(Federal Income Tax). Taxation of qualified and nonqualified deferred compensation arrangements, nonqualified and incentive stock options, restricted property arrangements, part-in-interest transactions, executive compensation and severance arrangements and welfare benefit arrangements.

5264:5305: Business Torts
Cr. 2-3. (2-0; 3-0). This course will cover torts that typically cause pure economic harm (i.e., harms to the pocketbook, rather than harms to the person or property. The course will emphasize the operation of various business torts and will examine the torts' applicability to particular business or economic settings.

5265: Income Taxation of Estates and Trusts
Cr. 2. (2-0). Prerequisites: LAW 5359 or LAW 5459 (Federal Income Tax). An in-depth examination of Subchapter J Taxation of estates and trusts, including their grantors and beneficiaries.

5266: Taxation of Exempt Organizations
Cr. 2. (2-0). Prerequisites: LAW 5359 or LAW 5459 (Federal Income Tax). Study of federal and state law concerning organizations exempt from federal income taxation including contributions deductibility, standards for granting exemption, private foundations, fiduciary duties and limits on political activities.

5267: Tax Accounting
Cr. 2. (2-0). Prerequisites: LAW 5359 or LAW 5459 (Federal Income Tax). Study of methods in context of federal tax laws including cash, accrual installment methods, inventory taxation, changes of accounting methods, and time value of money concepts.

5268: Taxation of Sales
Cr. 2. (2-0). Prerequisites: LAW 5359 or LAW 5459 (Federal Income Tax). Tax treatment of capital gains on the sale or exchange of property, as well as similarity treated transactions.

5270:5357: Evidence
Cr. 2-3. (2-0; 3-0). The rules evidence and reasons supporting them, state and federal, including relevancy, impeachment presumptions, judicial notice, competency of witnesses, privilege, and the hearsay rule and its exceptions.

5279: Jurisprudence
Cr. 2. (2-0). A study of various influences and perspectives on American law, including an introduction of Natural Law Positivism, American Legal Realism, Law & Economics, Critical Legal Studies, Pragmatism, and Postmodernist thought.

5280: Modern Real Estate Transactions
Cr. 2. (2-0). This course begins by walking students through each of the steps in a prototypical, but simple, real estate transaction including residential property. It will examine more complex transactions including purchasing and sales of income producing property, commercial leasing, large-project real estate lending documents, mortgage foreclosures, and construction contracts.

5282:6370: Advanced Legal Research
Cr. 2-3. (2-0; 3-0). Study of advanced techniques of legal research using advanced computer technology as well as accessing rarely used sources and materials for specialized legal research efforts. Also includes use of law library.

5284:6385: Property & Casualty Insurance Law
Cr. 2-3. (2-0; 3-0). Will address problems arising out of liability and property insurance contracts. Issues emphasized include the duty to defend to settle under liability insurance contracts, reciprocal obligations of good faith and fair dealing and issues of valuation and coverage under property insurance contracts.

5287: Elder Law
Cr. 2. (2-0). Explores financial and end-of-life planning for the elderly, including the use of trusts, wills, advance directives and powers of attorney; examines the role of the guardian and attorney ad litem; analyzes the role of Medicare and Medicaid; and considers the legal aspects of home health, assisted living and nursing home alternatives for senior citizen care.

5288: Tax Ethics
Cr. 2. (2-0). Prerequisites: LAW 5359 or LAW 5459 (Federal Income Tax). An analysis of the civil, disciplinary and professional rules that govern lawyers in their practice of tax law.

5291: Partnership Tax
Cr. 2. (2-0). Prerequisites: LAW 5359 or LAW 5459 (Federal Income Tax). Analysis of federal tax considerations pertaining to partnership entities.

5292: Tax Procedure
Cr. 2. (2-0). Prerequisites: LAW 5359 or LAW 5459 (Federal Income Tax). Study of procedural requirements pertaining to proceedings in federal tax disputes.

5293: Tax Fraud/Money Laundering
Cr. 2. (2-0). Prerequisites: LAW 5359 or LAW 5459 (Federal Income Tax). Processes by which the IRS and Justice Departments uncover and prosecute tax crimes and money laundering cases, mandatory sentencing, improper investigative techniques, related non-tax crimes and related matters.

5294:5375: International Litigation & Arbitration
Cr. 2-3. (2-0; 3-0). Discusses selected topics concerning the practice of law associated with international litigation & arbitration. The focus is on litigating cases with foreign parties or foreign law issues in American courts.

5296: Advanced Appellate Advocacy
Cr. 2. (0-2).  Prerequisites: none.  builds on appellate briefing & oral argument skills to teach students the practical side of how an appeal should set up in trial court in order to win in appellate court.

5303: Criminal Law
Cr. 3. (3-0). Substantive criminal law; basic concepts; elements of crime; theories of punishment.

5305: Business Torts
Cr. 3. (3-0). This course will emphasize the operation of various business torts and will examine the torts' applicability to particular business or economic settings.

5306: Law and Economics
Cr. 3. (3-0). Introduction to the use of economic tools and their application to legal principles.

5307: Interagency Environmental Cooperation
Cr. 3. (3-0). Forum for various local, state, and federal environmental agency personnel about real issues in coordinating environmental requirements between agencies.

5308: Federal Courts
Cr. 3. (3-0). Covers the jurisdiction of the federal courts and other issues concerning the relationship of the federal and state courts. Topics include congressional control over the jurisdiction of the federal courts; justiciability doctrines such as standing; federal question and jurisdiction.

5309: Advanced Trial Advocacy
Cr. 3. (3-0). Prerequisite: Law 5386 (Trial Advocacy). The focus of this course is on persuasion and methods for causing a judge or jury to view evidence from a litigant's perspective. Emphasis will be placed on developing a persuasive theory of the case, constructing opening statements and closing arguments to present the case theory, presenting expert testimony, and planning the presentation of evidence so as to maximize its effectiveness.

5310: White Collar Crime
Cr. 3. (3-0). This course focuses on the criminal statutes affecting business people, as well as the defenses available to those charged under those statutes.

5311: Product Liability
Cr. 3. (3-0). An in-depth study of the circumstances under which a manufacturer is or may be held responsible for damages to third parties caused by its products. Consideration of strict liability, negligence and contract theories.

5317: Trademark and Unfair Competition
Cr. 3. (3-0). Development and protection of trademarks under state and federal law. Various phases of trademark and related unfair competition litigation. Intellectual Property Survey course recommended but not required.

5318: Landlord and Tenant
Cr. 3. (3-0). A study of the legal rights of parties to commercial and residential leasing agreements.

5319: Introduction to American Law
Cr. 3. (3-0). A course in American legal method for foreign lawyers.

5320: Pretrial Procedure
Cr. 3. (3-0). Modern problems of pleading, parties, depositions, and discovery, primarily in the Texas State system.

5321: Federal Jurisdiction/Federal Courts
Cr. 3. (3-0). A study of the jurisdiction of federal courts under the constitution and applicable statutes.

5322: Pretrial Litigation
Cr. 3. (3-0). Intensive individualized training and instruction in case analysis and the art of drafting and oral advocacy relating to pretrial discovery, motion practice and pleadings, including instruction in the law of pre-trial procedure.

5323: Conflict of Laws
Cr. 3. (3-0). The central issue focuses upon the controlling law if there are competing legal principles from various jurisdictions that have a connection with the controversy. The course is a cross section of many courses that the student has previously taken.

5324: International Trade
Cr. 3. (3-0). A course in the problems businesses encounter in transnational dealings in goods and services, including import controls, export controls, tariffs, and sales conventions.

5328:5407: Judicial Internship Clinic I
Cr. 3-4. Prerequisite: Approval of the instructor. Students have the opportunity to work with a member of the judiciary.

5329:5412: Judicial Internship Clinic II
Cr. 3-4. Prerequisite: Approval of the instructor. Students have the opportunity to continue their work with a member of the judiciary. The second term in a placement allows a student to work on additional lawyering skills while continuing to improve the lawyering skills they have worked on previously.

5330: Antitrust Law
Cr. 3. (3-0). The law and economics of antitrust policy and the methods for enforcing antitrust policy. Emphasis is placed on the issues of monopolization, mergers, price fixing, and state and local government actions displacing the competitive process.

5331: English Legal History
Cr. 3. (3-0). Development of English law from the twelfth to the eighteenth century with emphasis on the nature of legal change, the relationship between legal and social change, and the development of individual rights.

5332: Patent Law
Cr. 3. (3-0). The substantive U.S. law of patents including eligible subject matter, novelty and non-obviousness requirements, scope of claims, and modern infringement law.

5333: Franchise & Distribution
Cr. 3. (3-0). Legal issues relating to product distribution are addressed in detail. And examination of U.S. & International laws, governing the franchise relationship, its creation, conduct, and termination, including intellectual property and competition law.

5334:5411:5516: Health Law Externship I
Cr. 3-5. Prerequisite: Completion of or concurrent enrollment in LAW 6322 (Health Law Survey: Bioethics & Quality of Care), LAW 6331 (Health Law Survey: Access, Regulation, & Enterprise) or permission of instructor required. In addition, requires a minimum GPA of 2.7. Students have the opportunity to work with non-profit organizations or government agencies dealing with health issues.

5335: Land Use
Cr. 3. (3-0). This course will deal with the basic legal issues arising in the government control of land, including regulatory takings (especially in environmental area) and other special topics.

5338: Land Use and Finance
Cr. 3 (3-0). Law pertaining to land use and finance, as reflected in governmental regulations, zoning and other municipal ordinances, and land-financing practices.

5339:5440: Trusts and Wills
Cr. 3-4. (3-0; 4-0). Express, resulting and constructive trusts, substantive and remedial aspects. Intestacy; execution, revocation, and construction of wills; contracts to devise.

5340: Marital Property Rights
Cr. 3. (3-0). Marriage, divorce, and annulment; rights of children and the community property law of Texas.

5341: Disabilities and the Law
Cr. 3. (3-0). Is a study of legal issues affecting persons with disabilities, including education, higher education, employment, architectural barriers, transportation, public accommodations, public services, housing and access to health care.

5342:5413:5517: Health Law Externship II
Cr. 3-5. Prerequisite: Completion of or concurrent enrollment in LAW 6322 (Health Law Survey: Bioethics & Quality of Care), LAW 6331 (Health Law Survey: Access, Regulation, & Enterprise) or permission of instructor required. Also requires a minimum GPA of 2.7. Students have the opportunity to continue their work with an external placement. The second term in a placement allows a student to work on additional lawyering skills while continuing to improve the lawyering skills they have worked on previously.

5343: Employment Law
Cr. 3. (3-0). Focuses on the expanding body of statutes and common law dealing with the legal rights of nonunion employees. The course examines the legal aspects of hiring practices, conditions of employment, and termination of employment and the legal regulation of employers and employees.

5344: Appellate Advocacy
Cr. 3. (3-0). Intensive, individualized training in the art of persuasive brief writing and effective oral argument, as well as the law of appellate advocacy.

5345: Class Actions
Cr. 3. (3-0). Lawsuits brought by a representative on behalf of a group of people similarly situated, and considered the most powerful instrument that the common person has against the status quo.

5347: Criminal Procedure: The Investigation Process
Cr. 3. (3-0). Deals with the law of search and seizure, confessions, right to counsel, incorporation of bill of rights guarantees, retroactivity, federal court supervisory power, due process and the war on terrorism.

5348: Texas Consumer Law
Cr. 3. (3-0). An advanced course in sales and the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act designed to supplement courses in contract and commercial law.

5350: Criminal Procedure: The Adjudication Process
Cr. 3. (3-0). Addresses the constitutional rules of criminal procedure applicable in all court proceedings in a criminal prosecution in state or federal court.

5351: Juvenile Law
Cr. 3. (3-0). A survey of the statutes and case law governing the rights of children alleged to be delinquent, incorrigible, or neglected.

5352: Corporate Taxation
Cr. 3. (3-0). Prerequisites: LAW 5359, LAW 5459 (Federal Income Tax). Taxation of corporate entities; corporate formations, distributions, liquidations, and reorganizations.

5353: Business Planning
Cr. 3. (3-0). Prerequisites: LAW 5359, LAW 5459 (Federal Income Tax); and either LAW 5421 (Business Organizations) or LAW 5350 (Corporations). An advanced course in the legal problems encountered in the organization of a corporation. Problems of taxation are a major topic of this course.

5358: Sales & Leasing
Cr. 3. (3-0) The law of sales and leases including Articles 2 and 2A of the Uniform Commercial Code, and some consideration of the CISG–the law governing international sales of goods.

5359:5459: Federal Income Tax
Cr. 3-4. (3-0; 4-0). Introduction to federal income taxation. Identification and characterization of income subject to taxation and deductions therefrom.

5360: Licensing and Technology Transfer
Cr. 3. (3-0). Prerequisite: LAW 5201 (IP Survey), LAW 5332 (Patent Law) or LAW 5379 (Copyright Law); Consent of Instructor. Introduction to the transfer of technology by licensing agreements where underlying rights are patent, trademark, copyright, or trade secret (know-how). Agreement structures and legal limitations via antitrust laws. U.S. law emphasis; some foreign laws considered.

5361: Women and the Law
Cr. 3. (3-0). Explores the ways in which women have been treated as a special legal category.

5362: Employment Discrimination
Cr. 3. (3-0). Examines the substantive law of employment discrimination and the policy conflicts underlying the legal and social issues raised by the cases. Basic doctrines designed to protect individuals from unfair unemployment decisions: Title VII; Americans with Disabilities Act; and the Age Discrimination in Employment Act.

5363: Securities Regulation
Cr. 3. (3-0). A study of state and federal statutes regulating the issuance, transfer, and trading of securities.

5364: Texas Coastal and Ocean Law
Cr. 3. (3-0). The course will deal with the origin and present status of the 1972 National Coastal Zone Management Act and subsequent coastal management programs adopted by virtually all coastal states. The Texas program is administered by the General Land Office and will be dealt with in depth as the central focus of the course. Statutory law relating to citizen, state, and federal rights and duties as they impact coastal law will be studied as a part of Texas real property law. Cases relating to those rights and duties and Public Trust Doctrine cases are an integral part of understanding the responsibilities of governments and rights of citizens. The course should help prepare an attorney to advise clients concerning their rights and responsibilities, as well as permit procedures and limitations applicable to the coast.

5365:5465: Bankruptcy
Cr. 3-4 (3-0; 4-0). A study of federal and state laws relating to the remedies of debtors and creditors, including bankruptcy.

5366: Comparative Law
Cr. 3. (3-0). Examination of the major legal systems in the world today (focus on civil law and common law). Comparison of selected features of foreign laws, legal institutions, legal methodology, and legal culture with their American counterparts. Topics include procedure, private law, legal profession, legal education, sources of law, court structure and others. Countries sampled include Germany, France, Italy, Mexico, Japan, China, and others.

5367: Biotechnology & the Law
Cr. 3. (3-0). Surveys ethical, regulatory, and policy issues with modern medical technologies, such as genome-based products and nanotechnology, with emphasis on the challenges of regulatory novel products and resolving barriers to research and commercialization.

5368: Estate Planning
Cr. 3. (3-0). Prerequisites: LAW 5359, LAW 5459 (Federal Income Tax) and LAW 5339 , LAW 5440 (Trusts and Wills) or seek instructor's permission to waive prerequisite. Planning of estates from the standpoint of tax savings and ease of administration.

5369: Insurance Law
Cr. 3. (3-0). Examines the regulation of insurance contracts and insurance companies, including underwriting regulation, doctrines of contract interpretation, claims-processing regulation, solvency regulation and special remedies for breach. The course covers both the property/casualty and life/health "sides" of the insurance industry with an emphasis on policy issues and economics.

5370: International Law
Cr. 3. (3-0). Basic public international law; legal organization of the international community; the relation of individuals within a state to the rules of international law.

5372: Fraud & Abuse
Cr. 3. (3-0). This course examines the implications of the Federal Anti-Kickback Statute, civil monetary penalty and exclusion laws, anti-referral (Stark) laws, and false claims laws, as well as tradional federal white collar criminal laws applied to health care.

5373: Admiralty
Cr. 3. (3-0). Covers a number of unique features of maritime law such as limitation of liability, general average, salvage cargo claims, the Carriage of Goods by Sea Act and variations theron under international conventions, and seamen's remedies for personal injuries including the Jones Act, unseaworthiness and maintenance and cure. It will also focus on the variety of federal jurisdiction issues that come into play in Admiralty.

5374: Legal History (American Legal History)
Cr. 3. (3-0). Emphasis on the First and Fourteenth Amendments. A study of American legal history from 1776-1940. The course concentrates on federalism, the relationship between both state and federal constitutions and the common law, and the process of development of individual rights under the Constitution.

5379: Copyright Law
Cr. 3. (3-0). Study of protection for literary, artistic, musical, computer, and other works of human intellect under the Copyright Act of 1976. Prerequisites and formalities for protection; nature, scope, and limitations of rights with special emphasis on fair use; infringement actions, remedies and federal preemption of state law.

5380: Labor Law
Cr. 3. (3-0). A study of the National Labor Relations Act and other federal legislation relating to the labor-management relationship.

5381: Legal Negotiations
Cr. 3. (3-0). An introduction to legal negotiation as a method of reaching agreement on different matters.

5382: Administrative Law
Cr. 3. (3-0). A study of the administrative process, primarily at the federal level; agency powers; agency jurisdiction; agency procedures; limitations on agency power; enforcement of agency decisions; judicial review.

5383: Family Law
Cr. 3. (3-0). A study of the law of marriage, divorce, and child custody; legal aspects of illegitimacy, family desertion, nonsupport, and abandonment of children.

5386: Trial Advocacy
Cr. 3. (3-0). Prerequisite: LAW 5270, LAW 5357 (Evidence). Through "learning-by-doing" students master the skills necessary to developing case theory, selecting a jury, conducting direct and cross examinations, handling exhibits, impeaching witnesses and presenting opening statements and closing arguments.

5387: International Tax
Cr. 3. (3-0). Prerequisites: LAW 5359, LAW 5459 (Federal Income Tax). A study of issues in U.S. and foreign taxation including analyses of tax consequences relating to multinational business operations.

5388: Storytelling
Cr. 3. (3-0). Coverage of how to develop effective and persuasive case theories, rhetoric, and the psychological aspects of persuasion.

5389: Immigration Law
Cr. 3. (3-0). Study of United States laws relating to the permanent and temporary entry of foreign nationals into the U.S.

5390: Environmental Law
Cr. 3. (3-0). Environmental law, with emphasis on legal regulation and control of activities affecting the land, sea, and air environment.

5391: Law Practice Strategies
Cr. 3. (3-0). Covers strategies for document preparation, client relations, interviewing, counseling, negotiation, running the practice, and advocacy, through simulations involving civil litigation, contracts, criminal litigation, real estate, divorce, and wills.

5392: International Business Transactions
Cr. 3. (3-0). A study of various international business transaction formats and their legal consequences.

5394: Legislation
Cr. 3. (3-0). Introduces students to the legislative process that creates those statutes and will teach students the theories and doctrines of statutory interpretation used in the state and federal courts.

5395: Election Law
Cr. 3. (3-0). Emphasizes federal and Texas constitutional law, statutory law, regulations and practices in all aspects of primary and general election of offices and voting on issues.

5398: Special Research & Writing
Cr. 3. (3-0). Prerequisites: Second -or third- year standing and consent of instructor. Independent research paper written under the direct supervision of a full-time faculty member. Cannon be used as the senior writing requirement unless approved by the Associate Dean for Student Affairs.

5405: Immigration Clinic I
Cr. 4. Prerequisite: Grade Point Average of 2.5. Recommended - not required, LAW 5222, LAW 6321 (Professional Responsibility), LAW 5270 , LAW 5357 (Evidence), LAW 5389 (Immigration Law). The immigration clinic combines actual representation of clients with the theoretical teaching of immigration law. Each student handles ad individual caseload of 5-7 clients. The types of cases handled through the clinic include: applications for political asylum; petitions under the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA); family visa petitions, citizenship, special immigrant juvenile petitions; and representation of long term residents in removal/deportation proceedings.

5406: Civil Procedure
Cr. 4. (4-0). Introduction to civil procedure; jurisdiction of courts; pleading, discovery; trial; effect of judgments; appeals. Emphasis is on the federal rules of civil procedure.

5408: Property.
Cr. 4. (4-0). Introduction to basic principles of property law; acquisition of property; types of property interests; transfer of ownership; recording systems; conveyancing; landlord and tenant; regulation of land use.

5409: Contracts.
Cr. 4. (4-0). Basic contract law including contract formation, prerequisites such as consideration, remedies, enforcement, interpretation, writings, and multiple parties.  

5418: Torts
Cr. 4. (4-0). Basic tort law; intentional torts, negligence, strict liability; causation and problems of multiple parties; damages and compensation systems; derivative liability; special kinds of torts.

5424: Death Penalty Clinic
Cr. 4. (0-4).  Prerequisites: completion LAW 5303 & LAW 5488.  Explores the substantive law, investigative techniques, & post-conviction appellate remedies applicable in capital (death penalty cases).

6349:5419: Consumer Law Clinic
Cr. 3-4. Focusing on consumer law issues, students enrolled in this clinic work as student attorneys with Lone Star Legal Aid and learn the law by a mixture of theory and actual hands-on experience representing low income clients at Justice Court, County Court, and District Court.

5420: Civil Practice Clinic I
Cr. 4. Prerequisite: At least 45 hours completion. Students under close faculty supervision, represent clients with a broad variety of legal problems arising in a civil context. Attendance mandatory for the classroom component necessary to learn skills for effective lawyering.

5421: Business Organizations
Cr. 4. (4-0). A survey of materials relating to the legal consequences of various forms of business structures including agency, partnership, and incorporation.

5422: Criminal Practice Clinic
Cr. 2. (2-0). Prerequisite: LAW 5386 (Trial Advocacy), LAW 5357, LAW 5420 (Evidence), with a GPA of 3.0. Students will work at the Harris County District Attorney's Office and handle the prosecution of a variety of misdemeanor level criminal cases, with some opportunities for felony case work.

5488: Constitutional Law
Cr. 4. (4-0). Judicial review: powers of government; federalism; requirements of due process and equal protection; individual rights guaranteed by the Constitution.

6113:6213:5470: Innocence Investigations
Cr. 1-2, and 4. This course will cover basic issues associated with conducting factual investigations, years after a trial has occurred, to determine whether a prison inmate is innocent. The course will consider, among other things, the mechanics of conducting factual investigations, and will also address ethical issues associated with such investigations. Students will have the opportunity to screen cases and may have the opportunity to conduct investigations.

6200: Attorney Communication
Cr. 2. (2-0). Theoretical and practical approaches to the way lawyers communicate effectively with clients, judges and juries.

6203: Bankruptcy Tax
Cr. 2. (2-0). Prerequisites: Law 5459: Federal Income Tax. Explores resolution of conflicting policies underlying bankruptcy & tax laws.
6204: Entertainment Law
Cr. 2. (2-0). An interesting blend of torts, contracts, and intellectual property concepts that arise in entertainment law practice.

6205: Patent Prosecution
Cr. 2. (2-0). Prerequisite: Law 5332 (Patent Law), or permission of instructor. Substantive law and procedure governing the patent application process. Students who are registered patent agents are graded on a separate curve.

6206: Contract Drafting
Cr. 2. (2-0). This course will focus upon legal issues arising in cases involving exposure to toxic substances, such as asbestos, silica, silicone gel breast implants, chemicals, or prescription drugs.

6210: How to Reason: Interdisciplinary Approaches to Public Policy
Cr. 2. (2-0). Prerequisites: none. Focuses on fundamental writing skills necessary for drafting norm-setting legal documents such as contracts, private, and public legislation.

6212:5312: First Amendment
Cr. 2. (2-0): Cr.3 (3-0). Advanced study of individual rights guaranteed by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution including the rights of free speech and religion.

6214: Corporate Finance
Cr. 2. (2-0). Prerequisite: LAW 5421 (Business Organizations). In this course we will consider the state corporate laws and federal securities laws regulating the financing of corporations, both closely held and public. We will focus on various financing methods, including common stock, preferred stock, and convertible and straight debt (but not commercial lending arrangements such as bank loan agreements), as well as dividends, stock repurchases, tender lifers and mergers. Among the legal issues we will consider are the laws regulation corporate disclosure and corporate governance.

6217: HIV and the Law
Cr. 2. (2-0). Explores the legal implications of HIV infection for public health policy, education, employment, insurance, health care and criminal law.

6221: Environmental Enforcement
Focuses on how agencies and courts enforce environmental laws and the critical role that enforcement plays in assuring compliance and protecting the environment.6224: 5356: Remedies
Cr. 2-3. (2-0;3-0). Content includes a wide array of legal and equitable remedies available in civil actions - including injunctions (and the related contempt power), specific performance, common law "writs," restitution, money damages, attorney's fees, and prejudgment interest.

6226: Advanced Oil & Gas Contracting
Cr. 2. (2-0). Focuses on contracts used in domestic oil and gas exploration and production operations, including oil and gas leases, operating agreements, unitization agreements, farm outs and term assignments, purchase and sale agreements and other contractual arrangements.

6227:5355: Oil and Gas
Cr. 2-3. (2-0, 3-0). Covers the basic property, contract, and regulatory framework for oil and gas production in Texas. Explores common law property concepts; the provisions of an oil and gas lease negotiated between a mineral interest owner and an oil company as lessee; and also examines Railroad Commission regulation of drilling, production, pooling, and unitization for the efficient and fair development of oil and gas.

6229:5376: Colloquium
Cr. 2-3. (2-0, 3-0). Students and scholars work cooperatively in a rigorous intellectual environment where students participate in a unique analytic discussion of the law of many different fields. Enrollment limited.

6233: Advanced Torts
Cr. 2. (2-0). Focuses on a number of subjects including a trespass to chattel and conversion, economic torts, insurance, nuisance, dignitary torts, and products liability.

6234: Law, Neuro Ethics & Brain Policies
Cr. 2. (2-0). Addresses recent and ethical issues concerning brain development and defects, brain functioning and brain imaging.

6236: Advocates Board
Cr. 2. (0-2). Administers the operations of this student organization, including organizing and running all intra-scholastic competitions, providing workshop learning opportunities for students competing in their competitions.

6237: Doing Deals
Cr. 2. (2-0). Prerequisites: Completion of Business Organizations Law 5421 or Corporations. Life cycle of private & public company mergers, and acquisitions from the perspective of a practicing lawyer.

6238: International Risk Management
Cr. 2. (2-0). Prerequisites: None. Legal framework for international oilfield service contracts, including substantive law & practical counseling.

6239: Internet Law
Cr. 2. (2-0). Prerequisites: None. A survey of legal issues arising from the rapid growth of internet and other on-line communications. Coverage will include intellectual property, First amendment, criminal and privacy issues.

6240: Death Penalty Clinic
Cr. 2. (2-0). Prerequisites: Completion of Criminal Law LAW 5303 & Constitutional Law LAW 5488. Explores substantive law, investigative techniques,  & post-conviction appellate remedies in capital cases.

6241: Law & Psychiatry
Cr. 2. (2-0). Prerequisite: None. Current topics in law & psychiatry, including civil commitment, right to treatment, right to refuse treatment, competency to stand trial, the insanity defense, & the psychiatrist's role in the sentencing process.

6242: National Security Law
Cr. 2. (2-0). Prerequisites: none. Covers presidential & congressional national security powers under the Constitutional & case law with a focus on surveillance & other counterterrorism measures. Discussing the application of those principles to national security prosecutions and investigations.

6243: Privacy & Data Protection
Cr. 2. (2-0). Prerequisites: None. Deals with areas where privacy law conflicts with the media, & with law enforcement, & with the privacy accorded government records. Encompasses privacy of financial data, and the relationship between privacy & place.

6244: Proving & Establishing Damages
Cr. 2. (2-0). Prerequisites: None. A look at the development of damages throughout the life of a case, from the client interview through arguing damages to the jury.

6245: Doing Business Down Under- Australia & New Zealand
Cr. 2. (2-0). Prerequisites: None. Company and securities laws of Australia & New Zealand, along with types of transactions planning issues that confront a practicing lawyers.

6246: Apprenticeship/Externship Clinic
Cr. 2. (2-0).  Prerequisites: Complete 2L year, with a minimum GPA of 2.8, & commit to work at Houston firm in June/July. Students are placed small-to-mid-sized law firms in-around Houston, & work full-time for their assigned law firm for one month while also attending the one-hour classroom component.

6247: Children's Health & the Law
Cr. 2. (2-0).  Prerequistes: none.  This course will examine children's health and the law from before birth through adolescence. 

6248: Computational Law
Cr. 2 (2-0).  Prerequisites: LAW 6372 or permission of instructor.  Allow students the opportunity to develop interactive models of legal issues or systems.  Topics addressed are likely to include decision theory, game theory, finance, statistics, network analysis and computational linguistics. 

6251: Health Law Transactions
Cr. 2. (2-0). Explores the application of federal and state regulatory principles to health care transactions. This course assumes general familiarity with issues discussed in Health Law II; e.g., the corporate practice of medicine doctrine, antitrust, and fraud and abuse. Students will gain exposure to the document drafting and document review aspects of typical health care transactions.

6252: Environmental Law in Oil & Gas Production & Refining
Cr. 2. (2-0).  Prerequisites: none.  Focuses on statutory, common law, & regulatory environmental issues that confront the oil & gas industry with the cost of compliance/protection & the impact of these costs on the industry & stakeholders.

6253: Immigration & the Family
Cr. 2. (2-0). Prerequisites: none.  Explores the process involved in sponsoring family members for permanent resident status and examines the obstacles commonly encountered throughout the application process.

6254: Fraud & Abuse
Cr. 2. (2-0). Prerequisites: Completion of or concurrent enrollment in LAW 6331, or permission of instructor.  Examines the implications of the Federal Anti-Kickback Statue, civil monetary penalty & exclusion laws, anti-referral (Stark) laws, & false claims laws, & traditional federal white collar criminal laws applied to health care.

 6255: International Courts & Tribunals
Cr. 2. (2-0). Prerequisites: none.  Focuses upon the practice and procedure before international courts and tribunals that emphasize international civil dispute resolution.  The primary focus will be on the International Court of Justice ("ICJ").

6256: International Intellectual Property
Cr. 2. (2-0).  Prerequisites: LAW 5201, or LAW 5379, LAW 5332, or LAW 5232 or permission of instructor.  Study of international intellectual property law issues, doctrine, and policy by studying treaties, trade law, and local country law. 

6257: Legal Negotiations
Cr. 2. (2-0). Prerequisites: none. An introduction to legal negotiation as a method of reaching agreement on different matters.

6258:  Medical Malpractice Litigation
Cr. 2. (2-0). Prerequisites: LAW 6322 or permission of instructor required.  A broad-based study of malpractice law & policy, including the effect of malpractice on health care access, quality, & cost; malpractice legal doctrine; & legislative reforms.

6259: Virtual Worlds
Cr. 2. (2-0). Prerequisites: none.  Analyzes the intersection of real and virtual world property, interaction, crimes, gaming, rights, and speech.

6260: Personal & Professional Ethics
Cr. 2. (2-0). Prerequisites: none. The overall goal of the course is to explore the causes of and possible cures for law student and lawyer distress.

6300:5400:5500: Clinical Externship
Cr. 3-5. Prerequisite: Consent of instructor. Students have the opportunity to work with a non-profit organization or government agency.

6302: International Contracting
Cr. 3. (3-0). A transactional course dealing with various aspects of doing business across national boundaries. There are at least three major assignments in which teams of student negotiate and draft agreements invoking such topics as international service contracts, joint venture agreements and construction contracts.

5241:6304: Federal Indian Law
Cr. 3. (3-0). Explores the principles, doctrines, and texts governing legal relations between the U.S. & Indian tribes.

6306: Personal and Professional Ethics
Cr. 3. (3-0). The overall goal of the course is to explore the causes of and possible cures for law student and lawyer distress. This is done through a series of readings and speakers that focus on such matters, including an expert on personality types, one or more psychologists who work extensively with law students and lawyers, and numerous practicing lawyers and judges. The overall methodology and philosophy of the course are set out at length in an article authored by the instructor. See 45 S.Tex. L. Rev. 753, 795-804, 809-813 (2004). The course will be graded pass-fail. It will require preparation of short reflective papers (1-2 typewritten pages) on topics growing out of class presentations and discussions, and the completion of evaluative instruments designed specifically for the course.

6307: Sports Law
Cr. 3. (3-0). Analysis of topics such as representation of the professional athlete in contract negotiations and endorsements, the player-club contractual relationship, anti-trust and collective bargaining issues in amateur and professional sports, sports tort liability, and representation of the recreational amateur and professional in sports injury litigation.

6308: Communication Law
Cr. 3. (3-0).This course examines regulation and policy concerned with various forms of mass media in the US including radio and television as well as telecommunications regulation, law and policy.

6310: Elder Law
Cr. 3. (3-0). Explores financial and end-of-life planning for the elderly, including the use of trusts, wills, advance directives and powers of attorney; examines the role of the guardian and attorney ad litem; analyzes the rold of Medicare and Medicaid; and considers the legal aspects of home health, assisted living and nursing home alternatives for senior citizen care.

6315: Entrepreneurship
Cr. 3. (3-0). Examines entrepreneurship and specifically discusses the challenges and strategies one faces becoming a successful entrepreneur. Whether opening a law practice or starting a new business or commercializing a new technology.

6317: Gasoline: A Legal History
Cr. 3. (3-0). Examines the ubiquitous role that gasoline and companies that produce it have played in the development of law, judicial, legislative, and administrative in the United States over almost a century and a half.

6319: International Corporate Compliance
Cr. 3. (3-0). Addresses the fundamental requirements of an effective corporate compliance program and the design of such a program.

6320: Supreme Court Term
Cr. 3. (3-0).This course examines major decisions from the most recent Term of the Supreme Court.

6322: Hospital Law & Ethics
Cr. 3. (3-0). Prerequisites: None.  Explores a series of topics that will touch on what a hospital based attorney may encounter.

6323: Space Law
Cr. 3. (3-0). This course surveys the development of space law and policy from the 1930's to evolving law for the International Space Station and future exploration and settlement of the solar system. Topics include: International Space Law (multinational and bilateral treaties, and the common international law of space); National Space Law (US, Russian, European, Japanese and Chinese); and the space policy of the United States. US national space law is covered in detail, with specific attention to the NASA Act, FCC jurisdiction and control of communications satellites, FAA licensing of private launch services and policy issues related to remote sensing and the military use of space. Specific issues of patent, securities, tort and contract law are addressed in relation to current and future business activities in outer space.

6324: Transactional Clinic I
Cr. 3. The Transactional Clinic works with the University's Small Business Development Center to work with clients who need advise and assistance with their small business. Under the supervision of the instructor, student attorneys advise and prepare necessary documents to form LLCs or Corporations, negotiate commercial leases, and draft service, investment or other contracts as necessary. Students periodically assist non-profit organizations as well.

6239:6325: Network Law
Cr. 3. (3-0). A survey of legal issues arising from the rapid growth of internet and other on-line communications. Coverage will include intellectual property, First amendment, criminal and privacy issues.

6327: Criminal Litigation
Cr. 3. (2-0; 3-0). This course covers all stages of a prosecution from the preliminary hearing through sentencing. Students are assigned factual hypotheticals and given relevant legal authorities, and role-play either as prosecutors or defense counsel.

6330: Law, Literature & Society
Cr. 3. (3-0). This course is focused on identifying biases and presuppositions in our perspectives and their relation with professionalism.

6331: Health Law Survey: Access, Regulation & Enterprise
Cr. 3. (3-0). An introductory health law course addressing the regulation, structure, and financing of the American health care system. Regulation and structural issues include how health care institutions are legally organized, accreditation, medical staff disputes, managed care, fraud and abuse, health care transactions, and antitrust. Access and financing issues include private health insurance, ERISA, COBRA, HIPAA, Medicare, and Medicaid.

6333: International Intellectual Property
Cr. 3. (3-0). Prerequisite: LAW 5201 (Intellectual Property Survey), or two of, LAW 5379 (Copyright), LAW 5332 (Patent Law) or LAW 5232 (Trade Secrets), or permission of instructor. Study of international intellectual property law issues, doctrine, and policy by studying treaties, trade law, and local country law. Prerequisites apply; see Law Center course description for list.

6334: Accounting and Finance for Lawyers
Cr. 3. (3-0). The course teaches the basics every lawyer should know about accounting and finance in order to communicate, negotiate, and counsel effectively regarding business matters: the accounting process; the balance sheet, income statement, and cash flow; financial statement analysis; auditing; time value of money; interest; credit; securities; risk; valuation; derivatives; financial decision rules; and financial markets and regulation. The course presumes no prior knowledge of accounting or finance. No special mathematical knowledge is required, just basic arithmetic and algebra.

6335: Regulation of Banking
Cr. 3. (3-0). Addresses banking regulations related to chartering and branching limitations, safety and soundness requirements, and the extension of credit. Because banking law is constantly evolving, emphasis will be placed on current issues in banking regulation.

6336: International Environmental Law
Cr. 3 (3-0). The practical aspects of the various systems as they compare to the United States environmental law system. Also, the various environmental aspects of environmental treaties, conventions, etc. Other topics: international convention and agreements on the environment; environmental issues in the United States and foreign transactions; the European Economic Community and the environment; Latin America and the environment; free trade.

6201:6337:6337: Sexual Orientation and the Law
Cr. 3. (3-0). Examines the manner in which the state regulates sexuality, gender, gender roles, and sexual orientation in a variety of substantive legal areas.

6339: Arbitration
Cr. 2-3. (2-0; 3-0). A study of the arbitration process including procedural problems related to the initiation of the arbitration procedure and the jurisdictional power of the arbitrator/as well as substantive issues including, but not limited to contractual interpretation.

6341: Water Law
Cr. 3. (3-0). Explores the way rights to use are allocated in the various jurisdictions of the United States, and examines acquisition and exercise of water rights, statutory procedures of acquistion, comparison of riparian rights and appropriation rights.

6342: Death Penalty Law
Cr. 3. (3-0). This course covers substantive death penalty law, beginning with the supreme court's decision in 1972 to strike down all then-existing law, and continuing through the court's most recent term. Primary focus will be on federal decisions, by the supreme court and the court of appeals, but state court decisions, particularly cases from Texas, will also receive significant attention.

6343: Energy, Law & Policy
Cr. 3. (3-0). A basic overview and background to the important energy issues of the day, especially natural gas and electricity deregulation (more aptly called restructuring).

6344: Basic Construction Law
Cr. 3. (3-0). Prerequisites: none. Examination of the parties' duties and obligations arising out of their agreements, governing documents, statutory law and common law.

6346: Payment Systems
Cr. 3. (3-0). This course explores and compares the law of various "money substitutes", with emphasis on the check system. The allocations of risk by the check system, the credit card system, the debit card system, the wire transfer system, and the letter of credit system are compared and contrasted.

6347: Secured Financing
Cr. 3. (3-0). This course will focus on the law of secured financing-Article 9 of the Uniform Commercial Code. The course will center around problem sets rather than cases, as problem-solving helps the student to learn and to understand how Article 9 operates in practical situations.

6348: Texas Criminal Procedure
Cr. 3. (3-0). An in-depth analysis of the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure and case law interpreting the same. Where appropriate, the Texas Rules of Criminal Evidence and Texas Rules of Appellate Procedure will be addressed and discussed. There will be a comparative analysis of the mentioned rules and statutes with their federal counterparts.

6350: Admiralty, PI & Death
Cr. 3. (3-0). Focuses upon causes of actions and remedies that are available to the various classes of maritime workers. We will also focus upon maritime jurisdiction.

6351: ADR Survey
Cr. 3. (3-0). This is a survey course about ADR procedures. The focus is on skills and processes of dispute resolution, including arbitration, mediation, and negotiation.

6357: Children's Rights
Cr. 3. (3-0). Students will explore the interaction between children and the legal system. It will examine the constitutional rights of children, child custody and visitation, abuse and neglect proceedings, adoption, juvenile delinquency, regulation of children's conduct, financial responsibility and control and the medical decision making process for minors.

6359: Regulated Industries
Cr. 3. (3-0). An examination of the regulation and deregulation of the electric power, surface and air transportation, telecommunications, and cable industries.

6361: Property Crime in the Information Age
Cr. 3. (3-0). Focuses on how criminal law deals with takings of new forms of property, such as business information, trade secrets, and copyrighted material. Reviews criminal theft and introduces criminal misappropriation and infringement.

6362: Natural Resources Law
Cr. 3. (3-0). History, jurisdiction, and conflicts of the land management agencies (primarily the U.S. Forest Service and the Department of the Interior) under the various natural resources statutes.

6363: Practice Skills
Cr. 3. (3-0). Focuses on client interviewing, counseling and negotiating. Emphasizes a practical approach to the initial stages of client contact and development of the client's case.

6206:6364: Contract Drafting
Cr. 2-3. (2-0; 3-0). Focuses on how to draft effective agreements that accomplish the client's goals in an ethical manner.

6365: Law and International Economic Relations
Cr. 3. (3-0). Basic concepts of international law, with a concentration on international economic issues that confront different legal regimes.

6369: Alternative Dispute Resolution
Cr. 3. (3-0). This course is devoted to dispute settlement mechanism other than judicial trials. While the range of ADR topics is broad, we will focus on negotiation, mediation, and arbitration.

6372: Analytic Methods
Cr. 3. (3-0). Teaches practical analytic methods to law students without prior quantitative training. Includes decision/game theory, contracting, law and economics, microeconomics, accounting, finance, and statistics.

6373: Family Law Practice
Cr. 3. (3-0). Prerequisite: Law 5420 (Marital Property Rights). Practical review of Texas family law practice and procedure, covering division of property, parent-child issues, temporary orders, etc.

6374: Maritime, Cargo, and Collision
Cr. 3. (3-0).This course directs initial attention to the personification of a vessel for the purpose of being named as an in rem defendant in admiralty proceedings. The methods of the arrest and the posting of security as a means to obtain the vessel's release from seizure will be reviewed. The law of this country and other nations will receive attention regarding the international shipment of cargo. The next subject is collision between vessels in the harbors of this country and on the high seas.

6375: Client Interviewing & Counseling
Cr. 3. (3-0). Prerequisites: None.  Analytical and practical examination of the attorney-client relationship, such as, establishing the relationship in the initial interview;;  billing arrangements; the importance of continuing communications; case analysis; and decision-making.
 

6377: Applied Appellate Advocacy
Cr. 3. (3-0). Students are given the opportunity to improve skills in Advanced Legal Research, Legal Analysis, Persuasive Legal Writing, and Appellate Argument Construction/Presentation using two problem sets to facilitate skill set development.

6378: Advocacy Survey
Cr. 3. (0-3).  Prerequisites: none.  This unique course is designed to provide students the opportunity to experience a wide spectrum of legal advocacy.

6384: Intellectual Property Strategy & Management
Cr. 3. (3-0). Prerequisites: none. Examines the legal & managerial issues facing an IP or information-based organization from its startup phase through an initial public offering (IPO) or an acquisition by another firm.

6385: Property & Casualty Insurance
Cr. 3. (3-0). Prerequisites: none. Analyzes the fundamental concepts of property & casualty insurance through various policy forms. Examines common law & statuatory bad faith claims, insurance-industry regulation, & ethical issues that arise specifically within the insurance context.

6386: Toxic Torts
Cr. 3. (3-0). Prerequisites: none. Focuses on causes of action & defenses, medical & scientific causation, evidence & general case development from both Plaintiff & Defense perspectives. Illustrating toxic tort litigation's historical development & current trends (including tort reform measures).

6387: Apprenticeship/Externship Clinic
Cr. 3. (3-0). Prerequisites: Complete 2L year, with a minimum GPS of 2.8, & commit to work at Houston firm in June/July. Students are placed in small-to-mid-size law firms in/around Houston, & work for their assigned law firm for one month while also attending the one-hour classroom component.

6388: Corporate Finance
Cr. 3. (3-0). Prerequisites: LAW 5421, or may take courses concurrently.  Studies the legal doctrines governing the rights of those who provide the capital, the obligations of those who receive the capital, and the relationships among various classes of capital providers.

6389: Health & Human Rights
Cr. 3. (3-0). Prerequisites: None. Introduction to international institutions and laws regarding health and examining health in the human rights context.

6390: Health Regulatory Process
Cr. 3 (3-0). Prerequisites: none.  Explores how legal and policy considerations, intra-governmental relationships, and political dynamics influence health care agencies' regulatory policies.

6391: Hospital Law & Ethics
Cr. 3. (3-0). Prerequisites: none. Explores a series of topics that will touch on what a hospital based attorney may encounter.

6392: First Amendment Rights: Freedom of Speech
Cr. 3. (3-0). Prerequisites: none. Survey course on First Amendment jurisprudence, including discussion on the history & development of the Supreme Court's current First Amendment jurisprudence & current day challenges in bringing a successful First Amendment claim.

6393: Patent Remedies & Defenses
Cr. 3. (3-0). Prerequisites: LAW 5332, LAW 5201, or consent of instructor.  Statutory and rules provisions governing U.S. patent litigation; commonly sought remedies and defenses; recent Federal Circuit decisions; jurisdictional and venue issues. 

6394: Poverty Law Practice
Cr. 3. (3-0). Prerequisites: none.  Students learn practical aspects of practicing law, including: litigation, contracts, real estate, landlord and tenant law, bankruptcy, consumer law, family law, wills and probate, criminal law, and law office management.

6395: Race & the Law
Cr. 3. (3-0). Prerequisites: none.  Examines and provides critical perspectives on race, racism and law, and focuses on the historical treatment of major racial groups in the United States.

6396: Genetics & the Law
Cr. 3. (3-0). Prerequisites: none. Surveys the role of genetic information in diverse areas of the law.

7202: SEM: Law, Neuroethics, & Brain Policies
Cr. 2. (2-0). Addresses recent and ethical issues concerning brain development and defects, brain functioning and brain imaging. 

7204: SEM: Consumer Law
Cr. 2. (2-0). Provides students with an opportunity to research an area of consumer law and prepare a paper. Subjects include, DTPA, debt collection, consumer credit, payday loans, landlord tenant, bankruptcy and sales and leases.

7205: SEM: The Law of Sexual Assault
Cr. 2. (2-0). In-depth study of rape law. In addition to reading and discussing materials concerning the criminal law of sexual assault, students will work on a paper.

7206: SEM: International Law & the Use of Force
Cr. 2. (2-0). Will focus on use of force in international law, the crime of aggression, and other crimes such as genocide, other crimes against humanity, and war crimes. Responses to terrorism are also a current theme with respect to use of force and criminal responsibility.

7208: SEM: Public Health Law
Cr. 2. (2-0). This seminar examines public health law and regulation and the tension between public health activities, civil liberties, property rights, and other significant interests. Topics covered include vaccination, quarantine, bioterrorism, and disease surveillance.

7209: Taxation of Financial Instruments
Cr. 2. (2-0). Prerequisites: LAW 5359, LAW 5459 (Federal Income Tax). An advanced course in federal income tax treatment of complex debt instruments, complex derivatives, and straddles, swaps and other hedges. Also addresses secondary market transactions in these instruments.

7211: SEM: Environmental Law and Land Use
Cr. 2. (2-0). Examines how government regulates private and public lands for the environment's sake. It covers traditional concepts of land control and controls tailored to the land's specific characteristics, e.g., wetlands, coastal areas, flood plains, habitats for endangered species, and public lands.

7212: SEM: Law & Theology
Cr. 2. (2-0). An Interdisciplinary analysis of selected concepts common to legal and theological studies.

7213: 7303: SEM: Legal Aspects of Bioethics
Cr. 2-3. (2-0; 3-0). TExamines the legal, ethical, and policy aspects of current  controversies in bioethics. Topics include privacy and confidentiality, terminal care decisions, patients' rights to refuse treatment, organ donatino and transplantation, and experimentation involving human subjects.

7214:7365: SEM: Bankruptcy
Cr. 2-3. (2-0, 3-0). This seminar will provide an introduction and overview of Chapter 11 business reorganizations. The class will study the course of a Chapter 11 case from the filing of a petition through confirmation of a plan of reorganization. Special emphasis will be placed on the practical aspects of the reorganization process, as the class is introduced to the legal principles of Chapter 11 reorganizations. Seminar papers will be required.

7215:7325: SEM: Civil Rights/Section 1983
Cr. 2-3. (2-0;3-0). Substantive and procedural problems in litigating a civil rights course of action under 42 U.S.C. 164 § 1983.

7217:7337: SEM: Law & Religion
Cr. 2-3. (2-0, 3-0). Prerequisite: LAW 5488 (Constitutional Law). Examines the law's treatment of religious organizations and the role of religion in a pluralistic society. Paper course.

7218:7328: SEM: Intellectual Property Law
Cr. 2-3. (2-0;3-0). Prerequisite: LAW 5332 (Patent Law) or LAW 5379 (Copyright Law) or LAW 5201 (Intellectual Property Survey). Currently controversial topics in the intellectual property law field.

7219: SEM: Problems in International Trade and Investment
Cr. 2. (2-0). Seminar serves as a vehicle for students who wish to research and write advanced research papers on topics related to international trade and investment. Paper course.

7220: SEM: E-Health Law
Cr. 2. (2-0). This seminar examines regulatory approaches to new technology (including telemedicine, cybermedicine, and medical privacy) by state legislatures, boards of medicine and pharmacy, and federal agencies. Also examines efforts by the AMA, the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NAPB), the Federation of State Medical Boards, and other organizations to address e-health issues.

7221:SEM: Advanced Dispute Resolution (ADR)
Cr. 2. (2-0). Advanced research & writing class on varied forms of dispute resolution. Typical topics include Mediation and Arbitration.

7222:7322: SEM: Advanced Topics in Legal Ethics
Cr. 2-3. (2-0; 3-0). Prerequisite: Law 5222, Law 6321 (Professional Responsibility). Will discuss some recurring themes in professional responsibility, especially with respect to the Model Rules of Professional Conduct and the Texas Ethics rules. We apply those themes to current ethics issues.

7223: SEM: Regulation of Health Care Professionals
Cr. 2. (2-0). Covers many areas relating to the regulation of physicians, hospitals, and managed care providers.

7224: SEM: Comparative Consumer Law
Cr. 2. (2-0). Provides students an opportunity to compare the consumer laws of several jurisdictions with that of the United States.

7273:7349: SEM: Constitutional Law
Cr. 2-3. (2-0; 3-0). Selected topics in constitutional law. Varies from year to year.

7301: SEM: Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR)
Cr. 3. (3-0). Advanced research and writing class on varied forms of dispute resolution. Typical topics include Mediation and Arbitration.

7302: Seminar: Issues in Legal Education
Cr. 3. (3-0). Explores a wide range of critiques of legal education as it is offered in American law schools today.

7304: SEM: Problems in International Trade & Investment
Cr. 3. (3-0). J.D. students require consent of instructor. Issues relating to international trade (multi-lateral and regional) and investment and their relationship to environmental concerns are explored through selected readings and student papers.

7306: SEM: Natural Resources Law
Cr. 3. (3-0). Surveys the mechanisms for the management, use, preservation of natural resources on federal land, including wildlife, wilderness, refuges rivers, national parks, minerals, and timber.

7307: Advanced Topics in Intellectual Property
Cr. 3. (3-0). Research and writing on advanced topics of patent, copyright, trademark, and trade secret law.

7308: SEM: Scientific Evidence and the Law
Cr. 3. (3-0). Explores scientific issues surrounding several substances and products (such as asbestos, Bendectin, Electro-magnetic fields, passive tobacco smoke, and breast implants) which have generated mass tort litigation in the past or are candidates for future litigation. Others have had their greatest impact in other areas; for example, DNA evidence and alcohol testing have primarily been an issue in criminal cases, while drug testing has been an important issue in employment law.

7310: Seminar: Advanced Tort
Cr. 3. (3-0). Prerequisites: none. Provides an opportunity for further exploration of tort law, beyond that of the typical first year torts course.

7311: Seminar: Law & Religion
Cr. 3. (3-0). Prerequisites: LAW 5488.  Examines the law's treatment of religion, & the conscientious objection, tort liability for churches, employment discrimination, & religion & politics, and some comparative materials on the international protection of religious freedom.

7312: Seminar: Law and Theology
Cr. 3. (3-0). Prerequisites: none.  Introduces students to selected topics in the study of theology that conceptually parallel specific subjects in law and legal philosophy.

7323: SEM: Arbitration
Cr. 3. (3-0). This seminar focuses on current issues relating to arbitration law and practice. Subjects may include commercial, consumer, employment, international, labor, and maritime arbitration topics.

7324: SEM: Criminal Procedure
Cr. 3. (3-0). A study of the criminal system and the constitutional guarantees stemming from the Bill of Rights and the 14th amendment.

7327: SEM: Advanced Topics in Copyright Law
Cr. 3. (3-0). Prerequisite: LAW 5201 (Intellectual Property Survey) or LAW 5379 (Copyright Law), or permission of instructor. Provides students the opportunity for in-depth exploration of topics of interest to them, including technological, international and historical problems in the field of copyright law.

7329: SEM: Human Rights
Cr. 3. (3-0). Seminar addressing several human rights problems, including the sources and content of human rights law and the types of remedies that are available for the protection of human rights at the international, regional, and domestic (U.S.) levels.

7330: SEM: Election Law
Cr. 3. (3-0). This seminar studies federal and Texas Constitutional, statutory and regulatory actions relating to elections. Particular attention is directed to suffrage, elections, campaign finance and redistricting.

7333: SEM: Energy, Law and Policy
Cr. 3. (3-0). Recommended Prerequisite: Law 5390. Students explore in depth an energy-related topic of their choice, ranging from problems (and proposed solutions) for nuclear power development, renewables, and offshore oil and gas, LNG siting, state-federal conflicts in energy development, FERC jurisdiction and restructuring orders for gas and electricity, changes in energy laws in other countries, etc. Paper required.

7334: SEM: International Law & the Use of Force
Cr. 3. (3-0). Will focus on use of force in international law, the crime of aggression, and other crimes such as genocide, other crimes against humanity, and war crimes. Responses to terrorism are also a current theme with respect to use of force and criminal responsibility.

7335: SEM: Tax Policy
Cr. 3. (3-0). Prerequisite: LAW 5359, LAW 5459 (Federal Income Tax). Consideration of problems in the field of federal tax policy.

7338: SEM: Women and Health Law
Cr. 3. (3-0). Examines the gender implications of our system of health care. Gender issues arise in many health care contexts, including reproductive rights, clinical research, disability law, confidentiality and informed consent, domestic violence, insurance coverage, and criminal law.

7340: SEM: Higher Education Law
Cr. 3. (3-0). Advanced study, research and writing concerning legal issues in post-secondary education, including governance, faculty, students, and regulation by state and federal governments.

7343: SEM: American Legal History
Cr. 3. (3-0). Seminar on the development of law, legal institutions and the legal profession.

7352: SEM: International Environmental Law
Cr. 3. (3-0). The foundations for legal response to current global environmental challenges and the exploration of the leading issues. Issues of current (or historical) interest and an analysis of how international laws and institutions may help resolve them.

7353: SEM: Sandra Day O'Connor
Cr. 3. (3-0). A longitudinal study of the jurisprudence of Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, with papers focused on topics to be chosen in consultation with the instructor.

7384: SEM: Criminal Sentencing
Cr. 3. (3-0). Seminar examining the traditional goals of the criminal justice system including the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the use, viability, and appropriateness of alternatives to incarceration and the considerations regarding the sentence of death.

Catalog Publish Date: January 14, 2013
This Page Last Updated: November 29, 2012