Administrative Courses
Administrative Law LAW 406
3 Hours
This course will examine the largest branch of government administrative agencies. It will discuss agencies’ legal authority to act and the limitations on that authority, including constitutional and statutory constraints. It will also examine administrative procedure. Students will learn administrative law through a practice orientated approach that will require them to apply their knowledge throughout the semester to various hypothetical fact scenarios.
Environmental Law LAW 451
3 Hours
A survey of statutory regulations applicable to the protection of the environment. Attention is directed to the role of the EPA and other administrative agencies in the development and implementation of environmental policy.
Federal Taxation of Wealth Transfers LAW 454
3 Hours
A study of the statutes, regulations, and decided cases relating to the federal estate, gift, and generation-skipping transfer taxes and to the income taxation of trusts and estates. Formerly entitled Taxation of Estates, Gifts and Trusts.
Health Care Law LAW 1015
3 Hours
This course examines problems in health care delivery from the perspectives of consumers and providers. The major issues explored are: (1) quality of care including licensing and malpractice; (2) organization of the health care system including professional relationships and new organizational structures; (3) financing of medical care through private insurance and public programs and; (4) access to care including legal obligations to provide care. We will explore the traditional common-law response to these issues and contrast it with statutory and regulatory reforms as well as proposals advocating free market reforms.
Immigration Law I LAW 472
3 Hours
This course, which is part of the Administrative Law block, complements the advanced Immigration Law II course (which examines the law and procedures related to immigration enforcement and also covers various other topics) and the advanced Immigration Practice course (which applies the law and procedures for obtaining immigration benefits in a simulated clinical experience working with case files drawn from practice). The Immigration Law I course or its equivalent is a prerequisite for Immigration Practice and is strongly recommended for Immigration Law II (please see the Immigration Law II course description regarding the additional requirements for students who have not taken Immigration Law I or obtained its equivalent). The course provides foundational knowledge in the field of immigration and nationality law and examines the law and procedures for obtaining immigration benefits under the regime for “legal immigration.” In addition to providing foundational knowledge, then, the central focus of the course is on representing clients who seek to become properly documented and on developing and implementing strategies necessary to achieve the client’s objectives within the framework of the law by getting things to “go right” as far as possible. The course will cover the following topics: a brief, introductory overview of the area of U.S. immigration and nationality law; constitutional, historical, moral, and policy dimensions of U.S. immigration law; the structure of relevant administrative agencies; immigrant and nonimmigrant admission categories; inadmissibility grounds; admission procedures; and a brief overview of immigration crimes. The course provides students with essential knowledge of the field of immigration and nationality law and develops knowledge, skills, and dispositions necessary for “thinking like an immigration lawyer.” This course is numerically graded.
Immigration Law II LAW 2004
3 Hours
Immigration Law II. This course, which is part of the Administrative Law block, compliments and builds on the Immigration Law I course (which provides foundational knowledge in the field of immigration and nationality law and examines the law and procedures for obtaining immigration benefits). The course examines the law and procedures addressing immigration enforcement and also covers various other topics. The central focus, then, is on representing clients in enforcement proceedings and on developing and implementing strategies necessary to defend the client when things have “gone wrong” or, perhaps more accurately, “seriously wrong,” such as where the client is undocumented or, although documented, becomes deportable. The course will cover the following core topics: criminal convictions and other grounds for removal, relief from removal, and removal proceedings. Certain related or additional topics will also be covered, although the precise topics covered will depend on legal developments. These topics include: refugees, asylum, and relief for other vulnerable groups; undocumented immigrants (aka “illegal immigration”); immigration offences and employer’s sanctions; legalization/comprehensive immigration reform; and citizenship. The course expands students’ knowledge of the field of immigration and nationality law and further develops knowledge, skills, and dispositions necessary for “thinking like an immigration lawyer.” It is strongly recommended that students take Immigration Law I before taking Immigration Law II. However, students who have not yet taken Immigration Law I or obtained its equivalent in experience or in coursework elsewhere will be asked to complete three or four additional reading assignments during the course addressing various foundational matters covered in Immigration Law I. The course is numerically graded.
Labor Law LAW 501
3 Hours
A survey of key issues in labor relations law, with emphasis on the factors catalyzing the genesis of the National Labor Relations Act; the right to organize; recognition; protected activities; the representation process; and the obligation to bargain for a collective agreement; National Labor Relations Board procedure, the nature of judicial review for an administrative agency and remedies are discussed as well.