School of Law

Analysis of legally enforced agreements in various domains, including commercial, financial, family, employment, consumer, and other transactions. Focus is on doctrines pertaining to formation, interpretation, breach and discharge, remedies, and defenses. Also touches on obligations around contract, such as promissory estoppel, unjust enrichment, and good faith, with attention the place of contractual obligations in the economic and social order.

This course is designed to teach the judicial, statutory, and administrative regulation of interests in land and land use. Basic property concepts are discussed in detail, and the creation and utilization of private grants are emphasized. Students are introduced to fundamental areas of property law, such as property acquisition, the estate system, landlord and tenant rights in land, and planning and zoning controls utilized by the state to control and restrict land use.

An introduction to basic principles of liability for harm to persons and property. The course analyses various categories of tortious conduct, defenses and immunities, damages and principles and policies justifying liability. The course may, but need not, include economic, corrective, and social justice themes.

An examination of substantive criminal law, its origin, and its sources; the elements of crime; defenses; and interpretation of criminal statutes. Also discussed are offenses against the person and property, those offenses involving specific intent, and public welfare offenses.

This course provides students the opportunity to learn about and engage in the trial process in the context of a criminal case. Topics include theory of the case, opening statements, direct and cross examination, exhibits and demonstrative evidence, expert witnesses, and closing arguments. This course requires regular participation by students in primarily oral advocacy exercises centered on facets of the trial process.

The Bar Exam Preparation Course introduces students to the components of the bar exam. Students will take diagnostic tests and learn strategies for answering the types of questions that appear in these components. Students also construct a study plan for the bar exam that reflects best practices, and students will conference with the professor regarding their goals and challenges during upcoming bar exam preparation.

Privacy and data security incidents have changed the way consumers view companies like Google, Facebook, Equifax, and Target. As these types of incidents continue to make headlines and the volume of data collected, stored, and used by businesses continues to grow exponentially, companies are increasingly relying on attorneys to help them navigate the legal minefield of privacy and data protection. This course examines global privacy and data security legal doctrines and provides students with an opportunity to perform practical exercises that mirror the work performed by privacy and data security attorneys for their clients.

A survey and evaluation of the stages of a civil lawsuit: (1) the preliminary stage, including considerations relevant to choosing litigation over self-help, private settlement, or arbitration, to identifying and choosing among available forums, and to acquiring jurisdiction over parties; (2) the pleading stage, including familiarization with the procedures and devices relating to commencement of an action, service of process, and motion practice before trial; (3) the discovery stage, encompassing familiarization with the procedures and devices available to the parties to inform themselves fully of the evidence and sources of evidence relevant to the lawsuit; (4) the trial stage, including familiarization with the pre-trial conference, the steps of the trial process from voir dire through the entry of judgment, and the motions available at and after trial; and (5) the appeal stage, including an examination of the concept of appealability, a survey of alternative means of review, and an introduction to the rules on appeal.

The problem of interpretation and enforcement of the written Constitution of the United States and the nature of judicial review are analyzed in their historical and modern contexts. The three branches of government and their interrelationships are considered, together with the nature of the federal system. The nature, sources, interpretations, and scope of the federal powers are considered, with special attention given to the commerce power. The Bill of Rights and the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments to the U.S. Constitution are considered.

Students in this course learn to convey a legal analysis of a problem in a written form that adheres to the conventions of the legal profession. They learn how to write legal analysis by preparing legal memoranda. Simultaneously, students learn how to research legal problems. Students also learn to revise their work for greater clarity, incorporating extensive feedback from their professor on their drafts. Throughout this course, students receive instruction on developing their professional identity.

This course teaches students how to research sophisticated tax law issues using the three main tax law databases. The first is Bloomberg Law which previously had a separate platform, BNA with its portfolios. Second, "Cheetah" is a product made available by Wolter Kluwer (formerly " CCH Intelliconnect"). The third digital platform for researching tax issues, is Thomson Reuter's "RIA Checkpoint." Students will not only learn the methodology for researching using the respective databases but also learn the various resources available within databases.

Defamation law imposes liability for false public statements that tend to harm their target’s reputation or standing in the community. Defamation law plays a major role in American public life and courts award multi-million awards in dramatic judgments. The goal of this course is to introduce students to this body of law, gain proficiency and expertise in the doctrine, and develop an appreciation of the policy issues involved.

In this course, students will study legal tools to strengthen and defend democratic government in the United States, and particularly, the role that lawyers can play in their communities in this regard. We will explore institutions, like the rule of law and free press that are intended to promote freedom, through readings that engage core themes. Active participation in each week's class discussion is a central requirement of the seminar. Students must fully engage with the reading and prepare in advanced to discuss the nuances of scholarly and legal materials we will review, along with current opinion pieces and even fiction. Each student will be assigned to lead one in-class discussion.

The overwhelming majority of civil litigation occurs in discovery, and most new lawyers will spend almost all of their time working on discovery. You cannot win any civil case – even with the very best trial presentation, or the most persuasive summary judgment brief – if you have not properly advanced and defended against the relevant facts throughout the discovery process. In this course, you will learn the rules and laws that govern discovery in civil litigation (e.g., Fed. R. Civ. P. 16, 26–37, 45), as well as the applicable procedural and ethical duties. You also will learn vital practice pointers for how to survive (and then thrive) in civil litigation discovery, and how best to prepare your case for success at trial, on dispositive motion practice, or through settlement.

The Montgomery Externship is a full-time, semester-in-practice field placement course. Students will work at a government agency or nonprofit organization in Montgomery, Alabama for one academic semester. By working full-time in a legal setting, students will have the opportunity to engage in meaningful work, learn first-hand about professionalism and ethics, and gain new legal skills. An attorney supervisor will provide direction and feedback to the student extern. The student will also submit reflective essays to the law school’s Director of Externships, who will provide additional feedback.

Southern Law and Literature is designed to cover the development of southern literature from the midnineteenth century through the early twenty-first century. The course will emphasize the connection, perceived by several authors, between literature and the processes—verbal, psychological, political, economic—that make up “the law.” Students will visit the Jim Crow universe of written laws and unwritten racial customs. Students will take note, too, of the complex of rules and emotions known as “honor.” Students will see how people lived their lives, sometimes, outside the bounds of convention—yet somehow within the bonds of community. Students will see, finally, that the study of “law and literature” can illuminate both of these studies by providing a new perspective on each.

There are many forms of civil immunity. Some, like sovereign immunity, are identifiable by their name. Others, such as the doctrine of contributory negligence, are less obvious forms of immunity but can operate in similar ways. This seminar for the most part centers on civil immunities that apply to public entities and public officials. These include sovereign immunity in federal and state courts; qualified immunity in federal claims; state agent immunity in state law claims; and the Federal Tort Claims Act exceptions to the immunity protections of the federal government and its agents. The course will be an introduction to these immunities and defenses, the special lexicon that defines them and a more detailed look at a few examples of their application.

This course covers both general and Alabama law applicable to ownership and conservation of oil and gas. The course emphasizes private property and contract law concepts that are unique to oil and gas law and that govern the relationships among landowners and oil companies involved in exploration, production, and marketing of oil and gas. Administrative law aspects of federal and state oversight of oil and gas development are also addressed. Students are introduced to fundamental oil and gas legal terms, the concepts involved in private mineral ownership, the different types of interests that may be created in the oil and gas estate, conveyancing and title issues, state oil and gas administrative regulations, and the basic principle of the oil and gas lease under which wells are drilled and produced.

Courses designated as Special Topics explore in depth an area of law that is not sufficiently covered by other courses in the curriculum.

This course reinforces and expands upon the topics and themes introduced in the first-year legal research course. Federal, state, and local primary sources, as well as relevant secondary resources, will be covered as appropriate to each topic. Class time will be a mix of guided demonstrations and exercises providing students an opportunity to practice research skills.

This course introduces some basic principles, techniques, and debates that are common across the various areas of law that regulate consumer-facing business conduct. The hope is to give students the information and skills necessary to begin to ask their own questions about how consumer markets should be governed. Overarching questions include: How can the law ensure that consumers are well informed? How can it correct for persistent power imbalances between firms and consumers? How can it ensure that products and services are of a certain quality? How can it correct for systemic inequalities to promote equal treatment of different consumers? In exploring these questions, the course will touch on everything from state products liability law to federal food and drug approval processes, from emerging issues in data governance to recent efforts to use consumer protection law to protect workers, from telecommunications law and its relationship to the First Amendment to public accommodations law and its relationship to religious freedom.

Enrollment is limited to members of the teams involved in the national trial advocacy competitions. Prerequisite: Trial Advocacy Competition Class (LAW 728).

This course provides an introduction to federal, state and common law rules that govern employment other than anti-discrimination rules. Topics covered may include employment contracts, the at-will doctrine, employee privacy, occupational safety & health, wage and hour regulations, retaliation & interference, workers compensation, arbitration of disputes, and collective bargaining.

This course is focused on gender equality and gender justice. Students will research and write a piece of legal scholarship related to the topic of the course. Students will also complete an in-class presentation of their research.

This course examines the growing role of private sector lawyers and non-lawyers in the creation and implementation of federal policy. The immense size and scope of the federal government and the increasing pace of regulation within the American economy has made the role of contract lobbyists more omnipresent and structured than ever before. In short, with a trillion and a half tax dollars collected and redistributed every year, there are a lot of winners and losers associated with this collection and redistribution. The regulatory tinkering with the rules associated with participating in the 11 trillion US economy also produces winners and losers, sometime on a vast scale. This class will explore the myths and the realities of promoting federal policy positions for private industry.

In this course, students will read landmark equal protection cases from the 19th century to present. Each student will prepare a research paper of publishable quality and present a written draft with the class.

The focus of this course will be the interpretation and application of those rules in the Alabama Rules of Civil Procedure that civil litigators regularly encounter in their practice. Special attention will be paid during the course to the most recent decisions by the Alabama Supreme Court and the Alabama Court of Civil Appeals addressing civil procedure issues. As time permits during the semester, we may discuss some specific procedural aspects of particular kinds of civil lawsuits, such as wrongful death actions and workers’ compensation case.

This class will examine the procedural laws governing the administration and enforcement of federal, state, and local taxation. This will include such topics as returns, assessments, tax litigation, penalties, and administrative procedures.

This course introduces students to the traditions, principles, policies, concepts, sources of law, and professional (and unprofessional) attitudes that form the heart of an attorney's life in the courtroom. Students will become familiar with Alabama and federal rules of evidence, both as present law and as examples of the rules forming the contemporary American law of evidence. Among the topics examined are: relevance; hearsay; procedures for admitting and excluding evidence; the calling, competence, and impeachment of witnesses; opinions and expert testimony; authentication of writings and identification of things; the original writing rule; and evidentiary privileges.

This introductory course covers the fundamental law, principles and concepts of the federal income tax, emphasizing its application to individuals. No substantial background in mathematics, accounting, or economics is required to be successful in this this course as relevant concepts will be developed via in-class discussion of particular examples.

An introductory study of the process, law, and concepts employed in wealth transfer at death. The subject matter includes material traditionally taught in courses on wills, intestate succession, trusts, and fiduciary administration.

A study of the basic legal problems concerning the organization, management, operation, and liquidation of the major business entities in the United States, emphasizing general partnerships, corporations and limited liability companies. Topics include the fiduciary duties owed by the participants, the relationship between ownership and control of the enterprise, and problems associated with limited liability protection for the owners of the enterprise.

This course will cover international humanitarian law, or the jus in bello. This is the body of international law governing armed conflict, including the choice of means and methods of warfare, proportionality in the use of force, and the protection of non-combatants.

An introduction to the tax aspects of basic estate planning. Topics include federal taxation of inter vivos transfers, revocable and incomplete transfers, exclusions, the unified estate tax credit, and the correlation between income and estate taxation. Also covered are the federal taxation of property owned at death, jointly held property, property transferred within three years of death, retained life estates, life insurance, and powers of appointment; marital and charitable deductions; federal estate tax credits, deductions, and exemptions; and valuation problems.

This course focuses on teaching students to make persuasive legal arguments on behalf of a fictional client. Students prepare multiple drafts of a brief, and they must incorporate extensive feedback from their professor on their drafts. Students also learn to present oral arguments. Throughout this course, students receive instruction on developing their professional identity.

Academic Success Fellows are selected by the Dean for Students’ office. They offer one-on-one tutoring for first-year law students, assist with academic support programming and workshops, and collaborate with the other Fellows to strategize means of support for 1Ls. They meet once weekly as a group, hold one drop-in hour per week, and set availability for individual appointments that 1Ls can schedule with them. Fellows offer support in doctrinal 1L courses, as well as general studying, exam-taking, and wellness advice. The Fellows program seeks to equalize access to information among law students and promote a healthy, supportive environment in the law school.

Space Law is comprised of two primary areas: (1) international law (treaties); and (2) U.S. Federal law (legislation and regulations - - mostly by the FAA). The international law governs how countries have agreed to utilize space and regard one another’s interests there, from governmental uses such as scientific exploration to commercial uses such as communications satellites. The international law developed rapidly after the launch of Sputnik in 1957 with the seminal treaty, The Outer Space Treaty (OST), being let for signature on January 27, 1967.  Due to the efforts of the U.S., the OST permits not just governments to enter space (a position advocated for by the USSR), but also private companies.  Since private companies can enter space, the U.S. has been enacting and amending legislation since 1984—the year of passage of the Commercial Space Launch Act (CSLA)--to encourage private companies to develop space technologies and enter the space industry.  With NASA now returning humans to the Moon, and China doing so as well, it is anticipated that further more specific laws will be needed to govern lunar activities both from the international.

The course addresses the racial and legal history of the major racial groups in the U.S., including African Americans, Native Americans, Latinos, Asian Americans, and Whites. As well, the course includes competing definitions and understandings of race and racism; the legal system’s contribution to the construction of race; race, sexuality, and the family; race and popular culture; crime; racist and antiracist speech and expression; and responses to racism, including resistance, coalitions, and healing.

Comparative Privacy Law will consider the constitutional protection afforded the right of privacy in the United States and in the domestic constitutional jurisprudence of three other democratic countries: Canada, South Africa, and the United Kingdom. In addition, we will study the right of privacy in the jurisprudence of the European Court of Human Rights, a transnational juridical entity that hears claims arising under the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (commonly called the “European Convention on Human Rights”), and also consider the emerging privacy jurisprudence of the Court of Justice of the European Union, which follows the decisions of the European Court and enforces the European Charter of Rights (commonly called “the European Charter”).

This is a survey course in Immigration Law, a fascinating, complex area of law that changes rapidly. In this course, we will examine the distinction between citizens and noncitizens, the government’s authority to regulate immigration, the rights of immigrants, the structure of immigration enforcement, family-based immigration, asylum, and the perceived benefits and burdens of immigration. This course does not address business immigration.

Limited to members of third year law students selected as Moot Court Board members.

When does a person become eligible for disability benefits under the Social Security Act? Can a claimant collect Social Security Disability benefits while incarcerated? Under what circumstances can Social Security take away previously granted disability benefits? What about drug and alcohol use when it comes to benefits? Throughout this class, students will learn what Social Security Disability is, what it isn’t, and how it works. Students will also participate in mock disability hearings, giving a deeper understand of one of the most important aspects of the disability adjudicative process. Lastly, students will discuss how real-world issues, such as social-economic status, race, citizenship status, and even age play a role in the Social Security disability process.

This course is designed to investigate and describe the professional environment of the American lawyer. What lawyers do; competition, admission, and educational standards; and bar associations and other bar-related groups are examples of the subject matter discussed. The student studies the efficacy of professional rules and customs from a historical, economic, and sociological viewpoint.

This course focuses on security interests in personal property. Security interests in personal property are governed primarily by Article 9 of the Uniform Commercial Code. The course examines: (1) the rights and remedies of the secured creditors and debtors; (2) the mechanisms for creating and perfecting security interests; (3) the priority of secured creditors and others in the event of loan default.

This course provides students the opportunity to learn about and engage in the pretrial process in the context of a civil lawsuit, including investigating facts, drafting pleadings, conducting and opposing discovery, and arguing dispositive motions. This course requires regular participation by students in written and oral advocacy exercises.

This course provides students the opportunity to learn about and engage in the trial process in the context of a civil lawsuit. Topics include theory of the case, opening statements, direct and cross examination, exhibits and demonstrative evidence, expert witnesses, and closing arguments. This course requires regular participation by students in primarily oral advocacy exercises centered on facets of the trial process.

This course will cover the international and domestic law sources regulating international trade in goods, services, technology, and investment.

This course deals with the difficult task of choosing the substantive and procedural law that should govern and dispute or transaction when the law of more than one jurisdiction might apply. The standards governing this choice of law derive from the federal constitution, federal and state statutes and common law. The topic of personal jurisdiction also is considered.

Students learn how the federal rules, particularly in the complex litigation area, can become instruments of policy. Topics include class actions and multi-district litigation.

This course is an in-depth study of federal jurisdiction, including the interplay between federal and state courts. Topics covered include federal question, diversity, supplemental, and removal jurisdiction as well as justiciability issues such as standing, ripeness, and mootness. Both the ability and obligation of state courts to provide a forum for Federal actions will also be explored along with a review of when and how state court decisions are reviewed by federal courts. This course will be useful to any law student, but it will be particularly rewarding to students interested in litigation and judicial process and to those aspiring to be law clerks for federal judges.

This course concentrates on developing transaction skills in an international context but applicable to all business settings, foreign and domestic; emphasis is on commercial analysis, deal structuring and documentation, with the laws and instruments of international commerce discussed as they are encountered.

This seminar offers an overview of conceptions of citizenship in American law from the 19th century to the present day. It considers citizenship acquired at birth, either based on birth within a territory or based on descent; citizenship acquired after birth through a process of naturalization; as well as the circumstances under which the government can strip an individual of citizenship after acquisition, processes known as denaturalization and expatriation.

This course provides students the opportunity to learn about and engage in the pretrial process in the context of a criminal case, including investigating facts, examining the grand jury and indictment process, handling preliminary hearings and bond issues, and arguing pretrial motions. This course requires regular participation by students in written and oral advocacy exercises.

This course addresses the constitutional, statutory, and common law regulation of the family, including the laws of marriage and non-marriage, parentage, and family support obligations.

This course is a study of fundamental legal principles relating to various types of first-party and liability insurance contracts, focusing on property, life, health, automobile, and commercial and professional liability policies. Topics include rules of insurance contract construction; doctrines governing applications for insurance and representations made by the applicant; statutory and administrative regulation of insurance; and various issues arising in particular types of insurance.

This course is about labor union activities and other forms of concerted activity. It focuses upon an employee's right to form or join a union and the right to refrain from such activities. The course covers the representational and unfair labor practice provisions of the National Labor Relations Act, including the formation of a labor organization and negotiations and administration of collective bargaining agreements.

This course focuses on advanced brief writing and oral advocacy at the appellate level. This course is open to second-year students participating in the 2L Moot Court Competition.

Co-Chairs are selected by the Moot Court Advisor from the members of the Moot Court Board. Co-Chairs work with the Advisor to run the 2L Moot Court Competition. Co-Chairs assist in all phases of the Competition including planning the competition semester, teaching classes on appellate brief writing and oral argument to 2L Competitors, scheduling all competition rounds, entering scores, selecting the incoming Moot Court Board, and hosting the final round.

Students in this course study the consumer financial protection statutes and regulations that apply throughout the lifecycle of a mortgage loan, including those that protect mortgage loan applicants and borrowers. The course also introduces students to different types of mortgage products, and provides practical insight into how the mortgage industry is structured to comply with the various legal obligations that may apply.

This course explores the role of lawyers and legal institutions as depicted in popular culture, with a particular emphasis on film.

Faculty Advisors for Moot Court Teams, in consultation with the Moot Court Advisor, determine the need for and selection of student coaches. Student coaches work with Faculty Advisors of teams to prepare a bench brief, schedule practice rounds, and moot their teams. Student coaches may also serve as alternates for members of their teams.

Gain knowledge of the state governmental affairs system by working in the appropriate placement site full-time (40 hours/week)for one of the two six-week summer externship sessions.

This course is the Civil Procedure of the administrative state. Focusing primarily upon federal law and federal agencies, the course introduces students to the processes of law making and law application by the administrative agencies of the executive branch and their control by the federal courts, Congress, and the President. The course covers the basic tools used by agencies rules making and adjudication, as well as the procedural and substantive rules that limit and guide the use of these tools. Special attention is given to the scope of judicial review, access to judicial review, the separation of powers, due process, and freedom of information.

A study of federal laws intended to preserve a competitive marketplace. Topics for discussion include price fixing, restraints of trade, refusals to deal, monopolizing, and tying.

Application of laws relating to unincorporated and incorporated business organizations and the federal income taxation of such organizations in the context of business planning and counseling situations. The course is based on a series of problems involving common business transactions that present business organization and tax issues for analysis and resolution.

To introduce International Law Students to the basic structure, characteristics and operation of the legal systems of the United States. To provide an introduction to legal methodology and an overview of several major fields of substantive law in the United States.

This course will provide an overview of the general maritime law of the United States, the (largely) federal body of law that governs the movement of people and goods on the navigable waters of the U.S., as well as the seas and oceans used in global commerce. Starting point will be the historic roots of maritime law, incorporated and embodied into Article III of the Constitution. This leads into discussion of jurisdictional issues – state and federal – and the unique admiralty procedural devices available to litigants in federal courts. Topics will include maritime personal injury and death, including the claims and remedies available to marine workers and seafarers. We will consider the commercial aspects of maritime law: Carriage of goods, collision, towage, salvage, maritime liens, limitation of liability and marine insurance. The course instructors are practicing attorneys, so the focus will tend to land on pragmatic realities of maritime law in various contexts (litigation, contractual matters, regulatory regimes, etc.).

Much of a lawyer's work, particularly that of a general civil practitioner, is outside of the court room. This course provides the opportunity to draft documents for adoptions, estates, real estate, business entities, divorces, and conservatorships and governmental assistance for the elderly. It further exposes the student to the business of law practice as fee setting, interviewing clients and malpractice prevention.

The laws governing ownership of water contained in rivers, creeks, lakes, aquifers, and the like have been hugely important in the American West since the pioneer days. Only in the last twenty years, however, have such laws gained attention in the Eastern states. Water law comprises the laws governing ownership of flowing water, groundwater, and the land underlying water. This class will cover water law in both the Western and Eastern American legal regimes and in international law and will touch on many areas of the law that intersect with water law, including Indian law, constitutional law, and federal jurisdiction. Students will also study emerging political issues in the control of what is perhaps the world’s most important resource.

A general survey of sources, development, and limits of American laws providing compensation for injuries caused by defective products. Focuses on theories of liability, including negligence, misrepresentation, warranty, and strict tort liability under Restatement 2d and 3d of Torts.

Brief Graders are selected by the Moot Court Advisor from the members of the Moot Court Board. Graders work with the Advisor to prepare a competition problem and a bench brief for the judges of the 2L Moot Court Competition. They also evaluate all competitors’ briefs and assist in training the Moot Court Board members on the problem.

This course is concerned primarily with governmental regulation of the use of land. Consideration is given to the historical background of land use controls, contemporary zoning and subdivision regulation, constitutional limitations on land use regulation, the use of zoning for exclusionary purposes, and the environmental laws that constrain land use. The course may also cover specific issues such as urban revitalization, transportation-oriented development, historic preservation, and the special problems presented for land uses by global climate change.

Board members are selected based on their performance in the 2L Moot Court Competition. As 3Ls, Board members, supervised by the Moot Court Board Advisor, prepare for and judge oral argument rounds for the 2L Moot Court Competition. Board members, supervised by the Legal Writing Professors, prepare for and judge 1L oral arguments. This course is open only to students selected for the Moot Court Board.

Survey of the work of the health care lawyer, providing an overview of health care policy; the structure of the institutions through which health care is provided; and health care finance and regulatory issues specific to the health care industry. Some of the legal topics that may be covered include licensure, certificate of need, medical malpractice, antitrust, ERISA, restrictions applicable to tax exempt organizations, fraud and abuse, access to care, medical malpractice, medical staff privileges, and insurance regulation.

This course is a detailed analysis of Alabama Workers’ Compensation law including practicals of how to handle a workers’ compensation case from both the plaintiff and defense perspective. Detailed coverage given to meaning of “injury by accident,” “arising out of and in the course of employment,” compensation benefits, medical benefits, vocational benefits, calculation of benefits, and other issues relating directly to workers’ compensation. General coverage given to other issues including third-party actions, retaliatory discharge claims, subrogation, and issues peripheral to the workers’ compensation case.

Team members are selected based on their performance in the 2L Moot Court Competition or a similar competitive process set by their Faculty Advisor to compete in interscholastic competitions. Team members research the area of law relevant to their competition problem and produce a quality written work product, usually an appellate brief, while building professional identity. Before competition, team members also participate in multiple practice oral arguments supervised by faculty and alumni to revise and improve their oral arguments and presentations.

This course is designed to examine all avenues of appellate advocacy, both state and federal, with a primary emphasis on the art of argument. While argument in trial courts and other venues will be addressed, the emphasis of those topics will be on the creation or presentation of a record for appellate purposes. The course features numerous exercises, both oral and written, and student participation in those exercises is required.

Equitable remedies, such as injunctive relief and other basic principles of equity, are surveyed. This course demonstrates how the law of equity may be applied to other areas of substantive law, such as torts, contracts, and property.

This course provides a thorough introduction to two basic forms of environmental legislation: the use of environmental planning (environmental impact assessment) as a technique for protecting the environment, and the use of traditional command-and-control regulation as a mechanism for pollution control. Attention is also given to the pros and cons of using effluent taxes and market incentives as additional or alternative regulatory mechanisms. The National Environmental Policy Act, the Clean Water Act, and the Clean Air Act are analyzed comprehensively. Special attention is given to questions of statutory interpretation, legislative history, judicial review, and enforcement of environmental standards. Also addressed are such topics as pollution prevention, the Endangered Species Act, and the protection of environmentally sensitive ecosystems like wetlands.

This course covers the basic corporate law aspects of corporate mergers and acquisitions. The advantages and disadvantages of various acquisition forms, such as mergers, asset acquisitions, stock purchases, and tender offers, are discussed. Significant focus is given to the duties of the board of directors of the selling company, including the duties of the board in both negotiated and hostile acquisitions. Anti-takeover devices are considered, and securities law issues are surveyed.

This course surveys alternatives to trial, including negotiation, mediation, and arbitration.

Substantive law in the area of business crimes and torts will be covered. These include conspiracy, mail and wire fraud, RICO, money laundering, false claims and corporate criminal liability. Procedural issues arising from white collar crime will also be covered.

Corporate Governance is regulated and informed by a complex body of law and regulatory standards promulgated by various sources. As lawyers advising corporate boards and executives, we must be familiar with the applicable corporate statutes, federal regulatory schemes such as the Securities Acts, Sarbanes-Oxley, and Dodd-Frank, stock exchange listing standards, and standards from other quasi-governmental entities. In the course, students will learn how to translate all of the above into “best practices” for corporate clients which also take into account the political and economic considerations underlying many decisions on corporate governance.

This course will survey the main doctrinal strands of the Supreme Court’s First Amendment jurisprudence.

A basic course in the federal regulation of securities, emphasizing disclosure and other requirements for initial public offerings, exemptions from these requirements, and the antifraud rules, including insider trading. The course will also consider securities regulation on the state level.

This course will provide an introduction to public international law (PIL). PIL was classically that body of law regulating the relations between sovereign states, through substantive rules comprising, inter alia, the Law of the Sea, the Law of State Territory, and the Law of Diplomatic Relations. PIL has evolved in the post-World War II era, however, to additionally include bodies of law regulating the treatment of individuals by the state (International Human Rights Law) and some of the most serious crimes committed by individuals against other individuals (International Criminal Law). Other notable post-World War II additions to the formal corpus of public international law include the United Nations Charter, codifying International Use of Force law; the 1949 Geneva Conventions codifying the Law of Armed Conflict; and the 1994 Agreement Establishing the World Trade Organization. This course will provide an overview of the sources, institutions and fundamental dynamics of public international law, as well as provide more detailed contextual introduction to a number of substantive areas of the law.

An exploration of ways that higher education intersects with the law from the perspective of institutions, faculty, students, and the public. Broad topics may include academic freedom, student and faculty rights and responsibilities, and college athletics. As current events suggest them, the class will focus on specific topics such as political influence on curriculum, affirmative action, hazing, and the evolving effect of the new NIL reality on athletics.

This course will focus on preparing students for their upcoming law school experience.  It will provide information on what to expect in law school, review the fundamentals of the legal system, introduce legal analysis skills, and preview various techniques, concepts, and strategies to assist your law school studies. This course includes instruction on bias, cross-cultural competency, and racism.

Racial Equity Audits: ESG is the intersectionality of environmental, social and governance issues in a company’s operations. At it’s core, ESG is a tool to measure a company’s risks and value proposition. ESG initiatives have the power to create sustainability, mitigate risk, and create long term value for investors and stakeholders. Racial equity audits are the latest ESG tool being deployed in the marketplace. These audits assess a company’s policies, practices, and products or services in relation to racial equity outcomes. This course will examine the evolution of racial equity audits, explore how racial equity audits fit within the ESG paradigm, and delve into the practical implications of conducting such an audit including, but not limited to, crisis management and international considerations.

This course is designed to introduce students to the duties and responsibilities of judicial clerkships. This course involves writing bench memoranda and draft opinions at both the trial and appellate levels.

This course addresses foundational questions about the sources, content, and structure of law; the relationships between law and morality; and the ultimate values of legal systems, including justice and equality. Readings vary from year to year, but typically include cases as well as selections from prominent political and moral philosophers.

This course examines the law of church-state relations in the United States, focusing in particular on the legal doctrine of the Free Exercise and Establishment Clauses of the First Amendment. In addition to legal doctrine, students will explore the theory, history, and policy of law and religion.

The goal of this course is to explore the fundamental social, economic, and political forces that drive entrepreneurship and innovation policy. This course will combine a socio-legal and contemporary perspective on innovation with examples, applications and implementation of current topics. These include, but are not limited to, artificial intelligence, machine learning, algorithm design, theoretical and practical choice of entity considerations when forming a startup business, preparing, and planning for the various stages of the venture life cycle, incubators & accelerators, securing funding and exit strategies, exploring and utilizing valuable tax incentives, etc.. No prior tax or business knowledge is required. The course can be taken as a class or a seminar and the format of the course will be a combination of discussion, occasional lectures, and writing assignments.

A survey course that canvasses the principal federal statutes prohibiting employment discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, pregnancy, religion, age, disability, veteran status, and genetic information. In addition to analyzing various theories of employment discrimination law as articulated by the courts, the course emphasizes the practical aspects of prosecuting and defending discrimination claims in litigation. The course will be relevant to students who anticipate litigating, practicing labor & employment law, or serving a federal judicial clerkship.

A survey of federal laws conveying rights to original works of authorship.  Copyright Law (LAW 722), Trademarks and Unfair Competition (LAW 752) and Patent Law (LAW 835) provides an overview of intellectual property.

A study of law using the tools, concepts, and perspectives of economic analysis.

This course is concerned with the federal regulation of national and state-chartered financial institutions. Topics addressed include the history of banking in the United States, entry restrictions, expansion through the bank holding company structure, branching, liability issues, limitations on bank activities, and the regulation of failing financial institutions.

This course provides students with a broad overview of developments in education law and policy by examining the historic and changing role of law and legal institutions in structuring American public and, to a lesser extent, private elementary and secondary education. It introduces students to the major constitutional, statutory, and regulatory authorities that influence the management and operation of American K-12 schools. Subjects to be explored include theories of compulsory attendance requirements; school choice; educational privacy rights; school board governance; educational equality; academic freedom; school finance; professional and contractual responsibilities of teachers; and compliance with state and federal mandates.

This course is focused on constitutional litigation and the enforcement of constitutional rights. The class will build upon the substantive doctrines that you learned in your first-year constitutional law class, but our central concern will be 42 U.S.C. § 1983, which is the primary statutory mechanism by which individuals enforce their constitutional rights.

This is the foundational course for the study of the federal Bankruptcy Code and the regulation of the legal relationships between creditors and insolvent debtors. The course begins with a brief survey of individual state law collection remedies and non-bankruptcy composition and liquidation schemes. The remainder (and bulk) of the course focuses of the rights, obligations, and procedures created by federal bankruptcy law. Topics include: commencement of the case, the automatic stay, property of the estate, claims and priorities of distribution, avoidance powers of the bankruptcy trustee, use and protection of collateral during the pendency of the case, treatment of executory contracts and leases, discharge of debts, and exemptions. Basic coverage of Chapters 7, 11 and 13 is included.

In this course, students compete for selection to national trial advocacy teams by trying cases based on prepared file materials. Enrollment is limited and based on (1) the demonstration of superior litigation skills in Trial Advocacy I (LAW 663), (2) prior membership on a national trial advocacy team, or (3) tryouts. Students who receive credit for this course are not eligible to enroll in LAW 664 (Trial Advocacy II). Pass/D/Fail.

Courses designated as Special Topics explore in depth an area of law that is not sufficiently covered by other courses in the curriculum.

The course is an introduction to the fields of employee benefits and executive compensation law. It addresses the federal income tax treatment of Deferred Compensation, Qualified Retirement Plans, Defined Benefit Retirement Plan Funding, Individual Retirement Accounts, Simplified Employee Pensions, American Retirement Plan Policy, Welfare Benefit Plans, The Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (“ERISA”), Labor Law, Employment Law and Employee Benefits , Governmental and Nonprofit Plans, Deferred and Incentive Compensation, Employment Agreements and Policy, and Employee Benefits in Mergers and Acquisitions.

Students participating in federal externships obtain or enhance valuable practical skills by working full-time in Congressional or federal executive branch placements. These skills include legal research and writing, knowledge of substantive and procedural law, appreciation of professional responsibilities, and knowledge of the federal legislative or administrative system, among others. Students will also complete a classroom component and submit written coursework related to the experience.

This course surveys issues pertinent to the pre-trial stages of criminal prosecution, including federal and state constitutional principles and procedural rules. Topics considered include the Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Amendments, with emphasis on such matters as search and seizure, the privilege against self-incrimination, and the right to the assistance of counsel.

This course focuses on problems faced by financially distressed businesses in the context of the bankruptcy process. Coverage includes Chapter 7 liquidations as well as Chapter 11 reorganizations, but particular emphasis is placed on restructuring and reorganizing under Chapter 11 along with bankruptcy sales. Topics include: the filing of a business bankruptcy case; administration of the case and appointment of professionals; use, sale, or lease of property of the estate, including cash collateral; debtor-in-possession (DIP) financing; the DIP model and control in Chapter 11; formation and role of the creditors' committee; plan formulation and claims impairment; vote solicitation and the plan confirmation process; and the use of Chapter 11 as an instrument of orderly and/or strategic liquidations including sales under Section 363.

This course is designed to introduce students to the laws governing contracting with the federal government including the policies and limitations of public contracting, procurement procedure, contract types, cost and price principles, remedies, and claims procedures.

This course provides an introduction to public law: to the world of statutes and regulations, the legislatures and agencies that are involved in their enactment or promulgation, and the legal skills involved in writing, reading, and interpreting statutes and regulations. Special attention will be given to general theories of statutory interpretation, the specific tools courts use to interpret statutes, the role agencies may play in interpreting statutes, and the effect of such agency action on judicial interpretation. This course is not a substitute for the upper-level Administrative Law course, but will provide a substantial introduction to legal interpretation in the modern regulatory state, one that may be useful across a range of upper-year courses and that provides skills that are essential for the contemporary legal practitioner.

This course is an introduction to legislative drafting. Objectives for this course include: (1)understanding the forms and conventions of legislative drafting: (2) learning to conceptualize legislative solutions to social problems; and (3) appreciating the relationship between legislative drafting and substantive policy. The course will make use of practical examples drawn from recent congressional and state legislative action to explore best practices. Time will also be spent discussing the various ways in which lawyers participate in the legislative process and working on the development of specific skills helpful to those roles.

Problems with and practice in the drafting of wills.

This course will explore the regulatory frameworks that govern utilities (gas, electricity, water), telecommunications, payment systems, and other ‘infrastructural’ industries. Although all industries are, of course, regulated, these particular areas of economic coordination are sometimes referred to as ‘regulated industries’ because the law that governs them explicitly prevents competition over core terms—restricting entry and exit, regulating price formation, and mandating universal coverage, for example. This type of regulation has been the source of deep controversy and political struggle. And these controversies have become newly relevant in debates over how to regulate online platforms and financial technology firms and as scholars have revisited the ‘deregulatory’ era that began in the 1970s. Rather than learning the specifics of any particular industry in extensive detail, we will explore the conceptual and practical issues common to these industries—drawing from history, political economy, political science, and beyond. Throughout, we will have an eye to current controversies. Guest speakers are likely.

This course explores law and legal institutions at the intersection of race and gender.

This course surveys procedural rules and constitutional principles pertinent to the post-trial criminal process. Topics considered include post-conviction motions and hearings, appeals, collateral proceedings (habeas and the like), clemency/pardon procedures, and collateral consequences such as exclusion from government contracting, loss of voting rights, registration as a sex offender, etc.

A survey of the law of trademarks, trade secrets, the right of publicity, and unfair competition. Copyright Law (LAW 722), Trademarks and Unfair Competition (LAW 752) and Patent Law (LAW 835) provides an overview of intellectual property.

Courses designated as Special Topics in Law Seminars explore in depth an area of Law that is not sufficiently covered by other courses in the curriculum.

Courses designated as Special Topics in Law Experiential explore in depth an area of law that is not sufficiently covered by other courses in the curriculum.

Family Law II builds on the subjects and themes from Family Law I, with an emphasis on emerging issues in family law. Topics include reproduction, adoption, parentage, legal recognition of non-marital families, and the practice of family law.

This course will survey the issues arising out of the formation, operation, and dissolution of unincorporated business organizations including limited liability companies, limited partnerships, limited liability partnerships, and joint ventures. Topics that may be covered include choice of entity, financing, governance, fiduciary duties, owner liability and rights, allocation of profit and loss, distributions, capital accounts, taxation, and securities law.

This course introduces the basic concepts and principles of accounting. This is an introductory course and, as a result, assumes no prior knowledge or experience with accounting. Objectives of this course include: (1) a working knowledge of accounting; (2) the ability to understand the language of accounting; (3) enhanced ability to communicate with those in the accounting professions; and (4) the ability to critically review and analyze financial statement information.

Taxation of U.S. persons on foreign income and taxation of foreign persons on U.S. income. Complex statutory materials, tax treaties, and discussion of policy issues in international tax regime.

This course offers a more detailed look at the law, policy, and politics of the relationships between the three branches of the federal government. It will be of special interest to those considering government/political work or those with an interest in constitutional law and theory or administrative law. Topics include the scope of presidential power, the role of budgeting and spending in congressional-executive relations, congressional and executive supervision of administrative agencies, foreign policy, war powers, and impeachment. Unlike most basic constitutional law courses, the course will look not only at judicial opinions but also at the myriad materials generated by legal interpretation and political argument on the part of the legislative and executive branches themselves.

This seminar explores a number of ways in which the world community has tried - with varying degrees of success - to protect the global environment. While the seminar addresses some traditional aspects of international environmental law, most of the attention is directed toward a number of pressing global issues. These issues include mitigation and adaptation to climate change; ozone depletion; marine pollution; the protection of the Antarctic and Arctic environments; biodiversity and tropical deforestation; the impact of continuing population growth; the future of the United Nations Environment Program; and the drafting of more specific and effective international instruments. An oral presentation of research findings and a significant research paper will be expected from students who take the seminar.

An advanced course in corporate law dealing with the business and legal issues involved in how a firm raises money, how it spends the money, when it should repay investors, and why other players in the firm's ecosystem may object to a particular strategy. Throughout, the course deals with entity and security valuation issues from a legal standpoint. It covers the legal structure for equity funding through common stock and preferred stock, debt through loans and bonds, and the legal conflicts (based on statutory, contract and fiduciary duties) that arise between founders, common and preferred shareholders, management, bondholders and lenders in a variety of transactions including stock issuances, recapitalizations, mergers and acquisitions, leveraged buyouts, and liquidations.

An examination of the real estate development process and legal relationships involved in the process. The course will acquaint the students with such areas as site selection and entity choice, acquisition and disposition transactions, the regulatory process (state and federal), and issues arising during the construction period.

This course expands the international law offerings for UA law students by permitting them to study international law subjects in courses taught by distinguished international law scholars on international campuses at Tel Aviv University (TAU), National Law University-Delhi (NLU-D), and other UA Law School partners around the world. Participants may register for 1 to 16 credit hours. The semester abroad course is supervised by the Law School's Director of International Programs.

This course has three overlapping goals: to consider the legal, social and economic problems affecting our nation’s poor; to develop the skills and substantive knowledge needed to provide effective advocacy for low income clients; and to think about the structural causes of poverty. The class will involve some field work.

The course is built on a single simulation in which students will work in-role throughout the semester as a prosecutor or criminal defense lawyer. Students will work with a partner and against an opposing pair. One goal is to work toward writing an effective brief and developing a supporting record in the simulation for this class. But so too does this course aim to help students develop their brief-writing and fact-development skills in a way that facilitates transfer to other legal writing projects that students may encounter in law practice.

This course explores the regulation of toxic substances and the cleanup of uncontrolled releases of hazardous substances. This course begins with a focus on the way in which the regulation of toxic chemicals has evolved under the Clean Water and Clean Air Acts. It then proceeds to a more extended study of the two primary statutes that deal with toxics: the Resource Conversation and Recovery Act (which regulates the disposal of solid and hazardous waste) and the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA or Superfund). In addition to examining the regulatory and cleanup strategies contained in these statutes, we will pay particular attention to the issues of enforcement and judicial review. Finally, the course will look at the special way in which we regulate pesticides and the production and commercial use of toxic chemicals --- and how we have tried to use the spotlight of public attention to reduce the discharge of toxics to the environment. The course has particular relevance for those who are aiming for a career in environmental law since much of the work done in the private sector was well as the governmental and NGO sectors involves either RCRA or CERCLA. Environmental Law I is NOT a prerequisite for the course.

This course deals with the history of the United States viewed through aspects of the law, the legal profession, legal education, and the evolution of constitutional principles. Focus is on the background and context of the growth of American law and legal institutions and on the ways in which law and legal concepts have been centrally important in American History. Major emphasis is given to the period of the Revolution, the growth of positivism, the Gilded Age, and the Progressive Era.

This seminar will draw on recent and pending cases in the United States Supreme Court to allow students to explore Supreme Court practice and decision-making, effective appellate briefing and opinion-writing, and the current members of the Court. Students will each adopt the role of one of the nine justices. As that justice, they will read the briefing and lower court opinions, discuss the case with their “Brethren,” cast votes, and write one majority and one concurring or dissenting opinion.

Sales Law is an advanced course that deals with the law governing transactions in goods. It will focus primarily on UCC Article 2 and can be seen as a continuation of the first year Contracts course.

The overall goal of this course is to provide students with direct, hands-on experience with the lawyering process in the context of issues and disputes that commonly arise during a typical contested bankruptcy case. Students will be assigned to teams representing either creditors or debtors/trustees and the teams will prosecute or defend various contested matters and adversary proceedings. Assignments may include: the debtor's schedules and the claims process, objecting to confirmation, seeking relief from the automatic stay, assumption or rejection of executory contracts and leases, nondischargeability claims and defenses, and avoidance claims and defenses. Assignments will require each team to discuss and research applicable legal principles, develop relevant facts, draft appropriate pleadings or discovery documents, and argue motions. Through these assignments, the course will address the procedural issues unique to federal bankruptcy proceedings and their interplay with rules of civil procedure and evidence, as well as local bankruptcy rules. Students will be required to follow and report on developments of a major pending bankruptcy case, and will be required to attend at least one session of bankruptcy court in Tuscaloosa.

This course identifies how mediation fits within the existing dispute resolution process; it analyzes the component parts of mediation; it analyzes the mutuality of negotiations, as well as analyzing the strategies and hurdles of two-party and multiparty mediations. The course usually employs role-play of mediations to demonstrate the techniques used in mediations. Generally offered once a year.

AI has become an integral part of our daily lives. It is transforming, empowering, and disrupting businesses and society. The goal of this course is to prepare lawyers to understand AI’s legal implications and learn how to wield it in their work. It does so by offering a mix of theory and application, a hands-on approach to AI. The course is entirely self-contained; there are no math or computer science prerequisites. Rather, the prerequisites are curiosity, interest in self-exploration, and willingness to invest in learning a new topic.

This course deals with the arbitration of labor and employment disputes, including the history, theory, and practice of arbitration, pre-arbitration grievance procedures, and the lawyer’s role in arbitration. Materials from actual arbitration cases will be available, and members of the class will brief cases and conduct mock arbitration hearings and practical exercises.

This course will examine the unique institutional role of the state AG and challenges and complexities they face in providing legal advice and representation as the state’s top legal officer — including their status within their respective state systems, their relationship to the federal government, their role in both offensive and defensive litigation on behalf of the state, and their ever-increasing role in national and even international public policy issues.

This course will examine federal laws protecting employees from retaliation for, among other things, raising or reporting concerns about noncompliance with labor & employment, securities, consumer protection, transportation safety, and food safety laws. Federal laws that protect and incentivize whistleblowers to provide information and assist with regulatory enforcement in both the public and private sectors will be covered.

This course examines the transactional aspects of intellectual property. Students will obtain the skills to draft and analyze intellectual property agreements both in traditional contexts and in the dynamic environment of new media.

This class considers issues in both intercollegiate and professional sports with an emphasis on constitutional law; tort and criminal law; antitrust, labor law, and other issues of law in the field of sports, such as considerations of Title IX, drug testing, violence, and the role of agents.

This course surveys procedural rules and constitutional principles pertinent to the trial phase of the criminal process. Topics considered include the Fifth, Sixth, and Eighth Amendments with emphasis on such matters as the bringing of charges, the rights to counsel and jury trial, jury selection procedures, the right to confront witnesses, and other issues and procedures raised by statutes, procedural rules and constitutional law.

This course focuses on substantive legal and policy issues raised by juvenile crime, as well as procedural nuances present when a juvenile is processed through the juvenile and criminal justice system.

A student registered for independent study performs research under the supervision of a professor on a narrow topic of law. Prior to registering, the student and the professor execute a written agreement about the research. The agreement includes a description of the work to be done, a list of at least 4 learning goals of the research project, and a time frame for the project. Law students are limited to three hours of independent study toward graduation credit. (Graded).

A student registered for independent study performs research under the supervision of a professor on a narrow topic of law. Prior to registering, the student and the professor execute a written agreement about the research. The agreement includes a description of the work to be done, a list of at least 2 learning goals of the research project, and a time frame for the project. Law students are limited to three hours of independent study toward graduation credit. (pass/d/fail).

This course or seminar will examine law and legal institutions from the perspective of Christian thought more generally. Topics covered may include the place of specifically Christian legal thought in legal thought generally; methodological issues; the relevance of Christian theology for law; Christian writings on jurisprudential topics such as justice, equality, and rights; historical influences on Christian understandings of law and politics; and Christian scholarship related to conventional legal subject matter such as contracts, property, torts, etc.

Introduction to the U.S. income tax with emphasis on income taxation of individuals. Study of basic concepts of income, exemptions, deductions, credits, and tax rate structure. Some emphasis is on fringe benefits and employee compensation issues.

Federal estate taxation of estates and gift taxation of inter vivos transfers, including generation skipping transfers.

Study of capitalization rules, depreciation, and other capital recovery mechanisms. Federal income tax rules applicable to capital gains and losses. Non-recognition transactions. Limitations on losses, e.g., passive activity loss rule. Alternative minimum tax.

This course examines the federal income taxation of corporations and their shareholders including the income tax consequences of organizing corporations, corporate distributions, redemptions, and liquidations. It includes study of Subchapter S.

Federal Income Taxation of trusts, estates, and their beneficiaries. Grantor trusts. Income in respect of a decedent.

A study of the Federal income tax treatment of partners and partnerships (and entities classified as partnerships), including contributions to and distributions from partnerships, partnership operations, substantial economic effect regulations and special allocations, transfers of partnership interests, taxation of service partners, shifting of liabilities among partners, special basis adjustments, and terminations.

Administrative procedure before the Internal Revenue Service, rulings, compromise agreements, deficiency assessments, refunds, penalties, statutes of limitations, Tax Court jurisdiction and procedure.

The course is an introduction to the fields of employee benefits and executive compensation law. It addresses the federal income tax treatment of Deferred Compensation, Qualified Retirement Plans, Defined Benefit Retirement Plan Funding, Individual Retirement Accounts, Simplified Employee Pensions, American Retirement Plan Policy, Welfare Benefit Plans, The Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (“ERISA”), Labor Law, Employment Law and Employee Benefits , Governmental and Nonprofit Plans, Deferred and Incentive Compensation, Employment Agreements and Policy, and Employee Benefits in Mergers and Acquisitions.

Income tax and estate and gift tax planning for ndividuals. Pre-requisites: Estate and Gift Tax required, Income Taxation of Trusts and Estates (recommended).

Description of typical state taxes: Ad valorem (property), sales and use, individual and corporate income taxes. Study of federal cases and statutes that limit states in design of their tax systems.

This introductory course will focus on the variety of legal mechanisms we use to address environmental harms such as air and water pollution, global climate change, and habitat destruction. The course will ordinarily cover environmental planning under the National Environmental Policy Act and related state statutes; traditional command-and-control regulation of pollution under, for example, the Clean Air Act and/or the Clean Water Act; protection of species and their critical habitat under the Endangered Species Act; and the effects of global climate change and environmental justice concerns on environmental law and litigation in the United States. Attention may also be given to statutes governing the regulation of toxic substances; statutes governing public lands; limits imposed on federal regulatory authority by recent developments in Commerce-Clause, Takings-Clause, and standing jurisprudence; market and tax alternatives to direct regulation; and the use of cost-benefit analysis in the environmental context.

The course examinies liability incurred in connection with health care delivery and finance, with the focus being on medical malpractice, informed consent and vicarious liabilty of institutional health care providers.

This advanced legal writing course provides second and third year students with an opportunity to draft documents of ten utilized in representing business entities. It focuses on teaching general components of drafting corporate documents.

The first arc of the Seminar exposes students to the leading theoretical perspectives on contract law and policy - philosophy, economics, psychology, and sociology. The second arc involves the theory of drafting contacts, sometimes known as transaction design or contract theory (by economists). The final arc considers the issue of enforcement and execution of contacts, an issue of critical relevance to anyone drafting contracts, counseling clients, or making policy arguments. Altogether, the seminar provides students with a toolkit they would otherwise lack which helps them to distinguish themselves in the workplace.

This course will cover the sources of international law recognizing and securing human rights to individuals and groups. It will also consider the theory and policy issues connected to the study of international human rights law, as well as issues of implementation of international human right law in domestic legal systems.

This course examines the relationship between law and literature in the context of the American legal system and in American legal history.

This course will consider lawyers’ use of litigation, policy advocacy, and transactional law to pursue a more just and equitable legal system. The course will explore issues associated with representation of individuals who cannot afford legal representation; the problems and possibilities involved in impact litigation; and advocacy before the legislative and executive branches of government. The course will consider the different venues in which public interest lawyering can be done, including not-for-profit, governmental, and private-sector settings. Topics covered may include: the definition, history and development of public interest law; current trends in public interest advocacy; the role and/or obligation of the private bar in public interest lawyering; public interest career development; professional responsibility and ethics in public interest practice; and public interest lawyering strategies.

This class, conducted largely in Spanish, will emphasize communication and conversation. Lessons will be tailored to the individual students' abilities.

This course is a study of the origins and development of English law, legal institutions and the legal profession.

This course examines questions in American constitutional interpretation.

This course explores the intersection of evidence and race issues in some of the most significant cases in American history. Specifically, we will explore the concept of race itself as evidence.

This course examines jury selection, promotes the skills needed to be successful in the area of voir dire and jury selection and sharpens the skills for improving the chances of a favorable verdict at trial. The course is a professional skills course and requires student participation. Students will be assigned case files to review and develop voir dire and jury selection strategy.

This course will focus on documents a litigator needs to prepare for trial. Students will write several documents necessary at various stages of the litagation process.

This course introduces laws associated with the creation, maintenance, and termination of a business enterprise, with a particular focus on the Internal Revenue Code.

This course explores the law surrounding mental health. Both civil and criminal aspects are covered, including but not limited to civil commitment, the right to refuse treatment, antidiscrimination law, fitness to stand trial, and the insanity defense.

A survey of Federal laws conveying rights to patentable inventions. Copyright Law (LAW 722), Trademarks and Unfair Competition (LAW 752) and Patent Law (LAW 835) provides an overview of intellectual property.

This course will cover the treaties and other normative regimes which comprise the international legal framework for regulating the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD).

This course is designed for students who either (1) know they want to pursue the upper-level IP curriculum and, perhaps, a career in IP; (2) know they do not want to be IP lawyers, but understand that intellectual property is an important area of the law and wish to obtain a flavor of its basic principles; or (3) are dubious of the IP enterprise, and simply want to know more about IP so they can make an informed decision about upper-level curricular choices and career goals.

Telecommunications Law considers the jurisdiction and function of the Federal Communications Commission with respect to telephony, cable, satellite, and broadcast communications. In particular, the course considers various typologies of FCC regulation, including models based on free markets and competition, rate regulation of monopolies or oligopolies, and advancing public interest values. The course does not consider the regulation of journalism per se, but instead considers the regulatory and industry structures that frame modern communications.

Lawyers have long played key roles in ushering in social change. From the early abolitionists to civil rights lawyers who lent their skills to the NAACP's campaign against segregation, to those litigating today on behalf of prisoners, immigration detainees, and Guantanamo Bay inmates, Lawyers have serviced as vital agents of social change. This class is for law students who wish to develop their skills as instigators of social change and have or wish to develop a specific plan to perform that role. You should have pre-existing interest, if only an inchoate one, of a law-reform nature that you would like to expand and clarify while in law school so as to land running after you graduate and take the bar. This course is for students who can see themselves working as movement lawyers, whether in solo fashion, as members of a litigation team at a specialized agency or think tank, or part-time as pro bone attorneys while working at a conventional legal job at a firm or agency.

This course deals with the principles and mechanics of tax consolidations, including eligibility, inter-company transactions, inventory adjustments, basis of property and subsidiaries, net operating losses and limitations on their utilization, earnings and profits, and loss disallowance rules.

In the Government & Public Interest Externship course, students are placed with government agencies and public interest legal offices, for which they receive variable hours of class credit depending on hours worked per week throughout the semester at their placement. Students may observe and participate in client interviews, document drafting, conferences, hearings, negotiations, trials, and other proceedings. Through this experience, students will gain a better understanding of practical legal skills, integrate classroom knowledge with experiential learning, and reflect on their work through writing assignments and group discussion. This course includes discussion about the development of a professional identity and includes material on bias, cross-cultural competency, and racism.

In the Corporate Externship course, students are placed in positions in corporations, universities and other related settings, for which they receive variable hours of class credit depending on hours worked per week throughout the semester at their placement. Linking theory and practice, these externships provide experience in and direct exposure to a legal work setting and allow participating students to develop their professional identity in a work environment while enrolled in law school. This course includes discussion about the development of a professional identity and includes material on bias, cross-cultural competency, and racism.

In the Judicial Externship course, students are placed in federal or state court judges’ chambers, for which they receive variable hours of class credit depending on hours worked per week throughout the semester at their placement. The course gives students opportunities to participate in hands on experiences such as observing court proceedings, motion practice, and the trial process; strengthen legal research and writing skills; deepen their understanding of professional responsibility; and engage in goal setting and reflection discussions to enhance their experience. The Judicial Externship course includes discussion about the development of a professional identity and includes material on bias, cross-cultural competency, and racism.

This course will serve as a general introduction to professional ethics in the accounting and business environments. We will discuss the fundamental ethical issues of business and society, the roles and responsibilities of the accounting and auditing profession, ethical behavior by management, and legal and professional guidelines that address the ethical concerns of society.

Students will gain an understanding of basic accounting principles and the core objectives of accounting and financial reporting. Upon completing the course, students will be familiar with the three key financial statements – the balance sheet, the income statement and the statement of cash flows and have the ability to perform basic financial analysis. Key concepts will be reinforced with practical case work.

Public Policy analysis and argument is an essential part of the lawyer's job, whether in private or government practice or in other capacities. This class is designed to give students a vocabulary and toolkit that will enable them to better evaluate laws, legal decisions, and regulations, lend persuasiveness to their arguments about public policy, and,perhaps most important, interact not only with other lawyers, but with officials, experts, and professionals in other fields who are accustomed to public policy analysis. Through relevant readings, mixed with case studies, we will cover such tools and topics as behavioral economics, the legislative process, public choice, cost-benefit analysis, decision making under conditions of uncertainty, the importance of agenda setting, comparative institutional analysis, rent-seeking, and democratic experimentalism.

Comprised of 3L students who make the first-round of edits to articles JOLP is publishing. SE’s complete numerous author spades in the fall and in the spring.

The Journal of Legal Profession’s Acquisitions Editor works with the Editor in Chief on soliciting articles, reviews submissions and offers reviews of all articles, and writes publication offer letters to authors.

The Journal of Legal Profession’s Articles Editor leads a spading group of Junior and Senior Editors, addresses questions and concerns as needed while spading, provides feedback throughout student note process, provides feedback on group of Junior and Senior Editors to the Editors and to the managing board, locates all sources for assigned article, collects changes from respective spading group, and compiles and evaluates the changes made to spades by Junior Editors before sending to Lead Editor and Editor in Chief.

The Journal of Legal Profession’s Ethics Opinion Editor collects and summarizes ethics opinions from around the country, composes an article of these summaries for each issue, and assists with the student note and spading processes as needed.

The Journal of Legal Profession’s Publications Editor runs JOLP social media accounts (Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook), designs merchandise and handles the ordering of merchandise, and formats articles for publication.

The Journal of Legal Profession’s Law Review Articles Editor collects and summarizes law review articles from around the country, writes an article of these summaries for each issue, and assists with the student note and spading processes as needed.

The Journal of Legal Profession’s Lead Editor prepares each journal article for spading, creates a source list for each article, reads each article and marks uncited assertions before spading begins, distributes articles between spading groups/makes spade assignments, supervises and reviews the work of the Articles and Junior/Senior Editors and provides feedback, and informs the Editor in Chief, Managing Editor, and Executive Editor of any disciplinary problems (e.g. lack of effort, late assignments, etc.).

The Journal of Legal Profession’s Executive Editor oversees the entirety of the student note process, provides feedback on all student note assignments, makes the first round of cuts during the student note selection process and helps Editor in Chief make final decisions on which notes are published, and assists the Editor in Chief and Managing Editor on issues that arise throughout the year and the final publication process if needed.

The Journal of Legal Profession’s Managing Editor works with the Editor in Chief on the day-to-day operations of The Journal, grades write-on case notes, assists in new journal member selection, communicates with law school administration about journal write-on processes, distributes write-on offers, oversees JOLP communications not designated to Lead Editor or Executive Editor, organizes social events, manages the JOLP office and bank account, oversees the collection of dues, and reviews the scheduling of orientation, spading, etc.

The JOLP The Journal of Legal Profession’s Editor in Chief participates in grading write-on case notes, assists in new journal member selection, oversees all operations and work of JOLP, builds spading and student note schedule, communicates with authors, faculty, administration, the publisher, and others on behalf of JOLP, solicits articles, reads submissions, sends submissions out to acquisitions editors, makes the final decision on which articles to publish, and makes publication offers to authors, and prepares JOLP volumes for publication by performing tasks such as formatting articles and coordinating with the authors and the publisher. editor in chief participates in grading write-on case notes, assists in new journal member selection, oversees all operations and work of JOLP, builds spading and student note schedule, communicates with authors, faculty, administration, the publisher, and others on behalf of JOLP, solicits articles, reads submissions, sends submissions out to acquisitions editors, makes the final decision on which articles to publish, and makes publication offers to authors, and prepares JOLP volumes for publication by performing tasks such as formatting articles and coordinating with the authors and the publisher.

Comprised of 2L students who make the first-round of edits to articles LPR is publishing. JE’s complete eight author spades in the fall, and four student note spades in the spring. In addition, all JE’s write a student note during the fall that is considered for publication in the spring.

Comprised of 3L students who make the first-round of edits to articles LPR is publishing. SE’s complete eight author spades in the fall, and four student note spades in the spring.

The Publication & Outreach Editor is in charge of planning and organizing our annual symposium. This role includes working with UA Administration, contacting guest speakers, and working with the Managing Board to determine a topic. The Publication & Outreach Editor has duties throughout the year to prepare for the Symposium, but the duties are concentrated specifically in the Spring semester. Additionally, The Publication & Outreach Editor edits and facilitates all published and printed materials for the journal.

The Acquisitions Editor in regard to the acquisition process, the duties of the position include an initial screening of submitted articles, reading potential articles thoroughly, searching SSRN and other databases for potential articles (including potential symposium pieces), and giving feedback to the EIC and ME regarding the strengths and weaknesses of submissions.

The Articles Editors are responsible for dividing and distributing spades to members of their editing team and for working with the ME to set a workable timeline for editing the articles. They are also responsible for ensuring that each team member is properly trained to both efficiently and thoroughly complete each edit. Additionally, it is the responsibility of the Lead Articles Editors to provide useful feedback to Junior and Senior Editors regarding Bluebooking.

The Research Editor’s responsibilities begin after articles have been accepted and are in the editing process. It is the responsibility of the Research Editor to locate all the sources for the Lead Articles editing process. This responsibility includes searching databases, libraries, and the internet to obtain other sources for the Lead Articles. The sources must be catalogued in the office and on the LPR server. Finally, the Research Editor coordinates the delivery of sources with Interlibrary Loan and picks up books at various campus libraries.

The Student Articles Editor: Write-On's (SAEWN) main responsibilities involve overseeing the write-on competition and grading submitted case notes. The SAEWN should work with the EIC and ME, as well as with the editors from partner journals, to compile the write-on packet and to prepare the grading process. Once the write-on competition is completed, the SAEWN, EIC, and ME (along with help from other Managing Board members, as needed) will grade the submissions and make selections for the EIC to offer membership. This position has substantial, concentrated amounts of work at the beginning of the summer.

The Executive Articles Editor is the chief Bluebook and editing expert on the Journal. The Executive Articles Editor works with the Managing Board to resolve conflicts and questions regarding the interpretation of Bluebook and Texas Manual rules and ensures consistency in the application of those rules during the editorial process. The Executive Articles Editor is also responsible for doing a full, in depth edit and cite check of every Lead Article and Student Note after it goes through the editorial process and ensures each article is ready for review by the Managing Editor and the EIC. Finally, the Executive Articles Editor provides feedback to the ME and EIC regarding the performance of the Lead Articles Editors and the editing teams and helps turn that feedback into actionable training to improve editorial competency.

The Managing Editor (ME) is primarily responsible for the day-to-day operations of the Law & Psychology Review and works closely with the EIC in every aspect of the Journal process. The ME, with assistance from the EIC, is responsible for setting the Journal’s timeline, including deadlines for the editorial process. The ME is also responsible for balancing the budget, maintaining the office, and coordinating social events and boosting morale among the Journal members. The ME is responsible for facilitating regular communication with the Managing Board and with the Journal members.

The Editor in Chief (EIC) of the Law & Psychology Review is primarily responsible for managing the overall vision and big-picture operations of the Journal, and for representing the Journal to those in the law school and in the wider community. The EIC is involved in every aspect of the editorial process and makes the final decisions concerning the content of the Journal. Thus, one of the EIC’s main responsibilities is to assist in selecting both the Lead Articles and Student Notes that will be published in the upcoming issue. Further, the EIC is the chief person responsible for representing the Journal to people outside of the law school, and must, from time to time, make public speaking engagements or meet with guests at the law school.

Associate Editors must write a student note of publishable quality, meeting all deadlines and requirements established by ACRCL’s Student Notes Editor. Associate Editors shall also be responsible for spading articles or student notes as assigned by an Articles Editor or the Executive Editor.

Senior Editors shall be responsible for spading articles or student notes as assigned by an Articles Editor or the Executive Editor.

The Alabama Civil Rights & Civil Liberties Law Review’s Articles Editors are responsible for editing each article or student note that ACRCL will publish, including ensuring that all assertions in every article are amply supported and that citations and grammar conform to the Bluebook and ACRCL’s style conventions. For each article or student note, an Articles Editor leads a spading group of Associate and Senior Editors whose edits the Articles Editor oversees in great detail. The Articles Editor also addresses questions and concerns as needed from Associate and Senior Editors that arise during the spading process and provides feedback on spading.

The Alabama Civil Rights & Civil Liberties Law Review’s Publicity Editor is responsible for creating a submitting to the Law School Dean a proposal for a symposium every year. If a symposium is funded, the Publicity Editor is responsible for organizing that event. The Publicity Editor runs ACRCL’s social media accounts (Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook) to maintain the public presence of ACRCL.

The Alabama Civil Rights & Civil Liberties Law Review’s Acquisitions Editor works with the EIC to determine which articles to publish and works with authors to secure a publication agreement. The Acquisitions Editor also coordinates with the Editor in Chief the number of articles to be selected.

The Alabama Civil Rights & Civil Liberties Law Review’s Student Notes Editor is responsible for supervising the student note writing process. This supervision process includes setting deadlines for student note authors, providing feedback to student note authors, providing training to student note authors as appropriate, and working with the EIC to determine which student notes should be published.

The Alabama Civil Rights & Civil Liberties Law Review’s Executive Editor oversees the spading and editing process and edits every article or student note before the EIC’s final edit. The Executive Editor is responsible for ensuring that all content to be published is error-free and that conventions are implemented uniformly across the volume. Before the spading process begins, the Executive Editor is responsible for indicating which assertions in an article or student note need additional authority. The Executive Editor is also primarily responsible for coordinating the journal’s spading trainings.

The Alabama Civil Rights & Civil Liberties Law Review’s Managing Editor manages the financial records and reports for ACRCL, including collecting dues. The Managing Editor is responsible for formatting ACRCL’s content and working with the publisher to get the journal into print, communicates with law school administration about journal write-on processes, distributes write-on offers, organizes social events, manages the ACRCL office and bank account, oversees the collection of dues, and works with the EIC and Executive Editor regarding scheduling.

The Alabama Civil Rights & Civil Liberties Law Review’s Editor in Chief is responsible for all overseeing all activities of ACRCL. The EIC works with other editors to create and supervise implementation of the publication schedule and the student note schedule. The EIC also communicates with authors, faculty, administration, the publisher, and others on behalf of ACRCL. The EIC conducts the final edit of ACRCL’s content and provides final approval before publication. The EIC coordinates with the faculty advisor regarding whether journal members have satisfied all requirements to receive credit. Lastly, the EIC administers any disciplinary decisions of the managing board.

Comprised of 2L students who make the first-round of edits to articles ALR is publishing. JE’s complete author spades in the fall and spring semesters.

Comprised of 3L students who make the first-round of edits to articles ALR is publishing. SE’s complete multiple author spades in the fall and spring semesters.

The Articles Editors are responsible for dividing and distributing spades to members of their editing team and for working with the ME to set a workable timeline for editing the articles.

The ALR Publications Editor runs social media accounts (Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook), designs merchandise and handles the ordering of merchandise, and formats articles for publication.

The ALR Special Works Editor prepares each journal article for spading, creates a source list for each article, reads each article and marks uncited assertions before spading begins, distributes articles between spading groups/makes spade assignments, supervises and reviews the work of the Articles and Junior/Senior Editors and provides feedback, and informs the Editor in Chief, Managing Editor, and Executive Editor of any disciplinary problems (e.g. lack of effort, late assignments, etc.).

The ALR Acquisitions Editor works with the EIC to determine which articles to publish and works with authors to secure a publication agreement. The Acquisitions Editor also coordinates with the Editor in Chief the number of articles to be selected.

The ALR Executive Editor oversees the spading and editing process and edits every article or student note before the EIC’s final edit. The Executive Editor is responsible for ensuring that all content to be published is error-free and that conventions are implemented uniformly across the volume.

The Managing Editor (ME) is primarily responsible for the day-to-day operations of the ALR and works closely with the EIC in every aspect of the Journal process. The ME, with assistance from the EIC, is responsible for setting the Journal’s timeline, including deadlines for the editorial process. The ME is also responsible for balancing the budget, maintaining the office, and coordinating social events and boosting morale among the Journal members.

The ALR's Editor in Chief is responsible for all overseeing all activities of the journal. The EIC works with other editors to create and supervise implementation of the publication schedule and the student note schedule. The EIC also communicates with authors, faculty, administration, the publisher, and others on behalf of ALR. The EIC conducts the final edit of ARL’s content and provides final approval before publication. The EIC coordinates with the faculty advisor regarding whether journal members have satisfied all requirements to receive credit. Lastly, the EIC administers any disciplinary decisions of the managing board.

In the Appellate Advocacy Clinic, law student interns litigate appeals in state and federal courts and administrative agencies, handling all facets of the process—from intake through mediation, briefing, and argument.

Students provide free legal representation to low-income community members and University of Alabama students charged with criminal offenses, primarily misdemeanors, in Tuscaloosa and nearby counties.

The Domestic Violence Law Clinic provides free and comprehensive legal assistance on civil matters to survivors of domestic violence in Tuscaloosa County, Alabama. The Clinic takes a holistic approach to a survivor’s civil legal needs, with the clinic student assessing and helping the survivor escape further domestic violence, and if appropriate, then representing the survivor in obtaining a protection from abuse order. To meet the survivor’s other civil legal needs, clinic students also provide legal assistance in matters relating to divorce and alimony, child custody and support, employment and debt issues, housing, property recovery, and public benefits. The Clinic also provides outreach and educational services to inform survivors, service providers, and law enforcement personnel about legal rights and remedies to address domestic violence. The Domestic Violence Law Clinic is an active member of the Domestic Violence Task Force of Tuscaloosa County, and clinic students have the opportunity to participate in and shape the ongoing efforts to effectively address domestic violence in Tuscaloosa County.

The Entrepreneurship & Nonprofit Clinic (E-Clinic) provides pro bono, transactional legal services to small businesses, start-ups and entrepreneurs, nonprofit organizations, social enterprises, community development organizations, and authors, artists, and musicians in both urban and rural counties of Alabama. This course includes discussion about the development of a professional identity and includes material on bias, cross-cultural competency, and racism.

The Children’s Rights Clinic in conjunction with the Alabama Disabilities Advocacy Program works to ensure that youth with disabilities involved in the juvenile justice system have their disability needs met and their rights protected. This course includes discussion about the development of a professional identity and includes material on bias, cross-cultural competency, and racism.

Students provide free mediation services to parties with cases pending in family court in Tuscaloosa County, Alabama. These matters involve divorce, custody, child support, visitation, contempt and modification. Clinic students mediate the cases in teams of two after completing the required training. Upon completing the Clinic, graduating and passing the Alabama Bar Exam, students are automatically eligible to be registered on the Alabama State Bar Mediator Roster. This course includes discussion about the development of a professional identity and includes material on bias, cross-cultural competency, and racism.

The Civil Law Clinic is the Law School’s oldest clinic. Students in this clinic provide free legal advice and representation to University of Alabama students and members of the community in civil matters on a limited referral basis. Civil clinic students annually handle over 200 cases from intake interviews through negotiations and to hearings and trials, if necessary, in state small claims, district, and circuit courts, as well as federal district court. The clinic’s caseload encompasses a wide variety of legal claims, including consumer law, debt collection defense, housing, insurance, municipal court infractions (misdemeanors), torts, and other civil matters. This course includes discussion about the development of a professional identity and includes material on bias, cross-cultural competency, and racism.

Following successful defense of the dissertation proposal, each JSD student enrolls in LAW 908 until completion of the research phase. Students work under the direction of a dissertation advisor until successful completion of the dissertation. Students complete 12 hours on research. Typically, students take 12 hours per semester, but not fewer than 3.

Following successful defense of the dissertation proposal, each JSD student enrolls in LAW 908 and 909 until completion of the dissertation. Students work under the direction of a dissertation advisor until successful completion of the dissertation. Students must complete a minimum of 24 hours of dissertation research and writing. The first 12 hours focus on research and the last 12 hours focus on writing. Typically, students take 12 hours per semester, but not fewer than 3 unless all requirements are met and one hour is needed for graduation.