Begins with value creation by transactional lawyers, and emphasizes the opportunity for lawyers to reduce information and agency costs, and mitigate strategic behavior by using tools such as disclosure, representation and warranties, incentive compensation and earnouts. Shifts to negotiation and drafting, focusing on basic drafting principles and strategies to advance one's clients' interests. Introduces the basic framework of contracts (recitals, reps and warranties, capitalized terms, definitions, indemnifications and escrow). Requisites: Restricted to Law (LAWS) students only.
Explores the business lawyer's role in creating value by helping clients identify, assess, and manage business risks through efficient contract design while achieving the optimal legal, tax or regulatory treatment for the deal. Includes case studies of actual transactions. Requisites: Restricted to Law (LAWS) students only.
Covers intestate succession; family protection; execution of wills; revocation and revival; will contracts and will substitutes; creation of trusts; modification and termination; charitable trusts; fiduciary administration, including probate and contest of wills; construction problems in estate distribution. Requisites: Restricted to Law (LAWS) students only.
Business law scholars from CU and around the country present research papers at this weekly colloquium. Topics may include contracts, corporate law, securities regulation, tax, intellectual property, venture capital and private equity, and the legal profession. No prior knowledge of law and economics is expected, although some knowledge of business organizations will be useful. Requisites: Restricted to Law (LAWS) students only.
Provides in-depth study and analysis of current problems in natural resources law, using historical, literary, and scientific materials. Includes field-trip and requires additional field trip expenses. May be repeated up to 5 total credit hours. Recommended prereq., LAWS 6112 or students must have taken or be currently enrolled in any three of the following: LAWS 6002, 6112, 6302 or 7725. Requisites: Restricted to Law (LAWS) students only.
Studies federal income taxation of pass-through entities such as are used by most small businesses in the U.S. Includes creation, operation, distributions, sales of interests, and liquidation. Requisites: Restricted to Law (LAWS) students only.
Engages in litigation and advocacy aimed at protecting the natural resources of the Rocky Mountain region. Students will represent clients in matters involving public lands, wildlife, and other resources. The seminar component will focus on practical aspects of environmental litigation, including administrative practice and decision-making, client representation, citizen suits, and ethnical issues. Requisites: Restricted to Law (LAWS) students only.
Examines basic regulatory and legal challenges of our information economy and digital age. Emphasizes the "Networked" information industries, the proper role of "Unbundling" policies to advance competition, and how intellectual property and antitrust rules should be developed. Same as TLEN 5620. Requisites: Requires prerequisite course of LAWS 7201 or 7241 or 7301 (mimimum grade D-). Restricted to Law (LAWS) students only.
Stresses statutory interpretation of the various federal statues regulating the issue of corporate securities and the cases and regulations that have arisen out of those statutes. Requisites: Restricted to Law (LAWS) students only.
Explores the fundamentals of effective negotiation techniques and policies for lawyers. Students engage in mock negotiations of several legal disputes. Credit is not given for LAWS 741 and this course. Requisites: Restricted to Law (LAWS) students only.
Examines the law of the World Trade Organization and the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade. Examines rules restraining national restrictions on trade that addresses tariff and non-tariff barriers, discrimination, regionalism, anti-dumping, countervailing duties, and safeguards. Considers the relationship between trade and other regulatory areas or social values, such as environmental protection, health and safety standards, human rights, intellectual property protection. Requisites: Restricted to Law (LAWS) students only.
Explores the legal aspects of owning, managing, and participating in a successful family business system, including corporate structure, legal issues, succession planning and estate management, internal capital markets in private enterprise, ownership issues in private businesses, how lawyers can assist with family governance, planning for and managing family philanthropy, gender issues in family business, and conflict resolution. Recommended prereqs., LAWS 6104, 6157, 6211, and/or 7409 Requisites: Restricted to Law (LAWS) students only.
Examines the science of climate change and the broader role of science in public policymaking. Reviews the changing legal landscape to abate greenhouse gas emissions, and key issues in policy design. Reviews the Supreme Court's April 2, 2007 decision in Massachusetts v. EPA, overturning EPA's refusal to regulate greenhouse gas pollution from motor vehicle tailpipes, and the aftermath in the courts, Executive Branch and Congress. Requisites: Restricted to Law (LAWS) students only.
Provides an introduction to energy law and regulation in the United States. Covers basic principles of rate regulation and public utilities, the division of jurisdiction between federal and state governments, and the key federal statues and regulatory regimes governing natural gas, electricity, and nuclear power. Focuses on the basic federal frameworks for natural gas and electricity regulation, with an emphasis on understanding the messy and uneven transition to wholesale competition in these sectors and, in the electricity context, the experience with state restructuring and retail completion. Requisites: Restricted to Law (LAWS) students only.
Investigates the legal history and current legal status of Alaska Natives and Native Hawaiians. Addresses other current topics such as tribal water rights, tribal fishing and hunting rights, tribal justice systems, religious freedom, and tribal natural resource and environmental management. Requisites: Requires prerequisite course of LAWS 7725 (minimum grade D-). Restricted to Law (LAWS) students only.
LLM students study academic legal writing in this 1-credit per semester yearlong course. Topics covered will include: the purpose of academic legal writing; how academic legal writing differs from other forms of legal writing; topic selection; legal research (methods and ethics); first drafts; editing; academic workshops; and publishing. In addition, guest speakers will talk to LLM students about career planning and job seeking. International LLM students will learn about the American legal system. Requisites: Restricted to Law (LAWS) students only.
LL.M students are required to write a thesis in order to graduate. Requires significant work of original research on a topic chosen in close consultation with advisors and other law school faculty, and assignments include due dates for topic selection, drafts, and workshop delivery. Thesis is worth two credits. In exceptional circumstances and only after pre-approval, an LL.M student may enroll for a third or fourth credit. Requisites: Restricted to Law (LAWS) students only.
