Course Descriptions, Family Law - Juvenile Offender
LW728 — Family Law — 3 Hours
This course introduces the numerous subject areas which comprise family law today starting with the often complex federal and state laws and cases on how to define a family. In addition to the traditional topics, such as marriage, parent-child relationships, divorce, property division, maintenance, child custody and child support issues, the course covers premarital, cohabitation and postmarital contracts, paternity, adoption, assisted conception, the role of the lawyer in family law, and alternative dispute resolution. This course is a prerequisite for Divorce Practice and Family Law Seminar.
LW831 — Family Law Quarterly Junior Staff Editing — 1 Hour
This course is offered to second-year students who have met the requirements to become staff members of the Family Law Quarterly. Students edit articles accepted for publication. Students must serve a full year to receive credit. Credit, no-credit.
LW832 — Family Law Quarterly Senior Staff Editing — 1-2 Hours
Open to third-year students on the Family Law Quarterly staff who have been approved by the Faculty Adviser. Students are primarily responsible for the editorial and substantive integrity of material published in the Family Law Quarterly. Students may enroll for only one hour per semester. Credit, no-credit.
LW754 — Family Law Seminar — 2 Hours
This seminar explores the theoretical, sociological and psychological aspects of current legal issues in family law. Prerequisite: Family Law.
LW759 — Federal Courts — 3 Hours
An examination of the broad institutional restrictions on the federal courts in the federal system and the policies aimed at achieving a fair and efficient allocation of judicial power. The course explores the balance of power between the federal courts, the states and the two other branches of federal government. The issues examined in this course will have implications for federal practice in a variety of areas, including civil rights, bankruptcy, environmental, oil and gas, and real estate financing law.
LW841 — Federal Indian Law — 3 Hours
This course focuses on the framework which bears upon Native Americans and Indian reservation transactions. The course explores the Native Americans and the federal government, powers of tribal government, Indian civil rights, Indian lands, water and mineral development, Bureau of Indian Affairs authority, and federal/state conflicts regarding jurisdiction over Indians and Indian affairs.
LW787 — Feminist Legal Theory — 2-3 Hours
The goal of this course is to understand, analyze and apply feminist theory to the law. The course covers the historical development of feminist jurisprudence, current feminist theories and feminist methodologies. Students are expected to apply feminist theory to various substantive areas, professionalism, legal ethics, legal skills and legal education. Variable credit, see course schedule.
LW705 — Financial Institution Regulation — 2 Hours
This course will survey the regulation of financial institutions, including banks, securities and commodities brokers, and insurance companies, particularly in the context of financial market instability. The course will analyze investor and customer protections, key types of financial products, and the roles of market regulation. Finally, the course will assess several important reform initiatives, and the likely future of financial institution regulation. Prerequisite: Business Associations.
LW888 — Financial Issues in Divorce — 2 Hours
This course addresses financial issues associated with divorce including the identification, valuation, and division of property. Students will learn how to work with appraisers to value physical assets and complex intangible assets such as pensions, stock options, closely-held corporations, and businesses. The drafting, administration, and effect of pre-marital agreements will be addressed along with the taxation and planning aspects of divorce. Prerequisites: Family Law.
LW947 — Food and Drug Law — 3 Hours
This course will introduce students to the regulatory powers of the Food and Drug Administration and to the intricate statute under which it operates. It will cover the problem of defining the regulated products, the premarket approval system for drugs and medical devices, the protection of human subjects involved in clinical research, the regulation of the products of biotechnology including genetically modified crops and organisms, and the relationship between this federal regulatory regime and state law, among other cutting-edge topics. A significant component of the course will be taught via videoconferencing technology. Prerequisite: completion of 28 credit hours.
LW828 — Forensic Science Evidence — 2 Hours
Forensic Science Evidence will investigate the use of scientific evidence in the courtroom. Students will learn the Daubert and Frye standards of scientific evidence, the role of attorneys as "gatekeepers" of evidence, and the use of search warrants to obtain evidence. They will also explore discovery issues specific to cases with scientific evidence, evaluate chain of custody requirements, learn about scientific principles and techniques behind forensic evidence, study certification and use of expert witnesses on both sides of a case, and develop courtroom skills to effectively present and use scientific evidence. This course will explore information attorneys need to effectively work with different types of scientific evidence (e.g., chemical analyses of controlled substances, evidence in arson investigations, and blood alcohol analyses). The class will have a significant simulation component and will have students working collaboratively with students in the chemistry department of the university enrolled in a science course that is complementary to this law course. Law students will occasionally visit the chemistry lab to learn about scientific principles related to evidence and to work with chemistry students who will role-play expert witnesses in the law course simulations. Prerequisite: Evidence.
LW___ — Global Intellectual Property Enforcement Law — 3 Hours
This course explores current legal and policy debates in global intellectual property (IP) enforcement. While substantive norm-making in the field has come to a near standstill, standards for enforcement have continued to evolve at breakneck pace. Students will examine the reasons behind the migration to an enforcement focus, exploring the pros and cons of harmonizing enforcement standards and grappling with the challenges that institutions and negotiators face in attempts to harmonize. After a brief introduction to intellectual property genres, the course will focus on the mechanisms behind enforcement at the international level, examining how these mechanisms interact with substantive IP law debates. The pertinent mechanisms include agreements administered by international organizations; regional, plurilateral, bilateral and unilateral measures; and the arbitration system currently used to resolve domain name disputes. The class will discuss the interaction of largely state-centered enforcement mechanisms with a marketplace characterized by porous borders and driven by the Internet. In all of this, discussions will center around comparative perspectives from divergent IP constituencies, including states in different stages of development, indigenous groups, IP rights holder representatives, and civil society groups. Students will be graded on the quality of their participation in class sessions (including in-class writing assignments, presentations, and group exercises) as well as a written final examination.
LW830 — Health Care Law and Policy — 3 Hours
Examination of the health care system in the United States with emphasis on the law and policy pertaining to the delivery of health care services on a national basis. Specific areas considered include such matters as access to health care, quality assurance, cost control and other topics of current interest.
LW951 — Higher Education Law — 2 Hours
This course will explore key law and legal concepts applicable to American institutions of higher education. Among other issues, the course will focus on how to weigh and balance the sometimes competing rights and responsibilities of institutions, faculty, staff, and students. For example, the course will explore: the potential clash between the academic freedom rights of faculty and the rights of students to be free from racial and sexual harassment; Title IX and women's sports; affirmative action in admissions, financial aid, and faculty hiring; and the intellectual property rights of faculty, staff and students. Students will also have the opportunity to consider the role of "in house" counsel. The course will also aim to use legal issues as a catalyst for a broader discussion regarding the role and meaning of higher education in today's society.
LW815 — Immigration Law — 2 Hours
An examination of immigration law, procedure and professional responsibility in its practice. Moral and social implications of immigration policy. Related topics such as the right to communicate in this country in languages other than English, the rights of citizen children of undocumented parents, rights of refugees, amnesty, and employer sanctions.
LW826 — Independent Readings in Natural Resources Law — 1-2 Hours
A candidate in the environmental law certificate program may earn up to two hours credit for independent reading supervised by a faculty member. Offered only upon prearrangement with the faculty supervisor and the Dean. Credit, no-credit.
LW710 — Insurance Law — 2 Hours
An examination of federal and state regulation of the insurance industry. The course also looks at the nature of the insurance relationship, formation of insurance contracts and the claims process and defenses raised by insurers.
LW808 — Intellectual Property — 3 Hours
An introduction to patents, trademarks and copyrights, including creation and protection of rights in intellectual property and enforcement of rights against infringers.
LW778 — International Business Transactions — 3 Hours
This course will provide an introduction to the rules governing international business transactions. It will cover basic U.S. trade rules, and the organization of the World Trade Organization and regional trading arrangements. Topics will include tariffs and non-tariff barriers, responses of domestic producers to import competition, and the resolution of trade disputes. The course will also focus on issues that arise in typical international business transactions, such as the choice between CIF and FOB contracts, the risks of international trade and allocation of risks by contract, and the use of letters of credit.
LW842 — International Economic Relations (Summer 2010 Study Abroad) — 3 Hours
This course will focus on international business and finance, from U.S., Caribbean and international perspectives. Students will be introduced to the basics of doing business across borders, and will be able to compare the rules used in the United States with those of the West Indies. The class will familiarize the students with the different actors in the global markets (institutions, regulators, corporations) and how they operate in different parts of the world. The class will also introduce students to several particular topics, drawing on the expertise of the two faculty members. Particular topics will include: corporate governance, financial markets, foreign investment and business transactions.
LW927 — International Intellectual Property Law — 3 Hours
This course provides students with an introduction to the ever-growing framework for global harmonization of intellectual property standards. After a basic review of the primary subjects of intellectual property law (copyright, trademark, patent and related topics), the course turns to the growing body of international decisions and policies impacting these topics. Study of the subject also requires exploration of the views of intellectual property (IP) across cultures, including how societal, cultural and historical factors influence attitudes toward, and mechanisms accommodating, IP protection. A brief overview of international law and international trade concepts leads to exploration of the roles of the World Trade Organization, the World Intellectual Property Organization and other international organizations in regulating both policy and enforcement in intellectual property protection, covering the Agreement on Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property (TRIPs) and other core international agreements on the subject. Discussions will also include the role of IP protection in economic development, international politics and relations and important distributive issues involving health care, education and technological innovation. Prerequisite: Intellectual Property (subject to waiver by professor).
International Law SEE Public International Law (LW928)
LW919 — International Law of Indigenous Peoples — 2 Hours
This course will explore the conceptual framework of the historic and contemporary legal claims made by Indigenous people both domestically and internationally. Throughout the course, students will explore legal claims based on treaties, self-determination and sovereignty, as well as, minority and human rights claims. Over the course of the semester the students will examine the ways that international institutions, such as the United Nations, have supported Indigenous peoples' cultural survival and the renewed focus on the concerns of indigenous peoples worldwide. This course is graded and will fulfill the perspectives category.
LW827 — International Taxation — 3 Hours
An overview of the federal taxation of (1) the U.S.- related income of nonresident aliens and foreign corporations, and (2) the foreign-related income of U.S. taxpayers. Topics include: the source of income rules, the concepts of a "U.S. trade or business" and "effectively connected income," the foreign tax credit, Subpart F, inter-company pricing, and the role of tax treaties. Prerequisite: Taxation of Individual Income.
LW943 — Internship for Foreign Exchange Students — 2 Hours
This internship is designed for foreign exchange students who will be placed in law firms, government agencies or judicial chambers through the Kansas Bar Association, following their semester as foreign exchange students at Washburn Law. The purpose of the course is to provide the foreign exchange students with work experience in a U.S. legal environment, allowing the students to apply the research and writing skills, together with the common law rules and process, which they learned in the course "Legal Analysis, Research and Writing for Foreign Exchange Students." Prerequisites: Legal Analysis, Research and Writing for Foreign Exchange Students; must be a foreign exchange student at Washburn.
LW914 — Interviewing & Counseling — 2 Hours
This course will introduce students to a practice-oriented approach to interviewing and counseling. It will enable students to develop the skills involved in investigating facts and interviewing and counseling clients. Class work will include demonstration, critique, discussion, and practical exercises. Students will also investigate doctrinal, procedural, and evidentiary issues in order to discharge effectively their role in each step of the process. Course topics will explore: 1) how to recognize legal and non-legal dimensions of a client's problems; 2) how to develop fundamental skills, including effective listening and questioning; 3) how to gather information; and 4) how to understand the decision-making process and help clients make appropriate decisions. Students will also explore ethical considerations in interviewing and counseling. This is a letter-graded class. There will be a final project instead of an exam. Class is limited to 25 students.
LW799 — Jurisprudence — 2 Hours
An inquiry into the realm of legal philosophy. Students will analyze fundamental issues and major lines of thought in attempted resolution of those issues.
LW877 — Jury Selection and Voir Dire — 1 Hour
This course examines the art and science of jury selection through a study of the law and courtroom procedures pertaining to voir dire. The skills associated with jury selection will be taught, demonstrated, and practiced by having each student pick a jury for trial of a selected case scenario. General and specific questions on voir dire will be conducted by students acting as counsel and presided over by a judge. Student performance will be critiqued and the final grade will be assigned based on class participation and a final examination. Prerequisites: Trial Advocacy or ITAP.
LW 886 — Juvenile Offender — 2 Hours
This course will cover juvenile delinquency including purposes of punishment and juvenile justice; the juvenile courts; jurisdiction and disposition of juvenile court; procedural differences between delinquency process and adult criminal process; the role of the lawyer in the juvenile court process.
