Curriculum

Business Principles in Law introduces students to the basic principles and practices of contemporary business so that they can be more effective professionals when advising business clients and/or better leverage their internal and external legal resources. The course will focus on fundamental business concepts, including, an introduction to accounting, business strategy, management, finance and risk. Additionally, the course will cover the challenges business leaders face in the contemporary economic, political, and social environment. Course sessions will include lectures, guest speakers, and analysis and discussion of real world situations.

In this course, students will examine the strategies, objectives, and challenges that will affect how they draft contracts. They will consider the lawyer's role in drafting contracts and the factors that influence drafting style, technique, and content. The course will begin by analyzing the standard structure and terms of a typical contract, including the purposes behind them. Students will learn to draft precisely. Students then will dissect and examine a range of contracts used in business relationships (e.g., business formations, employment, real estate transactions, mergers/acquisitions) to evaluate drafting techniques and decisions in specific transactions. Finally, the students will use the knowledge they've gained to ink a deal.

This course will explore the legal and business issues that arise in connection with the development, production and exploitation of theatrical motion pictures and television/streaming programs. This includes the negotiation of the terms of literary purchase agreements and above-the-line talent agreements; the challenges of the changing landscape of media companies and exploitation platforms; and the impact of copyright issues.

The course will focus on the business, legal, and financial issues that relate to the creation, financing, and exploitation of digital media, including TV, shorts, mobile, virtual reality, influencers, and merchandising. In addition, the business, corporate, structuring, and tax issues (as opposed to intellectual property issues) will be explored.

This course is designed to study and practice writing in business and legal settings. The premise is to teach students writing structure based on audience, tone, form, and purpose. We will address the fundamentals of business writing, including electronic mail, letters, formal reports, and memos, with an emphasis on clear and concise writing. The course will also feature the fundamentals of legal writing, including IRAC, with an emphasis on legal analysis and consistent writing.

Employment Discrimination Law will examine the regulation of employment discrimination under federal law. Primary attention will be paid to issues of race, sex, age and disability discrimination. The course will provide students a comprehensive overview of the legal doctrines developed to address workplace discrimination. It will address issues of statutory interpretation, litigation strategy and problems of proof. It will also situate this body of law within a set of sociological and theoretical frameworks aimed to enrich students' understandings of the law's foundations and purposes.

Human Resource Compliance explores the key areas within the field of human resources and employment and labor law from recruiting through termination. As the people who comprise the workforce, human resources are the backbone of every organization. Thus, the human resources field is valuable for every business leader and advisor to understand in order to meet the strategic objectives of an organization and to minimize risk. This course will prepare you to advise and support employers in day-to-day management of the workforce by enabling you to spot issues, compose policies and procedures, and develop an appropriate course of action based on legal requirements and best practices.

This course will examine the legal and policy issues pertaining to information privacy in the United States. The course will address the privacy issues facing both the public and private sectors, particularly in response to the growing emergence of cybercrimes and cybersecurity issues. Topics will include: the concept of privacy, privacy in the information age particularly in the current cyber threat environment, privacy and the media, consumer data, employment issues, government access to information and the Fourth Amendment, national security issues, and international privacy issues.

Legal Profession considers the role of the lawyer in society, history, and organization of the legal profession, alternate career patterns, conflicting duties, the adversary system, equal access to justice, and other issues of ethics and professional responsibility.
The course attempts to sensitize students to ethical issues faced by lawyers in various kinds of practice. The ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct and Ethics Opinions, the California rules, and related statutes and leading case law are examined.
Emphasis is placed on discussion surrounding hypothetical situations in order for students to recognize and resolve dilemmas stemming from legal, professional, and personal dilemmas that are likely to occur during the practice of law.

This course will provide students with the necessary skills to practice music law. They will learn the unique challenges of talent representation including client acquisition and keeping clients satisfied. Students will develop the ability to read, analyze and advise these clients through the use of real world contracts. Topics covered will range from the basics of an artist's team to record deals and publishing agreements to how royalty streams flow from services like Spotify to the artist. We will make these issues concrete with discussions of real world events.

This course is designed to: (1) develop your understanding of negotiation, and your awareness of yourself as a negotiator; (2) give you some tools and concepts for preparing for and analyzing negotiations; (3) enhance your negotiating skills through frequent role plays, reflection and feedback; and (4) teach you how to keep learning from your own negotiating experience.

This course provides an overview of certain business and legal issues that pertain to professional and amateur sports. Through various legal lenses (contract law, employment and labor law, antitrust law, tort law, intellectual property law, and constitutional law), this course will examine the legal and business relationships between various sports industry participants (athletes, teams, leagues, governing bodies, sports facilities, licensees, broadcasters, and fans).