Course Catalog

Family Law Journal — Editorial Staff

In this co-curricular course, NYLS students are responsible for editing and source-checking each article that is selected for publication in The Family Law Quarterly (FLQ).

Accounting, Data Analysis, and Financial Reporting for Lawyers

The course covers fundamental accounting techniques in the contexts in which a lawyer is likely to confront accounting issues.

Administrative Law

The complexity of modern government means that much governing is done by administrative agencies with quasi-legislative and quasi-judicial, as well as executive, functions. This course explores those administrative processes and procedures.

Advanced Appellate Advocacy

This course will cover the basic procedural and substantive issues involved in the filing, preparation, and arguing of an appeal, including the requirement of preservation and the applicable standard of review.

Advanced Corporate Tax

This course examines the tax consequences of various forms of taxable as well as nontaxable mergers and acquisitions.

Advanced Legal Methods

As part of the NYLS Core Curriculum, this course consolidates the predictive analysis and professional writing skills that first-year students have been developing.

Advanced Real Estate Transactions

This upper-level course examines legal issues related to the initial development of real estate from the ground up and complex issues related to the financing, ownership, and operation of commercial properties.

Advanced Sports Law

This course shall take an advanced approach and dig deeper into the topics raised in sports law. More importantly, this class will explore how agents, arbitrators, and attorneys interface with one another and shall include, among other things, the review actual complaints, contracts, and motions filed in relevant sports law cases.

Advanced Topics in Dispute Resolution

This seminar course offers the opportunity for intense and robust investigation of discrete issues arising in the course of resolving disputes by means other than the courts.

Advanced Wealth Transfer Planning

This course focuses on current issues in wealth transfer taxation, including valuation, asset protection, and strategies for dealing with the scheduled repeal of the estate and generation-skipping transfer taxes.

Advocacy of Criminal Cases

This course introduces students to the law and skills involved in criminal practice, including a semester-long case simulation to help students hone the skills they learn.

Analytical Principles

This class centers around core material that is covered in foundational upper-level subjects and is tested on the Uniform Bar Exam (UBE).

Anatomy of New York State Divorce Action

This course deals with the substantive and procedural laws and policy related to a divorce action in New York State, guiding students from initial interview through final argument.

Animal Law

This course will examine the legal classification and laws protecting nonhuman animals, as well as a number of topics that fall within the general heading “animal law.”

Antitrust Laws

This course examines the legal, economic, and societal issues involved in monopolies and restraints of trade with a special emphasis on the federal antitrust laws.

Art Law

This is a survey course on the law, policy, and theory of the business of art that also explores real-world art negotiations through in-class simulations.

Asian Americans and the Law

The objectives of the course are to examine the legal history of people of Asian descent in the United States; to understand the prominent role that Asian Americans have played in the nation’s legal and political history; and to understand the perceptions and experiences of Asian Americans in contemporary society.

Asylum Clinic

In this upper-level clinic, students are trained to represent immigrant clients under faculty supervision and argue cases in the Immigration Court and before the Newark and New York Asylum Offices on behalf of refugees fleeing persecution in their home countries.

Bankruptcy

A statutory course that deals with the laws, regulations and underlying policy related bankruptcy sought by individuals and business entities.

Brownfields Redevelopment: Real Estate

This course will provide students with an understanding of the common elements of federal and local brownfield programs, including the various kinds of financial incentives that are available from these brownfield programs.

Business Basics for Lawyers

This course will provide students with an understanding of fundamental business topics such as accounting and financial reporting, investments and the financial markets, and an overview of macro-economic principles.

Business Planning: Start-Up Business and Venture Capital

This course combines theory and practice to introduce students to the various legal and business considerations involved in forming and operating an emerging growth business, or start-up company.

Cannabis Law

This upper-level substantive course focuses on the federal and state laws that regulate cannabis in the United States.

Children and Family Law in New York

This seminar course will provide students with an overview of children’s and family law issues in New York, including the structure of the Family Court system, child welfare, juvenile justice, education, domestic violence advocacy, mental health, and matrimonial law.

Children and the Law in Practice

This simulation course is designed to introduce students to lawyering skills in the context of representing or serving children and their families.

Civil Procedure

This Core Curriculum course introduces students to the rules governing the conduct of civil litigation in the United States.

Civil Rights and Disability Justice Clinic

In this year-long clinic, students will engage in impact litigation and other forms of legal and strategic policy advocacy to advance the cause of social justice.

Civil Rights Law

This course provides students with a deep analysis of the statutes, case law, and policies related to civil rights in the United States by examining federal civil rights laws and the provision that creates a federal cause of action to remedy violations of rights.

Commercial Law

A substantive foundational course that deals with the laws, regulations, and policies governing commercial transactions. This is one of the four upper-level gateway courses of which all students are required to complete two or three for graduation.

Commercial Leasing Law

This course is an advanced doctrinal course that focuses on all aspects of commercial leasing with some practice-based exercises for students interested in real estate focused professions.

Community Public Legal Education

In this course, students will teach classes in a community setting for individuals experiencing homelessness many of whom identify as members of the LGBTQ+ community (Ali Forney Center
and/or Streetworks).

Complex Litigation

This is a course on litigation tactics and strategies designed to teach students to think like practicing attorneys seeking to maximize their client’s litigation position.

Compliance Within Financial Services Companies

This course teaches students about the compliance function within a financial services organization, the regulatory scheme applicable to broker dealers, banks, and investment advisers as well as the various compliance positions, and more.

Congressional Consumer and Civil Justice Clinic

In this upper-level clinical course, students will work with the Center for Justice and Democracy to learn the critical role that litigation plays in protecting consumer and citizen health and safety, and to learn and apply the skills of public policy advocacy.

Conservation Law and Policy Clinic

In this clinical course, students work with The Nature Conservancy for hands-on experience with the laws, regulations, and underlying policy related to real estate and land conservation issues.

Constitutional and Civil Rights Issues in Public Education

This upper-level, substantive education law course examines how the U.S. Constitution has shaped public education and students’ and parents’ rights.

Constitutional History: Supremacy/Nullification

The course gives students a comprehensive history of federalism and state’s rights as they examine the U.S. constitutional plan, hammered out in military and political confrontations, judicial opinions, and Presidential proclamations.

Constitutional Law I

This Core Curriculum course is the first part of a two-semester introduction to constitutional law and theory, focusing on doctrine related to the constitutional rules governing the federal government and the constitutional rules addressing the distribution of power between the federal government and the states.

Constitutional Law II

This Core Curriculum course is the second part of a two-semester introduction to constitutional law and theory with a primary focus on the constitutional rules governing individual rights and equality.

Constitutional Law, Advanced: Law and Democracy

This seminar course explores the constitutional issues raised by elections and voting, covering several major topics, including the right to vote, voter identification requirements, and reapportionment.

Constitutional Law: Free Speech

This course surveys First Amendment free speech law and issues in depth, including current controversies and precedents such as “commercial” or corporate speech, broadcast “indecency,” and “electioneering communications.”

Contracts

This Core Curriculum course deals with basic principles governing the creation and enforcement of contractual obligation.

Copyright

This course provides an introduction to the major debates in contemporary high-tech copyright, which both shapes and is in turn shaped by technological innovation.

Corporate Finance

This is an advanced corporations course on legal and economic issues involved in corporate financing decisions, covering valuation of corporate entities and their securities, corporate capital structures, and more.

Corporate Tax Planning Seminar

In this substantive course, LL.M. students analyze the tax issues and opportunities in planning corporate tax structures and related actions.

Corporations

This upper-level Core Curriculum course covers the formation, organization, purposes, and powers of business corporations, the distribution of powers between shareholders and directors, the duties and liabilities of directors and officers, and more.

Crimes and Immigration

This course covers the immigration consequences of federal and state criminal convictions, federal crimes relating to immigration, criminal procedural rights in immigration proceedings, and immigration relief for victims of crime.

Criminal Defense Clinic

The Criminal Defense Clinic engages students in the actual practice of criminal law, under supervision, on cases at all stages of the criminal process, from arraignment through trial.

Criminal Law

This Core Curriculum course covers constitutional doctrines affecting substantive criminal law such as interpretation of penal legislation, principles of culpability and conduct, and analysis of harm.

Criminal Procedure: Adjudication

This course covers the substantive and procedural laws surrounding the criminal adjudication process, including the right to counsel, preliminary appearance and hearings, pre-conviction release, and more.

Criminal Procedure: Investigation

This upper-level Core Curriculum course deals with the laws, regulations and policies governing investigations of criminal matters.

Criminal Prosecution Clinic – (Kings County)

The Criminal Prosecution Clinic – Kings County engages students in the prosecution of criminal cases in conjunction with the Brooklyn District Attorney under the supervision of adjunct professors.

Criminal Prosecution Clinic – (New York County)

The Criminal Prosecution Clinic – New York County engages students in the prosecution of criminal cases in conjunction with the Manhattan District Attorney under the supervision of experienced ADAs.

Criminal Tax Litigation Seminar

The course examines the criminal sanctions that are employed to enforce the tax system.

Cyberharassment Clinic

The Cyberharassment Clinic provides an unprecedented opportunity for 2L and 3L day and 3L and 4L evening students to represent victims of online harassment, cyberbullying, and revenge porn under the direct supervision of a faculty member and experienced practitioner.

Cybersecurity & Cybercrime

This course introduces students to the investigation and prosecution of “cybercrime” cases—cases in which criminals use computers to steal, cheat, or otherwise cause damage.

Cybersecurity Compliance and Due Diligence from an In-House Perspective

Cybersecurity is a growing practice area for outside counsel and has the potential to be a required skill for in-house lawyers. This course will introduce students to cybersecurity compliance from an in-house perspective.

Defending American Democracy and the Rule of Law

This seminar explores the defense of democracy through efforts to uphold the rule of law and reinforce safeguards of democratic institutions.

Deposition Skills

Students in this experiential learning course will learn the purpose of depositions, how depositions fit into an overall plan for case theory and development, and the rules governing the conduct of depositions.

Derivatives Market Regulation Seminar

This substantive course provides students with an introduction to the laws, regulations and policies governing the derivatives markets.

Dispute Resolution Processes

This course surveys mechanisms currently used instead of courts and federal agencies to resolve conflicts between two or more parties, including Alternative Dispute Resolution systems.

Dispute Resolution Team – E-Board Members

The Dispute Resolution Team is a student-run, co-curricular program that offers members the opportunity to develop their lawyering skills as they represent New York Law School in local, regional, and national competitions.

Dispute Resolution Team – General

Members of this student-run, co-curricular program have the opportunity to develop their lawyering skills as they represent New York Law School in local, regional, and national competitions.

Domestic Arbitration

This intensive five-day course develops the skills needed to represent clients in arbitration proceedings subject to the Federal Arbitration Act and conducted pursuant to the Commercial Rules of the American Arbitration Association.

Domestic Violence and the Law

This course explores the response of the legal system to the problem of domestic violence, through state and federal criminal laws against domestic violence, including the federal Violence Against Women Act.

Drafting: Contracts

This course teaches students the skills needed to draft contracts that effectuate clients’ needs and anticipate potential legal problems.

Drafting: Corporate Documents

This course teaches the skills needed to draft corporate contracts and documents that effectuate clients’ needs and anticipate potential legal problems.

Drafting: Federal Judicial Opinions

This practical course will teach students advanced legal writing skills used by judges, law clerks, and lawyers in drafting opinions, internal memorandums, and briefs; it is particularly beneficial for students interested in pursuing a judicial clerkship or externship.

Drafting: General Principles

Since the skills involved in writing clear, precise legal drafting are transferable from one document to another, this course teaches students the general principles of legal drafting rather than the techniques of drafting specialized documents.

Drafting: Labor and Employment Litigation

This writing and research course teaches the skills needed to draft various documents in the context of labor and employment administrative proceedings and litigation.

Drafting: Labor and Employment Transactions

This writing and research course teaches the skills needed to draft transactional documents in the context of labor and employment legal practice.

Drafting: Legislation

This course teaches students the principles involved in drafting regulations and legislation, and incorporating policy-making into drafting.

Drafting: Litigation

This course provides students with a basic understanding of drafting various types of litigation documents, such as motions, discovery requests, and trial memos.

Drafting: Real Estate Documents

This writing and research course focuses on real estate law and practice and teaches students to draft documents used in commercial real estate transactions.

Editing Legal Writing

This course teaches the necessary skills to edit legal writing and create a final product that is clear, precise, and effective.

Education Law and Policy

This course focuses on the intersection of public schools, K-12 educational policy, and the law, exploring the crucial role education plays in sustaining a democratic society.

Education Law and Practice

Students in this project-based learning course will provide legal services to the Charter High School for Law and Social Justice, a law-focused charter high school founded by the New York Law School Justice Action Center.

Education Law Clinic

In the Education Law Clinic, students are trained to practice education law in New York City at various firms and nonprofit agencies, under the supervision of civil rights and education law attorneys who are NYLS adjunct faculty.

Elections Redistricting and Voting Rights

This course will explore a broad swath of voting rights law. In coverage of reapportionment, redistricting, the census, racial vote dilution, and partisan gerrymandering, students will build on concepts of federal jurisprudence of reapportionment and redistricting, including the core constitutional doctrines, the Voting Rights Act, census issues, and the landmark cases that govern the redistricting process.

Elder Law and Aging in America

This is a survey course covering a broad range of subjects relating to problems of aging and persons with disabilities, including demographics and economics of aging and disability as well as social policy and political trends.

Elder Law Clinic: Planning for Aging, Illness, and Special Needs

In this clinic, students will assist clients with estate planning, adult guardianships, and/or needs-based public benefits, and work in partnership with community members to provide education and develop advocacy related to the issues of aging, illness, and special needs.

Employee Benefits Law

This course explores the legal milieu and public policy aspects of non-cash compensation arrangements for employees through statutory analysis in light of rapidly developing case and administrative law.

Employee Relations and Anti-Discrimination Law

This upper-level, substantive course surveys the laws and concepts governing the relationships of individual employees and their employers, emphasizing private-sector employment.

Employment Anti-Discrimination Law

This course addresses one of the most important legal developments of the 20th century: the prohibition on discrimination based on protected traits in employment.

Employment Law

This course surveys the laws and concepts governing nonunionized employment relationships, emphasizing private-sector employment.

Entertainment Law

This course analyzes the types of contracts and agreements used in various sectors of the entertainment industry, including contracts covering motion picture and television packaging.

Entrepreneurship for Social Change

This course considers how lawyers can use non-litigation approaches to effect change through organizing, community development, and generally through the creation of new institutions.

Environmental Law and Policy

This course is designed for students who wish to understand how the law protects the environment, and who wish to litigate environmental issues.

Estate Administration

This upper-level skills course focuses on the process and procedures for administering an estate, beginning with a practical review of the probate process.

Estate Planning

This course introduces students to central concepts in wealth transfer tax and income taxation of estates and trusts, and it covers pre-death and post-mortem planning and basic document drafting.

European Union Business Law

This project-based learning course focuses on a major transaction that recently occurred in the European Union that resulted in antitrust litigation.

Evidence

This Core Curriculum course examines the scope and function of the Federal Rules of Evidence against the background of problems arising in the trial of an issue of fact, and the rules are evaluated on the basis of their tendency to promote or impede a rational method of investigation.

Family Law

This substantive, foundational course deals with the laws, regulations, and policies impacting the family and its relationship to the government.

Family Law Clinic

In this clinic, students will interview clients, draft documents, conduct legal research, and engage in community outreach, as they experience Family Court practice and learn more about the Family Court Act and a range of family law matters.

Family Law in Practice

This is an experiential course designed to teach the basics of family law doctrine through two extended simulations, while developing students’ research, writing and lawyering skills.

Fashion Law and Technology

This course explores the interplay between emerging technologies in the fashion arena and the law, covering all forms of existing wearable tech as well as recent technological advances in the fashion industry.

Fashion Law Practicum

This upper-level skills course focuses on legal and business concerns faced by attorneys representing fashion companies as their general counsel or external counsel.

Federal Courts/Federal System

This course explores the role of the federal courts in the federal system, integrating study of constitutional provisions and the realities of federal court practice.

Federal Income Tax: Corporate

This upper-level, substantive course focuses on the laws, regulations, and policies impacting formation, operation, and dissolution of corporate entities.

Federal Income Tax: Individual

This upper-level course is an intensive introduction to the basic principles of federal income taxation and of statutory construction.

Federal Income Tax: Partnership

This upper-level, substantive course focuses on the laws, regulations, and policies that impact the formation, operation, and dissolution of partnerships.

Federal Income Tax: Trusts and Estates

This course focuses on Subchapter J of the Internal Revenue Code and introduces students to the rules that govern the income taxation of trusts and estates and their beneficiaries.

Federal Income Taxation of Business Pass Throughs

This course teaches students the rules that apply to S corporations, partnerships, RICs, REITs and other pass-through entities and how those entities are used, both domestically and internationally.

Federal Wealth Transfer Tax: Basic

This course introduces students to the basic concepts of the federal estate, gift, and generation-skipping taxes.

Financial Institutions

This course will provide an overview of the structure, operations, and regulation of U.S. and global financial institutions.

Financial Services Field Placement and Seminar

This experiential workshop and seminar are co-requisite courses introducing students to experts in the financial services industry and a variety of current legal, business, and regulatory issues.

Financial Services Law Externship

This externship course enables students to gain practical experience in corporate and regulatory entities related to the financial services industry.

Finding Your Purpose

This course introduces students to a framework for identifying their individual strengths, motivations, values, and interests, and understanding how these intersect with their professional identity.

First Amendment

This is a substantive course essential for any student interested in constitutional law or civil liberties. The course explores First Amendment protections for freedom of speech and freedom of religion, the Fifth Amendment Takings Clause, and more.

Foundations for the Study of Law

This first-semester course will introduce students to two sets of fundamental concepts necessary for the successful study of law.

Foundations for the Pursuit of Professionalism

This second-semester course will continue the focus on the learning skills addressed in Foundations for the Study of Law, so that each student continues to develop skills necessary for learning and understanding new concepts throughout their career in law.

Free to Be Youth Project Legal Clinic (LGBTQ)

The Free to Be Youth Project Legal Clinic (LGBTQ) in partnership with the Free to Be Youth Project (FYP) of the Urban Justice Center is a one-semester clinic open to 2Ls and 3Ls.

Gender in American Legal History

This upper-level, seminar course focuses on the legal and cultural status of gender in American history.

The Global Employee: Business Immigration Specialized Externship

With this placement, students will meet once every other week in a specialized seminar focusing on the limits on U.S. business in employment of foreign nationals.

Graduate Tax Externship

This externship placement enables LL.M. students to gain practical experience in a tax-focused entity.

Graduate Tax Independent Study

This upper-level course for Tax LL.M. students requires authorship of a significant paper representing substantial legal research.

Graduate Tax Paper Option

Tax LL.M. candidates may elect to write a 15-page research paper in addition to the examination and other regular requirements for this course.

Gun Safety Legislative Advocacy Clinic

This course immerses students in the policy work of the nation’s largest gun violence prevention organization, exposing them to the legislative lawyer’s work of bill drafting and analysis, effective communication, and coalition-building.

Health Care Compliance

This course will progress from the basics of a compliance program, including the compliance operations and the Code of Conduct, to specific issues facing the healthcare industry.

Health Care Law and Policy

This course surveys the federal and state laws that regulate healthcare in the United States and examines the complex legal relationships involving patients, health care providers, insurers, and regulatory agencies.

Hedge Funds: Their Regulation and Structure

This course will provide an in-depth overview of the applicable laws and regulations respecting onshore and offshore hedge funds, their formation issues, and related core documentation requirements.

Housing Rights Clinic

This full-year clinic focused on housing provides students with the opportunity to represent clients in litigation and develop and implement advocacy campaigns.

Immigration Law

This course examines legal rules and administrative procedures that define U.S. citizenship, permanent residence, non-immigrant categories, and refugee status.

Immigration Law and Litigation Clinic

In this clinic, students will be trained to screen and represent juveniles before the Executive Office of Immigration Review.

Immigration Practice Field Placement and Seminar

This placement and seminar provides students with substantive instruction on, and hands-on experience with, advanced issues in immigration and nationality law.

Independent Study

This course requires authorship of a significant paper representing substantial legal research, the work involved being equivalent to a two-credit course including preparation for classes and examination.

The In-House Counsel Experience: A Skills and Simulation Seminar

This seminar will serve as an introduction to the work of in-house counsel, preparing students to thrive in in-house roles.

Independent Study – Jessup International Law Moot

New York Law School regularly fields a team to the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot, the world’s largest competitive moot competition.

Independent Study – Law Review Note

This writing and research course is a self-directed course with supervision by a faculty member and in compliance with the specific rules of the Law Review’s Note Guide.

Independent Study – Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot

New York Law School regularly fields a team to the Wilhem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot, held in Vienna, Austria.

Information Privacy Law

This course focuses on the legislation, regulations, public policy, and case law related to how people share and/or hide personal information.

Intellectual Property

This course provides a survey of general principles of copyright, patent, and trademark law.

Intellectual Property Licensing and Drafting

This course provides an intensive and comprehensive study of intellectual property licensing and related contract drafting issues.

Intensive Trial and Advocacy Skills

This course provides an introduction to the basic trial and advocacy skills that lawyers use in motion argument, hearings, trials, administrative proceedings and arbitration.

International Arbitration

This course introduces the theory and practice of international commercial arbitration and investment treaty arbitration.

International Business Transactions

This course covers international sales of goods and services, cross-border transfers of intellectual property, foreign direct investment, and international settlement of disputes.

International Criminal Law

This course provides a broad overview of the extensive recent developments in International Criminal Law, commonly referred to as the law of atrocity.

International Human Rights Field Placement and Seminar

This offering is a two-course combination that explores various uses of the law and conceptions of justice in the area of international human rights.

International Human Rights Law

This course surveys the theory and practice of international human rights law.

International Law

This course explores the role of authority in the decision-making processes of the world community, including the constitutive process by which international law is made and applied and public order established.

International Tax Planning Seminar

This course focuses on current topics and new developments in international tax planning.

International Taxation

This course examines the U.S. tax laws applicable to multinational businesses, foreign currencies, and international business transactions of many kinds.

International Trade Law

This course introduces the process and substance of international trade law and incorporates case studies and case-based advocacy into the instruction.

Introduction to FinTech Law

This course explores the legal, regulatory, and policy issues associated with technologies disrupting the financial services industry.

Introduction to the MBE

This course is focused on driving student achievement on the bar exam by working to build critical exam skills.

Introduction to the MEE and MPT

This course covers areas of law most commonly tested on the UBE and provides students with the opportunity to practice drafting essay answers to MEE questions and completing MPTs.

Judicial Externship Placement and Seminar

This course includes a placement with a federal judge or a state court judge in New York City or surrounding jurisdictions with a related seminar.

Juvenile Delinquency

This course covers the historical, philosophical and legal foundations of the U.S. juvenile court system and its operation.

Juvenile Rights Law Clinic

Under the supervision of experienced faculty, students fully engage all facets of client-centered juvenile practice. Together with a multidisciplinary team, students represent children in child welfare matters filed in Manhattan Family Court.

Labor Relations Law

This course examines the legal and regulatory framework governing relationships between private-sector employers and their employees engaged in collective action.

Land Use Regulation

This course covers the jurisprudence, regulations, and policies related to the use of land in the U.S.

Landlord and Tenant Law

This course examines the relationship between the landlord and the tenant.

Law and Economics

Law and economics is one of the most influential schools of thought in modern law. The ideas propounded by the economic analysis of law are gaining increasing traction in court decisions and in legal policy. This course will examine the major contributions of law and economics in contract, tort, and property, as well as in other areas of law that may not initially appear to be amenable to economic reasoning.

Law, Corruption, and Government Oversight

This course focuses on the role of oversight in defending the integrity of public institutions against corruption and promoting the values of good government, including the rule of law, transparency, and accountability.

Law Office Externship Placement and Seminar

This externship experience is comprised of an externship placement with a mentor attorney at a law office and a co-requisite seminar.

Law, Public Policy, and Social Change

This course covers legal history and how lawyers are involved in social change.

Law Review Executive Board I and II

This course is reserved for members of the Law Review Executive Board.

Law Review – Legal Scholarship

This course is for members of Law Review during their first semester of membership.

Law Review Member I and II

This course is reserved for members of Law Review.

Law Review Staff Editor I and II

This course is reserved for staff editors of Law Review.

Legal Journalism

This course provides students with the opportunity to write and publish news articles and commentary on current legal issues.

Legal Practice I

This course integrates the teaching of legal reasoning and analysis, predictive legal writing, and legal research and problem solving with other lawyering skills, such as fact analysis and client interviewing.

Legal Practice II

This course introduces students to persuasive legal writing, oral advocacy, client counseling, and negotiation.

Legal Research: Corporate/Business Law

This course helps students refine research skills, learn shortcuts, and develop cost-effective and efficient research strategies for corporate or business law related projects.

Legal Research: Criminal Law

This course helps students refine research skills, learn shortcuts, and develop cost-effective and efficient research strategies for criminal law related projects.

Legal Research: Family Law

This course helps students refine research skills, learn shortcuts, and develop cost-effective and efficient research strategies for family law related projects.

Legal Research: Intellectual Property

This course helps students refine research skills, learn shortcuts, and develop cost-effective and efficient research strategies for intellectual property law related projects.

Legal Research: Labor and Employment Law

This course helps students refine research skills, learn shortcuts, and develop cost-effective research strategies for employment and labor law-related projects.

Legal Research: Practical Skills

This course focuses on methods for researching case law, constitutional law, statutes, and regulations in federal and state jurisdictions.

Legal Research: Real Estate

This course presents an in-depth review of practical research skills that reinforce the importance of finding and interpreting statutes, administrative regulations, cases, and secondary sources.

Legal Research: Skills for the Digital World

This course introduces students to advanced legal research techniques using both the latest computer technology and book resources.

Legal Writing and GenAI

This course explores the intersection of legal writing and GenAI tools, including tool capabilities and limitations and the ethical implications of their use in legal writing.

Legaltech, Legal Operations, and the Future of Practice

This course combines substantive legal content related to legal technology (including electronic discovery) and its use in practice as well as simulations introducing students to the practical application of the technology.

Legislation and Regulation

This course introduces students to legislative process and the nature of statutory construction. It explores the role of public law, legislation, and administrative regulations.

Legislative Advocacy Clinic – New York Civil Liberties Union

This clinic challenges students to conceptualize, plan, and implement a campaign to pass social justice legislation in the New York City Council.

Leveraged Finance

This class will provide an overview of how credit document terms often decide the fate of companies in distress. The course will highlight the principles of contracts, secured transactions, and bankruptcy.

Litigating Copyright and Trademark Cases

This course provides students with the opportunity to experience the pre-trial steps in a copyright and trademark litigation in federal court.

Litigating Damages: Liability and Insurance in Practice

This upper-level seminar will introduce students to the principles of insurance law nationwide, with an emphasis on New York and New Jersey practice.

Mass Torts

This seminar uses case studies, opinions, policy materials, and visiting experts to explore many of these developments in tort law.

Media Law

This course focuses on legal issues facing the media, including defamation, privacy, access to courts and legal materials, news-gathering torts, and prior restraints.

Mediation Clinic

Students in this clinic have the opportunity to learn and observe mediation in a classroom as well as conduct mediations.

Mediation: Theory, Practice, and Skills

Students in this course will develop a firm and practical understanding of the principles of mediated negotiation and acquire skills necessary to represent a client’s interest during mediation.

Medical Malpractice

This course addresses the laws and policies surrounding problems in the delivery of health care by a range of providers.

Memo and Brief Writing

This writing and research course is designed for students who are interested in improving their memo and brief writing skills.

Mental Disability and Criminal Law

This course explores the relationship between mental disability and the criminal trial process.

Mergers and Acquisitions

This course considers the substance, form, and mechanics of corporate mergers, acquisitions, and reorganizations.

Mindful Lawyering

This course introduces students to the practice of mindfulness in the legal profession and will offer techniques for incorporating mindfulness principles in practice.

Mini-M.B.A.

The Mini-M.B.A. is a five-day program that aims to present a coherent framework of inter-related and inter-dependent concepts essential for in-house counsel positions.

Moot Court Executive Board

Students are elected to the Moot Court Executive Board after serving for at least one term as a member of the Moot Court Association.

Moot Court Member

This course is reserved for members of the Moot Court Association.

Negotiating, Counseling and Interviewing

This course focuses on the techniques needed to lead clients through negotiated resolutions.

Negotiation: Theory and Practice

This course focuses on negotiation theory, practice, and ethical implications.

New York City Honors Full-Time Specialized Externship (Gotham Honors)

The Gotham Honors Externship in NYC is a full semester offering and will provide a hands-on complement to conventional courses in public law and related areas. It will connect academic learning and abstract thinking to practice, providing unparalleled lawyering experience in some of the City’s fast-paced, mission-critical agencies and/or firms.

New York City Law Department Labor and Employment Specialized Externship

This Specialized Externship gives students the opportunity to work closely with experienced attorneys on all aspects of litigation handled by the Labor and Employment Law Division of the New York City Law Department.

New York City Law Department Tort Defense Specialized Externship

This field placement and co-requisite seminar on state and local government expose students to the practice of municipal law.

New York Practice

This course covers the conduct of civil litigation in the courts of New York.

New York Wills Practice

This course reviews the procedural and substantive aspects of trusts and estates litigation in New York.

Nonprofit and Small Business Clinic

In this year-long clinic, students provide transactional legal assistance to nonprofit organizations and small businesses.

Nonprofit Organizations

This course examines the structure, governance, operation, and regulation of various charitable organizations from the perspective of counseling, or even establishing, such entities.

Organized and White Collar Crime

This course focuses on the investigation, prosecution, and defense of today’s organized and white-collar criminal cases.

Patent Law

An introduction to patent law, this course is foundational for those students interested in pursuing the area further.

Patent Law Clinic

This clinical course provides students doctrinal instruction and hands-on experience working with entrepreneurs and practicing patent law before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Patent Litigation

This course provides an overview in the basic milestones of and strategy for patent litigation.

Persuasion

This writing and research course provides students with the opportunity to develop their uses of language, rhetorical devices, and other techniques to persuade others.

Policing the Police

This course examines the theories and practical realities of police regulation, exploring assumptions about the police function, policy implications for criminal law, the balance between police power and constitutional protections, and more.

Post-Conviction Innocence Clinic

The Post-Conviction Innocence Clinic provides an opportunity for upper-level students to represent clients in post-conviction matters under the direct supervision of a faculty member.

Post-Data Breach Litigation and Counseling

This course gives students the opportunity to experience the pre-trial steps that occur in the event of a data breach.

Pre-Trial Advocacy

This course gives students the opportunity to develop pre-trial litigation skills.

Private Equity Financing Solutions

This simulation course focuses on the development of the key legal knowledge and skills needed to
successfully structure and effectuate acquisition finance solutions in the context of an M&A transaction involving a private equity sponsor seeking to acquire a public company target.

Pro Bono Scholars Program

Students in the Program spend their final semester engaged in full-time representation of those individuals who cannot afford legal representation—gaining valuable lawyering skills while assisting those in need.

Problems of Timing

This course addresses tax planning issues that relate to the timing of income and deductions.

Professional Responsibility

This course provides an introduction to professional and ethical issues that concern lawyers throughout their careers.

Professional Responsibility in Federal Tax Practice

This course explores the practical, legal, and ethical issues facing attorneys in tax planning.

Professional Responsibility: Criminal Practice

This course provides an introduction to professional and ethical issues that concern lawyers working in a criminal practice setting.

Property

This course covers fundamental property concepts including personal property, real property, land use and development, and the modern real estate transaction.

PTO Trademark Clinic

This clinic provides the opportunity for upper-level students to represent entrepreneurs who cannot afford expensive counsel before the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

Race, Bias, and Advocacy

This course examines how issues of race and race bias manifest themselves in the practice of law.

Real Estate Development

This course provides an overview of the laws, process, and business concerns related to real estate development with a particular focus on New York City.

Real Estate Public/Private Joint Ventures

This course provides students with an understanding of how real estate joint ventures work, focusing primarily on public-private partnerships.

Real Estate Transactions and Finance

This course provides an overview of the legal framework and business concerns related to a real estate transaction.

Refugee and Asylum Law

This course covers the regulations, statutes, international treaties, and case law related to refugee and asylum law.

Regulation of Broker-Dealer and Future Commission Merchants

In this seminar course, students examine federal and state laws and regulations impacting securities and futures brokerage firms.

Restorative Justice

This course encourages students to think critically about the criminal justice system and the current system of punishment.

Restorative Justice Specialized Externship

This externship offers students a placement in a nonprofit or government agency that uses restorative practices or principles in their work, usually as one of the tools or approaches in their work in a legal or legal-adjacent area.

Restorative Practices: Intro to Circle Facilitation

This two-day intensive course has required preparation (reading and related assignments) in advance of the class meetings. Designed for no more than 15 students, this course involves participation in restorative circles in order to learn the basics of the practice of circle facilitation.

Securities Arbitration Specialized Externship

In this placement, students will learn how to conduct factual and legal analysis, draft pleadings, and represent clients in securities arbitration proceedings before the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority under the supervision of experienced attorneys.

Securities Regulation

This course provides an overview of the federal securities laws and the work of the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Sex Offenders

The course examines the contemporary public policy and legislative treatment of sexually coercive behavior.

Sexuality and the Law

This course examines the struggle for equal participation in society by sexual minorities.

Special Education Law and Practice

This course examines the history, legal framework, and application of Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

Sports Law

This course examines a variety of areas of law on the sports industry and its actors.

State and Local Government

This course surveys the major legal and governmental issues of state and local government, emphasizing historical antecedents and current problems.

State and Local Legislation: Substance, Process, and Politics

This course teaches the principles involved in drafting legislation and regulations and incorporating policymaking into drafting.

State and Local Taxation

This course provides an overview of state and local taxation.

Street Law

This course focuses on developing an understanding of the law, the legal process, our system of government, and effective citizenship.

Tax Litigation Seminar

This course examines strategic, jurisdictional, and procedural issues arising in tax litigation.

Tax of Property Transactions: General Topics

This course examines the federal income tax consequences of sales, exchanges, and other dispositions of property and the fundamental tax issues presented by these transactions.

Tax of Property Transactions: Intangibles

This course covers business and tax issues arising from transactions involving intellectual property.

Tax Procedure and Tax Practice

This course examines the administration and enforcement of the federal tax laws.

Tax Research and Writing Seminar – J.D.

This writing and research course is a bridge to practice for students interested in becoming proficient in tax research and writing, the foundations of tax practice.

Tax Research and Writing Seminar – LL.M.

This course focuses on tax research methods and technologies as well as analysis and writing.

Taxation of Banks and Financial Institutions

This course provides a practical and comprehensive foundation in the taxation of multinational banks and financial institutions operating in the United States.

The Art of Cross-Examination

This experiential course will teach students the fundamentals of cross-examination and introduce
them to the purpose and context of cross-examination in trials.

Therapeutic Jurisprudence

This course focuses on the legal system and its therapeutic impact on mentally disabled individuals who are litigants or the subject of litigation.

Torts

This course is an introduction to the rules governing civil liability for breach of duty causing harm or injury to persons and property.

Torts II

This course studies various substantive areas of tort liability.

Trademarks and Unfair Competition

This course provides an overview of trademarks and the legal framework for regulating unfair competition.

Transitional/Global Justice Network

This course involves the management of an International Law website and the underlying research and writing activities to further the goals of the Transitional/Global Justice Network.

Trial Advocacy

This course provides focused study and practical training in the overall skill of conducting a jury trial.

Trial Competition Team – Executive Board Member

The Executive Board, along with the Faculty Advisors, oversee the Team’s activities.

Trial Competition Team – Member

As members, students on the team represent the School in regional and national trial competitions.

Veterans Justice Clinic

The course provides students with the opportunity to offer legal assistance to low-income veterans in New York City, while gaining a range of legal skills under the supervision of experienced attorneys.

Visual Persuasion in the Law

This upper-level interdisciplinary course explores how new digital technologies are altering how lawyers communicate and argue. The final exam is a take home paper; alternatively, students may elect to collaborate on producing a short law-related film.

Course Catalog

PROFESSIONAL PATHWAYS

Business and Financial Services

Intellectual Property and Privacy

Government and Public Interest Law

General Practice / Chart Your Path

OTHER CRITERIA

Format

Credits

Graduation Requirements