Course Descriptions for Spring 2013 1L Electives

Review course descriptions for the various Spring 2013 1L electives (below).
Print out the Spring 2013 1L Elective Selection Form and complete it.
Submit the Form to Room 5110A by Tuesday, November 20th.

CIVIL PROCEDURE II. (Prof. Cheryl Weston). This course satisfies the Jurisdiction of Courts requirement of the Mandatory Subject Matter Areas for the Wisconsin Diploma Privilege, as well as the 60-credit rule. Civil Procedure II covers personal jurisdiction, federal subject matter jurisdiction, venue, removal, remittance and transfer, choice of law, joinder of claims and parties and the preclusive effect of findings and judgments on subsequent litigation. The course covers the interpretation of several key federal statutes (e.g., 1331, 1332, 1367, 1404) and a number of important United States Supreme Court cases with not only jurisdictional but constitutional dimensions. This is a fundamental course for all law students, both those who intend to be involved in the litigation process and those who intend to do transactional work, which can always end up in litigation.

INTERNATIONAL LAW. (Prof. Alexandra Huneeus). This course satisfies the Legal Process graduation requirement and also counts toward the 60-credit rule for the Wisconsin Diploma Privilege. The course will serve as an introduction to transnational law which will be defined as incorporating a range of substantive legal fields implicated in the regulation of cross-border activity as well as aspects of law that are directly effected by decisions and events that occur or have effects beyond national borders. The course will include a basic introduction to public international law, international economic law, human rights and humanitarian law as well as a more limited exposure to conflicts of law, comparative law and the use of foreign and international law in the domestic courts of the United States. Taking this course will achieve two important goals for first-year law students. First, this course will expose students to international legal issues and foreign legal concepts and problems that they are likely to face at some time in their future legal careers regardless of where they choose to practice. Given the increasing reliance on law in diverse fields, from trade to the environment, and the exponential increase in trans-border activity, as well as the increasing global practice of law, there are a surprising range of transnational legal questions that any well trained lawyer should have some awareness of. Second, this course will be a basic introduction for all students interested in pursing higher level courses in any aspect of international or global law. While students will have the opportunity in their second year to take some advanced courses, even if they have not taken this first introductory course, this course will be the basic entry point for the full range of transnational and international law courses offered in the second and third years. The course is also the first step in the International Law Concentration.

CONTRACTS II. (Prof. Stewart Macaulay). This course is an advanced Contracts course and counts toward the 60-credit rule for the Wisconsin Diploma Privilege. The course focuses primarily on Article 2 of the UCC. It is an essential course for students interested in becoming transactional lawyers as well as for students who will be taking a bar exam. Much like the introductory course, this more advanced course takes a "law in action" approach that encourages students to evaluate all of the options available to contracting parties. Among other issues, the course covers the "battle of the forms," interpretation, the parol evidence rule, the rules governing installment sales, the rules governing impossibility and the various notices that contractual partners are obligated to provide when dissatisfied with their counterpart's performance. In addition to these UCC issues, the course also covers various common law doctrines, including formation and mistake. We attempt to expand the context of appellate opinions as broadly as possible to show the business background and likely impact of the decisions.

ADMINISTRATIVE LAW. (Prof. John Ohnesorge). This course satisfies the Legal Process graduation requirement and also counts toward the 60-credit rule for the Wisconsin Diploma Privilege. The course focuses on the place of Federal administrative agencies and the administrative process in society; emphasizing agencies' powers and procedures, and the relationships among the legislative, judicial, and executive branches of government in the development and implementation of public policy. While typically not a formal prerequisite to Environmental Law, Securities Regulation, or other advanced regulatory courses, Administrative Law covers legal and institutional structures that underlie the whole of the modern regulatory state, and taking the course as a 1L elective provides students with an excellent foundation from which to move directly into specific areas of interest during their 2L year.

BUSINESS ORGANIZATIONS I. (Prof. Ken Davis) This is an introductory course that covers basic issues relating to the law of principals and agents and surveys state laws governing the formation and operation of closely held business associations, including partnerships, limited liability companies, and closely held corporations. The course deals with choice of business entity, forming and financing business enterprises, and management rights within such enterprises.

Elective Selection Form Due Tuesday, November 20th