Law (LA)
LA 505a Legal Institutions and Values - 3 Hours
Students survey foundational sources in history, philosophy, Christian theology, and the Bible as the basis for legal and governmental order in the United States. Topics range from Sumerian democracy to Greek and Roman law to the sources and impact of the English common law. Delivery Mode: Traditional Juris Doctor.
LA 505x Legal Institutions and Values - 3 Hours
Students survey foundational sources in history, philosophy, Christian theology, and the Bible as the basis for legal and governmental order in the United States. Topics range from Sumerian democracy to Greek and Roman law to the sources and impact of the English common law. Delivery Mode: Flex Juris Doctor.
LA 521 Contracts 1 - 3 Hours
Students study the fundamentals of contract law, including common law principles, selected sections of the Restatement (Second) of Contracts, and the Uniform Commercial Code. Students examine remedies, offer, acceptance, discerning the agreement, parol evidence rule, Statute of Frauds, multi-party transactions, and enforceability. Delivery Mode: Traditional Juris Doctor.
LA 521x Contracts 1 - 3 Hours
Students study the fundamentals of contract law, including common law principles, selected sections of the Restatement (Second) of Contracts, and the Uniform Commercial Code. Students examine remedies, offer, acceptance, discerning the agreement, parol evidence rule, Statute of Frauds, multi-party transactions, and enforceability. Delivery Mode: Flex Juris Doctor.
LA 522a Contracts 2 - 3 Hours
Students study the fundamentals of contract law, including common law principles, selected sections of the Restatement (Second) of Contracts, and the Uniform Commercial Code. Students examine consideration, promissory estoppel, warranties and conditions, breach, and defenses. Delivery Mode: Traditional Juris Doctor.
LA 522x Contracts 2 - 3 Hours
Students study the fundamentals of contract law, including common law principles, selected sections of the Restatement (Second) of Contracts, and the Uniform Commercial Code. Students examine consideration, promissory estoppel, warranties and conditions, breach, and defenses. Delivery Mode: Flex Juris Doctor.
LA 523 Contracts Drafting - 1 Hour
Students learn practical contract drafting skills, including how to translate a business deal into contract concepts, how to draft each of a contract's parts, how to draft with clarity and without ambiguity, how to negotiate a contract, and how to review and analyze a contract. Delivery Mode: Traditional Juris Doctor.
LA 531a Criminal Law - 3 Hours
Students learn how to deal with substantive criminal law problems in both practical and policy terms. Students inquire into the proper scope and objectives of criminal law, limitations on the state's power to define criminal liability, and general principles of liability and defenses for offenses against the person and property. Students are also provided with an opportunity for critical examination of statutes at an early stage in the law student's career. Delivery Mode: Traditional Juris Doctor.
LA 531x Criminal Law - 3 Hours
Students learn how to deal with substantive criminal law problems in both practical and policy terms. Students inquire into the proper scope and objectives of criminal law, limitations on the state's power to define criminal liability, and general principles of liability and defenses for offenses against the person and property. Students are also provided with an opportunity for critical examination of statutes at an early stage in the law student's career. Delivery Mode: Flex Juris Doctor.
LA 541 Torts 1 - 3 Hours
Students learn the civil laws governing compensation for injury to person and property. Students focus on intentional torts and defenses, negligence and defenses, wrongful death, survival, statute of limitations, immunities, and vicarious liability. Delivery Mode: Traditional Juris Doctor.
LA 541x Torts 1 - 3 Hours
Students learn the civil laws governing compensation for injury to person and property. Students focus on intentional torts and defenses, negligence and defenses, wrongful death, survival, statute of limitations, immunities, and vicarious liability. Delivery Mode: Flex Juris Doctor.
LA 542 Torts 2 - 3 Hours
Students learn the civil laws governing compensation for injury to person and property. Students study strict liability, products liability, nuisance, defamation, invasion of privacy, civil rights, misuse of legal procedure, intentional and negligent misrepresentation, business torts and familial relationships, torts in the age of statutes, and compensation systems as substitutes for tort law. Delivery Mode: Traditional Juris Doctor.
LA 542x Torts 2 - 3 Hours
Students learn the civil laws governing compensation for injury to person and property. Students study strict liability, products liability, nuisance, defamation, invasion of privacy, civil rights, misuse of legal procedure, intentional and negligent misrepresentation, business torts and familial relationships, torts in the age of statutes, and compensation systems as substitutes for tort law. Delivery Mode: Flex Juris Doctor.
LA 545 Human Trafficking: Law and Policy (Cambodia) - 1-3 Hours
In this study abroad course in Cambodia, students are introduced to international and domestic laws and policies governing various forms of human trafficking, including forced labor, sexual exploitation, and other modern forms of slavery. Cambodia is considered a source, transit, and destination country for many forms of human trafficking. Students explore Cambodia's history as well as its legal responses to the Cambodian genocide and human trafficking. Students examine the diplomatic and policy tools employed by governments, non-governmental organizations, and other institutions to combat trafficking, including foreign aid, local investment, education, and economic development. Students have the opportunity to meet with multilateral organizations, government officials, NGOs, survivor organizations, and other key individuals involved in the anti-trafficking movement. LA 545 is repeatable for up to 3 units. Delivery Mode: Traditional Juris Doctor.
LA 550 Foundations of Law - 3 Hours
Students explore the foundational institutions, principles, and norms of American legal systems, along with the legal concepts related to them. Students are introduced to the thinkers and ideas that have significantly contributed to Western and American legal traditions. Students examine the nature of law, the development of common law, the rise of modern legal philosophies, and the influence of Christian and secular worldviews on the evolution of American law. Key appellate court opinions are analyzed to illustrate foundational concepts and the basics of legal reasoning. Delivery Mode: Traditional Juris Doctor.
LA 550x Foundations of Law - 3 Hours
Students explore the foundational institutions, principles, and norms of American legal systems, along with the legal concepts related to them. Students are introduced to the thinkers and ideas that have significantly contributed to Western and American legal traditions. Students examine the nature of law, the development of common law, the rise of modern legal philosophies, and the influence of Christian and secular worldviews on the evolution of American law. Key appellate court opinions are analyzed to illustrate foundational concepts and the basics of legal reasoning. Delivery Mode: Flex Juris Doctor.
LA 559 Legal Research and Writing 1: Objective Writing - 3 Hours
Students are introduced to fundamental legal reasoning, research (both online and in print), and writing skills within the context of objective legal documents. Students learn to identify, utilize, and analyze primary and secondary legal authorities to solve legal problems, as well as how to structure and draft legal memoranda. LA 559 meets practical skills requirement. Delivery Mode: Traditional Juris Doctor.
LA 560b Legal Research and Writing 2: Persuasive Writing - 3 Hours
Students develop their analytical, writing, and research skills in the advocacy context. Students produce litigation documents including a pre-trial motion and an appellate brief. Students are also required to participate in an oral argument competition to practice oral advocacy skills. LA 560b meets practical skills requirement. Delivery Mode: Traditional Juris Doctor.
LA 560d Legal Writing: Litigation Skills - 3 Hours
Students are provided legal writing experience in civil litigation, including the drafting of demand letters, complaints, answers and other responsive pleadings, discovery, discovery responses, motions, and pre-trial documents. Students focus on the legal writing skills commonly required in civil litigation. Students have the opportunity to simulate attorney case handling in a civil litigation setting. Using a class hypothetical based on a real civil case, students will learn how to manage the case as practicing attorneys. LA 560d meets practical skills requirement. Delivery Mode: Traditional Juris Doctor.
LA 560e Legal Writing: Transactional Skills - 3 Hours
Students are provided legal writing experience in transactional civil practice. Students focus on legal writing commonly associated with and required in transactional civil practice including opinion letters, letters to opposing counsel, commonly utilized contractual provisions, mutual settlements and releases, clauses related to indemnification and hold harmless agreements, anti-competition provisions, and confidentiality agreements. LA 560e meets practical skills requirement. Delivery Mode: Traditional Juris Doctor.
LA 561 Mastering Multiple-Choice Questions: Part 1 - 1 Hour
Students focus on contracts, criminal law, criminal procedure, and torts for the multiple-choice portion of the California Bar Exam. Students review the substantive law, practice extensively, develop time management strategies, and identify areas for improvement. Delivery Mode: Traditional Juris Doctor.
LA 562 Mastering Multiple-Choice Questions: Part 2 - 1 Hour
Students focus on civil procedure, constitutional law, evidence, and property for the multiple-choice portion of the California Bar Exam. Students review the substantive law, practice extensively, develop time management strategies, and identify areas for improvement. Delivery Mode: Traditional Juris Doctor.
LA 567 Mastering the Performance Test - 1 Hour
Students focus on the California Bar Exam Performance Test. Students develop time management strategies and approaches for how to organize and outline the test. Additionally, students complete several Performance Tests and receive personalized feedback. Prerequisites: LA 559 & LA 560b. Delivery Mode: Traditional Juris Doctor.
LA 572 Victimology and Restorative Justice - 1 Hour
Students cover the relationship between victims and their offenders, interaction between victims and the criminal justice system, the impact of crime on victims' families and the reintroduction of offenders to society. Students focus on the Christian view of reconciliation. Delivery Mode: Traditional Juris Doctor.
LA 599x FYLSX Skills - 3 Hours
Students engage in a substantive law review of each subject tested on the California First-Year Law Students' Examination (FYLSX). Students also extensively practice in both essay exam writing and multiple-choice questions. Students focus on approaches, checklists, and writing techniques to enhance issue spotting, analysis, and application skills, which are necessary skills to pass the FYLSX. Delivery mode: Flex Juris Doctor.
LA 600i Constitutional Law 1 - 3 Hours
Students explore the structure and powers of the federal government and focus on selected topics regarding the relationship of the branches of the federal government to each other and to the states. Delivery Mode: Traditional Juris Doctor.
LA 601i Constitutional Law 2 - 3 Hours
Students explore selected topics regarding the Bill of Rights, particularly the First Amendment and the Fourteenth Amendment's Due Process and Equal Protection clauses. Delivery Mode: Traditional Juris Doctor.
LA 604 Religious Freedom and Sports - 1 Hour
Students explore religious freedom-related issues as they pertain to sports. Students examine topics including homeschooling, transfers, free speech and prayer, employment law, Sabbath accommodations, Title IX and gender equity issues, and the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act. Students apply legal principles to current sports-related topics as well as to fact patterns they may encounter if practicing in the area of religious freedom. Delivery Mode: Traditional Juris Doctor.
LA 613 Professional Responsibility and Ethics - 3 Hours
Students primarily focus on the laws governing lawyers' professional conduct. These laws are studied through ethics codes, cases, professional responsibility opinions, ethics problems, and class discussion. Students focus on the ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct, ABA Model Code of Judicial Conduct, and the California Rules of Professional Conduct. Additionally, the ethics aspect of the course examines the broader moral and ethical issues and responsibilities of lawyers, judges, and clients, including Christian ethical perspectives. Delivery Mode: Traditional Juris Doctor.
LA 613x Professional Responsibility and Ethics - 3 Hours
Students primarily focus on the laws governing lawyers' professional conduct. These laws are studied through ethics codes, cases, professional responsibility opinions, ethics problems, and class discussion. Students focus on the ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct, ABA Model Code of Judicial Conduct, and the California Rules of Professional Conduct. Additionally, the ethics aspect of the course examines the broader moral and ethical issues and responsibilities of lawyers, judges, and clients, including Christian ethical perspectives. Delivery Mode: Flex Juris Doctor.
LA 661 Property 1 - 3 Hours
Students focus on the acquisition, disposition, and use of personal and real property. Students explore the nature of ownership and possession, bailment, donative transfers, adverse possession, common law classifications of estates in land, concurrent ownership, present and future interests in land, and landlord-tenant law. Delivery Mode: Traditional Juris Doctor.
LA 662 Property 2 - 3 Hours
Students focus on the acquisition, disposition, and use of personal and real property. Students explore transfers of interests in real property, real estate contracts, legal descriptions, conveyances and deeds, recording systems, title insurance, private land-use restrictions (easements, covenants, and equitable servitudes), public land-use regulations, mortgages, eminent domain, and regulatory takings. Students may be exposed to intellectual property. Delivery Mode: Traditional Juris Doctor.
LA 671i Evidence 1 - 3 Hours
Students learn the standards regulating admissibility of evidence in both civil and criminal trials. Students study common law and statutory principles, policy considerations underlying rules of evidence, admission and exclusion, relevancy and materiality, opinion evidence, authentication, the best evidence rule, judicial notice, public policy exclusions, and presumptions and burden of proof. Trial situations are simulated, students argue for and against the admission of evidence under the rules, and students explore how evidence has an impact on tactical trial decisions. Students address the Federal Rules of Evidence and the California Evidence Code, including any distinctions between the two. Delivery Mode: Traditional Juris Doctor.
LA 672i Evidence 2 - 3 Hours
Students learn the standards regulating admissibility of evidence in both civil and criminal trials. Students study privileged communications, the hearsay rule and its exceptions, and impeachment and rehabilitation. Trial situations are simulated, students argue for and against the admission of evidence under the rules, and students explore how evidence has an impact on tactical trial decisions. Students address the Federal Rules of Evidence and the California Evidence Code, including any distinctions between the two. Delivery Mode: Traditional Juris Doctor.
LA 673b Civil Procedure 1 - 3 Hours
Students examine aspects of civil litigation, including an introduction to the court system, personal and subject matter jurisdiction, venue, and the role of state law in federal courts. Students also discuss remedies and pleading. Students primarily focus on federal civil procedure but also addresses California procedure where it differs from the federal rules. Delivery Mode: Traditional Juris Doctor.
LA 674b Civil Procedure 2 - 3 Hours
Students examine aspects of civil litigation, including discovery, parties, counterclaims, cross-claims, impleader, intervention, and interpleader. Students primarily focus on federal civil procedure but also address California procedure where it differs from the federal rules. Delivery Mode: Traditional Juris Doctor.
LA 674d E-Discovery - 1 Hour
This course introduces students to the increasingly competitive world of e-discovery and provides a basic understanding of the legal and technological issues surrounding the use of electronically stored information (ESI), and the practical parameters of e-discovery and electronic case management. Students learn what electronic discovery is, and how the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, the Federal Rules of Evidence, and case law affect this aspect of litigation. This course discusses what an attorney and the attorney's team need to consider when handling ESI prior to and during the litigation process, how to manage the cost of production and processing, and how those considerations should affect an attorney's thought process when working with this type of information. Students also learn how preservation obligations and spoliation claims can come into play. Lastly, the course explores the developing issues and new rules and practices involving the application of e-discovery, digital evidence and computer forensics issues in litigation and general practice. Delivery Mode: Traditional Juris Doctor.
LA 675a Alternative Dispute Resolution - 3 Hours
This course provides students with an opportunity to develop a thorough understanding of the different forms of ADR through the study of various ADR vehicles such as arbitration and mediation. In addition to developing an academic understanding of the appropriate use of ADR and the procedural posture upon which cases move into and through ADR, students are also given an opportunity to engage in mock ADR hearings both as counsel for the litigants in a hypothetical case, and as the neutral conducting the hearing. Finally, students are given the opportunity to prepare certain documents typically associated with ADR hearings such as Arbitration Briefs and Mediation Briefs. Course meets practical skills requirement. Delivery Mode: Traditional Juris Doctor.
LA 702a Business Associations - 3 Hours
Students explore the formation of agency relationships, partnerships and corporations, the fiduciary duties of agents, directors and officers, shareholder voting, shareholder lawsuits, rules around corporate disclosures, insider trading, and corporate control transactions. Particular attention is given to the way in which corporations organize and operate. Students also examine the respective roles, relationships, and liability exposure of shareholders, directors, and officers. Delivery Mode: Traditional Juris Doctor.
LA 753 Trial Practice - 3 Hours
This is a practical skills course in advocacy that introduces students to the fundamental components of a typical civil and criminal trial. It requires students to perform exercises involving each component, and try a mock civil or criminal case from provided problem materials. The course requires student participation in discrete exercises, including jury voir dire, opening and closing statements, presentation and objections to evidence, and direct and cross-examination. Course meets practical skills requirement. Prerequisites: LA671i and LA672i Delivery Mode: Traditional Juris Doctor.
LA 763 Family Law - 3 Hours
This course studies the legal aspects of the relationships associated with marriage and parenthood, including spousal and parental rights and responsibilities, children's rights, marital dissolution, annulment, unmarried cohabitation, child custody, illegitimacy, adoption, and guardianship. Delivery Mode: Traditional Juris Doctor.
LA 764 Community Property - 2 Hours
Students focus on the principles of California's community property system and contrast those principles with the treatment of assets in a common law jurisdiction. Students analyze how California classifies different types of assets that a couple might acquire during the course of a marital relationship. Students primarily discuss how California classifies personal injury awards, pensions, disability benefits, professional degrees, bonuses, credit acquisitions, and jointly-titled assets. Practical problems and solutions are emphasized. Delivery Mode: Traditional Juris Doctor.
LA 783i Criminal Procedure - 3 Hours
Students are provided with a comprehensive understanding of important issues in criminal procedure arising during the investigation and early stages of prosecution of crimes. Topics include constitutional limits on arrests and stops, search and seizure; interrogation of suspects; right to counsel; exclusionary rule; identification procedures; and the privilege against self-incrimination. Delivery Mode: Traditional Juris Doctor.
LA 783x Criminal Procedure - 3 Hours
Students are provided with a comprehensive understanding of important issues in criminal procedure arising during the investigation and early stages of prosecution of crimes. Topics include constitutional limits on arrests and stops, search and seizure; interrogation of suspects; right to counsel; exclusionary rule; identification procedures; and the privilege against self-incrimination. Delivery Mode: Flex Juris Doctor.
LA 790b Jurisprudence - 3 Hours
Students learn core juristic concepts - the modes of jurisprudential reasoning, principles, rights and duties, and institutions - that have shaped Western law, and employ these concepts to understand and critique the institutions, principles, and norms of the American legal system. Students read and discuss classic and contemporary jurisprudential texts and examples of jurisprudence in practice, such as landmark judicial decisions, significant constitutional actions, and policy debates. In particular, students read foundational texts in ancient Greek philosophy, Roman law, and Judeo-Christian jurisprudence; natural law theory; legal positivism; pragmatic jurisprudence, especially legal realism and law & economics; modern human rights concepts; and postmodern critical theories. Delivery Mode: Traditional Juris Doctor.
LA 803 Wills, Trusts, and Estates - 3 Hours
Students learn rules related to intestate succession; testamentary dispositions; the execution, modification, and revocation of wills; testamentary capacity; will contests; and the interpretation of wills. Students examine the protection of spouses and children as well as the use of will substitutes. Students study the creation, types, and characteristics of trusts, including the construction of trusts, trust administration, and wealth transfer taxation. Fiduciary administration issues are also addressed. Delivery Mode: Traditional Juris Doctor.
LA 822a Remedies - 3 Hours
Students analyze the judicial remedies available in the American system of jurisprudence. Students are familiarized with compensatory and punitive damages, preliminary and permanent injunctions, restitution and unjust enrichment, rescission, declaratory judgments, attorneys fees, and pre-judgment interest. Students examine claims for and defenses to quiet title, reformation, fraudulent conveyances, subrogation, contribution, indemnity, and replevin. Students also engage in discussion of recent developments in the law of American remedies as well as important practical issues regarding enforcing money judgments, initiating and prosecuting contempt proceedings, and obtaining writs of attachment and other pre-judgment remedies. Students will conclude the course with discussions of equitable and other remedies available to defendants, such as unclean hands, unconscionability, waiver, estoppel, laches, statutes of limitations, and California SLAPP laws. Delivery Mode: Traditional Juris Doctor.
LA 843 Christian Legal Thought - 3 Hours
The course surveys the various ways Christianity intersects with the law, legal institutions, and legal values. It considers the importance of Christian legal education and its various contributions to the individual and society. Topics range from the importance of legal education, Biblical foundations for Christian legal thought, natural law and its sources, and various applications to contemporary legal issues. Delivery Mode: Traditional Juris Doctor.
LA 845a Pro Bono Reading Seminar - 1 Hour
LA 845a provides an opportunity for JD students and faculty to connect with one another in an informal setting to engage with texts that illuminate significant questions about law. Each semester the group leader chooses a book or set of readings addressing topics with a relation to law, and particularly core issues regarding the relationship between law, faith, politics, culture, and more. Groups meet four or five times during the semester to discuss the readings. Discussions allow students to explore the real-world impact of law and the principles underlying our legal system, as well as to reflect on the legal profession and their vocation as lawyers. These discussions enhance the sense of community and facilitate intellectual engagement among students and faculty - always toward the ends of pursuing the truth, advocating for justice, and serving our neighbors. Delivery Mode: Traditional Juris Doctor.
LA 870b Civil Litigation Skills - 3 Hours
This course provides students with an opportunity to develop an approach to the pleading and discovery aspects of litigation. The course covers drafting and opposing pleadings, preparing a discovery plan, drafting and responding to written discovery, preparing witnesses for depositions, and deposition skills in accordance with the California Code of Civil Procedure. Course meets practical skills requirement. Prerequisites: LA 671i, LA 672i, LA 673b, and LA 674b. Delivery Mode: Traditional Juris Doctor.
LA 872 Advanced Legal Writing: Skills and Strategies - 2 Hours
Students strenghen legal writing skills. Students learn to choose the right words, organize their thoughts, and convey arguments as precisely and succinctly as possible. Coursework includes exercises, revisions of existing legal documents, peer editing, and several writing projects. Students also review and reinforce, through additional practice, the principles of effective research and writing, including citation. Delivery Mode: Traditional Juris Doctor.
LA 891b Juvenile Dependency - 3 Hours
This course focuses on the principles of California's Juvenile Dependency law system as found in the Welfare and Institutions Code, particularly section 300 filings. There are evidentiary, civil procedure, constitutional law, and criminal law crossovers. This course extensively covers the WIC code and all relevant case law, child welfare and foster care system, Due Process rights of families in that system, and the specific roles of parent's counsel, minor's counsel, and county counsel. Students demonstrate knowledge of the Due Process rights of families in that system, and the specific roles of parent's counsel, minor's counsel, and county counsel by presenting evidence and arguments in mock proceedings of detention hearings, jurisdictional and dispositional hearings, statutory review hearings, and hearings to terminate parental rights. Delivery Mode: Traditional Juris Doctor.
LA 901 Introduction to International Human Rights - 3 Hours
This course introduces the student to the history, theory, and legal development for the systematic protection of human rights throughout the world. The course considers the theological and philosophical foundations of human rights; the primary sources of human rights law; the role of non-State actors, including nongovernmental organizations like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch; important debates regarding legitimacy, compliance, efficacy, national sovereignty, responses to mass violence, universal jurisdiction, and more. It also equips students to critically examine the strengths and weaknesses of the human rights protection system from a Christian perspective. Delivery Mode: Traditional Juris Doctor.
LA 910 The Right to Life and the Law - 3 Hours
This course studies the complex medical, social, legal, and ethical issues raised by topics such as abortion, euthanasia, and infanticide. The course includes a survey of Supreme Court and other judicial decisions pertaining to these issues. Delivery Mode: Traditional Juris Doctor.
LA 914 Rights of Minorities and Indigenous Peoples - 3 Hours
This course explores international legal mechanisms to protect the rights of minorities, and especially of indigenous peoples. Delivery Mode: Traditional Juris Doctor.
LA 916a Domestic Human Trafficking - 1 Hour
This course examines trials of domestic human trafficking cases, from jury selection to closing argument, as well as the legal challenges to combating this crime. Students learn about the current understanding of human trafficking in California and the advocacy against human trafficking, including the recruitment of victims, the typical trafficker, and the laws that affect trafficking and its prosecution. Delivery Mode: Traditional Juris Doctor.
LA 916b International Human Trafficking - 1 Hour
Students study an overview of the global issue of trafficking in persons for forced labor or sexual exploitation and examine factors that contribute to the issue and how it is being addressed through legal, economic, and other solutions. Students also examine applicable international conventions and the United States policy responses to human trafficking. Delivery mode: Traditional Juris Doctor.
LA 922 Public International Law - 3 Hours
This course introduces students to the fundamentals of international law and the way it functions (or fails to function) in global society, covering the history and sources of international law; the relationship between international law and domestic law; state sovereignty, territory, and jurisdiction; immunities; state responsibility; the use of force, self-defense, terrorism, and peaceful settlement of disputes; the law of the sea and the environment; the law of human rights, armed conflict, and international crimes; and more. The course relies on important cases, treaties, and other instruments, as well as films and news reports, to examine traditional problems and current events. The course would be an excellent introduction for students who plan to, or would like to, enroll in LA545 or LA932. Delivery Mode: Traditional Juris Doctor.
LA 929 Children and the Law - 1 Hour
Students examine various ways that children interact with the law. Students discuss fundamental issues regarding children as full persons or people in need of protection, children in the context of families, children and the state, child abuse and neglect, the child and health care, the child and society, the child and school, and children and the criminal justice system. Students learn by utilizing cases, materials, and readings, as well as practical training tools. Delivery Mode: Traditional Juris Doctor.
LA 932 International Human Rights Protection (Europe) - 6 Hours
In this study abroad course in The Hague, Netherlands, and Strasbourg, France, students address the recognition and protection of human rights under international law. Students address the protection of human beings in the international human rights protection system, the regional systems for protecting human rights, as well as under international criminal law and international humanitarian law. Students investigate the jurisprudence of human rights, including its history and development, as well as the theological and philosophical foundations for reflecting on the nature and scope of human rights. Students visit numerous international courts, museums, and a Nazi concentration camp, and have the unique opportunity to interact with human rights lawyers, judges, government officials, academics, and activists from around the world. Delivery Mode: Traditional Juris Doctor.
LA 953 Legal Internship - 1-6 Hours
Internships/Externships combine academic training in lawyering skills and professional responsibility with practical experience working for a judge, district attorney, public defender, government agency or non-profit law office. Interns/Externs work under the supervision of experienced practicing attorneys or judges who provide guidance and training in research, writing, and practical lawyering skills. Course meets practical skills requirement. Delivery Mode: Traditional Juris Doctor.
LA 957a Law Practice Management - 3 Hours
This course covers the practical aspects of opening a law practice, forms of practice, legal assistants and the use of systems for professional and business functions, timekeeping and fees, bookkeeping, client relationships, the law office staff manual, library and retrieval systems, calendar and monitor systems, essential equipment and law office layout, and developing a practice. The course also discusses the business and ethical issues and the personal pressures encountered in the solo or small firm practice. Finally, this course covers the methods, standards, and procedures utilized by the accounting profession in the preparation and issuance of financial and accounting documents. The course objective is the familiarization of legal professionals with the nomenclature and processes incorporated in accounting reportage and to enable legal professionals to become conversant with accounting principles so as to be more effective in interpreting financial reports and advising clients. Course meets the practical skills requirement. Delivery Mode: Traditional Juris Doctor.
LA 958 Law as a Vocation - 1 Hour
This course explores the foundations of the lawyer's calling. Participants discuss the foundations of the idea of "professionalism", the religious roots of the idea of "calling" in the context of ordinary work outside the local congregation, and the implications for these ideas on a philosophy of lawyering. The course also addresses the practical consequences of the fundamental view of the lawyer's vocation. Delivery mode: Traditional Juris Doctor.
LA 959g Trinity Mediation Clinic - 2 Hours
This clinic operates in conjunction with the Orange County Superior Court and Waymakers OC. Students have hands-on experience providing mediation services to disputants while operating under the direction of a professor who is both a mediator and licensed attorney. As mediators, the students act as third-party neutrals to help litigants facilitate a resolution of their pending lawsuits. This clinic equips students interested in entering the field of alternative dispute resolution or those who would like to incorporate peacemaking principles into their own legal practice. This clinic is available for in-person or remote students. LA 959g meets practical skills requirement. Delivery Mode: Traditional Juris Doctor.
LA 959i Trinity Law Clinic - 1 Hour
Students participate in an off-campus poverty law clinic while earning elective credit. This clinic is a partnership with the Orange County Rescue Mission (OCRM) and joins in OCRM's purpose "to minister the love of Jesus Christ to the Least, the Last, and the Lost." Students assist in providing services to the residents of the OCRM's multiple programs around Southern California. Under the supervision of an attorney, students interview clients and work with the supervising attorney to problem solve. Students address some of the biggest legal issues faced by the homeless including family law, criminal law, and debt issues. Students receive instruction on the provision of legal service as well as hands-on training in interviewing clients, assessing legal needs, and providing answers to difficult legal issues. LA 959i meets practical skills requirement. Delivery Mode: Traditional Juris Doctor.
LA 959j Trinity Law Clinic - 2 Hours
Students participate in a poverty law clinic taking place at the Village of Hope campus. This clinic is a partnership with the Orange County Rescue Mission (OCRM) and joins in OCRM's purpose "to minister the love of Jesus Christ to the Least, the Last, and the Lost." Students assist in providing services to the residents of the OCRM's multiple programs around Southern California. Under the supervision of an attorney, students interview clients and work with the supervising attorney to problem solve. Students address some of the biggest legal issues faced by the homeless including family law, criminal law, and debt issues. Students receive instruction on the provision of legal service as well as hands-on training in interviewing clients, assessing legal needs, and providing answers to difficult legal issues. LA 959j meets practical skills requirement. Delivery Mode: Traditional Juris Doctor.
LA 959k Trinity Mobile Legal Clinic - 1 Hour
Students participate in an off-campus poverty law clinic while earning elective credit. This clinic is a partnership with the Orange County Rescue Mission (OCRM). Under the direction of a supervising attorney, students work with low-income and homeless residents of Orange County at OCRM facilities. Students interview clients, help complete court or administrative paperwork, and assist clients in contacting governmental agencies as well as preparing for court hearings. Students participating in this clinic address many of the biggest legal issues faced by the homeless. Students are able to provide pro bono legal services to members of society who might not otherwise have access to legal assistance. LA 959k meets practical skills requirement. Delivery Mode: Traditional Juris Doctor.
LA 959n Trinity Religious Liberty Clinic - 1 Hour
This clinic is a partnership with the Pacific Justice Institute (PJI). PJI is a non-profit organization with offices on the campus of Trinity Law School which provides pro bono legal services to churches and individuals, primarily involving the defense of religious freedom, parental rights, and other civil liberties. Students hone legal writing skills in this writing-intense clinic while under the supervision of an attorney specializing in constitutional law. Students are exposed to writing trial motions and appellate briefs for important religious freedom matters. LA 959n meets practical skills requirement. Delivery Mode: Traditional Juris Doctor.
LA 959o Trinity Religious Liberty Clinic - 2 Hours
This clinic is a partnership with the Pacific Justice Institute (PJI). PJI is a non-profit organization with offices on the campus of Trinity Law School which provides pro bono legal services to churches and individuals, primarily involving the defense of religious freedom, parental rights, and other civil liberties. Students hone legal writing skills in this writing-intense clinic while under the supervision of an attorney specializing in constitutional law. Students are exposed to writing trial motions and appellate briefs for important religious freedom matters. LA 959o meets practical skills requirement. Delivery Mode: Traditional Juris Doctor.
LA 959t Trinity Mediation Clinic - 3 Hours
This clinic operates in conjunction with the Orange County Superior Court and Waymakers OC. Students have hands-on experience providing mediation services to disputants while operating under the direction of a professor who is both a mediator and licensed attorney. As mediators, the students act as third-party neutrals to help litigants facilitate a resolution of their pending lawsuits. This clinic equips students interested in entering the field of alternative dispute resolution or those who would like to incorporate peacemaking principles into their own legal practice. This clinic is available for in-person or remote students. LA 959t meets practical skills requirement. Delivery Mode: Traditional Juris Doctor.
LA 959u Trinity Religious Liberty Clinic - 3 Hours
This clinic is a partnership with the Pacific Justice Institute (PJI). PJI is a non-profit organization with offices on the campus of Trinity Law School which provides pro bono legal services to churches and individuals, primarily involving the defense of religious freedom, parental rights, and other civil liberties. Students hone legal writing skills in this writing-intense clinic while under the supervision of an attorney specializing in constitutional law. Students are exposed to writing trial motions and appellate briefs for important religious freedom matters. LA 959u meets practical skills requirement. Delivery Mode: Traditional Juris Doctor.
LA 959v Trinity Immigration Clinic - 3 Hours
Under the supervision of a Trinity Law School professor and attorney, students work with non-profit, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to provide legal services in areas such as asylum, Temporary Protected Status, Adjustment of Status, removal, and other immigration-related issues. Students receive instruction on representation, case analysis, interviewing, case preparation, and generally on serving client needs. This is a virtual clinic. LA 959v meets practical skills requirement. Delivery Mode: Traditional Juris Doctor.
LA 959x Trinity Immigration Clinic - 2 Hours
Under the supervision of a Trinity Law School professor and attorney, students work with non-profit, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to provide legal services in areas such as asylum, Temporary Protected Status, Adjustment of Status, removal, and other immigration-related issues. Students receive instruction on representation, case analysis, interviewing, case preparation, and generally on serving client needs. This is a virtual clinic. LA 959x meets practical skills requirement. Delivery Mode: Traditional Juris Doctor.
LA 960 Administrative Law - 3 Hours
This course provides a comprehensive overview of administrative law, a foundational field that governs the actions of public agencies and the regulatory frameworks shaping nearly every aspect of modern life. The field has recently seen multiple landmark cases that could upend the relationship between the presidency, Congress, and the courts. Therefore, the course emphasizes new developments, including emerging trends in regulatory oversight, recent Constitutional Law developments, and agency accountability in a rapidly changing landscape. The course explores the core principles that underpin the balance of power between regulatory agencies, the judiciary, and other branches of government. This course examines how administrative law protects (or fails to protect) the public interest, ensures (or fails to ensure) governmental accountability, and regulates (or interferes with regulating) industries in virtually every field, e.g., power generation, finance, securities, consumer protection, labor, and even fishing. Discussions about policy and reform help students gain a solid foundation in the field's core concepts. Delivery Mode: Traditional Juris Doctor.
LA 962a Intellectual Property - 3 Hours
This course examines patents, copyrights, trademarks and trade dress, and trade secrets. In particular, this course analyzes what is required to obtain each type of intellectual property (IP) right, what is required to infringe each type of IP right, what defenses are available to accused infringers of each type of IP right, and what remedies for infringement are available to IP rights holders. LA 962a cannot be taken by students who have earned credit for LA 962d. Delivery Mode: Traditional Juris Doctor.
LA 962d Intellectual Property - 1 Hour
This course examines patents, copyrights, trademarks, trade secrets, and other intellectual property rights. The course analyzes the rights and remedies associated with each type of intellectual property that it covers, as well as the relationships between different types of intellectual property. LA 962d cannot be taken by students who have earned credit for LA 962a. Delivery Mode: Traditional Juris Doctor.
LA 970 Independent Study/Guided Research - 1-6 Hours
Students initiate individualized research on an approved topic under the supervision of a law professor. Delivery Mode: Traditional Juris Doctor.
LA 973 From Brief to Bench: A Study of the Supreme Court's October Term - 1 Hour
The Supreme Court of the United States rules on some of the country's most hotly contested legal disputes. Naturally, a significant portion of law school is dedicated to examining those decisions. But for young lawyers, understanding how those decisions are made is just as important as the decisions themselves. This course provides an opportunity to examine a number of this term's high profile cases before the Court reaches its decision. Specifically, students review the patties' briefs and discuss each argument's strengths and weaknesses. This exercise provides students a window into exceptional advocacy and tests their ability to think critically about challenging legal issues before nine justices provide their answers. At the end of the course, each student sits as the authoring justice and writes a majority opinion for one of the cases discussed. Delivery Mode: Traditional Juris Doctor.
LA 982a Law and Literature: Revenge, Justice, and Mercy - 1 Hour
This course examines the nature of law and justice through the medium of literature. We will explore how literature addresses revenge and mercy, and their place in the pursuit and achievement of justice, particularly in our legal system. Readings will include Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice, Aeschylus' Agamemnon, short stories from Flannery O'Connor and Andre Dubus, and selections from Holy Scripture. Delivery Mode: Traditional Juris Doctor.
LA 984c Religion and the Law - 3 Hours
This is an advanced course that examines critical issues of law and religion, including the theological foundation of law and the legal foundation of theology, the relationship between church and state, religious civil liberties, religious discrimination and accommodation, and the principles of law and regulations relating to churches and religious organizations. Delivery Mode: Traditional Juris Doctor.
LA 984d Law, Religion, and Public Policy - 3 Hours
This course surveys the interaction between law, religion, and public policy as a basis for forming individual patterns of public engagement and establishing habits toward good citizenship. Topics range from the interaction of law and religion, the role of faith in forming legal judgment, and the public engagement of the church in the contested public square. Delivery Mode: Traditional Juris Doctor.
LA 987 SHRM-CP/SCP Exam Prep - 3 Hours
This course combines expert instruction with the official Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) certification preparation tool: the current SHRM Learning System. As an official SHRM Education Partner, TLS offers this course which is a comprehensive and effective way to prepare for success on the SHRM-CP or SHRM-SCP exam while completing the JD degree. This course covers HR strategy, talent acquisition, employee engagement and retention, learning and development, total rewards, and the structure of the HR function. Additionally, this course examines organizational effectiveness and development, workforce management, employee and labor relations, technology management, managing a global workforce, risk management, corporate social responsibility, and U.S. employment law and regulations. Delivery Mode: Traditional Juris Doctor.
LA 988a Criminal Law and Psychology - 1 Hour
This course covers the psychology of criminal trial practice, encompassing the strategy of evaluating and presenting criminal cases. It will discuss the science and practice of preparing a criminal case, from arraignment through sentencing, incorporating both the prosecution and the defense perspective. Topics include initial case assessment; interpersonal dynamics between clients, victims, and witnesses; using experts; selecting case theory; and the psychology of jury selection. Delivery Mode: Traditional Juris Doctor.
LA 988b Domestic Violence Law - 1 Hour
This course provides an overview of domestic violence issues, teaches critical thinking through analysis of domestic violence topics, and demonstrates how the issue of domestic violence arises within a variety of legal settings, through examining both the historical aspects and the latest developments in each of these settings. Delivery Mode: Traditional Juris Doctor.
LA 989 Moot Court - 1-2 Hours
Students gain practical advocacy skills through researching, drafting, and arguing an appellate brief. Students may participate upon concurrent enrollment in 24 units. LA 989 is repeatable for up to 4 units. LA 989 meets practical skills requirement. Prerequisites: LA 559 & LA 560b. Delivery Mode: Traditional Juris Doctor.
LA 991a Law Review - 1 Hour
Students participate in the publication of the Trinity Law Review. The Trinity Law Review is a legal journal that the student members edit and publish. Members are selected on the basis of academic achievement and a writing competition. Students receive credit for demonstrable competence in scholarly writing and editing. Students may participate upon concurrent enrollment in 24 units. LA 991a is repeatable for up to 4 units. LA 991a meets practical skills requirement. Prerequisites: LA 559 & LA 560b. Delivery Mode: Traditional Juris Doctor.
LA 992a California Dependency Law - 1 Hour
This course focuses on the principles of California's Juvenile Dependency law system as found in the Welfare and Institutions Code, particularly section 300 filings. There are evidentiary, civil procedure, constitutional law, and criminal law crossovers. This course extensively covers the WIC code and all relevant case law; child welfare and foster care system; Due Process rights of families in that system; and the specific roles of parent's counsel, minor's counsel, and county counsel. Delivery Mode: Traditional Juris Doctor.
LA 992b California Dependency Practice - 1 Hour
This course focuses on the practices of California's Juvenile Dependency law system as found in the Welfare and Institutions Code, particularly section 300 filings. Students demonstrate knowledge of the Due Process rights of families in that system and the specific roles of parent's counsel, minor's counsel, and county counsel by presenting evidence and arguments in mock proceedings of detention hearings, jurisdictional and dispositional hearings, statutory review hearings, and hearings to terminate parental rights. Prerequisite: LA 992a. Delivery Mode: Traditional Juris Doctor.
LA 993f Fundamentals of Federal Taxation - 3 Hours
Students undertake an in-depth study of federal income taxation. Students learn fundamental concepts including the definition of income, exclusions from income, deductions available for individuals in computing taxable income, the computation of tax liability, basis in property, gains and losses from sales of property, capital gains and losses, and timing issues. Students focus on tax planning and tax policy; more significantly, however, students learn the framework to develop enduring analytical skills necessary to work with ever-changing bodies of statutory and regulatory law. Delivery Mode: Traditional Juris Doctor.
LA 994b Employment Law - 3 Hours
This course explores fundamental employment rights, public policies, and laws that regulate the workplace. The aim is to provide students with basic employment law concepts and vocabulary that will permit them to be sufficiently knowledgeable to identify employment law issues and engage in initial risk analysis. Topics include employee and employer status, employment-at-will, employment contracts, disparate treatment, disparate impact, sex based harassment/stereotype sex discrimination, age discrimination, religious discrimination, disability and leave laws, retaliation/whistleblowers, public policy/employment torts, privacy, employment duties, wage and hour, procedural matters, and remedies. The focus of the course is on federal law such as Title VII, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the Age Discrimination and Employment Act (some California laws will be highlighted as well). Note: This course does not cover traditional labor law (e.g., collective bargaining or labor-management relations) or employee benefits. Delivery Mode: Traditional Juris Doctor.
LA 995f Immigration Law - 3 Hours
This course explores the foundation of immigration law and policy. The student will examine statutes, regulations, policy, and cases which form the basis of the law. The course emphasizes both a substantive understanding and practical application of the law with a review of the historical and legislative evolution of U.S. immigration law and policy. Delivery Mode: Traditional Juris Doctor.
LA 995j Adoption Law - 1 Hour
Students are provided with an overview of all types of adoption permitted under California law, including independent, agency, foster to adoption, guardianship to adoption, relative, stepparent, international, confirmatory, and adult adoptions. Termination of parental rights actions outside the context of dependency will also be covered. Particular attention will be given to the social and emotional aspects of adoption. Delivery Mode: Traditional Juris Doctor.
LA 995nb Negotiation for Law and Business - 2-3 Hours
This course surveys negotiation skills in general including the areas of strategy, tactics, and planning. Specifically, the course considers relationships between the parties; multi-party negotiations; information bargaining; initial proposals; how to narrow differences; closure; competitive, cooperative, and problem-solving tactics; together with negotiation counseling; alternative dispute resolution; and identities in the context of culture, gender, and race. Students complete reading assignments and prepare for and participate in in-class negotiation exercises. Course meets practical skills requirement. Delivery Mode: Traditional Juris Doctor.
LA 995np Law of Nonprofit Organizations - 3 Hours
This course is a study of nonprofit firms and the nonprofit sector. Topics include a survey of the role of nonprofits, theories and justifications of the nonprofit form, nonprofit statutes and other laws pertaining to nonprofits (e.g., the regulation of charitable solicitations), the formation, operation and dissolution of nonprofits, and tax and tax policy issues related to nonprofits. Delivery Mode: Traditional Juris Doctor.
LA 998e Advanced Exam Approaches and Skills - 3 Hours
In this skills-oriented course, students focus on the essay, performance test, and multiple-choice question components of the California Bar Exam. Students refine their abilities to identify issues, organize answers, and apply effective testing strategies for essays and performance tests along with tactical approaches to selecting the best responses to multiple-choice questions. Through diagnostics, practice exams, and workshops, students receive personalized feedback to refine their skills in these areas. Students are provided the opportunity to start strengthening their exam skills prior to beginning a formal Bar Exam review course. This course is offered asynchronously online. Delivery Mode: Traditional Juris Doctor.
LA 999cr 42 USC Section 1983: Civil Rights Violations - 1 Hour
This course examines 42 U.S.C. section 1983, which allows individuals to sue the government for civil rights violations. We will discuss when and how one can sue the government and which governmental immunities may preclude lawsuits against it. We will explore the topic through doctrinal analysis, popular literature, and cinema. Delivery Mode: Traditional Juris Doctor.
LA 999g Civil Disobedience and the Christian Lawyer - 1 Hour
This course briefly covers which law binds the conscience of a Christian by an exploration of biblical exegesis and philosophical theology. We will discuss whether one ought to obey unjust laws through the study of ancient literature and film. Students will have an opportunity to study what happens when the legal institutions themselves are under attack both domestically and abroad. Questions will be explored such as whether a lawyer can or should engage in civil disobedience from an ethical and pragmatic standpoint; and, if civil disobedience is undertaken, under which circumstances it should be undertaken and how one should prepare oneself and one's clients for such an undertaking. Delivery Mode: Traditional Juris Doctor.
LA 999i Client Interviewing & Counseling - 2 Hours
Students focus on the legal principles and skills involved in interviewing clients and witnesses and counseling clients in the course of litigation, dispute resolution, and decision making. Additional topics include addressing cultural differences and interviewing and counseling clients with mental and physical disabilities, children, criminal defendants, and organizational clients. Students participate in simulations of interviewing and counseling and discuss the related ethical and professionalism concerns underlying the lawyer-client relationship. Delivery Mode: Traditional Juris Doctor.
LA 999p Estate Planning - 1 Hour
This course provides a practical approach to estate planning. Students develop a comprehensive estate plan, applying the concepts learned in LA 803 to real-world scenarios. This course emphasizes the hands-on aspects of estate planning, guiding students through the critical thought process involved in creating a plan for a client. Key topics will include tax planning, incapacity, guardianships, and addressing the specific needs of families. Delivery Mode: Traditional Juris Doctor.
LA 999w Workers' Compensation - 3 Hours
This course presents general statutory principles of workers' compensation theories throughout state jurisdictions. Content includes the history of the workers' compensation system, the nature of work injuries including accident and disease, compensation and benefits delivery, and courts and administrative rules and procedures. Delivery Mode: Traditional Juris Doctor.
LA 999y Civil & Criminal Sexual Misconduct - 1 Hour
This program covers a broad range of conduct that can qualify as civil or criminal sexual misconduct. From words, to actions, to electronic communication and social media, it examines a variety of different ways in which misconduct could subject a person, entity, or agency to legal liability. This program discusses the different internal and legal remedies for different types of sexual harassment and the accompanying behavior, along with how each process is initiated and the potential hurdles, including Statutes of Limitations and jurisdictional issues. This program discusses the blurred lines between sexual harassment and sexual assault, both behaviorally and legally. It discusses both verbal and physical boundary violations including personal questions, physical contact, inappropriate requests, and online boundary probing. Participants learn how to spot red flags and warning behaviors before conduct progresses to sexual assault. This program also covers the red flag relational dynamics involved in both types of invasive behavior, and how sexual harassers often graduate to committing sexual assault through insidious boundary violations. This program also addresses best practices to ensure a safe, harassment-free workplace for everyone through early detection, effective investigation, and an environment of empowerment and support. Delivery Mode: Traditional Juris Doctor.
LA 999z Reading People & Judging Credibility - 1 Hour
This course reveals, in an entertaining and interactive format, how to perceive the most important clues about other people, what it means, and how to use the information you glean in the practice of law. Delivery Mode: Traditional Juris Doctor.