Golden Gate University

This course surveys the organization, authority, and procedures of administrative agencies in relation to rulemaking, adjudication, and judicial review of administrative rulings and decisions. The course examines both federal and state agencies.

Units: 3

This course explains the structure and use of legal materials. The goal is research proficiency, especially in a virtual law library. Each student is responsible for using the various online research tools, theories, and strategies presented by the instructors to complete weekly exercises and compile a comprehensive research memorandum/guide. Hard copy and electronic resources will be compared to explore their relative strengths and weaknesses, so students can also expect to sharpen their research skills with traditional print materials. This course counts toward completion of the Upper Division Writing Requirement. This course is open only to upper division JD students.

Units: 2 , Offered: Fall 2013 , Spring 2013

This course explores the art of legal writing. Students will focus on the writing process (from outlining to rewriting) as a series of strategic decisions. Assignments include writing and rewriting two closed library assignments. Students will also rewrite a document from a previous class (e.g., Appellate Advocacy brief) using the advanced writing techniques learned in class. Students who received less than a B- in Appellate Advocacy must obtain instructor permission prior to registering. This course counts toward completion of the Upper Division Writing Requirement.

Prerequisite: Must be taken after, and not concurrently with, Appellate Advocacy., Units: 1 , Offered: Spring 2013

The purpose of this course is to help students learn approaches to negotiation and conflict resolution, and to understand various dispute resolution processes, principally mediation and arbitration. Students will be exposed to simulated negotiations and mediations and will be expected to participate in exercises and to act as advocates and/or mediators. Guest lecturers may include a hostage negotiator, an aikido master, a retired superior court judge now serving as a JAMS mediator, and prominent mediators and arbitrators. This course counts toward completion of the Experiential Learning Requirement.

Prerequisite: Civil Procedure I and II., Units: 3 , Offered: Fall 2013 , Spring 2013

This course builds on the writing skills developed in the first year of law school. Students prepare appellate briefs and present oral arguments in a moot court program.

Prerequisite: Writing and Research I and II., Units: 2 , Offered: Fall 2013 , Summer 2013 , Spring 2013

Many GGU law graduates enter civil practice in small firms or in solo practice. To be competent practitioners they must not only master the substantive and procedural aspects of law practice, they must also master the skills needed to own and operate a small law practice business. This one-unit course, offered all day on two consecutive Saturdays, aims to help develop those business administrative skills. Subjects covered will include: choosing a location; choosing technology for phones, networking, calendaring; insurance; client relations; hiring and staff relations; marketing; relations with other firms and attorneys; and file management. A take-home final exam will be given at the end of the course, which will present students with an opportunity to demonstrate understanding of the course materials through their application to a hypothetical law firm start-up scenario.

Units: 1 , Offered: Spring 2013

This course explores the business aspects of the practice of law for students interested in solo practice, those starting a firm with friends, or for students interested in understanding management issues of an existing firm or corporate law department. The course will consider the different forms of practice, client management issues, marketing, budgeting and financial planning, space and equipment planning, fee setting, compensation and human resource issues and associated ethical considerations. In lieu of a final exam, over the semester students will draft a number of documents including a law firm structure outline, a business plan, including a budget, client letters, a personal career plan and resume, a diary of observations and insights and time records.

Units: 3 , Offered: Spring 2013

This course demonstrates the structure and use of legal resources as they relate to California practice. The course goal is research proficiency, especially with electronic California legal materials. Each student is responsible for learning to use the electronic research tools, theories, and strategies presented by the instructors. Weekly exercises are assigned, and students may also be expected to complete either a semester research project or a shorter end-of-semester project to demonstrate a comprehensive grasp of research skills. Paper and online resources will be compared to reveal their respective strengths and weaknesses, so students in this class can also expect to hone their skills in researching California printed legal materials.

Units: 2 , Offered: Fall 2013 , Summer 2013 , Spring 2013

This course focuses on the practical and theoretical aspects of preparing for and taking depositions in civil cases. Over the course of the semester, students learn deposition strategies and questioning techniques using a variety of simulations to provide students with a wide array of contexts. Special emphasis is given to deposing hostile witnesses. The course is designed to give students continual practice and feedback in order to maximize skill-development. Co-requisite: Evidence.

Units: 3 , Offered: Fall 2013

In this course, students handle every aspect of the pretrial preparation of a civil lawsuit. They proceed from the initial client contact, through formulating client representational strategy, to developing a case theory. They draft all the case pleadings as well as motions challenging the sufficiency of the pleadings. Students also engage in all aspects of fact investigation. The course ends with a pre-trial settlement conference.

Prerequisite: Civil Procedure I and II., Units: 3 , Offered: Fall 2013 , Summer 2013 , Spring 2013

This yearlong course (see Civil Procedure II) is a survey of the procedures regulating the litigation of civil disputes. Civil Procedure I covers personal jurisdiction, subject matter jurisdiction, venue, and choice of law.

Units: 3 , Offered: Fall 2013

This yearlong course (see Civil Procedure I) is a survey of the procedures regulating the litigation of civil disputes. Civil Procedure II covers elements of pleading, joinder of parties and claims, discovery, functions of court and jury, verdicts, post-judgment motions, and appeal. The main focus is the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure although comparisons will be made to the California Rules of Civil Procedure when they are materially different. Prerequisite: Civil Procedure I

Units: 3 , Offered: Spring 2013

This course is open only to students who have been selected by the instructor to represent the law school in an inter-school mock trial competition. The number of mock trial competitions, and corresponding student competitors, varies from year to year. Selection to compete in mock trial competitions will be based upon an application and tryout open to all upper division students who have completed Evidence and have completed or are currently enrolled in Trial Advocacy. Consent of the instructor is required for registration in this course. Prerequisite: Evidence. Co-requisite: Trial Advocacy.

Units: 2 , Offered: Fall 2013 , Spring 2013

This course is open only to students who have been selected by the instructor to represent the law school in an inter-school mock trial competition. The number of mock trial competitions, and corresponding student competitors, varies from year to year. Selection to compete in mock trial competitions will be based upon an application and tryout open to all upper division students who have completed Evidence and have completed or are currently enrolled in Trial Advocacy. Consent of the instructor is required for registration in this course. Prerequisite: Evidence, Co-requisite: Trial Advocacy.

Units: 2 , Offered: Fall 2013 , Spring 2013

The Roger J. Traynor California Moot Court Competition is a prestigious interscholastic moot court competition open to California law schools. The competition is designed to provide students with a learning experience that reflects contemporary appellate practice in California, and uses an edited record from an actual California Court of Appeal case. A team of two or three students will prepare and submit an appellate brief representing one side, and present oral arguments representing both sides. This course counts toward completion of the Upper Division Writing Requirement.

Units: 2 , Offered: Spring 2013

This national competition hosted by the Williams Institute is dedicated to the areas of sexual orientation and gender identity law. The competition provides an opportunity for competitors to write an appellate brief on a current legal topic and to argue the case before a panel of judges. The competition is designed to promote and recognize the finest oral and written advocacy on a significant problem in sexual orientation and gender identity law. This course counts toward completion of the Upper Division Writing Requirement.

Units: 2 , Offered: Spring 2013

Essential Mindfulness for Lawyers (formerly Contemplative Lawyering) will expose students to meditation and other contemplation methods through practice, reading and class discussion, to enable students to develop an awareness of the way the mind works according to current scientific thinking and ancient meditation-based treatises. This will form the foundation for an exploration of what it means not only to think like a lawyer, but also to think like a human being. In class and for homework students will have sanctioned time for quiet and reflection, which will allow their minds to become more tranquil, focused and visionary. From that platform students will learn how the cultivation of tranquility, focus and vision can improve essential lawyering skills like speaking, listening, reading, writing, analysis, counseling, negotiation and advocacy. Students will also experience how these qualities of mind can lower stress and create greater access to inspiration and happiness in the study and practice of law, and in general. This course is graded on a Credit/No Credit basis.

Units: 2 , Offered: Fall 2013 , Spring 2013

This course is a survey of the principles of law and rules governing the admissibility of proof at criminal or civil trials, including direct and cross-examination of witnesses, impeachment of credibility, expert testimony, hearsay, privileged communication, and documentary proof. Prerequisite: Civil Procedure I,

Corequisite: Civil Procedure II, Units: 4 , Offered: Fall 2013 , Summer 2013 , Spring 2013

The rules of evidence dictate the manner of criminal and civil trials. Understanding evidence impacts the questions attorneys will ask, the exhibits and testimony that the jury will consider, the quality of the advocacy and, even, the outcome at trial. This course connects the rules of evidence and evidentiary determinations with the skills of trial advocacy. Students will learn how arguments under the rules of evidence and evidentiary rulings play out in the courtroom. Students will write and argue motions in limine, make offers of proof, conduct examinations, argue evidentiary objections and render decisions on evidence as trial judge. This course will focus on advocacy skills rooted in understanding evidence, such as motions in limine, evidentiary foundations, modes of impeachment and making a record for appeal. This course will not cover the aspects of trial advocacy that do not relate significantly to the rules of evidence, such as trial preparation and organization, themes and theories, voir dire, opening statements and closing arguments. Prerequisite: Evidence

Units: 2 , Offered: Fall 2013 , Spring 2013

Capital Post Conviction Defense Clinic introduces students to the representation of indigent defendants challenging their convictions and death sentences on direct appeal and through habeas corpus proceedings in the California Supreme Court. In addition to discussing legal and topical issues concerning death penalty representation at the weekly seminar sessions, students will work under the supervision of experienced capital defense attorneys to represent indigent defendants in their research and drafting of pleadings, the investigation of claims, and the collection and preservation of evidence. GGU law students in the past have drafted appellate arguments and habeas corpus claims, reviewed capital trial testimony, witness statements, and police reports, evaluated crime scene evidence, researched and drafted office memoranda and resource materials on various topics, collected defendant life history documents, and prepared litigation outlines and chronologies. In addition, CAP student externs are encouraged to attend oral arguments, to participate in litigation meetings, and to visit a client on death row. CAP is located at 101 Second Street, Suite 600. This course counts toward completion of the Experiential Learning Requirement. This course is graded on a Credit/No Credit basis.

Units: 3 , Offered: Fall 2013

Students work in private or non-profit law offices, government agencies, or business legal departments as law clerks, working on civil litigation or engaging in transactional work. Students also attend seminar class meetings. Students may work in a wide variety of areas such as civil rights, corporate law, entertainment law, family law, intellectual property law, international law, and personal injury law. This course counts toward completion of the Experiential Learning Requirement. This course is graded on a Credit/No Credit basis. Application form and consent of instructor required.

Units: 2 - 4 , Offered: Fall 2013 , Summer 2013 , Spring 2013

Students learn counseling, interviewing, and negotiating skills in class simulations, then work with real clients through the Homeless Advocacy Project (HAP), which is sponsored by the Bar Association of San Francisco Volunteer Legal Services Program. Training is provided in both lawyering skills and substantive law. Under the professor's supervision, students act as advocates for HAP clients in a variety of settings.

Units: 3 - 4 , Offered: Spring 2013

In this field placement program, students work in selected courts under the supervision of a judge. Students must complete 45 hours of work for each unit. A full-time externship can require up to 13 units; most students take 3 to 5 units at a time. Arrangements are made on an individual basis with the externship director. In addition to working at the court placement, students must attend a mandatory seminar, the first day of which is just before the start of the term. Students who enroll in this course in a summer session are limited to 8 units of credit. Prerequisite: Students must have completed 40 units and have a cumulative GPA of 2.5 for state trial court and 2.75 for appellate and federal court externships. This course counts toward completion of the Experiential Learning Requirement.

Corequisite: Evidence, or consent of instructor. This course is graded on a Credit/No Credit basis., Units: 2 - 13 , Offered: Fall 2013 , Summer 2013 , Spring 2013

Required of all Law Review members during their second year on Law Review (2 units/Fall, 1 unit/Spring). (Not applicable to Law Review Board members, see LAW 861D). In the Fall term, 12 hours of mandatory seminar sessions will be scheduled. During the course of the two semesters, each member will edit and cite check the work of various first year Law Review members or work on selected articles from outside authors. The total of 3 credits will be awarded at the end of the Spring term. This course counts toward completion of the Upper Division Writing Requirement. This course is graded on a Credit/No Credit basis.

Units: 1 - 2 , Offered: Fall 2013 , Spring 2013

Required of all Law Review Board members during the Fall and Spring terms (2 units/Fall & 2 units/Spring). Outlines of the requisite responsibilities of the board members are found in the Law Review Bylaws. This course is graded on a Credit/No Credit basis.

Units: 1 - 2 , Offered: Fall 2013 , Summer 2013 , Spring 2013

Required of all Law Review members during their first year on Law Review (2 units/Fall, 1 unit/Spring). Over the course of the two semesters, each student will write a scholarly casenote or comment. During the Fall semester, 12 hours of mandatory seminar sessions will be scheduled. The total of 3 credits will be awarded at the end of the Spring term. This course counts toward completion of the Upper Division Writing Requirement. This course is graded on a Credit/No Credit basis. Enrollment is limited to persons invited to join the Law Review. Membership on Law Review is determined in two ways: by first-year grades (top 10%) or through a writing competition that is held during the middle of the second semester of the first-year.

Units: 1 - 2 , Offered: Fall 2013 , Spring 2013

This course provides an overview of the US legal profession and the historical, economic, and sociological forces that shape the profession and the practice of law. A central focus of this course is to examine the everyday realities of the practice of law and explore what it means to be a lawyer--a "professional"--in a variety of the many contexts in which lawyers work, including big-firms, small firms and solo practices, and government law offices. Class reading and critical discussion will examine such topics as the history of the American legal profession, the changing social structure of the bar, the business of practicing law, public interest and "cause" lawyering, the realities of legal ethics in everyday law practice, gender issues in the practice of law, and the future of legal practice and the legal profession. The course requires seminar participants to actively participate in class and to complete several analytic memos and brief essays throughout the semester.

Units: 2

This course explores the evolving views, skill sets, and ethical considerations for facilitative attorneys practicing consensual dispute resolution, principally mediation and Collaborative Practice, and how attorneys conduct themselves as part of an interdisciplinary team working with mental health and financial professionals. Students will participate in a mock client consultation with a local Collaborative attorney and a mock first Collaborative meeting. Guest lecturers will include leading Bay Area CDR professionals. This course counts toward completion of the Experiential Learning Requirement.

Units: 2

Practical Legal Writing is designed to introduce students to the bar exam with emphasis on the California bar exam. Students will learn how to prepare for the bar exam, what the exams are testing and how they are scored, and all the factors that contribute to a successful outcome. All three testing formats, i.e. essays, multiple choice, and the performance test, will be explored in detail. The classes will be taught in a combination of large classroom and small section formats to provide students with multiple opportunities to practice the test-taking skills and techniques and receive meaningful feedback. This course counts toward completion of the Upper Division Writing Requirement.

Prerequisite: Appellate Advocacy., Units: 2 , Offered: Fall 2013 , Spring 2013

This course teaches performance skills related to the use of voice, body, and movement in the context of the courtroom. It is designed for law students who want to improve their presentations as trial and appellate advocates or to simply be more effective in ordinary lawyer communications. The premise of the instructors is, "Lawyers don't have a constitutional right to be boring!" This course is graded on a Credit/No Credit basis.

Units: 2 , Offered: Fall 2013 , Spring 2013

This course examines the attorneys responsibility to the client, the profession, and society, as well as the structure and operation of the U.S. legal profession. Both ABA and California rules are discussed.

Units: 2 , Offered: Fall 2013 , Summer 2013 , Spring 2013

This survey of the legal and equitable remedies available to litigants based on their substantive rights emphasizes the type and extent of damages awarded in different legal settings. Also covered are specific performance, injunctive relief, and restitutionary remedies. This course counts toward completion of the California Bar Subject Requirement.

Prerequisite: Constitutional Law I, Constitutional Law II and either Property II (3 units) or Property (4 units)., Units: 3 , Offered: Fall 2013 , Summer 2013 , Spring 2013

This is the entry course for the litigation program, and it teaches the basic skills needed by every lawyer going to court: conducting a direct examination of a witness, introducing documents and physical evidence, cross-examining witnesses, making and answering objections, and preparing opening statements and closing arguments. Much of the students' work is videotaped. The final examination for this course is a full trial conducted in a local courthouse. This course counts toward completion of the Experiential Learning Requirement. Prerequisite/Corequisite (depending on the instructor): Evidence.

Units: 3 , Offered: Fall 2013 , Summer 2013 , Spring 2013

In this process-based course, students begin working with the basic legal research resources. They become familiar with legal citation, legal reading and legal analysis. They develop their ability to formulate research plans and to analyze legal issues as they research and write predictive memoranda responding to specific legal problems.

Units: 2 , Offered: Fall 2013

The second semester of Writing and Research continues to focus on the predictive memo as the vehicle to further develop research and analytical skills. The memo problems are more complex, requiring more in-depth research. Prerequisite: Writing and Research I

Units: 3 , Offered: Spring 2013