Courses - Autumn in London

The London program will be held from Aug. 17-Nov. 29, 2013. Students must enroll in a minimum of 10 credits to satisfy visa requirements, but may take up to 17 credit hours. Tuition will be the same for students taking between 10 and 17 credits. All students must take one required course (for a total of two credit hours); then, students may choose among electives and may apply for an internship with various public and private organizations in London.

Course Descriptions

REQUIRED COURSE

Comparative U.K.-U.S. Legal Systems (2 credits)
Professors Lisa Webley and Marc Mason
This course provides an introduction to the history and practice of the English legal system, with comparisons and contrasts to the U.S. legal system. The course will cover topics including an overview of the British Constitution, the English court structure, the doctrine of precedent as it operates in England, statutory interpretation, the English legal profession, the English judiciary, costs and legal aid, the administration of criminal justice in England, and jury trials.

ELECTIVE COURSES

Business Entities (4 credits)
Professor Joseph Morrissey
This four-credit-hour survey course would give students an overview of the state law relating to business entities. It would emphasize the law governing partnerships, limited liability companies, and corporations.

Comparative Criminal Trial Advocacy (3 credits)
Professor Kandice Horsey
This course is intended to complement the Comparative U.K.-U.S. Legal Systems course and is designed to introduce students to the practical differences and similarities between the American and English trial systems. The focus will be on how trials are conducted and how to try a case effectively in both jurisdictions. Students can expect to learn and practice trial skills, including direct and cross examination, opening statements, and closing arguments. The class will also attend court sessions for observation and subsequent group discussion. By the end of the semester, students will understand how trials are conducted in the courts of the United States in comparison to trials in England and Wales, and will possess universal skills in the area of trial advocacy that could be applied in either jurisdiction. This class does not meet the Stetson skills requirement.

Directed Research (1-2 credits)
TBD
This course is comprised of research leading to the writing of a series of short papers, reflecting substantial effort, on various aspects of a single legal subject. Upon approval of the research, the student must register for credit with the Registrar's Office at the beginning of the semester in which the research is to be undertaken. This course does NOT satisfy the Stetson writing requirement. The course will be graded S/U. Further, the course will NOT satisfy the Tulsa seminar requirement or substitute for an independent study. For Tulsa students, the course will be classified as a pass/fail course. Stetson students must obtain special permission of the Associate Dean for Academics to enroll in this course as part of the London program.

The Ethics and Skills of the Attorney/Client Relationship (1 credit)
Professor Roberta K. Flowers
This class will look at the relationship between the attorney and his/her client from initial client interview to settlement of the case. The students will be required to deal with a hypothetical case and learn to interview clients and negotiate a settlement. While learning the skills involved in dealing with clients, the students will also have the opportunity to learn how the attorney/client relationship is viewed in other countries and how attorneys interact with clients in systems such as England which involve a Barrister/Solicitor system. We will emphasize the attorney's duties to the client which include confidentiality, loyalty and zealousness from both the U.S. perspective but also other countries in Europe. This class does not meet the Stetson skills requirement.

European Union Law (2 credits)
Professor Andrea Biondi
This course will focus on the constitutional/administrative law of the European Union (EU). Students will study the history of the EU, the treaties underpinning the EU, the institutional structure of the EU, the law-making procedures of the EU, enforcement of and challenges to the law of the EU, and the protection of human rights under EU law.

Independent Research Project (1-2 credits)
(TBA)
By individual arrangement with a faculty member, a student may enroll in one semester of legal research leading to the writing of a single paper of publishable quality reflecting substantial effort. Upon approval of the project, the student must register for credit in the project with the Registrar's Office at the beginning of the semester in which the project is to be undertaken. This course is graded and satisfies the Stetson Law writing requirement. Students enrolled in this course must attend the Scholarly Writing Series (online version). The project must be supervised by a full-time member of the Stetson or Tulsa law faculties. This course will NOT satisfy the Tulsa seminar requirement for Tulsa students. Stetson students must obtain special permission of the Associate Dean for Academics to enroll in this course as part of the London program.

International Sales Law (3 credits)
Professor Joseph Morrissey
This course covers the CISG and related law applicable to the international sale of goods, as well as, international law governing arbitration of private disputes. The course will use as an integral part of the learning experience, the Problem for the Annual Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot. Students will analyze the Problem (learning the substantive law along the way), research the legal issues, and draft a collaborative brief in support of one of the parties in the Problem. This course meets the Stetson code requirement.

Internships (2 credits - Limited Enrollment)
Professor Stuart Weinstein
An internship gives students the opportunity to develop firsthand their clinical practice skills and gain insight into the legal profession in England by undertaking a voluntary internship with members of the Bar, solicitors, U.S. law firms, the judiciary, private and public sector organizations and leading law and policy reform advocates. Under the supervision and guidance of the internship director, students are placed with an intern host and become involved in a wide range of activities with the intern host including writing memoranda, participating in meetings, drafting agreements, and attending court hearings. The student's work experience is then supplemented by weekly classes where the students examine the challenges they face and how these are met. The student is then required to write a paper up to seven pages in length that reviews their experiences from a reflective perspective. The course is graded on credit/no credit basis.

Professional Responsibility (3 credits)
Professor Larry Hellman
A study of the ethical considerations involved in the lawyer-client relationship. The Rules of Professional Conduct and Codes of Judicial Conduct will be examined. This course satisfies the professional responsibility requirement.

Securities Litigation (1 credit)
Professor Danne Johnson
This course provides an overview of securities litigation. We will examine topics under the Exchange Act and the Securities Act, including Section 10(b) and Rule 10b-5, and liability for material misstatements and omissions under the Securities Act. The course will analyze the elements of the key causes of action and the ways in which each is proven. The course will discuss the economic technique of "event study" and its usefulness in securities litigation. No previous exposure to securities regulation is required.

Technology Issues for Law Practice Management (1 credit)
Professor Tim Kaye
No modern legal practice can operate without what sometimes seems like a bewildering array of software. While all students and practitioners are likely to be familiar with Microsoft Word, whether they use it on Windows or Mac OS X, they have probably never learned to use it properly; still less are they aware of the limitations it imposes.

These limitations are not merely theoretical. They cost legal practices literally tens of thousands of dollars each year in direct expenditure through unnecessary hardware purchases, licensing of other (often even more expensive) software, and/or employing others to manage everything.

While practices over a certain size certainly should employ a dedicated IT employee or consultant, that is an expense that no new solo practice can afford. Moreover, whatever a practice's size, there is never a good reason to expend funds on unnecessary hardware or software.

And these are just the direct costs. Indirect costs involve the missing of significant opportunities: better utilization of technology can also enhance reputation, enlarge the client base, and significantly improve the chances of being successful in arbitration and litigation.

This class will explain and demonstrate how better use of technology can assist in promoting the following, key goals:

taking clearer, more accurate notes that are also more easily searched and utilized;
developing a more systematic approach to decision-making and to brief- and memo-writing;
producing briefs and memos with a vastly enhanced appearance that will not only make such documents more likely to be read by their target readership (such as partners and judges) but also more persuasive;
developing a highly-visible, professional presence on the internet that will assist in attracting clients directly and through referrals from other attorneys;
storing legal documents very securely, but in a format and manner that makes them readily accessible whenever required (including, when appropriate, by clients).

The class will involve demonstrations and hands-on practice with several programs that run on all three major computer operating systems (Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux) as well as Word. All but one program is free and open-source, while the cheapest license for the other program is currently just $10. These programs have been chosen not just because they are so inexpensive, but also because they work extremely well together.

Please note that, while these programs are inexpensive, they are designed for "heavy lifting." Please also note that the class will involve the creation of working servers (inaccessible to the outside world) on students' computers in order for them to practice building professional websites. Any student wishing to take this class must therefore bring a working laptop to each class; a tablet will not suffice.