Business Organization and Practice

This practical skills course teaches the principles of contemporary commercial contract drafting and introduces the student to selected documents used in common business transactions. Examples of such transactions include, but are not limited to, the following: asset purchase, escrow, and web site development. Among the topics to be covered are the business purposes of selected contract doctrines; translating business ideas into contract concepts; drafting the parts of a contract; drafting with clarity and without ambiguity; adding value to the deal; and review and comment on the contract.

This course focuses on the National Labor Relations Act, which since the New Deal has governed the relationship among private sector employers, unions, and workers. It examines the practical aspects of the subject matter, including protected-concerted activity, union activity, strikes and lockouts, collective bargaining, secondary activity, and preemption. An important objective of the course is to provide an understanding of the historical context of the labor movement, its ongoing evolution and the current relevance of traditional labor law.

This is an advanced course in torts and contract principles pertaining to the liability of all those who are part of the integral marketing enterprise for goods and services. There is also coverage of legislative and administrative controls with respect to goods and services which are placed into the stream of commerce. Prerequisites: Torts I (170A) and Torts II (170B); or Torts (170).

The Internet and e-commerce industries are among the fastest growing segments of the global economy. Southern California is a major center of information technology (IT) vendors and e-commerce enterprises. The Internet and IT industries are generating a complex and rapidly developing body of laws that show no sign of abating. Lawyers with an expertise in this area are in great demand.

This course is primarily concerned with Title 11, United States Code, including the comprehensive amendments under the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005 (BAPCPA). Some reference is made to previous bankruptcy laws for historical background purposes. An in-depth study is made of the statutory material relating to both voluntary and involuntary bankruptcy, both under Chapter 7 (liquidation) and 11 (reorganizations). The course also includes discussion of the important features of Chapter 13 bankruptcy.

This course examines the law and practice of multiple owner business organizations. It begins with an examination of basic agency law, followed by a study of the fundamental structure and most important legal doctrines regulating general partnerships, limited partnerships, limited liability companies, small closely-held corporations, and large publicly-traded corporations. The course concludes with a brief survey of the most important aspects of federal securities regulation and a review of basic concepts of corporate finance.

This capstone course builds skills and knowledge needed to advise early-stage businesses. The course discusses diverse legal and business topics faced by start-up lawyers such as business formation, intellectual property, legal ethics, employment law, financing the enterprise, operational contracts, reading financial statements, online commerce law, risk management, and exit strategies. The course is not meant to replace the core courses in these areas but addressees their particular application to the start-up arena.

This capstone course builds skills and knowledge needed to advise early-stage businesses. The course discusses diverse legal and business topics faced by start-up lawyers such as business formation, intellectual property, legal ethics, employment law, financing the enterprise, operational contracts, reading financial statements, online commerce law, risk management, and exit strategies. The course is not meant to replace the core courses in these areas but addressees their particular application to the start-up arena.

This course focuses on the basic concepts, nonimmigrant and immigrant visa categories that make up the day-to-day practice of many immigration attorneys. The visa categories covered would be considered the core of any employment based immigration practice. This area of immigration law is often left to new practitioners to discover on their own, or to learn only after they have joined an established immigration practice. This course is designed for students who have a demonstrated interest in the practice of immigration law.

This course is a negotiation skills course in which students will engage in a series of seven mock negotiations - modeled after actual industry deals - covering various types of television/series and motion picture deals, and perhaps other types of deals such as graphic novel, live stage, and professional sports deals.