This introductory Civil Procedure course considers the issues that litigants and lawyers face in civil lawsuits filed in American federal courts. The course explores the current state of American civil litigation,the vexing issue of access to justice, the remedies a federal court may provide,the various stages of a federal civil lawsuit(including discovery),federal appeals, adjudicatory jurisdiction, subject-matter jurisdiction, the role of state law in federal courts, and joinder of parties and claims.

When a transaction and the relevant law are thoroughly understood, a good lawyer should be able to write a clear and effective contract before consulting forms and checklists. Although transactions are infinitely varied, there is a structural logic common to all contracts that can help the lawyer clarify the parties' objectives and understandings, see alternatives, organize the performances, anticipate difficulties, minimize or allocate risks, and provide for contingencies or disputes. First we will study this structural logic, the anatomy and physiology of contracts. The second part of the course will be more detailed application to several archetypal transactions, with their characteristic problems and solutions: Commercial Services, Purchase and Sale of Real Estate and of a Business, LLC Operating Agreement. The reading will be a short drafting text, cases involving drafting or design problems or oversights, and a bunch of clauses and contracts. In each part of the course there will be drafting exercises in class and out, starting with individual clauses. Early assignments will come back with comments or a "do-over." Later assignments may be graded. Around week 9 or 10 I will assign a fairly complex hypothetical for which you will have a substantial time to draft a complete proposed contract. I'll give you comments and suggestions toward a final draft. These drafts will be the principal basis for your grade. There will be no final exam. Eligibility: Open to 2Ls and 3Ls. Course enrollment is limited to 14 students. Course format: simulation. Grading: other (see syllabus), 100%. This course cannot be taken for an S/U grade.

Evidence is a Prerequisite for Trial Advocacy, Expert Witnesses & Scientific Evidence and Patent Litigation. This course involves the study of law governing the flow of information into trials, focusing on the Federal Rules of Evidence. The course emphasizes the development of the skill of factual analysis and of the methods for analyzing evidentiary problems. It is not a course on the memorization of a body of rules. Rather, the principles underlying the rules and, in particular, their application are the focus. Eligibility: Open to all except 1Ls. Course format: lecture. This course is recommended for taking the bar exam. Grading: see syllabus. This course cannot be taken for an S/U grade.

This course will provide an intensive examination of the First Amendment's free speech and religion clauses. The freedom of speech aspect of the course will consider the various theoretical underpinnings for affording protection to expression and will explore how the protections afforded speech vary depending on (1) the kind of speech regulated, (2) the location where the speech occurs, and (3) the nature of the regulation at issue. The religion aspect of the course will consider the different doctrinal approaches to enforcing the free exercise clause and explore the limitations on government action imposed by the establishment clause. Course readings will include a case book and additional readings provided by the instructor. Eligibility: Open to 2Ls and 3Ls. Course format: lecture. Grading: final exam, 80%; class prep. and participation, 20%. This course may be taken for an S/U grade.