General Courses
Contract Drafting: LAW JD 788
3 credits
This course is the foundational skills course within the Transactional Law Program. It teaches students basic principles and skills of drafting and analyzing commercial and transaction agreements, with a focus on recognizing, and addressing through contractual provisions, key business issues in transactions. Although the course will be of particular interest to students interested in a corporate or transactional law practice, since most practicing attorneys will need to work with contracts at some point in their career, the concepts and skills which the course conveys are applicable to virtually all practice areas and specialties. While the course utilizes lectures to introduce various contract concepts and techniques essential for drafting and reviewing commercial and transaction agreements, it also requires that students complete both in-class exercises and out-of-class assignments as a means of building basic drafting skills and a solid understanding of the structure and operation of contractual provisions in a business transaction. The course also considers various ethical issues that may arise in the contract drafting and review process and in transactional practice generally. Grades will be based on class participation and graded drafting assignments. CLASS SIZE: 12 students. UPPER-CLASS WRITING REQUIREMENT/EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING REQUIREMENT: This course is a designated Professional Writing Course which may be used to partially satisfy the Upper-Class Writing Requirement (with a grade of B or higher) or the 6-credit Experiential Learning Requirement, but not both. GRADING NOTICE: This course does not offer the CR/NC/H option. ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENT: A student who fails to attend the first class or to obtain permission to be absent from either the instructor or the Registrar will be administratively dropped from the course. Students who are on the wait list are required to attend the first class to be considered for enrollment. Because the course involves regular in-class exercises, some of which are done in teams, and class participation is a significant component of a student's final grade, regular class attendance is essential and thus the course cannot accommodate flexibility in attendance.
FALL 2024: LAW JD 788 A1 , Sep 3rd to Dec 5th 2024Days | Start | End | Credits | Instructors | Bldg | Room |
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Tue | 8:30 am | 10:30 am | 3 | Elizabeth Brody Gluck | LAW | 513 |
Days | Start | End | Credits | Instructors | Bldg | Room |
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Tue | 4:20 pm | 6:20 pm | 3 | LAW | 420 |
Days | Start | End | Credits | Instructors | Bldg | Room |
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Wed | 4:20 pm | 6:20 pm | 3 | John F. Cohan | LAW | 513 |
Days | Start | End | Credits | Instructors | Bldg | Room |
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Wed | 6:30 pm | 8:30 pm | 3 | Daniel Johnston | LAW | 513 |
Days | Start | End | Credits | Instructors | Bldg | Room |
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Thu | 10:40 am | 12:40 pm | 3 | Cecily Banks | LAW | 513 |
Days | Start | End | Credits | Instructors | Bldg | Room |
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Tue | 8:30 am | 10:30 am | 3 | Elizabeth Brody Gluck |
Days | Start | End | Credits | Instructors | Bldg | Room |
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Tue | 4:20 pm | 6:20 pm | 3 | John F. Cohan |
Days | Start | End | Credits | Instructors | Bldg | Room |
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Wed | 6:30 pm | 8:30 pm | 3 | Daniel Johnston |
Days | Start | End | Credits | Instructors | Bldg | Room |
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Thu | 10:40 am | 12:40 pm | 3 | Cecily Banks |
ENTERTAINMENT LAW: LAW JD 905
3 credits
This seminar will focus on the varied legal and business doctrines that influence the practice of entertainment law. Some of the primary topics include copyright and trademark protection and enforcement; defamation and freedom of speech; privacy and publicity rights; social media; licensing and merchandising entertainment properties; and other general contractual relations within the entertainment industry. The course will also examine the practical aspects of entertainment law, such as client counseling and negotiations and contract drafting. There will be no final exam. Grades will be based upon papers and class participation. NOTES: This class may not be used to satisfy the upper-class writing requirement. ENROLLMENT LIMIT: 18 students. GRADING NOTICE: This class does not offer the CR/NC/H option. **A student who fails to attend the initial meeting of a seminar (designated by an (S) in the title), or to obtain permission to be absent from either the instructor or the Registrar, may be administratively dropped from the seminar. Students who are on a wait list for a seminar are required to attend the first seminar meeting to be considered for enrollment.
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY: LAW JD 857
4 credits
In our modern information economy, the law of intellectual property has taken on enormous importance to both creators and users. This course introduces students to the principles of trade secret, patent, copyright, and trademark law, and explores the ways in which those principles are shifting and adapting in response to new technology. The course is open to all upper level students, without prerequisite. No scientific or technical background is required.
FALL 2024: LAW JD 857 A1 , Sep 3rd to Dec 5th 2024Days | Start | End | Credits | Instructors | Bldg | Room |
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Mon,Wed | 10:40 am | 12:40 pm | 4 | Janet Freilich | LAW | 211 |
Days | Start | End | Credits | Instructors | Bldg | Room |
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Mon,Wed | 2:10 pm | 4:10 pm | 4 |
Law and Regulation of Online Platforms: LAW JD 791
3 credits
Technology platforms — the intermediaries that shape as well as enable our social and professional interactions, media consumption and game playing, online purchases, and more — have long been treated with cautious deference by lawmakers and regulators concerned that government interference could hamper innovation. But that has changed in recent years, with calls from all sides of the political spectrum to rein in the power of today’s tech giants through a variety of different legal reforms addressing consumer privacy, freedom of speech, algorithmic bias, anti-competitive behavior, and more. This seminar will explore the legal framework for platform regulation in the United States, with an emphasis on platforms' role in enabling harmful third-party conduct. We will begin by contrasting the treatment of intermediaries under copyright and trademark law with the almost-complete immunity that Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act confers for non-IP claims. We will then turn to current debates over whether platforms should face greater responsibility for preventing or limiting internet-related harms. Given the fast-changing landscape, precise topics will be determined in the lead-up to the semester, but they may include election interference, harms to children, privacy violations, perceived political bias, algorithmic amplification, and mis/disinformation. To provide a more robust experience in addressing complex issues at the intersection of law and technology, this course will include joint sessions and projects with a parallel computer science course at MIT, requiring law students and computer science students to collaborate to assess and develop proposals that address the technological as well as legal challenges in regulating platforms. RECOMMENDED COURSES: A previous course in Intellectual Property or Information Privacy is highly recommended. UPPER-CLASS WRITING REQUIREMENT: This class may be used to partially satisfy the requirement. GRADING NOTICE: This class does not offer the CR/NC/H option. ** A student who fails to attend the initial meeting of a seminar, or to obtain permission to be absent from either the instructor or the Registrar, may be administratively dropped from the seminar. Students who are on a wait list for a seminar are required to attend the first seminar meeting to be considered for enrollment.
FALL 2024: LAW JD 791 A1 , Sep 3rd to Dec 5th 2024Days | Start | End | Credits | Instructors | Bldg | Room |
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Thu | 2:10 pm | 4:10 pm | 3 | Stacey DoganChris Conley | LAW | 204 |
Law and Sports: LAW JD 886
3 credits
This seminar will survey a range of legal issues presented by sports in America. There are no pre-requisites. However, students should be prepared to learn basic principles of antitrust law and labor law and how these principles have influenced the regulation of professional sports franchises and leagues and the relationship between players and owners. Intellectual property law, tort law, and agency law, as applied in the professional sports context will also be studied and applied. Topics will include the legal, contractual, and economic relationship between professional sports franchises and the sports and entertainment venues in which they play, and the ownership of athlete identity and its utilization by athletes, teams, sponsors, and equipment manufacturers. The course will also focus upon the negotiation of significant contracts that govern the relationship between stakeholders in the sports industry, such as venue leases, naming rights agreements, sponsorships, and athlete endorsement agreements. Grades will be based on contract interpretation exercises and writing, an advocacy writing and oral class participation. There is no examination. UPPER-CLASS WRITING REQUIREMENT: This class may not be used to satisfy the requirement. OFFERING PATTERN: This class not offered every year. Students are advised to take this into account when planning their long-term schedule. ** A student who fails to attend the initial meeting of a seminar, or to obtain permission to be absent from either the instructor or the Registrar, will be administratively dropped from the seminar. Students who wait list for a seminar are required to attend the first seminar meeting to be considered for enrollment.
SPRG 2025: LAW JD 886 A1 , Jan 13th to Apr 23rd 2025Days | Start | End | Credits | Instructors | Bldg | Room |
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Tue | 2:10 pm | 4:10 pm | 3 |
Transaction Sim: IP Council for New Music: LAW JD 787
3 credits
Practice Areas: Intellectual Property and Corporate Finance This course is one of the semester-long transaction simulations offered as part of the Transactional Law Program and satisfies the Transaction Simulation requirement of the Transactional Practice Concentration. The course will cover matters and transactions engaged in by a startup company (the "Company") seeking to disrupt the music industry with a new music streaming platform. During this course, students will play the role of a transactional intellectual property attorney, advising the Company on several key strategic intellectual property decisions and matters in connection with launching its music streaming service. Some of these lawyering tasks will be foundational, such as advising the Company in selecting a strong trademark and deciding which open source software to use as the base of its otherwise proprietary software. Other tasks will focus on the key music licensing hurdles for the Company, including advising the Company on music licenses it will need to stream music and launch an advertising campaign. Later in the semester, students will work on a proposed equity investment in the Company, representing either the Company or the investor. The course also addresses various ethical issues that may arise in connection with these types of matters and transactions and in transactional practice generally. CLASS SIZE: Limited to 12 students. PREREQUISITE: IP Survey Course OR at least two of the following courses; Patent Law, Copyright Law, or Trademark Law. Contract Drafting is recommended, but not required. NOTES: This course counts toward the 6 credit Experiential Learning requirement and also satisfies the Transaction Simulation requirement of the Transactional Practice Concentration. GRADING NOTICE: This course does not offer the CR/NC/H option. ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENT: A student who fails to attend the first class or to obtain permission to be absent from either the instructor or the Registrar will be administratively dropped from the course. Students who are on the wait list are required to attend the first class to be considered for enrollment. Because the course involves regular in-class exercises, some of which are done in teams, and class participation is a significant component of a student's final grade, regular class attendance is essential and thus the course normally does not accommodate flexibility in attendance.