The fields of inquiry in the following courses range from technical questions of little public interest to general ones of great social concern. In each course, one aim is to qualify the student as a strategist and an advocate, equipped with the knowledge, insight, and skills to serve clients through advice, negotiation, and planning, as well as by representing them in litigation. Another aim is to qualify the student as a responsible member of a profession that, throughout the history of this nation, has been prominent in the resolution of social, economic, and political problems and has been profoundly concerned with the public welfare. Hence, every law course focuses on the need for creative solutions to conflicts between individuals and between individuals and society. This is as it should be, for the function of law is to serve as a catalyst that makes community life possible and a better society attainable.

The faculty has approval to offer the following courses in the academic years 2000-2001 and 2001-2002; however, all courses are not taught each semester or summer session. Each spring the law school issues a manual of course descriptions and academic advice; law students should consult this manual before registering.

The first digit of a course number represents the value of the course in semester hours; for example, students taking Law 233 earn two semester hours of credit, while those taking Law 333 earn three semester hours. Unless otherwise indicated, each course meets for one semester, for one lecture hour a week for each semester hour of credit earned.

The dean and faculty of the School of Law may, from time to time, change the courses of instruction. Such changes may include a determination that a course formerly listed as a first-year course should be offered as an advanced course, or the reverse.

First-Year Courses

221, 321, 421, 621. Contracts.
Methods by which rights and duties of promissory and quasi-promissory origin are created, transferred, limited, discharged, breached, and enforced.

323, 423, 523. Criminal Law I.
Promulgation, interpretation, and administration of substantive laws of crime; constitutional limitations and relevant philosophical, sociological, and behavioral science materials.

227, 327, 427, 527. Torts.
Limits of liability and methods of establishing liability for intentional and unintentional injuries to persons or property.

231, 331, 431 531. Property.
A survey of interests in land and limited topics involving chattels: estates, cotenancy, landlord and tenant issues, conveyancing, private and public control of land use.

132, 232, 332. Legal Research and Legal Writing.
Types of law books and their functions in research; practice in writing various kinds of legal material, designed to develop research technique and good style; preparation of a brief and delivery of an oral argument. The equivalent of one, two, or three lecture hours a week for one semester. Offered on the pass/fail basis only.

233, 333, 433, 533. Civil Procedure.
Introduction to the civil adjudicative process, primarily that of the federal courts, including jurisdiction, pleading, dispositive motions, discovery, and trial procedure.

334, 434, 534. Constitutional Law I.
For students who have completed at least one semester in the School of Law. Distribution of powers between federal and state governments; constitutional limitations on and judicial review of governmental action. Prerequisite: Ten semester hours of law.

Advanced Courses

223F, 323F. Federal Criminal Law.
Prosecution and defense of criminal trials in federal district court; considerable emphasis on white-collar crime. Law 223F, 323F and 379M (Topic: Federal Criminal Law) may not both be counted.

223L, 323L, 423L. Criminal Law II.
Theory and content of complex criminal offenses, principally federal crimes. Prerequisite: Law 323.

230M, 330M, 430M. Real Estate Finance.
An advanced problems course dealing with acquisition, financing, development, and disposition of real estate. Prerequisite: Law 231K, 331K, or 431K is recommended but not required.

231D, 331D. Real Estate Development.
Intermediate-level overview of the real estate development process and relevant areas of law: land acquisition, leasing, construction finance, and permanent finance. Law 231D, 331D and 379M (Topic: Real Estate Development) may not both be counted.

231K, 331K, 431K. Real Estate Transactions.
Intermediate conveyancing course dealing with the transfer, finance, and development of real estate.

132C, 232C. Advanced Legal Research.
May be repeated for credit when the topics vary. Offered on the pass/fail basis only. Prerequisite: As announced for each topic.

Topic 1: Advanced Research: Foreign and International Law.
Introduction to the sources and methods of research in foreign and international law, tailored to the needs of American lawyers.

Topic 2: Advanced Research: Texas Law.
Introduction to the judicial, statutory, and administrative sources of Texas law. Topics include research in state administrative law and legislative histories. Both print and electronic resources are covered.

132D, 232D. Advanced Legal Writing.
A review of grammar, rhetorical techniques, organizational schemes, transitional devices, and persuasive language. Students focus on work completed in another course or in a clerkship. Offered on the pass/fail basis only.

232E, 332E. Teaching Quizmaster.
Restricted to second- and third-year students. Students teach legal research skills to first-year students and serve as teaching assistants for the writing portion of legal research and writing courses. At least ten to twenty hours a week for one semester. Offered on the pass/fail basis only. Prerequisite: Acceptance into the Teaching Quizmaster program and appointment as a teaching assistant. Students must apply to the program in the spring semester prior to enrollment in the course and must complete a six-week training program.

132F, 232F. Internet Resources for Lawyers.
Internet tools such as Web browsers and Web search and indexing engines. Emphasis on location and content of primary and secondary legal source material. Law 132F, 232F and 179M (Topic: Internet Resources for Lawyers) may not both be counted.

232G, 332G. Basic Drafting.
Practice in drafting a client letter, a basic contract, and a set of rules; review of sentence-level skills, organization, and tone. Offered on the pass/fail basis only. Law 232G, 332G and 279M (Topic: Basic Drafting) may not both be counted.

232N. Editing for Editors.
Weekly workshop in editing techniques for law review editors. Each week the class discusses a submission from one law review. Offered on the pass/fail basis only. Law 232N and 279M (Topic: Editing for Editors) may not both be counted.

239, 339, 439. Jurisprudence.
Underlying problems in the functioning of a legal order; legal definition and justice as factors in decision making; discovery and interpretation of authority; rights and privileges of the person relative to society and government; conditions for imposing legal responsibility on a person; procedures for decision making; the relationship between law and the market in economic decision making.

240, 340. Family Law.
Legal problems related to the establishment, dissolution, and reorganization of family relationships, including marriage, divorce, annulment, alimony and child support, custody, and injuries to family relations. Prerequisite: Completion of first-year law courses.

240M, 340M, 440M. Antitrust: Economic Analysis and Legal Interpretation.
An examination of the business functions and competitive impact of practices that are subject to antitrust regulation to determine their legality under United States antitrust laws.

241F, 341F. Literature and the Law.
Justice and law as they are presented in literary works that deal with race and work. Law 241F, 341F and 379M (Topic: Literature and the Law) may not both be counted.

341G. Sports Law.
An amalgam of contracts, antitrust, and labor law as they affect professional and collegiate sports in the United States. Emphasis on issues affecting professional team sports. Individual and college (especially Title IX) sports and the regulation of agents. Law 341G and 379M (Topic: Sports Law) may not both be counted. Prerequisite: Knowledge of baseball, basketball, and football; Law 260K, 360K, or 460K and 261K, 361K, or 461K are recommended but not required. Course is best taken during the student's third year.

241J. Environmental Law: Technical Issues.
A survey of the scientific and technical aspects of environmental law, including chemistry, human physiology, toxicology, laboratory analysis methods, and risk assessment. A study of environmental control strategies and technologies for air and water pollution, groundwater protection, and hazardous waste management.

241L, 341L, 441L. Environmental Law.
May be repeated for credit when the topics vary. Prerequisite: As announced for each topic.

Topic 1: Introduction, Air, Water, and Toxics.
An introduction to pollution control, the common law antecedents, and early statutory developments, and an intensive study of the Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act.

Topic 2: Hazardous Wastes and Enforcement.
A study of enforcement issues, including citizens' suits. Examines the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act and the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (Superfund). Prerequisite: Law 341L (Topic 1) is recommended but not required.

Topic 3: Environmental Law and Natural Resources.
An introduction to environmental thinking in the context of scarce publicly and privately owned natural resources. Covers public trust doctrine, relevance of the Tenth Amendment to environmental protection, the National Endowment Policy Act, the Endangered Species Act, and the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act.

241M, 341M, 441M. Mass Media Law.
Regulation of broadcast media by the Federal Communications Commission; the constitutional and administrative law problems generated by regulation.

241P, 341P. Comparative Environmental Law.
Property rights and the environment, constitutional basis for environmental protection, sustainable development and the role of law, environmental enforcement, and trade and environment. Law 241P, 341P and 379M (Topic: Comparative Environmental Law) may not both be counted.

241R, 341R. Entertainment Law.
Legal aspects of producing and financing a motion picture, with minor attention to the theatre industry. Only one of the following may be counted: Law 241R, 341R, 279M (Topic: Entertainment Law), 297N (Topic: Seminar: Nonwriting: Entertainment Law), 397S (Topic: Seminar: Entertainment Law). Prerequisite: Law 274K, 374K, 474K, or 574K.

341S. Entertainment Industry Law.
Overview of the legal problems that arise in film, theatre, television, music, and literary publishing. Issues common to all branches of the entertainment industry, like the right of publicity, copyright, and contractual protections. Law 341S and 379M (Topic: Entertainment Law) may not both be counted. Prerequisite: Knowledge of business associations law is helpful but not required.

241U, 341U. Telecommunications.
Effect of federal, state, and local regulation and policy on the convergence of technologies and markets in the telecommunications industry. Law 241U, 341U and 379M (Topic: Telecommunications) may not both be counted.

242M, 342M, 442M. Bankruptcy.
Introduction to Title II of the United States Code and related state and federal laws: both liquidation and reorganization bankruptcy, including exemptions, discharge of debt, avoidance of powers of trustees, and rights of various classes of creditors; jurisdiction and procedure. Prerequisite: Law 180D, 280D, 380D, or 480D.

242N, 342N. Advanced Bankruptcy.
Advanced bankruptcy issues frequently encountered in both complex and ordinary bankruptcy proceedings. Prerequisite: Credit or registration for Law 242M, 342M, or 442M.

142R. Bankruptcy Workshop.
Representation of debtors and secured creditors in chapter 11 bankruptcy. Further study and application of the basic concepts of business bankruptcy, with emphasis on structuring and drafting.

242S, 342S. Bankruptcy Reorganization.
Advanced course on the application of chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code to the reorganization of business entities. Law 242S, 342S and 379M (Topic: Bankruptcy Reorganization) may not both be counted. Prerequisite: Law 242M, 342M, or 442M.

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Contents
Chapter 1 - General Information
Chapter 2 - Admission
Chapter 3 - Academic Policies and Procedures
Chapter 4 - Degrees
Chapter 5 - Courses
Chapter 6 - The Faculty
Appendix - Endowments

Related information

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