This course, taught be Judge Francis Flaherty will examine appellate practice through the lens of the standard of review. The standard of review is as important a consideration to an appellate court as the substantive law but is often overlooked or misunderstood by attorneys.  Using sample cases, including some where the courts may have strayed, students will learn about the nuances of these various standards ranging from de novo to the “any evidence” test.    Requires Honors enrollment.

This course will focus on the problems of choosing the law to be applied to transactions, relationships and occurrences having contacts with more than one of the United States and with this country and a foreign court. Issues of adjudicatory jurisdiction and recognition of foreign judgments will also be examined.

This course will focus on the regulation of natural resources and will cover common law and statutory implications to wildlife regulation, water and air pollution efforts, water law, land use controls, mining and mineral law. Issues related to conserving recreational resources and historical artefacts and landmarks will also be explored.

This course will examine the relationship of federal courts to other organs of federal government and to the states, including an analysis of congressional control over jurisdiction; federal review of state court decisions; the relationship between state and federal substantive and procedural law; the scope of federal questions and diversity of citizenship jurisdiction in federal courts; abstention; federal injunctions of state criminal proceedings; and problems of justiciability and mootness.

This course combines what has traditionally been taught in two separate courses on Pretrial Practice and Trial Advocacy. The idea behind this course is that federal litigation must be viewed holistically, meaning with an understanding and appreciation for the reality that litigation, from the filing of a complaint through trial, is an integrated process that begins with a well-pled complaint, proceeds through discovery, often involves substantive and dispositive motion practice, and ends (if it is not resolved earlier) at trial. The course is a full year long in order to mimic the actual life cycle of a case in federal court. Students will work on an actual case by drafting pleadings, taking/defending depositions, filing and arguing at least one dispositive motion, and ultimately trying the case before a judge and jury. In addition, throughout the year, students will receive lectures, practice exercises, and guest lectures on key aspects of litigation, including complaint drafting, deposition skills, settlement process and strategy, and trial tactics. This course will be taught primarily by a seasoned litigator and a faculty member, both of whom have practiced in federal court. The students will be split into teams and each team with have a lawyer-coach assigned to assist them. Judge William Smith of the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island will attend a limited number of the class sessions and preside over some courtroom activities, as his schedule permits

This seminar explores the construction of gender in law by examining the conceptual patterns and underlying assumptions about gender that shape legal principles. Understandings of gender differences and gender roles will be examined through a variety of legal contexts, including employment discrimination, affirmative action, reproductive choice, sexuality, work and family, and women in the legal system.

The Immigration Clinic is a one semester program in which students represent noncitizens in removal proceedings in immigration court and applications for immigration benefits. Students represent clients in their applications for asylum, visas for victims of violent crime, benefits for noncitizen victims of domestic violence, waivers for long-term permanent residents and visas for juvenile victims of abuse, abandonment or neglect. Students also conduct “Know Your Rights” presentations for immigration detainees and similar presentations for immigrant communities in Rhode Island.

This basic course introduces students to the central topics, ideas and principles of present-day public international law. It will also cover the judicial and other structures including the United Nations, that are central to the determination and enforcement of this legal regime.

Students are assigned to selected judges in Rhode Island and federal trial and appellate courts. The student interns conduct legal research, prepare memoranda of law, observe trial and appellate proceedings, participate in discussions with the court, and perform the duties of a judicial law clerk under the supervision of the assigned judge and a faculty
member. The program requires the devotion of substantial amounts of time both in and out of the judge's chambers and must be taken in conjunction with Seminar: Judicial Process and Ethics.

The two professions of law and medicine intersect in many parts of American society. Issues such as expert testimony, the doctor-patient relationship, malpractice, and ethical issues, including the right to die, and their legal ramifications will be reviewed.

This course will cover the major United States laws imposing liability for pollution of inland and costal waters and the high seas, including CERCLA, the Clean Water Act, and the Oil Pollution Act of 1990. Special attention will be given to the relation between these laws and the general maritime law of the United States; problems of federalism and uniformity; comparison of the United States law with international conventions; and administrative decision making. Some prior knowledge of United States admiralty practice and administrative law would be helpful.

This course examines the procedural aspects of maritime practice. It focuses on the jurisdictional and legal basis of actions in rem, quasi in rem, and in personam. Special emphasis is on the Supplemental Rules for Certain Admiralty and Maritime Claims.

The course will explore corporate acquisitions, including mergers and consolidations, in the form of asset sale, stock sale, or statutory merger. The consequences of these transactions will be discussed, including, potentially, successor liability, securities regulations, antitrust, tax, accounting, environmental, intellectual property, ERISA, and other legal issues. Due diligence review, negotiation, and documentation will also be discussed. Business Organizations is a prerequisite.

The remedies course surveys what a court can do for a claimant who has been, or might be, wronged by the defendant. We will address the principal remedies: damages; injunctions (orders to do or refrain from doing certain conduct); restitution (including the possibility of recovering the defendant's gains from a wrongful act, even if those gains exceed the amount of the plaintiff's loss); remedies that simply declare the rights of the parties; pre-judgment remedies before a determination of liability; and the various means of enforcing remedies (including contempt and seizure of property). Throughout the course, we will discuss which of the several remedies are best for the plaintiff, and how to determine the extent of the remedy that the plaintiff may obtain.

This course surveys Article 9 of the Uniform Commercial Code and focuses on financing and creation of a secured interest in personal property and fixtures.