Course Schedule

From data protection and regulatory compliance to high-stakes incident-response scenarios, cybersecurity has become a major field of legal practice over the past decade.  At the same time, policymakers find themselves constantly struggling to encourage better cybersecurity across society and respond to hostile cyberactivity from foreign powers.  Unfortunately, both lawyers and policymakers are often lost at sea when it comes to the technical aspects of such problems.  This makes it much harder to counsel, plan, and respond, not to mention the challenge of simply understanding what the CISO means when a major incident begins to unfold.  For this reason, the Strauss Center’s integrated approach to cybersecurity training for law and policy students emphasizes foundational understanding of the key terms, concepts, and actions associated with offensive and defensive cybersecurity.  One does not need to learn to code, but one does need to understand and communicate effectively across the technical divide.   

This course is designed from the ground up to close that gap for non-technical students.  Lectures, simulations, and other course materials will expose students to real-world and academic cybersecurity technical fundamentals, leaving them with a complete conceptual model of basic cybersecurity technologies.  The course will also consider how these concepts apply in the context of major statutory and regulatory regimes, such as HIPAA.  Students who complete the course will be in a far better position to perform the role of lawyer or policymaker in connection with this increasingly important and ubiquitous set of challenges.  

Artificial Intelligence is rapidly shifting the cybersecurity landscape. The course will discuss and have hands-on live demonstrations of AI use by good actors and bad actors. New cybersecurity vulnerabilities incurred due to AI are also covered.

This course equips students with the core principles and practical skills needed to represent clients in basic personal injury cases from retainment through trial or settlement. Nationally recognized and dual-board certified trial lawyer Ronald “Ron” Rodriguez will share his trade secrets, comprehensive checklists, and successful prelitigation, litigation, and settlement forms. Students will learn real-world lessons and proven strategies and tactics used to secure numerous and consistent record-breaking jury verdicts and multi-million dollar client recoveries. Texas Civil Procedure is a recommended prerequisite.

This course offers a study of Texas Property Tax law primarily through review of the Texas Property Tax Code, Texas Constitution, controlling case law, recent news articles, and Comptroller Rules. The course will include study and discussion of the public policies behind property tax laws that ultimately impact every person in Texas, whether you own property or not. In addition, the course will provide some exposure to how property tax laws are used in business development solicitations by the state and local government bodies.

This course explores the enduring debates in antidiscrimination law that have occurred historically and which continue to the present day, with a particular focus on racial discrimination. The topics covered will include the list of classes that are protected by law, the circumstances under which discrimination may be lawful, and the evidentiary burden for proving discrimination. Through class discussion, we will attempt to determine the principles that underlie all of antidiscrimination law. One of the themes of the course will be the necessity of civil discourse for achieving the long-term goals of civil rights law, and students will be expected to model such discourse in class discussions. Grading will be based on writing assignments and participation in a mock oral argument. No textbook required.

This course examines the intersection of artificial intelligence (AI) and the legal frameworks governing consumer protection, competition, and content moderation. It equips students with a multidisciplinary understanding of AI’s role in shaping modern commerce and society, while critically analyzing regulatory approaches and their implications for the future.

The first module provides students with a foundational understanding of AI technology, the intricacies of the AI supply chain, and emerging trends that could redefine industries and societal norms.

The second explores the application of federal and state laws, including Unfair, Deceptive, and Abusive Acts or Practices (UDAAP) statutes and privacy regulations, to address AI-driven consumer harms, such as biased algorithms and deceptive practices.  

The third investigates AI in antitrust contexts, analyzing allegations of price fixing via AI tools as well as assessing the behavior of AI companies in light of restrictions on mergers, acquisitions, and monopoly behavior, and evaluating regulatory tools to address market concentration.  

The fourth focuses on how social media companies use AI for content moderation, including detecting misinformation, hate speech, and harmful content. It examines the regulatory levers available to shape AI’s use in these contexts, such as transparency mandates, algorithmic accountability, and the interplay between domestic and international regulations.  

Through case studies, scholarly readings, and robust discussions, students will develop the analytical tools needed to navigate the legal and policy challenges posed by AI. This course is ideal for students interested in technology law, consumer advocacy, antitrust policy, or governance in the digital age. Students will be assessed on their class participation, an investigations memo as a midterm, and an issue spotter for the final exam.

Limits of liability and methods of establishing liability for intentional and unintentional injuries to persons or property.

Limits of liability and methods of establishing liability for intentional and unintentional injuries to persons or property.

Limits of liability and methods of establishing liability for intentional and unintentional injuries to persons or property.

Limits of liability and methods of establishing liability for intentional and unintentional injuries to persons or property.

Limits of liability and methods of establishing liability for intentional and unintentional injuries to persons or property.

Tort law, like most law, is constantly evolving in response to changing circumstances and shifting social values and convictions. Often, this evolution involves small adjustments to existing legal principles. At other times, however, the warranted response is more transformative. For instance, the growing threat of global warming and, in particular, the significant role humans play in contributing to it may call for a transformative shift in how we understand and apply the tort of public nuisance. Another is the increasing awareness of the danger posed by private, rather than merely state, suppression of speech. Online platforms, employers, and even landlords often engage in censorship, leaving platform users, employees, and tenants unable to engage in expressive acts. Although tort liability for private censorship remains limited, recent developments suggest that changes in the law may be on the horizon. This course will offer in-depth examinations of these and other important transformations in and around the law of torts. At a more general level, engaging in these micro-based analyses of the law of torts can illuminate the broader, macro-based questions such as how tort law can respond to emerging challenges and what tort law is for. By examining these shifts, the course will address not only the future of tort law but also foundational questions about its role of addressing the demands of freedom, equality, justice, and legitimacy in a rapidly evolving world.

No casebook will be used.

This course will provide in-depth study of U.S. and Texas law protecting trade secrets, the legal mechanism that businesses are increasingly relying on to protect their intellectual property and confidential business information. The course will cover statutory and common law protection for trade secrets. It will examine trade secret fundamentals such as the scope, duration, and prerequisites for trade secret protection, including subject matter, secrecy, economic value, and reasonable efforts to protect the trade secret. Common misappropriation scenarios will be addressed: joint ventures, potential acquisitions, and departing employees going to work for competitors. In addition, the course will explore litigation strategies for trade secrets cases, in particular requests for a preliminary injunction, forensic discovery, and timing of identification of the trade secret. Employment law angles of misappropriation of trade secrets will also be discussed, such as issues regarding confidentiality and non-competition agreements. Procedures and requirements for preserving trade secret protection will also be covered. Finally, the course touches on relevant comparisons between trade secret law and other legal doctrines, such as patent law. TEXTBOOK: Trade Secret Law in a nutshell. Sharon K. Sandeen, Elizabeth A. Rowe. ISBN: 9781640202115

This course examines real commercial contracts: promissory notes, agreements by companies to merge, agreements not to compete, and the like. We’ll focus on mechanisms that such contracts use to distribute risk. The course requires close reading of documents that are complex and often long. During Part I of the course, homework will be due twice weekly; during Parts II and III, homework will be due once weekly. There will be a mid-term writing assignment (anonymous and ungraded) and a final exam.

This course surveys environmental law in the United States from its roots in the common law, to the explosion of legislation and regulation that emerged in the 1970's, and through to regulatory efforts to address climate change today. Beyond giving students a solid foundation in navigating the major laws that govern protection of the environment and public health, the course will introduce students to the regulatory state. We will examine the ways in which courts, Congress, and agencies sometimes work together and sometimes act at cross purposes in developing and implementing environmental policies. The course will also consider the disparate perspectives that inform environmental programs--ethical values, economics, and science--and how conflicts between them can lead to surprising compromises in statutory and regulatory outcomes. The course surveys four major pollution statutes, with a particular emphasis on laws regulating air and water pollution and the laws governing the commercial use and remediation of hazardous substances. The course casebook incorporates regular discussion problems and will be supplemented by four required quizzes scheduled during the semester. Students completing this course will be well-positioned to take one or more advanced environmental law courses; although, it is not a prerequisite for enrollment in any of them.

This course introduces international LL.M. students to the concepts of law fundamental to, and the legal institutions operating within, the United States legal system. Designed as a comprehensive overview, the course will cover key aspects of the U.S. legal system, including the U.S. Constitution and the functions and procedures of civil and criminal courts, and introduce key concepts and principles of the law of contracts, torts, and property in the United States. Throughout the course, emphasis will be placed on comparing and contrasting U.S. legal principles with those of students' home jurisdictions, facilitating a deeper understanding of the similarities and differences between legal systems. Guest speakers, case studies, and practical exercises will complement traditional lectures, providing students with a comprehensive and practical foundation in U.S. law. This fall course is required for LL.M. students with a foreign law degree, although those with a law degree from a common law country may request a waiver. Exchange students may petition to enroll in the class on a space available basis.

This class will prepare students to counsel early-stage companies and investors through a myriad of startup related transactions and situations. We will begin with a brief history of venture to understand the foundation of the practice, and then explore, in detail, aspects of structuring a venture backed company, raising capital, interacting with investors, and typical commercial agreements germane to a startup. Students will be expected to read, interpret, and draft common venture financing documents and identify and provide counsel on typical founder and early-stage company issues. The final grade will have four parts: class attendance (10%), two drafting exercises (each 25%), and a final exam (40%). The final exam will be multiple choice/short answer based, similar to most legal issue spotting exams.

This course deals with donative transfers of property, including intestate succession, probate administration of decedents’ estates, execution and revocation of wills, the use of trusts in estate planning, and rules of construction that affect will and trust drafting. The course also will cover community property laws and basic estate tax and gift tax principles. Relevant Texas Estates Code and Uniform Probate Code statutes will be included in a Supplement to the casebook. Prerequisites: None.