Course Schedule

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 could also be called "everything you always wanted to know about commercial liabilities, but were afraid to ask." This course focuses on real contracts with real risks. The writing component is significant. Homework will be worked in small groups and due periodically. The mid-term writing assignment will be anonymous and ungraded. We may discuss your group's homework assignments during class. Grading will consider a final exam and in-class participation (as discussed in detail in the syllabus). We will study a guaranty, a promissory note and a deed of trust. These agreements are commonly used for financing. A prominent local law firm has provided materials for our use in class. We will also study a merger agreement, an asset acquisition agreement and a joint venture agreement. The merger, joint venture and asset acquisition agreements were prepared by committees of the American Bar Association. We will also study a confidentiality agreement, non-compete agreement and a waiver of liability. Finally, we may study an intellectual property license and several other common agreements. These documents are complex and lengthy. We will study the liabilities in each document in detail. the However, we do not study commercial terms, such as profit. Prerequisite: A consuming desired to practice transactions law. Also, first year torts and first year contracts.

This class has two primary purposes. It will be a course in U.S. Constitutional law that focuses primarily on the allocation of powers with limited attention to the protection of individual liberties. The second purpose of the course is to have foreign lawyers experience how most U.S. students experience the study of constitutional law. For example, there are very few lectures. I teach primarily using the Socratic method. That means that students must come to class well prepared and will be called upon and engage with me and their classmates.

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 is intended to provide a practical introduction to the practice of what is commonly referred to as “white collar” crime—an area of criminal defense primarily focused on government investigations of corporations and individuals for non-violent criminal offenses, often of a regulatory or financial nature.

The course will focus on themes and issues commonly encountered in representing clients in these complex and often lengthy investigations, and will walk students through the typical phases of a corporate criminal investigation, up to and including resolution. Recognizing the increasing ability of law enforcement authorities to cooperate beyond national boundaries, the course will also provide an introduction to common issues and themes in cross-border investigations.

Textbook: White Collar Crime in a Nutshell (6th Edition)Ellen S. Podgor | Jerold H. Israel | Miriam H. Baer | Gregory M. GilchristISBN: 9781647082864

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.