Family Law

Seminar – 3 units. This seminar examines the unique status of children in our legal system, and explores the fundamental question of how the law allocates decision-making power and responsibility for children among the child, the family and the State. This course will deeply explore the topics of delinquency and dependency, as well as the varied contexts children interact with the law beyond those two systems.

Seminar - 2 hours. Recent developments in neuroscience and psychology support the contention that we live in a world impacted by trauma. But lawyers are not often trained in recognizing how trauma affects our work. Trauma-informed lawyering is an approach to the practice of law that equips students with the knowledge and skills to navigate these difficult environments.

Seminar - 3 hours. This course will examine the complex relationship between K-12 education policy and the law, with a focus on the use of litigation to advance educational outcomes for disadvantaged children. We will begin with a brief overview and discussion of the problems facing American K-12 students, concentrating on the inequitable educational opportunities afforded to low-income children and children of color. We will then explore several policy interventions that advocates have advanced before legislative bodies and in the courts.

Discussion - 3 hours. An introduction to the legal regulation of the family. Coverage will include laws and public policies governing marriage and non-marital relationships; parentage; the economic consequences of marital and non-marital dissolutions; child custody and visitation; child support; and interstate jurisdictional issues.

Final Assessment: Exam
Grading Mode: Letter Grading

Full-year clinic: Each student is required to enroll for two semesters and will receive four units each semester for a total of eight units. Students provide holistic, client-centered civil legal assistance and representation to survivors of gender-based violence primarily by representing complainants in Title IX cases and related civil matters responsive to clients’ individual goals; staffing a community walk-in pro per restraining order clinic; and creating a community outreach or research project.

Discussion - 3 hours. This course will cover legal issues and policies pertaining to foreign nationals seeking to migrate permanently or temporarily to the United States, including the regulation of their admission and removal or deportation. This course will examine critically how and why the rights of foreign nationals who are in U.S. territory differ from the rights of citizens. These topics will be covered from various perspectives, including constitutional law, human rights, ethics and morality, and history.

Law 235 Administrative Law is recommended.

Seminar - 2 hours. This two unit class provides an overview of the major juvenile delinquency procedural hearings: detention, jurisdiction, disposition and transfer hearings.  The class will discuss the recent United States Supreme Court decisions on life without the possibility of parole for minors and how these decisions are influenced by recent scientific findings on brain development in young adults. The constitutional rights of students while in school will be reviewed in the context of mandatory drug testing and police interrogations and searches of students while on campus.

Seminar - 2 hours.   This course provides an overview of various intersections between sociology and law in the United States, from the origins of the country through current debates. Substantive topics may include how race, gender, class, or sexual orientation affect immigration and citizenship, education, housing and residence, or criminal justice. We will examine these issues through social science articles, case law, the U.S. Constitution and other laws, as well as media output (film and newsprint).

Discussion - 2 hours.  This course covers the California community property system, including the property rights of marital and registered domestic partners during the ongoing relationship, and upon the end of the relationship by death or divorce.

Final Assessment: Exam
Grading Mode: Letter Grading

Discussion - A study of how law operates across state and national borders. The topics covered include choice of applicable law in transactions involving multiple jurisdictions, recognition of judgments, and the exercise of jurisdiction.  Particular emphasis will be given to conflicts analysis in transnational cases.  The course deals with problems practitioners frequently encounter in a wide variety of fields, from commercial law to family law to law in cyberspace.

Final Assessment: Exam