Courses
*Courses approved for experiential credit.
**Courses taught virtually.
***Courses approved for Energy Law and Policy Certificate.
Energy Regulatory Law***
This course will explore various segments of public utility regulation and ratemaking before the Louisiana Public Service Commission (“LPSC”). Students will participate in interactive discussion of case examples on major regulatory topics and key energy issues. Students will be required to review decisions of the LPSC on selected cases and topics, conduct research on the LPSC website, and draft discovery and/or prepare materials for discussion on energy regulatory topics.
Faculty: Randy Young and Gordon Polozola
Mergers and Acquisitions Workshop**/***
This course analyzes the key legal and practical aspects of a private merger and acquisition transaction. We will focus on deal structuring, due diligence investigations and transaction documentation, including purchase and sale agreements, letters of intent, confidentiality agreements and other customary ancillary agreements. Students will learn how key provisions of a purchase and sale agreement are negotiated to create value for and allocate risks among the parties. Students will have the opportunity to practice drafting and negotiating skills.
Faculty: Caroline Blitzer Phillips
Serving the Public and the Profession*
In the current economy, can lawyers serve themselves while also serving the public and the profession? This course will examine the challenges inherent in balancing the profession’s traditions with 21st Century realities. We will explore the dilemmas of self-regulation (lawyer ethics), the impetus for the “professionalism” movement, and the organized bar’s efforts to support access to the justice system. The focus will be on developing practical skills that assist professional advancement and public service. Students will be required to demonstrate their abilities to communicate (in writing and orally) with members of the public, the judiciary, and workplace colleagues/supervisors. Students will be asked to reflect on the concept of “justice” and the role that lawyer regulation plays in assuring justice.
Faculty: Marta Schnabel, Kathleen Simon, and Rachael Mills
Complex Litigation & Antitrust*
Have you ever wondered what actually happens in class action lawsuits? Multidistrict litigation? This course will give students a behind the scenes look at the procedural and substantive issues surrounding complex litigation cases from both a public protection and private action perspective. Students will receive instruction on state and federal antitrust claims as well as the FTC’s unfair and deceptive claims, and class discussions will involve both procedural and substantive legal issues related to these types of cases, including related discovery issues. Students will explore the practical implications of FRCP 26, including creating a litigation plan, complying with Rule 26, and drafting a forward-thinking complaint that addresses procedural obligations and discovery burdens.
Faculty: Stacie Lambert deBlieux
Managing the Personal Injury Case*
This course combines substantive and procedural personal injury law with the essential steps and elements of pursuing or defending a claim for personal injury damages – from client intake and case evaluation to settlement or trial. Topics may include any or all of the following: the essential elements of a personal injury case: parties, liabilities, damages, forms, documents, and witnesses; obtaining police, medical, and employment records necessary for calculation and proof of liability and damages; locating, retaining and preparing experts and their reports for case evaluation, assistance, and trial testimony; gathering information and preparing settlement proposals and demands; and preparing and presenting witnesses, exhibits, and documentation to support or defend a case at trial.
Faculty: Abboud Thomas and J. Cullens
Prosecuting and Defending Federal Criminal Trials*
This course will cover the significant stages of a federal criminal trial, from preliminary investigation/grand jury, indictment, bail hearings, discovery/motion practice, trial, and sentencing. Students will prepare pleadings and documents necessary for each phase of litigation prior to class and will be expected to litigate each topic learned during class. While the course will use federal substantive laws and procedural rules, emphasis will be put on the substantive and procedural points of law that are common to prosecutions across all jurisdictions, including but not limited to Brady/Giglio discovery obligations, Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Amendment requirements, ethical obligations, and the evidentiary issues most common in criminal prosecutions.
Faculty: Catherine Maraist, J. Walter Green, Jamie A. Flowers and C. Frank Holthaus
Making Your Case. What Makes Judges Read and Hear What Lawyers Say*
Litigators spend the bulk on their time on motion practice because that is where cases are usually decided. You have one chance to present your best case to a judge, so use it wisely. Writing organized briefs and presenting effective oral argument that clearly identify the issues at play are keys to success. These skills apply to all lawyers whose practice includes some kind of litigation, no matter what the subject area or type of trial forum.
This course focuses on how to get and keep a trial judge’s attention through effective written and oral advocacy. Students will take a deep dive into the two motions most common to civil litigation—motions to dismiss and motions for summary judgment. Students will have the opportunity to draft a brief in support of or opposing a motion for summary judgment and will argue their position before United States District Judge Susie Morgan.
Faculty: Judge Susie Morgan and Kristen Amond
Privacy & Data Security Law*
Data collection is ubiquitous in the Information Age, as are near daily news about security breaches and misuse of personal data. Lawyers increasingly must understand issues surrounding the use and disclosure of personal information and its related technology to properly advise clients. This course will explore the legal and policy principles surrounding the use and disclosure of personal information, beginning with the foundations of privacy law through the emerging patchwork of federal, state, and international laws and regulations. We will survey key laws in various industries, specific data collection practices, and the attempts by law to keep up with technology. The course will further cover how lawyers use these principles weighed against business implications to advise clients, prepare policies, reduce third party risk, and respond to litigation. The course will also address the ABA guidance on lawyers’ ethical obligations for technological competence and competence challenges when practicing in underdeveloped legal areas.
Faculty: Jessica C. Engler
Sports Law/NIL Experience*
This course analyzes the key legal and practical aspects involved in the rapidly evolving landscape of name, image, and likeness (“NIL”). The Course will provide students an in-depth understanding of the core issues and challenges practitioners face when representing student-athletes, businesses/brands, universities, and other key stakeholders in NIL related matters. Students will explore the interplay between the everchanging legal and regulatory landscape governing NIL (including various states’ NIL law, potential federal legislation, NCAA rules and policies, university and athletic conference rules and policies, FERPA and privacy protections, and Title IX). Students will also get hands-on experience through: (1) the drafting and negotiation of an NIL agreement from the perspective of legal counsel for either a student-athlete or a business; and (2) the drafting of an opinion letter/memo to general counsel for a university analyzing specific NIL related issues (i.e., whether certain conduct constitutes a violation of Louisiana’s NIL statute, potential legal exposure for prohibiting a student-athlete from engaging in a NIL deal, international student-athletes’ rights to engage in NIL activities, etc.).
Faculty: David Fleshman and Ashleigh Clare-Kearney Thigpen
Community Development and Tax Policy
This course will explore the nexus of finance and community development through three types of tax incentive programs: Historic Tax Credits, Renewable Energy Tax Credits and New Markets Tax Credits. Students will explore state and federal economic incentive programs and the tools utilized to maximize the value of those incentives.
Faculty: Joel Boussert and Whitney LaNasa
Video Game Law**
This course will examine a range of issues related to the creation and marketing of video games. Students will study copyright, trademark, publicity rights and other intellectual property rights, as well as statutory protections such as the Digital Millennial Copyright Act that are integral to the development and distribution of video games. Students will also evaluate the relationship between the developer and publisher of games and evaluate the key contractual provisions contained in every publisher and developer agreement. Finally, issues such as First Amendment protections and the danger to children through the promotion of violence will be evaluated. Students will engage in simulated negotiation and drafting of video game agreements incorporating the relevant concepts in the course.
Faculty: J. Michael Monahan
Construction Law*
This course will examine the laws, regulations, and requirements in the construction industry. It may include elements of contract law, property law, commercial law, employment law, or other substantive areas. Students will engage in exercises involving the drafting of contracts, the public bid process, liability and dispute resolution, insurance and bonding, and other areas relevant to the practice of construction law.
Faculty: Jeff Boudreaux and Kelsey Kornick-Funes
