Course and Seminar Descriptions

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Updated Course Descriptions

Mizzou Law course descriptions are only updated once a year on the University Registrar’s website. Please note, some courses may change before the next course catalog update. The new descriptions will be listed below.

Intermediate Taxation Law (LAW 5916) will examine fundamental tax law concepts beyond those covered in the basic federal income taxation course. The focus will be on (1) federal income tax laws and policies fundamental to property transactions, including real estate investment and mergers and acquisitions, and (2) key topics of state and local level tax law in the United States. Specific federal income tax topics include depreciation and amortization, non-recognition transactions including like-kind exchanges, and issues arising from debt-financing. State and local topics include jurisdictional and other limitations on state and local taxation, state-level income taxation of people and of businesses including as applied to both residents and non-residents, and issues related to state and local sales and property taxes and other forms of state and local taxation. This class will be considered an Advanced Tax Elective for purposes of the Tax Concentration. (Note: This course a replacement for the prior “Taxation of Property Transactions” course, which will no longer be offered. The new name and course description reflect how the course has been updated to better serve students.).

Voir Dire (LAW 5930): This course is designed to provide the students with hands-on experience in selecting a jury. Students will act as lawyers in a simulated case. The course will outline the purpose of voir dire and the law pertaining to jury selection. Students will learn active listening skills and how to interpret non-verbal behavior. Examples from prominent, practicing lawyers will be presented. The ultimate purpose of the course is to bring recognition that jury selection is an art–not a science–and should be tailored to the facts of the case and the witnesses the attorney expects to present. Graded on S/U basis only.

The Legal Landscape of Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) will survey the landscape of intersecting governance measures that has led to the current state of name, image and likeness (NIL) for college student-athletes. Focusing primarily on the various state laws that address NIL, the course will also teach students how antitrust restrictions, immigration law, Title IX and intellectual property concerns work alongside NCAA, conference and institutional policies to create a new opportunity space for athletic departments to increase community engagement and gain competitive advantages. Students will develop their unique philosophies regarding the appropriate formulation of NIL policies in order to place themselves within this emerging sports policy debate.

Technological Change and the Law (LAW 5416): This online course will examine the legal and policy issues related to the most significant trends of the coming decades–primarily the mega-trends of the rapid acceleration of artificial intelligence and the global transition to clean energy, as well as other developing legal frontiers related to self-driving automobiles, drones, and cybersecurity. The course will also have an in-house practicum component and focus on how to adapt your legal practice to these trends and leverage cutting-edge technologies. The professor serves as Vice President and Deputy General Counsel of Sunrun, a $15-billion public company in the San Francisco Bay area. (This course replaces the former “Clean Energy Law and In-House Practicum” course, with the same course number.)

Office of the Attorney General: Law and Policy: This 1-credit course will explore the constitutional basis for the office of the Missouri Attorney General, the internal organization and roles of the AGO, and the emerging role of state attorneys general as a national force in the areas of mass torts, federalism, constitutional law, and other areas of law. Keep an eye out for special guests!

Veterans Law (LAW 5926): Our nation’s veterans are entitled to receive benefits as a result of their military service. The administrative processes and governing law relating to these benefits are complex. This course offers the opportunity to learn and apply administrative law in a discrete practice area. Students will learn how VA disability claims and appeals are handled, at various adjudicatory levels. Students will also learn about the discharge upgrade processes within the Department of Defense. This doctrinal course will provide a good foundation for those who wish to earn experiential credit in the Veterans Clinic during law school and will also be valuable to students who do not enroll in the clinic.

Liquor Control Law: This course will cover the law of liquor control. Topics will include administrative law, interstate commerce issues, the history of Prohibition and the 21st Amendment, state liquor control in Missouri and elsewhere, the role of Missouri’s executive agencies, how courts review agency action, and alternative dispute resolution.

Missouri Criminal Practice and Criminal Litigation Clinic: Missouri Criminal Practice (fall semester) is a simulation course that provides courtroom skills training. Students will learn Missouri criminal practice and procedure as they follow a criminal case fact pattern from the time of the crime up to trial. The course will consist of lecture and discussion on the weekly topic, live and/or video demonstrations, and exercises/simulations. Some simulations will occur outside of the regularly scheduled class time. The Criminal Practice Clinic (spring semester) is a hybrid live-client clinical program. It consists of hands-on practical experience through a field placement in a local public defender or prosecutor office supervised by Clinic faculty, along with a weekly classroom component and faculty assistance preparing for court appearances and providing substantive feedback. All spring clinic students must take Missouri Criminal Practice in the fall.

Agricultural Law (LAW 5335): In fall 2024, MU Law will offer a 1-credit short course during the week of August 12 on Agricultural Law. The class will meet the week before the rest of fall classes begin. The professor envisions this course as “Agriculture Law and Regulation: An In-House Perspective.” This course explores the practice of regulatory law (synonymous with “administrative law” in the context of this course) from the practical perspective of an in-house lawyer who focuses on the highly regulated area of agriculture law, and the policy that develops the applicable law. This topic is particularly important in Missouri, a key agricultural region.

The Presidential Pardon Power: Executive Clemency in History, Law & Politics: Throughout Anglo-American history, the power of kings and presidents to pardon crimes has been integral to the development of substantive criminal law and the structure of the constitutional orders of Great Britain and the United States. It has been a tool of statecraft in times of war or civil unrest and a potential weapon for would-be autocrats to create a regime of impunity. This course considers the history and uses of executive clemency in Great Britain and the United States, with primary emphasis on the place of the pardon power in the U.S constitutional structure, past uses of the pardon power by U.S. Presidents, and the potential for misuse of the presidential pardon power in the present era. This course will meet as an “intersession course” in January 2025 before normal spring classes begin.

Curriculum Pathways

At Mizzou Law, you can customize your law school experience by selecting a curriculum “pathway” that focuses on an area of law that interests you personally. Doing so can provide you with deeper knowledge of the area and a broader set of relevant skills, as well as relationships with faculty knowledgeable in the field, who may serve as mentors along the way.

The faculty of Mizzou Law has created sixteen pathways for your consideration. Choosing a pathway is not mandatory (and will not be reflected in your transcript). But these pathways are here to help you shape your law school experience.

No pathway is set in stone, of course. Your interests may evolve while you’re in law school, or even later. The pathways we have designed can help you explore different areas, and you may decide to combine courses from different pathways to create your own path to practice.

We offer these pathways:

In some cases, it may be possible to earn a dual degree.

For each pathway, the faculty have listed both foundational courses and recommended courses. The recommended courses may include clinics, practicums, study abroad programs, or participation in one of the school’s specialized law journals. While the Law School may not offer every course every year, you can consult the registrar to determine how often each course is offered. And if a course of interest is not offered when you need it, you may be able to arrange an independent study with a faculty member.

Feel free to reach out to any professor – especially the ones listed for each pathway – to discuss your course selections and career options.