This course is an introduction to legal research; fundamentals of legal writing; and fundamental analysis of treaties, customary law, and other sources of law. This course will provide an overview of current research techniques in the field of legal systems and research. Students will learn and apply professional writing skills in the early research paper drafting process and will incorporate techniques outlined in the course.

Offered: Online

Online Prerequisite: JURI 510

This course will further develop student research methods, research strategies, and statistical analysis skills necessary to both produce and critically analyze research reports and data compilations used in forming legal analysis. Students will further develop and apply professional writing skills in the research paper drafting process and fully incorporate techniques as outlined in this course and the Introduction to Legal Research course.

Offered: Online

An analysis of the basic principles of constitutional law, including the nature of a written constitution, the covenantal framework of the U.S. Constitution, the Marshall legacy and judicial review, theories of interpretation, and principles of interpretivism. Emphasis is given to the distribution of governmental powers in the federal system; separation of powers; the federal commerce, taxing, and foreign affairs powers; intergovernmental relations; due process; and equal protection.

Offered: Online

This course provides an overview of the laws related to health care in the United States. Subjects to be covered include the licensing and monitoring of healthcare professionals, the professional-patient relationship and duties to treat, liability that may attach to healthcare professionals and businesses, healthcare financing including public and private sources, fraud and abuse and business aspects of healthcare including antitrust. This course allows students to become conversant with the current complexities of healthcare law and understand emerging trends in this evolving body of law.

Offered: Online

A study of the history of the development of the common law of contracts and statutory variances from the common law, particularly the Uniform Commercial Code. It focuses on legal theories for enforcing promises or preventing unjust enrichment; and principles controlling the formation, modification, and enforceability of contracts. A study of the legal principles dealing with performance, remedies for nonperformance or threatened nonperformance, excuses for nonperformance, rights of nonparties to enforce contracts, assignment of rights, and delegation of duties.

Offered: Online

This course provides an overview of the law and policy that underpin the subject of healthcare bioethics. This is a course that bridges the gap between the moral and ethical aspects of healthcare delivery and the legal constructs that surround them. Topics to be covered include human genetics, cloning, and reproduction, legal issues related to death and dying including medically assisted dying and the regulation of research involving human subjects. This course will allow the student to explore the intersection of the law and policy for these and other bioethical issues.

Offered: Online

An introduction to the general principles, sources, and purpose of criminal law, including the following doctrinal issues that apply to crimes in general: the act requirement, the mens rea requirement, causation, liability for attempted crimes, accomplice liability, defenses, and criminal code interpretation.

Offered: Online

This course provides an overview of the subject of healthcare compliance. Healthcare compliance is the ongoing process of meeting the applicable legal, ethical, and professional standards set by government agencies and third party players. Subjects to be covered include how healthcare organizations can develop and administer effective standards, policies, and procedures to screen and evaluate employees and physicians, communicate and educate on compliance issues, develop monitoring, auditing and internal reporting systems and investigate non-compliance and take appropriate disciplinary and other remedial measures.

Offered: Online

A study of the fundamental precepts applicable to real and personal property. Aspects of real property covered are possessory estates and interests, as well as joint and concurrent ownership. A study of the rights, duties, and liabilities of landlords and tenants; acquisition, ownership, and transfer of property; rights of possession; donative transactions; issues in the conveyancing system; and governmental regulations.

Offered: Online

This course provides an understanding of the laws related to healthcare fraud and abuse in United States. The three major fraud and abuse statues - the False Claims Act, the Stark Law and the Anti-Kickback Statute - will be covered in detail. This includes identifying the statutory construction of each of these three statutes and seeing how different courts have applied them. Related subjects to be covered include, an overview of Federal and State agencies tasked with eliminating fraud and abuse in the healthcare arena, examples of settled and litigated cases and their impact on the healthcare industry and the history and ongoing evolution of healthcare fraud and abuse enforcement.

Offered: Online

A study of intentional torts against persons and property and the privileges thereto. It focuses on the basic principles of negligence and other standards of care. A survey of the remaining issues in negligence including particular duties of landowners, damages, joint and several liability, and defenses. It also deals with products liability, wrongful death, vicarious liability, and nuisance.

Offered: Online

This course provides an overview of the laws related to the torts of medical malpractice and other forms of medical negligence. Topics to be covered include the physician-associated factors that may lead to medical negligence, the duty of the physician to treat patients including the initiation and termination of the physician-patient relationship, breach of a duty to the patient, the use of medical experts in proving the case, causation including proximate cause and calculating damages and collecting monetary awards. A discussion of medical malpractice tort reform will also be included.

Offered: Online

Introduces the fundamental concepts and legal principles that are applicable to the American legal system, its development and inherent ethical considerations. Discusses the basis and structure of business contracts; the creation and characteristics of agencies, partnerships, limited liability companies and corporations; and the rights and liabilities of agents, partners, directors and shareholders.

Offered: Online

An introduction to and in-depth analysis of the general principles and purposes of criminal procedure within the constitutional framework of the Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, and Fourteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution. Students will examine the parameters that govern criminal justice procedures and permissible police conduct as balanced against citizens’ constitutional rights.

Offered: Online

A study of the authority and duties of lawyers in the practice of their profession as advocates, mediators, and counselors; and of their responsibility to the courts, to the bar, and to their clients, including a study of the various ABA standards of professional conduct.

Offered: Online

An introduction to the theological and philosophical foundations of law, including the Augustinian concept of antithetical thinking; the Creator/creature distinction; the development of higher/natural law thinking; the basis for the distinction between the judicial and prudential methods of analysis; the origins and jurisdictional boundaries of family, church, and state; the schools of jurisprudence; and the biblical basis for the fundamental principles underlying the several courses that comprise the basic curriculum. An introduction to the historical and political background of the Western legal tradition; the impact of canon law and higher law influences on the development of the common law; the development of the respective jurisdictional bases of family, church, and state, and historical struggle between them; and the influence of Christian and secular worldviews on the application of American law, with a particular emphasis on the influences of the Founding Fathers and the drafters of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.

Note: LL.M. students must meet additional legal brief component as described in course syllabus.

Offered: Online

This course is an introduction to the many schools of jurisprudence. Jurisprudence is the study of legal philosophy. An examination of the nature and meaning of the legal past, particularly the Western legal tradition, with a primary focus on the historical relationship between church and state; and the biblical and theological foundations of the Western legal tradition and the English Common Law heritage. Particular emphasis is given to formulating principles of a distinctively Christian jurisprudence and on reading primary materials.

Note: LL.M. students must meet additional legal brief component as described in course syllabus.

Offered: Online

This course provides a survey to corporate and business compliance. The student will be exposed to various domestic legal regimes that govern corporate conduct, norms, and ethics, such as the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, Sarbanes-Oxley, Dodd-Frank, and whistleblower provisions, among others. Moreover, the course will cover the development of compliance programs, the role of compliance professionals, and related areas, such as confidentiality.

Offered: Online

Law and economics as a jurisprudential theory seeks to apply neoclassic economics concepts to law. Law and economics tends to be both positive (explaining rules in terms of economic concepts) and normative (arguing that legal rules should promote economic efficiency). This course considers a variety of subject areas in order to provide a critique of law and economics from the perspective of the distinct mission of Liberty University School of Law.

Note: LL.M. students must meet additional legal brief component as described in course syllabus.

Offered: Online

This course examines the processes by which legislative and administrative policy is promulgated and enforced by administrative agencies. Consequently, topics include formal and informal rulemaking, agency delegation, construction of regulations, judicial deference, and agency adjudication and enforcement.

Offered: Online

A study of selected international legal issues affecting or regulating multinational enterprise foreign investment, the banking system, trade in goods and services, labor matters, intellectual property, sales transactions, transportation, and trade financing.

Note: LL.M. students must meet additional legal brief component as described in course syllabus.

Offered: Online

This course examines the risk management process, focusing through a legal lens. Topics covered include operation, personnel, financial, legal, and data/information risk analysis and management. The course will focus on corporate, business, and enterprise risk management, including best practices for mitigating risks across a variety of contexts and industries.

Offered: Online

This course focuses on the study of fundamental concepts of international law and its historical origins. It considers the influence of diverse schools of thought in international law, including the post-modern, natural law, and integrative jurisprudence. The course examines the sources of international law, including international treaties, customary international law and general principles of law. It also studies the subjects of international law and international legal personality.

Note: LL.M. students must meet additional legal brief component as described in course syllabus.

Offered: Online

This course provides an overview of intellectual property law in the United States. Topics include copyright law, trademark law, trade secret law, and patent law. The course will prepare students for understanding these areas of law, the business considerations for deciding when to seek certain kinds of protection, and assessing potential infringement risks.

Offered: Online

This course is a study of the international norms and principles that regulate international trade on goods, services and intellectual property. It also focuses on the history of the creation of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and its current functions. It considers the influence of economic doctrines in the creation of norms and principles of international trade law.

Note: LL.M. students must meet additional legal brief component as described in course syllabus.

Offered: Online

This course focuses on the study of international treaties, such as the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. It also analyzes the place of customary international law in the regulation of diplomatic relations. It explores the close interaction and interrelation between international law and diplomacy.

Note: LL.M. students must meet additional legal brief component as described in course syllabus.

Offered: Online

This course is a study of the historical origins and development of norms regarding the law of armed conflicts. The course focuses on the norms of customary international law and the positive law norms, such as the Geneva Conventions and Protocols on the law of war.

Note: LL.M. students must meet additional legal brief component as described in course syllabus.

Offered: Online

This course studies the creation of the international human rights system and its influence in international relations. It highlights the Christian foundations of human rights norms and principles. It specially focuses on the concept of human dignity and the imago Dei (image of God) as the foundation of human rights law. It analyzes international declarations and resolutions of the United Nations General Assembly and the UN Human Rights Council. It shows the importance of the defense of fundamental human rights, such as the right to life, the right to family and the right to religious freedom.

Note: LL.M. students must meet additional legal brief component as described in course syllabus.

Offered: Online

This course develops the fundamental requirements in writing an LL.M. thesis in the context of international law. The student will select a topic under the supervision of a faculty member. Following the selection of a topic, the student conducts research aimed at narrowing and refining the thesis, and the faculty member provides feedback that assists the student in formulating a research and writing plan. The student prepares and submits a written outline of the research thesis, and the faculty provides substantive feedback. Lastly, the student submits a preliminary draft of the paper.

Offered: Online

Online Prerequisite: JURI 690

The legal thesis developed in the Capstone Legal Research and Writing I course is further developed. Continued development and refinement of the topic, legal research, and drafts are completed. Final submission of thesis for faculty's evaluations.

Offered: Online