An introduction to the theological and philosophical foundations of law, including the Creator/creature distinction; the development of natural law thinking; the origins and jurisdictional boundaries of family, church and state; and the Biblical basis for the fundamental principles of civil procedure, tort law, criminal law, contract law, and property law which comprise the basic curriculum.

Offered: Resident

An introduction to the historical and political background of the American legal tradition, including the Biblical principles that form the foundation of America's legal institutions and constitutional system; the influence of Christian and secular worldviews on the application of American law; and the development of the respective jurisdictional bases of family, church, and state.

Offered: Resident

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.

Offered: Resident

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: Resident

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.

Offered: Resident

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: Resident

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.

Offered: Resident

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: Resident

Offered: Resident

An introduction to the rules and principles that dictate the process by which civil disputes are resolved by courts. A study of the judicial process and of the relationship between the procedural and substantive law; pleadings; principles of jurisdiction, including jurisdiction over subject matter and persons, and service of process; and an introduction to the allocation of jurisdiction between the state and federal courts and the law to be applied in state courts and federal courts.

Offered: Resident

A continuation of Civil Procedure I with a focus on pleadings, joinder of parties and claims, discovery, motions, trial, post-trial matters, and the binding effects of adjudications.

Offered: Resident

An introduction to the law library and basic legal research; interviewing clients; drafting basic pleadings; fundamentals of legal writing; fundamentals of statutory and case analysis; oral communication skills; drafting an objective memorandum of law.

Offered: Resident

A continuation of Lawyering Skills I with an increased level of sophistication in researching, analysis and writing; drafting basic transactional documents; drafting a memorandum of law; oral argument. (Research component of this course to be taught during an intensive week prior to the start of the spring semester.)

Offered: Resident

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: Resident

A study of the history and development of the first amendment and the body of constitutional law including the doctrines of freedom of speech, press, peaceable assembly, the right to petition the government for the redress of grievances, and the religion clauses.

Offered: Resident

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: Resident

An introduction to the limitations imposed on law enforcement activities by the Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Amendments of the U.S. Constitution as applied to the states through the Fourteenth Amendment. The course considers the criminal justice process from investigation through arrest and initial court appearance.

Offered: Resident

This course examines the process of the adjudicatory stages of criminal procedure, beginning with the pre-trial detention and continuing through trial and sentencing. Topics that will be covered in this course include; pre-trial detention, initiating the charging decision, bail and pretrial release, grand jury practice, discovery, the plea, speedy trial rights, right to counsel, trial by jury, the criminal trial, double jeopardy, sentencing, and post-conviction relief. For a student pursuing a career with a concentration in criminal practice, this course is best taken immediately subsequent to Criminal Procedure and prior to a criminal law externship.

Offered: Resident

An introduction to the law of evidence and the rules and principles governing its admission within the context of the adversarial trial system. Emphasis is placed upon mastering the Federal Rules of Evidence, examination and cross-examination of witnesses, functions of the judge and the jury, and burden of proof.

Note: This course is a prerequisite for Virginia Third-Year Practice.

Offered: Resident

An examination of agency, partnership, and corporation concepts with emphasis on the rights and obligations of partners; and the formation, management, and operation of for-profit and nonprofit corporations.

Offered: Resident

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.

Note: This course is a prerequisite for Virginia Third-Year Practice; it must be taken in the spring semester of the student's second year or during an intensive session.

Offered: Resident

Students continue the pretrial development of a case. A major focus is on drafting and arguing pretrial motions, in particular motions in limine in a civil trial. Students also further develop skills of interviewing and witness preparation, examining witnesses, negotiating settlements and pretrial agreements. The planning portion of the course focuses on drafting documents necessary for the effective establishment and operation of one or more business organizations.

Offered: Resident

Students review and then practice the major steps in the pretrial litigation process, including litigation planning, informal fact investigation, legal research, and all facets of discovery. Each student prepares requests for documents, interrogatories, and requests for admissions. Each student also conducts and defends a deposition of one of the parties or witnesses in a case. Students also draft and argue a motion to dismiss in a criminal trial.

Offered: Resident

A study of the basic devices in gratuitous transfers, including the will and trust; selected problems in class gifts, and will and trust substitutes; and social restrictions upon the power of testation, the formation of property interests, and the trust device.

Offered: Resident

Offered: Resident

An introduction to the many schools of jurisprudence. Jurisprudence is the study of legal philosophy. Particular emphasis is given to formulating principles of a distinctively Christian jurisprudence and on reading primary materials.

Note: This course is offered in the spring semester of odd-numbered years.

Offered: Resident

Law and economics as a jurisprudential theory seeks to apply neoclassic economics concepts to the law. Law and economics tends to be both positive (explaining rules in terms of economics 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. Possible subject areas for consideration include: property, contracts, constitutional law, human rights, family law, tort law, criminal law, employment law, corporate law, securities regulation, and taxation.

Offered: Resident

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.

Note: This course is offered in the spring semester of even-numbered years.

Offered: Resident

An introduction to the federal income tax system. Topics include items of inclusion and exclusion from gross income, deductions from gross income, capital gains and losses, basic tax accounting, and the identification of income to the appropriate taxpayer. The course gives consideration to the private attorney's role in administering the tax law and in advising clients on the interaction of the tax law with their businesses, investments, and personal activities. This course must be taken in the fall or spring semester of the student's second year or in the fall semester of the student's third year.

Offered: Resident

The basics of trial advocacy. There is an emphasis on mastering certain litigation and trial tasks; paying attention to detail; and precision in analysis, thought, expression, and communication.

Offered: Resident

A general introduction to the nature and regulation of family associations. This course focuses on the relationships of husband and wife as well as parent and child. It addresses moral, legal, and biblical issues relating to marriage, divorce, and custody, including international and American developments involving same-sex unions.

Offered: Resident

A study of delinquency, deprivation, status offenses, and dependency in Juvenile Court. History of the Juvenile Court, development of children's rights, and trends in juvenile justice.

Offered: Resident

The course explores fundamental issues in adoption law from both international and domestic perspectives. It will examine on a comparative basis the legal relationship among children and families across continents and in the state. Students will understand the legal framework of adoption laws in states such as Virginia, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and a few selected states, as well as processes and procedures involving adoptions in general. Students will also learn, on a step-by-step basis, how adoption treaties in private international law are interpreted and applied in U.S. Courts. The course will further examine issues in assisted reproduction using reproductive technology. The learning process will involve practical hands-on approach including problem solving, case law review and analysis of domestic rules and procedures for the recognition of foreign judgments in U.S. courts.

Offered: Resident

This is a course designed for students interested in public service and working on behalf of abused children. Students who enroll in this course will have diverse practice interests such as, being a criminal or civil child abuse prosecutor, guardian/attorney ad litem, child protection attorney, or public interest lawyer. The course is designed to provide an overview of the prosecution process in civil and criminal cases involving child abuse and neglect. Students will learn the internal path of both a criminal child abuse case as well as the civil process for protecting children from further abuse or neglect. This course will explore the necessity of working with a multidisciplinary team of professionals in preparing a case for the court process as well as the necessary skills needed to communicate with child victims. The course will require observation of a criminal or civil child abuse case. Ethical responsibilities of prosecution will be addressed.

Offered: Resident

An in-depth study of federal taxation of wealth transmission, including estate and gift taxes.

Offered: Resident

An overview of the estate planning process, including considerations entering into the structure and completion of an estate plan. This course includes a discussion of the information-gathering process and the preparation of such estate planning documents as wills, trusts, and durable powers of attorney. It also includes a consideration of the various methods that may be used to reduce estate taxes for the client, both through lifetime and testamentary planning.

Offered: Resident

A study of the principles, theory, and practice of accounting, finance, and auditing. The topics include the accounting equation and conceptual framework; recognition principles; inventory and the cost of goods sold; fixed assets and depreciation; liabilities; financial statements and financial analysis; valuation principles and techniques; audit practice; perspectives and the role of the lawyer in the preceding topics. Students who have already taken any accounting course (at the undergraduate or graduate level of three credit hours or more) are not eligible to enroll in this course. This course is offered as an intensive.

Offered: Resident

Offered: Resident

A study of the principles, theory, and practice of accounting, finance, and auditing. The topics include the accounting equation and conceptual framework; recognition principles; inventory and the cost of goods sold; fixed assets and depreciation; liabilities; financial statements and financial analysis; valuation principles and techniques; audit practice; perspectives and the role of the lawyer in the preceding topics. Students who have already taken any accounting course (at the undergraduate or graduate level of three credit hours or more) are not eligible to enroll in this course. This course is offered as an intensive.

Offered: Resident

A study of the Uniform Commercial Code with focus on Articles 3 and 4, and general principles applicable to promissory notes and drafts, and the special rules for bank deposits and collections.

Offered: Resident

A study of the Uniform Commercial Code with an emphasis on Articles 3, 4, and 9 covering general principles applicable to promissory notes and drafts, bank deposits and collections, and secured transactions.

Offered: Resident

An advanced course in federal income taxation with emphasis on tax laws related to corporations, partnerships, and limited liability companies.

Offered: Resident

A study of the process of and the law governing business combinations and acquisitions including mergers, stock purchases, assets sales, and change-of-control transactions. The course will consider primarily the role of state business organization law and federal securities law in determining the structure, mechanics, timing, and price of such transactions.

Offered: Resident

A study of the process of and the law governing the issuance, distribution, and trading of securities focusing primarily on the Securities Act of 1933 and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and related rules and regulations. Topics include the definition of a "security;" the obligation to register; the registration and disclosure requirements; the exemptions from the registration process; and the insider trading and antifraud provisions.

Offered: Resident

A general survey of the factors to be considered in the organization, financing, operation, and liquidation of the small business venture, all examined within a choice of business entity frameworks. Proprietorships, partnerships, limited partnerships, limited liability companies, business trusts, close corporations and professional corporations are covered. Particular emphasis is on the practical aspect of the organization, operation, purchase, and sale of a business, and other matters related to the role of a practicing lawyer in business affairs.

Offered: Resident

This course includes the study of the state and federal law affecting nonprofit entities, churches and parachurch ministries. Topics covered include formation, exempt purposes, private inurement, board governance, compensation, fundraising and financial regulation, charitable contributions, lobbying, political activity, electioneering, unrelated business income, employment law, church-specific matters, and international law, activities and structure.

Offered: Resident

A course in the application of real property law, covering deeds, mortgages, leases, land contracts, real estate closings, and financing in the context of simple transactions; and of the development of a shopping plaza or housing complex.

Offered: Resident

Offered: Resident

A course covering the history and philosophy of the Bankruptcy Acts and Bankruptcy Rules as interpreted by the United States Supreme Court and the other inferior courts. It includes relief under chapters 7, 11, and 13 of the Bankruptcy Code; complaints; motions; and applications. It deals extensively with the rights and duties of debtors and creditors.

Offered: Resident

An introduction to the basic principles of the law of copyrights, trademarks, patents, and unfair competition. An overview of the U.S. legal systems that protect creations of the mind: inventions, trade secrets, artistic creations, computer software, brand names, and image/persona, with primary focus on patent, copyright, trademark, and trade secret law. It serves as a basic building block for more advanced intellectual property courses.

Offered: Resident

Offered: Resident

Offered: Resident

An introduction to the basic legal, business, and financial aspects of the entertainment industry including comparisons and contrasts between the motion picture, television, literary, music, and digital industries. In addition to covering general legal concepts relevant to the entertainment industry, students will achieve an understanding of selected topics and transactions germane to this area of law. Customs and practices within the entertainment industry and various legal scenarios will be examined.

Offered: Resident