Bridge Courses
Each year the School of Law offers a variety of short courses, many of them in January, that are taught by accomplished attorneys and judges.
The School of Law offers a unique system of four-week blocks of courses that are divided over the academic year. Blocks 1, 2 and 3 follow the typical fall semester schedule, while Block 4 consists of practice-oriented courses that are taught in January of the spring semester. Upper-level students may take Block 4 courses, which are taught primarily by accomplished attorneys and judges.
Many upper-division and LL.M. students enroll in two or three such courses during the January block. Ordinarily offered for one credit hour each, these courses bring a fresh dimension to legal education by providing a focused, inside view of a lawyer’s world. The remaining blocks (5, 6 and 7) conclude the spring semester.
Out of the 40 or 50 courses offered in Block 4, some typical topics include:
- Buying and Selling Businesses
- Choosing the Right Jury
- Commercial Litigation
- Direct and Cross-Examination of Expert Witnesses
- Discovery Strategies and Deposition Tactics
- Federal Tax Practice and Procedure
- Intellectual Property Litigation
- Managing Personal Injury Practice
- Outsourcing and Licensing Information Technologies
- Professional Sports Contract Negotiation
- Raising Money
- Sexual Harassment Mediation
- Social Security Disability Law and Practice
- Trial of a Death Penalty Case
- Worker’s Compensation