Professor Irus Braverman traveled with law students to Israel/Palestine to learn more about environmental injustices.

Professor Irus Braverman traveled with law students to Israel/Palestine to learn more about environmental injustices.

Bridge Courses

Each year the School of Law offers a variety of short courses, many of them in January, which give students the option to study away from the law school. In recent years, these learning opportunities have included short courses based in New Zealand, France, Israel/Palestine and Washington, D.C.

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