Required Upper Level Courses

Program Learning Objectives

(Course Name | Credit Hours)

APPELLATE ADVOCACY I – 8000 – (2)

An overview of the appellate process. This course includes lectures and reading and writing assignments, discussions relating to the fundamentals of appellate brief writing and oral advocacy. The course will culminate in an appellate brief and/or argument.  This requirement is effective for students who entered in Fall 2013 or later.  Current 4LE students must satisfy an oral skills requirement and a professional skills requirement.  Appellate Advocacy can be used to satisfy both requirements.

BUSINESS ASSOCIATIONS – 9040 – (4)

(Day Program Only)
An introduction to partnerships, limited partnerships, limited liability entities, and corporations. The course also includes an introduction to the law of agency as it relates to various business forms. The majority of class time is spent dealing with corporations and their formation; corporate powers; corporate liability; powers and duties of shareholders, directors, and officers; the sale of stock in publicly held corporations; and special issues concerning closely held corporations.

CONSTITUTIONAL LAW I – 8030 – (3)

An examination of the allocation of power between the federal and state governments, the separation of powers between the three branches of government, and the power of Congress to regulate interstate commerce. The course also covers equal protection of the law and both substantive and procedural due process.

CONSTITUTIONAL LAW II – 8130 – (3)

Prerequisite: Constitutional Law I – 8030.
This course examines judicial review and the First Amendment. Subjects include jurisdiction of the United States Supreme Court, standing, mootness, ripeness and political questions. The First Amendment topics include freedom of press, assembly and religion.  This course is also designed to cover issues of individual rights under the Fourteenth Amendment that are given only brief treatment in the introductory first- year course. Subjects include equal protection, substantive due process, state action, and Congress’s power to enforce the Fourteenth Amendment’s guarantees.

CORPORATIONS – 8040 – (3)

(Evening Program Only)
This course studies the corporation as a business form. The course explores the advantages and disadvantages of incorporation. The formation, management and control of both closely-held and publicly-traded corporations are also examined. The course is designed to complement Agency-Partnership 8200.

DECEDENTS’ ESTATES I – 8020 – (3)

An examination of the substantive law of intestate succession, wills, and trusts. Topics covered include the execution, revocation, and construction of wills and trusts, and the protection of family members against disinheritance.

EVIDENCE – 8010 – (3)

An examination of the rules of evidence and the roles of the judge, jury, and attorney in the fact-finding process. Subjects covered include witness examination, competency, privileges, exclusion, the hearsay rule, authenticity, best evidence rule, parol evidence rule, and opinion evidence.

FUNDAMENTALS OF INCOME TAXATION – 8050 – (3)

An introduction to the basic structure of federal income taxation including gross income, deductions, tax rates, treatment of gains and losses, and computation of taxable income. Emphasis is placed on fundamentals and areas of concern to general practitioners.

N.C. DISTINCTIONS – 9570 – (3)

A team-taught synthesis course for third-year students that integrates procedural and substantive subjects in a comprehensive format utilizing the statutory framework of a single jurisdiction, North Carolina. The key subject areas are: Criminal Procedure, Future Interests, Real Estate Finance, and Family Law.

PRACTICE-ORIENTED WRITING REQUIREMENT

Students must successfully complete one of the following courses:  Advanced Legal Writing, Judicial Opinion Writing, Legal Letters, Legal Writing and Technique or Pleadings and Practice.

PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITY – 9290 – (2)

An examination of the Rules of Professional Conduct, the roles and functions of lawyers in society, responsibilities involved in representing clients, and the organization and functions of the bar.

SALES AND SECURED TRANSACTIONS – 9030 – (4)

An overview of the legal principles applicable to the sale of goods and security interests in personal property used as collateral for the extension of credit. The first part of the course is organized around the performance and warranty provisions of Article 2 of the Uniform Commercial Code and is designed to build upon and not duplicate the first-year course in Contracts. The second part of the course is organized around Article 9 of the Uniform Commercial Code.

SENIOR WRITING – 9500 – (3)

(Evening Program Only)
An intensive writing class based on a single case file. Students will write several practical skills-oriented documents, including letters, pleadings, settlement brochures, motions, and supporting briefs.

WRITING SEMINAR REQUIREMENT

Students are required to take at least one writing seminar to strengthen their writing and analytical skills.  Appellate Advocacy cannot be used to meet this requirement.