Course Offerings

Media law is dynamic and colorful, and our understanding of it is changing. New communication technologies, for example, are prompting lawyers, judges, and scholars to reconsider traditional legal doctrines and concepts. This course addresses the old and the new, with a focus on the philosophical basis of free expression; the principles that animate the First Amendment; and the discrete issues that most often impact the media, including prior restraints, privacy, defamation, intellectual property, access to public meetings and records, protection of news sources and notes, access to courts, and obscenity and indecency. The fine print: This is an online class that meets by Zoom from 7 to 9:30 p.m. each Tuesday, with other asynchronous material assigned weekly. Final grades will be determined by writing projects, not a traditional exam. If you have questions, please email jonathan.peters@uga.edu. Instructor: Jonathan Peters is a media law professor at the University of Georgia, with appointments in the School of Law and the College of Journalism and Mass Communication. He is the press freedom correspondent for the Columbia Journalism Review, and he is a frequent commentator on media law issues for The New York Times, The Washington Post, Vanity Fair, CNN, NPR, and PBS. Peters conducts research in both American and international media law, and he is coauthor of the book The Law of Public Communication.

JURI 5576E: Media Law Summer Term 2020 (3 Credit Hours) Description: Media law is dynamic and colorful, and our understanding of it is changing. New communication technologies, for example, are prompting lawyers, judges, and scholars to reconsider traditional legal doctrines and concepts. This course addresses the old and the new, with a focus on the philosophical basis of free expression; the principles that animate the First Amendment; and the discrete issues that most often impact the media, including prior restraints, privacy, defamation, intellectual property, access to public meetings and records, protection of news sources and notes, access to courts, and obscenity and indecency. The fine print: This is an online class that meets by Zoom from 7 to 9:30 p.m. each Tuesday, with other asynchronous material assigned weekly. Final grades will be determined by writing projects, not a traditional exam. This course will soon be posted in the scheduling system, at which point the school will circulate the registration number. If you have questions, please email jonathan.peters@uga.edu. Instructor: Jonathan Peters is a media law professor at the University of Georgia, with appointments in the School of Law and the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication. He is the press freedom correspondent for the Columbia Journalism Review, and he has written about legal issues for Esquire, The Atlantic, and Wired, among others. Peters conducts research in both American and international media law, and he is coauthor of the book The Law of Public Communication.

This clinical course includes four primary components: 1) solo mediation of selected cases in the Clarke County Magistrate Court, 2) weekly two-hour class sessions which will combine in-depth assessments of completed cases and integrated discussions of readings in mediation theory and practice, 3) advanced readings on mediation and dispute resolution theory, and 4) regular periodic reflective writing in the form of two journals and a learning appraisal. Students will meet individually with the clinical supervisor for individual feedback and evaluation.

The course consists of in-class, simulation-based training, including interactive training on the mediation process, the role and competencies of the mediator, ethical and regulatory rules governing mediation and a series of specific topics of mediation practice. It also includes an introduction to small claims court and to the primary legal issues that students will encounter in practice. This course is designed to satisfy the requirements of the Georgia Office of Dispute Resolution ("GODR") for the training of court-certified mediators.

A nuts and bolts approach to medical malpractice law and litigation in Georgia. Taught by practicing attorneys, plaintiff and defense perspectives are offered. While the focus is on substantive law, the procedural aspects of such cases are also covered.

The legal issues relating to mental health and illness, including competency, disability, confidentiality (HIPAA), duty to warn, civil commitment, criminal defenses, discrimination, and similar issues. Recommended for students planning careers in the helping professions, including social work, therapy, psychology, education, and criminal justice.

This course surveys the legal issues relating to mental health and illness, including competency, disability, confidentiality (HIPAA), duty to warn, civil commitment, criminal defenses, discrimination, and similar issues. The course will help students planning careers in the helping professions, including social work, therapy, psychology, education, and criminal justice.

This course will focus on the role of the Judge Advocate in the six service branches of the U.S. Armed Forces, with particular emphasis on the largest Judge Advocate General’s (JAG) Corps, the U.S. Army JAG Corps. Students will learn about the six core competencies of military law, which include administrative and civil law, claims, contract and fiscal law, international and operational law, legal assistance, and military justice. We will review some of the most significant Supreme Court, Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces (CAAF), and federal court decisions as they relate to military law. This course is ideal for any student who wishes to learn more about the role of a military lawyer and the unique skills and value they bring to the mission and to a Commander’s decision-making.

Student teams prepare civil or criminal jury trials under the supervision of a faculty advisor by preparing and presenting pretrial evidentiary motions, opening statements, direct and cross examinations of witnesses, and closing arguments. A student must be selected as a competing advocate who will attend a competition in the semester in which the student registers.

This is a study in the theories that animate modern legal scholarship and practice. The course surveys classic articles and book excerpts and reviews to provide a basic understanding of the dominant theoretical movements and their development.

This is an online course studying in the theories that animate modern legal scholarship and practice. The course surveys classic articles and book excerpts and reviews to provide a basic understanding of the dominant theoretical movements and their development.

Student teams prepare appellate briefs and bench briefs and practice oral arguments under the supervision of a faculty advisor for regional, national, and international competitions. A student must be selected as a competing advocate who will attend a competition in the semester in which the student registers. This course is graded S/U.

Preparation, handling of international law moot court case and representation of hypothetical states before international legal tribunal. Topics covered impart knowledge of international legal reasoning, novel research and effective oral advocacy. Enrollment extended by permission. This course is graded S/U.

Through readings, experiential exercises, and simulated negotiations, this course serves as an introduction to the theory and practice of negotiation for deals and disputes, with an emphasis on negotiation tournaments. In the Fall, the course is required for all second-year students who wish to compete for a spot on the Negotiation Advocacy Team and is otherwise open only to Negotiation Advocacy Team members, who are required to enroll each semester. The faculty advisor(s) will approve course registration and assign a grade. Course is graded S/U.

Deals with impact of federal income tax on formation and operation of businesses conducted in partnership form. Special emphasis on tax ramifications of sale of partnership interest, death or retirement of partner, and dissolution of partnership.

This course studies how to write and prosecute a United States patent application. With numerous drafting exercises, including the drafting of claims and arguments in response to Office Actions from the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), the course both introduces students to common issues arising during patent prosecution and equips students with basic strategies to deal with those issues.  The course also explores patent infringement analysis and opinion letter work in which patent lawyers routinely engage.  This course does not include the formal preparation for the USPTO patent bar.

Payment Systems will be a general overview of the mechanisms for making payments. Building off an initial focus on negotiable instruments (e.g., checks), the course will dive into other payment systems, including credit cards, debit cards, ACH payments, wire transfers, and emerging issues with the regulation of mobile payments and digital assets. We’ll address uniform state laws (e.g., UCC Articles 3, 4, and 4A), applicable federal statutes and regulations (e.g., he Truth-in-Lending Act, and the Electronic Fund Transfers Act), as well as proprietary network rules and regulations.   In looking at these different frameworks, we’ll consider how risk is allocated among the different participants, countermands, and defenses on the underlying contracts between participants. Beyond the specifics of payments, the course is designed to give students a perspective on practicing as a regulatory lawyer (especially as an in-house regulatory lawyer), with a focus on statutory analysis and how to effectively translate that analysis into practical commercial counseling.

This class will provide an overview of what it is like to practice on the Plaintiff’s side of civil litigation. Hollywood and most legal television shows would have you believe that being a Plaintiff’s lawyer is as easy as putting up a billboard and filing a lawsuit. This course will focus on the reality of Plaintiff’s practice by discussing ethical concerns, advertising, federal and state laws privacy laws regarding client medical records, drafting and submitting time-limited demands, and of course, dealing with the insurance company.

The law has always had to adapt to deal with challenges created by new technologies. The first copyright law, for instance, can trace its origin to the proliferation of publishing enabled by the printing press. Today this issue is especially important because technology develops much more quickly than the law can respond. And since things like the World Wide Web, social media, smart phones, and wearables are so integral to modern life, this time between tech development and legal change can be lead to problems that the law cannot easily address. As such, this course will explore the intersection of law, policy, and the modern connective technologies that many of use daily. To this end, we will look at copyright, fair use, and the changing concept of IP ownership, particularly since the growth and fall of Napster; privacy and data security, particularly since Edward Snowden's revelations; and how copyright and privacy collide with free speech, particularly considering cases like the fight between Terry "Hulk Hogan" Bollea and Gawker Media.

This is a practicum in which students will learn to identify, investigate, and prosecute animal welfare crimes and ordinance violations. In some semesters, it may include drafting ordinances and state laws, providing an analysis of laws presented for adoption by others, and other related tasks. In academic years in which Boot Camp in Animal Welfare Skills is taught, it must be taken in advance of this practicum or concurrently. Register for both 5278S (graded portion) and 5279S (pass/fail portion).

The strategies of complex civil litigation, focusing on case development and analysis in the pre-trial period.

This course addresses the recognition, development, and regulation of rights in real property and personal property, including the nature and function of possession and title, shared ownership, private and public rights, and transfers of property.

This course teaches how the 4th and 5th Amendments guide and limit law enforcement officers when they search or seize citizens and when they conduct pre-arrest interviews or post-arrest (custodial) interrogations. Students will also learn practical skills including how to conduct a motion to suppress hearing and a Jackson-Denno hearing.

Fall Semester. This course teaches the procedural steps involved in the prosecution of a criminal case following a suspect's arrest. Students will learn how to evaluate cases and how to wisely exercise "prosecutorial discretion." Students will also learn practical skills including how to conduct preliminary hearings, grand jury proceedings, and arraignments.

Spring Semester. This course teaches the procedural steps involved in the prosecution of a criminal case following a defendant's not-guilty plea. Students will learn about jury trials and jury selection. Students will also learn about the search warrant requirement and its "well-recognized exceptions," identification of suspects, Confrontation Clause, and Right to Counsel.