Faculty at the School of Law

*Subject to cancellation. We are working on pricing for the program and will let you know ASAP whether the program will be offered, and if so, how much it will cost.

Professor Horton
The Chinese Legal System: Comparative Competition and Antitrust Law - 1.0 Credit
May 25-June 8, Beijing

This course offers a detailed introduction to the United States, Chinese, and European competition regulations and enforcement programs, with special emphasis in the areas of cartels and horizontal market agreements; monopolization; and consumer protection.  Both historical and current cases are reviewed, discussed, and analyzed.  The students participate on a daily basis in teams that work through practical competition and antitrust problems, and make presentations to the entire class.  Such problems include student role-playing as executives at large international corporations.  On the final day of the course, the students, broken into six groups, try (in a mock trial setting with flexible rules) three different famous antitrust cases, including a current monopolization case under China’s 5-Year AML.  The course is supplemented by trips to visit the Chinese merger regulatory authorities, a civil trial in Beijing, the Beijing offices of China’s largest internet services provider, and the Beijing office of a major Chinese law firm. 

Chinese Legal System - 1.0 Credit

This course will explore the transition of the Chinese legal system from Imperialism to Communisim and the creation of the 19812 Constitution. In addition, the course will examine the sources of law in China, the structure and role of the communist Party, the allocation of legislative authority between the central and local governments, and the development of the rule of law.

Professor Morrissey
Comparative Law of Business Organizations - 2.0 Credits
June 8 - 22, 2013 

The course would first cover the various legal forms that our law provides for the organization of a business. To understand how to choose among those entities, some basic tax considerations are necessary. As further background I would also provide the students with some elemental accounting principles. These would all take us to a comparison with their doctrinal counterparts in Chinese law.

Fundamental aspects of American business law such as limited liability and the problems that go with the defective formation of these various business entities.  In addition, introduction to the law governing corporate finance including the rights and properties of diverse financial instruments. A rudimentary examination of the laws covering their issuance and trading and the corresponding regulatory regimes in Chinese law. Structures of the different American business organizations with a particular emphasis on proper corporate governance.  Course concludes with a perspective on how all this impacts global commerce and would welcome the insights of my Chinese colleague on that and the general interrelation of our two systems of business law.

Professor Panarella
Chinese - US Comparative Environmental Law - 1.0 Credit
Boat Trip on the Yangtze River US Environmental Law

This course provides a comparison of the environmental legal systems that exist in both China and the United States. Because the Yangtze River will serve as a classroom and case study for our learning, the course will place particular emphasis on laws affecting water ecosystems, habitats, and resources. We will compare the major environmental laws of both nations and consider how the various levels of local, state/provincial, and national systems function together in each country. Students will analyze the strengths and weaknesses of each country’s laws and what each country can learn from the other about environmental protection. The course will also examine possible future directions in those laws and areas of challenge, including environmental justice concerns, climate change, and how the systems strain to balance environmental protection alongside economic opportunity and growth. The course will be co-taught by an American environmental law professor and a Chinese law professor from the prestigious Research Institute of Environmental Law.

Comparative Renewable Energy Law - 1.0 Credit
Shanghai, June 25 - July 6, 2013
Comparative Renewable Energy Development in China and the US.  The course would focus on highlighting the differences and similarities between the renewable energy industries in the two countries.  Particular attention will be paid to the following:

• The laws and policies supporting (and, in some cases, limiting) the development of renewable energy in both countries
• The interaction between the two industries, particularly in the area of free trade  (the US is a big market for Chinese wind turbine and solar cell manufacturers)
• Lessons learned from the US renewables experience that can inform the development of the more nascent Chinese industry
• Environmental drivers of renewable energy development in both countries
• Transmission constraints that bedevil both industries

There is great public, private & academic interest in renewable energy, both as a sustainable alternative to traditional methods of energy generation (e.g., coal & gas) and as a means to strengthen the fortunes of traditionally economically disadvantaged populations (e.g., tribes). This interest is reflected in many tangible ways, including a significant increase over the last decade in energy generated using renewable sources (wind, solar, biomass, geothermal, etc.) and the creation of local, state & federal incentives and tax breaks available to renewable energy developers. Most energy experts agree that we have reached the point where the question is not whether renewable energy will be a part of our country’s energy future, but rather how big a part it will be. 

Renewable Energy Law examines the legal issues surrounding renewable energy through a practical, project development based approach. The focus is on the role of the renewable energy lawyer in, among other things, negotiating leases and easements for renewable energy development rights on private, public and tribal lands; securing local, state & federal project permits; analyzing and addressing environmental and wildlife impacts; obtaining transmission and interconnection agreements; and securing project financing.

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