Conflict of Laws - Law 623

<- Go back to course list

Instructor: Melissa L. Tatum
View Faculty Page
Email: melissa.tatum@law.arizona.edu
Units: 3 - Graded
Prerequisites:

Civil Procedure

 
Recommended Courses:

None.

 
Overview:

This course will examine three major concepts: Which government can apply its law to regulate particular activities (choice of law), which courts can hear disputes regarding particular activities (choice of forum), and the extent to which one government must recognize the court decisions issued by another government's courts. These topics are of both practical and theoretical importance. Practically speaking, both litigators and transactional attorneys must understand and know how to work with choice of law and choice of forum principles. Theoretically, these concepts explore the ways in which different governmental systems relate to each other. Primary emphasis will be placed on domestic US law, particularly that of state governments. The course will also include an examination of how tribal governments and tribal courts fit into the U.S. system.

 
Materials:

Currie, Kay, Kramer and Roosevelt's Conflict of Laws: Cases and Comments (8th edition, West 2010)

 
Course Format:

The class will be taught using primarily the Socratic method and a problem method approach.

 
Written Assignments:

The course will be graded based on the final exam, but students will also be assigned several problem sets over the course of the semester to practice applying the various concepts discussed in the course.

 
Type of Exam:

Traditional essay exam.

 
Basis for grading:  
Additional Comments:  

Awas Tingni

 Awas Tingni photo Awas Tingni On December 14, 2008, the Government of Nicaragua handed over to the indigenous Awas Tingni community the much-awaited title to its traditional territory. This event was the result of over 7 years of advocacy by the Awas Tingni community, assisted by the Indigenous Peoples Law and Policy Program, to secure legal rights to its traditional lands and resources.