Overview

Learn the fundamentals of U.S. law in 48 lectures delivered by four exceptional lawyers and professors.

Course Description

The skills lawyers wield in courtrooms across the country are the result of years of study. As much as we’d like to cultivate these same skills, the truth is that you cannot know how a lawyer thinks and works without studying the law itself.

Now there’s an easier way to get the same foundational knowledge as lawyers—without the enormous time and financial commitment. Over the span of 48 lectures, four experienced lawyers and teachers recreate key parts of the first-year law student experience, introducing you to the main areas of law most every beginning student studies.

You’ll start with 12 lectures on litigation and legal practice that offer eye-opening answers to many questions about the art and craft of legislation. In the second 12 lectures, you’ll learn how criminal law and procedure—an area of law dramatized by countless TV shows—really works. Additional lectures investigate the civic procedures courts follow to resolve disputes about substantive rights and examine broader questions any system of litigation must address. And 12 lectures are devoted entirely to the stranger-than-fiction topic of tort law.

Enriched with famous cases from the annals of American law and powerful arguments by some of history’s most successful lawyers, these lectures offer access to an often intimidating, surprisingly accessible, and civically important field.

Course Lectures

Litigation and Legal Practice

• Litigation and the American Legal System

Explore the relationship between litigation and the American legal system through the lens of Gideon v. Wainwright.

Duration: 32 min

• Thinking like a Lawyer

Learn how to read cases critically and understand key concepts every good lawyer must keep in mind.

Duration: 30 min

• Representing Your Client

Discuss the responsibilities of lawyers to their clients and the justice system, using the case of State of Florida v. George Zimmerman.

Duration: 31 min

• Trial Strategy behind the Scenes

Delve into the intricacies of trial strategy and jury selection, continuing with the George Zimmerman case.

Duration: 30 min

• Opening Statements: The Moment of Primacy

Understand the art of crafting compelling opening statements using the Zimmerman and O.J. Simpson trials as case studies.

Duration: 31 min

• Direct Examination: Questioning Your Witnesses

Learn how to effectively question witnesses and prepare them for court.

Duration: 29 min

• The Art of the Objection

Examine common evidentiary issues that require objections during trials.

Duration: 29 min

8. Problematic Evidence

Investigate the reasons behind wrongful convictions due to problematic evidence.

Duration: 30 min

• Controlling Cross-Examination

Discover techniques for effective cross-examination and the importance of maintaining control during this process.

Duration: 30 min

• Closing Arguments: Driving Your Theory Home

Analyze successful closing arguments, including Johnnie Cochran's for O.J. Simpson.  

**Duration:** 29 min

• Understanding the Appellate Process

Gain insights into how appellate courts operate and the process of filing appeals.  

**Duration:** 30 min

12. Arguing before the Supreme Court

Explore the significance of cases argued before the Supreme Court, using Citizens United v. FEC as a case study.  

**Duration:** 34 min

Criminal Law and Procedure

13. Who Defines Crimes, and How?

Understand the purposes of criminal law and the key players involved in defining crimes.  

**Duration:** 36 min

• Crime and the Guilty Mind

Explore the concept of mens rea and its implications in criminal law.  

**Duration:** 31 min

• Homicide and Moral Culpability

Examine the different categories of homicide and their moral implications.  

**Duration:** 32 min

• The Law of Self-Defense

Discuss the balance between the rights of the threatened and those who pose a threat.  

**Duration:** 31 min

• Federal Crimes and Federal Power

Analyze the distinctions between state and federal criminal law.  

**Duration:** 34 min

• Cruel and Unusual Punishments

Investigate the Eighth Amendment and its application in real-world cases.  

**Duration:** 34 min

• Due Process and the Right to Counsel

Explore the implications of Powell v. Alabama on the right to counsel.  

**Duration:** 33 min

• Government Searches and Privacy Rights

Delve into the Fourth Amendment and its relevance in modern contexts.  

**Duration:** 33 min

• The Shrinking Warrant Requirement

Understand the rules surrounding search warrants and their implications.  

**Duration:** 33 min

• The Fifth Amendment Privilege

Examine the historical context and application of the Fifth Amendment.  

**Duration:** 34 min

• Miranda and Police Interrogations

Investigate the significance of the Miranda decision in American criminal justice.  

**Duration:** 33 min

• Plea Bargains, Jury Trials, and Justice

Discuss the prevalence of plea bargains and their impact on the justice system.  

**Duration:** 36 min

Civil Procedure

• Procedural Rights and Why They Matter

Explore the unique aspects of civil procedure and its importance in litigation.  

**Duration:** 32 min

• Subject Matter Jurisdiction

Understand the concept of jurisdiction and its implications for court authority.  

**Duration:** 32 min

• Jurisdiction over the Defendant

Delve into personal jurisdiction and its historical evolution.  

**Duration:** 32 min

• A Modern Approach to Personal Jurisdiction

Examine the modern standards of personal jurisdiction, focusing on International Shoe Co. v. Washington.  

**Duration:** 33 min

• The Role of Pleadings

Learn about the pleading process and its significance in the pre-trial phase.  

**Duration:** 32 min

• Understanding Complex Litigation

Discuss the complexities of multi-party lawsuits and class actions.  

**Duration:** 31 min

• The Use and Abuse of Discovery

Investigate the discovery process and its importance in litigation.  

**Duration:** 31 min

• Deciding a Case before the Trial Ends

Explore the motion for summary judgment and its implications.  

**Duration:** 31 min

• The Right to a Civil Jury Trial

Analyze the role of juries in civil procedure and the Seventh Amendment.  

**Duration:** 32 min

• Determining What Law Applies

Discuss the challenges of determining procedural versus substantive law.  

**Duration:** 33 min

• Relitigation and Preclusion

Examine the rules preventing parties from relitigating decided matters.  

**Duration:** 32 min

• Appeals and How They Are Judged

Understand the different roles of trial courts and appellate courts in the legal system.  

**Duration:** 33 min

Torts

• The Calamitous World of Tort Law

Begin your exploration of tort law by examining its history and complexities.  

**Duration:** 32 min

• Legal Duty to Others

Discuss the concept of affirmative duty and its implications in tort law.  

**Duration:** 29 min

• Reasonable Care and the Reasonable Person

Investigate the standards of reasonable care and their application in tort cases.  

**Duration:** 29 min

• Rules versus Standards of Care

Analyze the advantages and disadvantages of rules compared to flexible standards in tort law.  

**Duration:** 29 min

• The Complexities of Factual Causation

Explore the nuances of factual causation and its implications in tort cases.  

**Duration:** 32 min

• Legal Causation and Foreseeability

Delve into the relationship between legal causation and foreseeability using landmark cases.  

**Duration:** 31 min

43. Liability for the Acts of Others

Examine vicarious liability and joint and several liability in tort law.  

**Duration:** 31 min

• When Tort Plaintiffs Share the Blame

Discuss the implications of plaintiff fault in tort cases, using seat belt laws as an example.  

**Duration:** 30 min

• Animals, Blasting, and Strict Liability

Explore strict liability through the lens of common claims involving animals and hazardous activities.  

**Duration:** 33 min

• The Rise of Products Liability

Investigate the evolution of products liability law and its implications for litigation.  

**Duration:** 32 min

47. Products Liability Today

Discuss modern products liability doctrine and its impact on manufacturers and consumers.  

**Duration:** 33 min

48. Punitive Damages and Their Limits

Examine the purpose of punitive damages and their regulation within the legal system.  

**Duration:** 34 min