Law School for Everyone

Course Description:
Master the fundamentals of U.S. law in 48 clear, case-driven lectures taught by four outstanding professors. Explore how lawyers think and work across litigation, criminal law and procedure, civil procedure, and torts. Learn the doctrinal rules, the logic behind them, and how real cases—from Gideon to Miranda to Palsgraf—shape legal outcomes and everyday rights.

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Course Outline

01: Litigation and the American Legal System
Use Gideon v. Wainwright to see how litigation fits into the U.S. legal system—why we use it, how it works, and why law is taught the way it is.
32 min

02: Thinking like a Lawyer
Read cases actively: precedent, inductive/deductive reasoning, and analogies that structure legal arguments.
30 min

03: Representing Your Client
Duties to client and court through the lens of State of Florida v. George Zimmerman: scope of advocacy and confidentiality.
31 min

04: Trial Strategy behind the Scenes
Pre-trial maneuvering, jury selection, and media effects—again using the Zimmerman case.
30 min

05: Opening Statements: The Moment of Primacy
Credibility, narrative, and logic in openings, with lessons from the Zimmerman and O.J. Simpson trials.
31 min

06: Direct Examination: Questioning Your Witnesses
Choosing witnesses, crafting questions, and preparing testimony for clarity and impact.
29 min

07: The Art of the Objection
Spotting evidentiary issues in real time—and why you usually get only one shot.
29 min

08: Problematic Evidence
False confessions, mistaken IDs, and flawed “experts”: how bad evidence misleads juries and how lawyers respond.
30 min

09: Controlling Cross-Examination
Techniques to control witnesses, avoid surprises, and impeach—featuring Roy Black’s methods.
30 min

10: Closing Arguments: Driving Your Theory Home
Connect the dots for jurors; what to do (and not do), with Cochran’s O.J. closing as a model.
29 min

11: Understanding the Appellate Process
How appeals work: briefs, oral argument, and standards of review.
30 min

12: Arguing before the Supreme Court
SCOTUS history and internal dynamics, illustrated by Citizens United v. FEC.
34 min

13: Who Defines Crimes, and How?
Purposes of criminal law, textualism, and the actors who define offenses today.
36 min

14: Crime and the Guilty Mind
Mens rea: intent, malice vs. motive, claim of no guilty mind, and strict liability.
31 min

15: Homicide and Moral Culpability
From involuntary manslaughter to first-degree murder; culpability debates (e.g., Dr. Kevorkian).
32 min

16: The Law of Self-Defense
Retreat rules, battered spouse syndrome, stand-your-ground, and police use of deadly force.
31 min

17: Federal Crimes and Federal Power
Why federal criminal power is narrower than you think; contrasts with state law.
34 min

18: Cruel and Unusual Punishments
The Eighth Amendment’s puzzles and why it’s so hard to apply consistently.
34 min

19: Due Process and the Right to Counsel
Powell v. Alabama (Scottsboro): where the Court found authority to require core defense rights.
33 min

20: Government Searches and Privacy Rights
Fourth Amendment basics: what counts as a search/seizure and tech’s impact.
33 min

21: The Shrinking Warrant Requirement
Warrants, probable cause, exceptions, and the exclusionary rule’s operation.
33 min

22: The Fifth Amendment Privilege
Self-incrimination: scope, in/out of court uses, and how compromises emerged.
34 min

23: Miranda and Police Interrogations
Origins and controversies of Miranda and its enduring two core issues.
33 min

24: Plea Bargains, Jury Trials, and Justice
Why 90%+ of cases end in pleas; how trials and juries fit the system.
36 min

25: Procedural Rights and Why They Matter
Civil procedure’s unique role; a hypo and SCOTUS cases frame core questions.
32 min

26: Subject Matter Jurisdiction
When courts have power over a case’s topic—federal vs. state allocation.
32 min

27: Jurisdiction over the Defendant
Personal jurisdiction’s evolution from Pennoyer and when out-of-staters can be sued.
32 min

28: A Modern Approach to Personal Jurisdiction
From International Shoe onward: constitutional limits on hauling defendants far from home.
33 min

29: The Role of Pleadings
Complaints, answers, defenses—rules that can make or break a lawsuit.
32 min

30: Understanding Complex Litigation
Joinder rules and the class action as a special multi-party tool.
31 min

31: The Use and Abuse of Discovery
Scope, work product, “substantial need,” and how discovery pressures parties.
31 min

32: Deciding a Case before the Trial Ends
Summary judgment mechanics via Celotex v. Catrett and Denman v. Spain.
31 min

33: The Right to a Civil Jury Trial
Seventh Amendment scope, pros/cons of juries—even when cases never reach trial.
32 min

34: Determining What Law Applies
Erie issues: procedural vs. substantive and federal–state clashes in practice.
33 min

35: Relitigation and Preclusion
Claim and issue preclusion: finality rules that stop repeat litigation.
32 min

36: Appeals and How They Are Judged
When you can appeal and the standards appellate courts apply.
33 min

37: The Calamitous World of Tort Law
What duties do we owe? What harms trigger liability? A tour via a classic exam hypo.
32 min

38: Legal Duty to Others
Why the law rarely requires rescue; statutory reforms and key exceptions.
29 min

39: Reasonable Care and the Reasonable Person
Defining fault, reasonable care, and the role of cost-benefit analysis.
29 min

40: Rules versus Standards of Care
Tradeoffs between clear rules and flexible standards—speed limits as case study.
29 min

41: The Complexities of Factual Causation
Why “but-for” isn’t simple; science vs. philosophy in causation analysis.
32 min

42: Legal Causation and Foreseeability
Palsgraf and policy: how foreseeability shapes the scope of liability.
31 min

43: Liability for the Acts of Others
Vicarious liability for employees; joint and several liability when multiple actors harm.
31 min

44: When Tort Plaintiffs Share the Blame
Contributory/comparative negligence and safety as a two-way street (seat belts).
30 min

45: Animals, Blasting, and Strict Liability
Traditional strict liability and how it compares to negligence in practice.
33 min

46: The Rise of Products Liability
How products liability evolved and why it fueled mass litigation.
32 min

47: Products Liability Today
Modern doctrine: defect types, covered products, regulation interplay, mass resolution.
33 min

48: Punitive Damages and Their Limits
Why punitive damages exist and how courts rein them in—Liebeck v. McDonald’s.
34 min