Great courses (Compact disc)

Title from disc label

Receive a fundamental education in American law from four exceptional lawyers and professors

Course no. 2012

To many people, the law is both powerful and mysterious. We depend on lawyers to help us navigate rules, standards, and procedural codes that have been around for hundreds of years. Because we depend on their specialized skills in argumentation, logic, and critical thinking, we may wonder how they come to know so much about the inner workings of the law

48 lectures (30 min. each)

Unabridged

[Lectures delivered by] Professors Edward K. Cheng, Joseph L. Hoffmann, Molly Bishop Shadel, and Peter J. Smith

Volume 1. Litigation and legal practice / Molly Bishop Shadel. 1. Litigation and the American legal system --

2.

Thinking like a lawyer --

3.

Representing your client --

4.

Trial strategy behind the scenes --

5.

Opening statements: the moment of primacy --

6.

Direct examination: questioning your witnesses --

7.

Art of the objection --

8.

Problematic evidence --

9.

Controlling cross-examination --

10.

Closing arguments: driving your theory home --

11.

Understanding the appellate process --

12.

Arguing before the Supreme Court Volume 2. Criminal law and procedure / Joseph L. Hoffmann. 1. Who defines crimes, and how? --

2.

Crime and the guilty mind --

3.

Homicide and moral culpability --

4.

Law of self-defense --

5.

Federal crimes and federal power --

6.

Cruel and unusual punishments --

7.

Due process and the right to counsel --

8.

Government searches and privacy rights --

9.

Shrinking warrant requirement --

10.

Fifth amendment privilege --

11.

Miranda and police interrogations --

12.

Plea bargains, jury trials, and justice Volume 3. Civil procedure / Peter J. Smith. 1. Procedural rights and why they matter --

2.

Subject matter jurisdiction --

3.

Jurisdiction over the defendant --

4.

A modern approach to personal jurisdiction --

5.

Role of pleadings --

6.

Understanding complex litigation --

7.

Use and abuse of discovery --

8.

Deciding a case before the trial ends --

9.

Right to a civil jury trial --

10.

Determining what law applies --

11.

Relitigation and preclusion --

12.

Appeals and how they are judged Volume 4. Torts / Edward K. Cheng. 1. 1. The calamitous world of tort law --

2.

Legal duty to others --

3.

Reasonable care and the reasonable person --

4.

Rules versus standards of care --

5.

Complexities of factual causation --

6.

Legal causation and foreseeability --

7.

Liability for the acts of others --

8.

When tort plaintiffs share the blame --

9.

Animals, blasting, and strict liability --

10.

Rise of products liability --

11.

Products liability today --

12.

Punitive damages and their limits