A. Opening Remarks

Technology and the Internet have drastically changed the way our society interacts. The ability to access, store, and transmit information electronically presents us with many new and interesting legal paradigms. This course is designed to introduce students to some of the issues related to these emerging technologies as a way of enhancing legal skills. This class is interactive by nature and hopes to draw upon the skills of both the instructors and the students.

B. Course Design

This course exposes students to selected cyberspace issues. The goals of this course are threefold. First, the course introduces the student, by means of cases, articles, and hypotheticals, to selected legal issues resulting from the change in technology. Second, it helps students develop and enhance legal skills by using the Internet as a legal resource tool. Third, it allows students to further enrich your research, writing, and presentation skills. Please note: this course is not designed to be a substitute for a course in computer law, or intellectual property, or copyright, though students will encounter some of those issues as we proceed.

In order to successfully accomplish these objectives, students are expected to:

 Complete the reading and other assignments on time.
 Attend and participate in class.
 Help others learn.
 Become familiar with several software applications.

C. Course Acknowledgements

This is the sixteenth year that this course is being taught.  However a course of this type is the product of many minds. Although the instructors are ultimately accountable for the course and its design, there were several others who helped to bring this course to fruition over the years. Special thanks to Prof. Lisle Baker, Prof. Michael Rustad, Former Associate Deans Corbett and Ortwein,Prof. Andrew Beckerman-Rodau, and Dominick Grillo, Esq., of the Law Library Staff, and Gina Gaffney and Jose Gonzalez of the Computer Resource Center.

D. Overview of Class Schedule

Classes during the first eight weeks of this course will focus on a specific legal topic surrounding cyberspace. The ninth lecture will be structured around creating a dot com company and addressing the various issues one may encounter in private practice.  During the remaining classes, students will present their papers and projects. Depending on time the last class may address other legal issues not previously discussed during the spring semester.