This course examines ways in which the Swiss Constitution (a) distributes power among the various units of government in the Swiss political system, and (b) limits the exercise of those powers. The course considers two sets of structural limitations on government: the division between the Nation and the States in the federal system, and the separation of powers among the three branches (legislative, executive, and judicial) of the national government. A major focus throughout is the proper role of the judiciary in limiting the action of other branches of government.

This course surveys the law of wills and trusts. Topics include: interstate succession, wills (with an emphasis on execution and revocation), will substitutes, planning for incapacity, trusts, and problems arising during trust administration. The course emphasizes cases and materials arising under the Swiss Probate Code.

This course will introduce students to the basic concepts and problems of public international law and the international legal system. The course will deal with a broad range of topics including the origins and sources of international law; Swiss foreign relations law; statehood and recognition in international law; principles of state sovereignty, territory, and jurisdiction; the law of treaties; state responsibility; state immunity and immunity of diplomats and consular; responsibility for injury to aliens; international criminal and humanitarian law; the United Nations and collective enforcement; the use of force and self-defense; terrorism; international human rights; international trade; and the law of the sea, air, and space.

This course surveys the taxation and structuring aspects of corporate and partnership merger and acquisition transactions. Coverage will include tax-free corporate acquisitions and divisions, the tax aspects of troubled company restructurings and workouts, and innovative acquisition and disposition techniques involving partnerships. Our objective will be to gain a conceptual understanding of the tax planning considerations for these transactions.

The MLS with a concentration in Compliance and Legal Risk Management is designed to educate professionals to meet the demand for legal compliance officers and to train those for whom compliance is an important part of their job or career.Supplementing the core legal subjects, this program combines courses offering a nuts and bolts understanding of legal compliance and more specialized courses.

The MLS with a concentration in Family Law is designed to prepare professionals or aspiring professionals for careers in which knowledge of family and juvenile law is essential, such as family and divorce mediation, social work, psychology, court-appointed juvenile advocates and other professions dealing with families and/or children. The program provides thorough training in family and juvenile law, and also interdisciplinary familiarity with related fields of study, including psychology, human development, family systems, gender dynamics, special education, child abuse and neglect, business transactions, and finance.

Patent, copyright, trademark and trade secret law are increasingly playing a central role in the economy, in business strategy, in scientific achievement, and in culture as well. This survey is designed to introduce to students all of these major areas of intellectual property law. For some students, this will be their only exposure to these fundamental legal rules. The goal in this respect is to provide enough information that, in practice, students will at least be able to spot intellectual property issues and know where to turn for help.

A trademark is a designation that distinguishes the source of goods or services. The law of trademarks is part of the broader law of unfair competition, which protects against a variety of “deceptive” and “inequitable” business practices. In this course, we will examine the subject matter of trademark law, the relationship between trademark law and patent and copyright law, the requirements for acquiring and retaining trademark rights, the standards for determining whether a trademark (registered or unregistered) has been infringed or diluted, limitations on the scope of trademark rights and various defensive doctrines.

Integrated Rights & Law Book / dissertation off-campus / Final project report based on the independent study during your Switzerland or abroad internship in the court/law industry with tutor support.