This course covers discrimination in employment because of race, gender, age, religion, national origin, and disability by first treating the three main theories of discrimination -- individual disparate treatment, systemic disparate treatment and systemic disparate impact. Second, special problems of discrimination, including sexual harassment, retaliation, reasonable accommodation of religious practices and disabilities and equal pay for equal work, are then studied. Third, the procedural and remedial rules of employment discrimination law are surveyed. The governing statutes include Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, the Equal Pay Act, 42 U.S.C. section 1981 and the Americans with Disabilities Act.

 This course develops the legal theories underlying the employment relation. It covers: employment contracts; the employment-at-will doctrine and its erosion; the basics of labor/management law; and the development of alternatives to the present structure of employment law.

This course will be graded on the basis of a final exam (75%) and a series of three exercises designed to develop skills relevant to practicing in the field.

This course analyzes the establishment, maintenance and survival of the collective bargaining relationship between union and management. It focuses on the National Labor Relations Act which, in conjunction with the Norris-La Guardia Act, governs union organizational campaigns, the process of collective bargaining, and economic tools of both sides, including strikes, lockouts, boycotts and picketing.

This course explores the core doctrines that govern the employment relationship. Topics covered include:

1. Definitions of “employee” and “employer”

2. The employment-at-will doctrine and its principal exceptions

3. Employee harassment

4. Antidiscrimination protections

5. Health and familial leave protections

6. Diversity in the workplace

7. Wage and hour laws

8. Employee privacy

9. Liability and litigation risk management

This course explores the vast array of federal and state laws that protect employees who report misconduct by their employers.  Topics covered include:

1. Common-law whistleblower protections

2. State and federal whistleblower statutes

3. Strategies for managing whistleblowers and whistleblowing

4. The role of human resources and compliance professionals in the whistleblower management process

This course studies: tax qualified and non-qualified employee benefits in the context of ERISA; forms of employee benefits plans, their administration and termination; and the enforcement of participants' rights. The course also addresses planning aspects of deferred compensation.