Charleston School of Law
Contact/ Disability Resource Center
Students with Disabilities Portal
The Charleston School of Law complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act and provides assistance and guidance to students with a disability to ensure equal access to the educational program at the School of Law. The School of Law provides reasonable accommodations for students with disabilities, including learning disabled students and those with health or physical impairments.
For additional information, please contact the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, 843.377.2420, or the Assistant Director of Student Wellness and Success, 843.377.1322. .
Courses
Education Law and Policy (8220): This course will examine issues affecting public education at elementary and secondary school levels. The course will introduce and critically analyze the legal and socio-economic characteristics of the public K-12 education system through topics such as: school safety and discipline, charter schools, special education, tenure, school district liability, reform, among other others.
Employment Discrimination Law (769): This course examines the federal laws that prohibit employment-related discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex (gender), national origin, age, and disability. While primarily focusing on Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended, this course also covers and considers, inter alia, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA). In examining discrimination cases under these various federal laws, this course will explore applicable claim procedures, methods of proof and defenses, exceptions, remedies, and litigation strategies.
Psychiatry and the Law: Criminal and Civil Issues (752): This course is designed to provide a detailed overview of selected criminal and civil topics prominent in the interface between psychiatry and the law. These topics are not limited to, but will include the following: Criminal Competencies, including Competency to Stand Trial, Competency to be Executed, Competency to Testify, and Competency to Waive Miranda Rights; Mental State Defenses, including Insanity Defense, Diminished Capacity, and other psychiatric defenses; the Guilty But Mentally Ill plea; Civil Commitment Law and Procedure; Informed Consent; Confidentiality and Privilege; Sexually Violent Predator Law; Conservatorship / Guardianship Issues; and Testamentary Capacity.
Current Issues in Sports Law (8150): This seminar is designed as a capstone course to survey current legal issues in amateur and professional sports and to provide a broad perspective of Sports Law, Litigation, and the Regulation of the Sporting Industry. Readings and class discussions will consider current events, and may examine the following topics: antitrust; labor law; contracts; constitutional law; torts; crimes; Title IX and sex-based discrimination; federal disability discrimination laws; the legal relationships between universities, professional organizations, and athletes; and, the intellectual-property and sports-broadcasting rights related to sports. Additionally, the class discussions may cover the following areas of regulatory compliance: the regulation of interscholastic and intercollegiate leagues, Olympic sports, and private and professional sports associations; athletic agents and their ethical duties; the regulatory authorities of the National Collegiate Athletic Association, the U.S. Olympic Committee, high school athletic
Federal Workers Compensation (8303): This course will examine the federal workers compensation scheme covering longshore and harbor workers, defense contractors, nonappropriated funds workers, and individuals working on the outer continental shelf. The course will review, among other topics, jurisdiction, including concurrent jurisdiction; notice; statutes of limitation; employer-employee relationships; types of disability and loss of wage-earning capacity; dependency; third-party liability; and, subrogation rights of the employer and carrier.
Higher Education Compliance (882): This course focuses on civil rights compliance in institutions of higher education. We will examine compliance obligations in areas such as the prohibition of discrimination on the basis of sex under Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1972, and other civil rights statutes that protect individuals on the basis of race, color, religion, and disability, among others. We will also explore significant campus privacy and safety requirements. Students will gain practical experience by drafting advisory opinions, brief internal memorandums, along with other drafting assignments. Students will also develop essential practical skills needed for every practice area including effective interviewing, factual development through investigative practices, and presenting information learned (both orally and by way of written product). This is an interactive course that will include extensive class discussion and exercises.
Workers Compensation (830): A review of South Carolina’s scheme of workers compensation including total and permanent disability, loss of wage earning capacity, dependency, notice and claim, employer-employee relationship, and third-party liability and subrogation rights of the employer and carrier.
University of South Carolina School of Law (Columbia)
Contact/ Disability Resource Center
Student Disability Resource Center
Every student deserves equal access to all aspects of the USC experience. Our team coordinates efforts to ensure that students with disabilities receive reasonable accommodations and serves as consultants to faculty, staff and campus partners.
MAIN OFFICE
1705 College Street
Close-Hipp, Suite 102
Columbia, SC 29208
Phone: 803-777-6142
Fax: 803-777-6741
Email:[email protected]
ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY
Close-Hipp, Suite 102N
803-777-1589
Clinics
The Special Education Clinic helps special-needs children and their families get access to equal educational opportunity. The clinic handles legal issues ranging from disability eligibility and entitlement to services, to developing adequate Individualized Education Programs and discipline matters. Law students will begin to develop a variety of legal skills including: interviewing clients, fact investigation, legal research and analysis, case strategy, negotiations, as well as participate in mediation and possibly litigation proceedings.
Courses
Civil Rights Law: This course focuses on federal civil rights relating to employment, education, housing, voting, and affirmative action. The course will survey the major issues and legal protections in each of these substantive areas, which includes laws relating to discrimination based on race, gender, disability, language status, and familial status. Students will examine the constitutional and statutory frameworks for addressing these issues, as well scholarly theories by which to critique them.
Disability Law in the Workplace: This course will teach students about the legal issues concerning persons with disabilities in the workplace, the legal protections provided them by federal and state statutes, and the challenges facing employers seeking to comply with these statutory duties. The EEOC receives tens of thousands of disability discrimination complaints each year. The opioid crisis and the development of COVID-related disabilities have expanded the complexity of this area of law. This course involves substantial out-of-class preparation for required class preparation. In addition, each student will write a memorandum of law or a research paper of at least 20 pages; students electing 3 credits will write a paper of at least 30 pages. All students will participate in individual topic conferences, outline conferences, and rough draft conferences. The course can also satisfy the graduation writing requirement if taken for 3 credits and the student writes a paper of at least 30 pages in length and earns a grade of “C” or better. This course meets the Perspectives standard as it discusses the laws and legal issues concerning persons with disabilities in the workplace and in the context of the broader disability rights movement.
Employment Discrimination: This course is designed to provide a broad overview of the federal legislation which prohibits employment discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, and disability. The course also examines the prohibitions against retaliation in the workplace. The course explores the basic frameworks for how claims of intentional and unintentional discrimination are analyzed. The course also examines how employment discrimination statutes are enforced, and the remedies available in these types of cases. Basis of Grade: Final examination and class participation.
South Carolina Worker’s Compensation: Historical background of Worker’s Compensation Legislation; Rights of workers and dependents; injuries within worker’s compensation law; employers and employees covered under the South Carolina Act; disability benefits; death or dependency benefits; common law actions; miscellaneous provisions of the South Carolina procedure, practice and appeals in compensation cases.
Special Education Law: This course will introduce students to federal laws and regulations concerning the provision of educational services to disabled students. We will cover the history and development of special education and civil rights for students with disabilities as well as the fundamental principles of the Individual with Disabilities in Education Act (IDEA), Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The course will focus on the rights of students and their parents as well as the responsibilities of educators when addressing special education needs. Basis of Grade: Class participation, small group projects and final exam.