UNIT I: FAMILY LAW

*Marriage. Valid and invalid marriages. Marriage requirements. Legal impediments to marriage.
*Effects of marriage. Legal relationship of husband and wife. General property rights. Marriage
settlements. Community Property System.
*Lawsuits arising out of breach of promise. Alienation of affection. Criminal conversation.
*Divorce. Separation. Annulment. No-fault divorce. Grounds for divorce.
*Getting a divorce in the UK. The divorce certificate in the UK. Decree nisi and decree absolute.
Custody and support of children. Visitation rights. Alimony.
Unmarried partners living together. Palimony.
UNIT II: LAW OF SUCCESSION.
Wills. Laws governing wills. Gifts. Types of gifts. Abatement and ademption. Lapsus legacies.
Requirements for a valid will. Testamentary capacity. Formalities. Revocation of wills.
Probate procedures. Property transfers outside probate process.
Intestacy laws. Surviving spouse and children. Stepchildren, adopted and illegitimate children.
Distribution to grandchildren in the US and in the UK. Differences and similarities.
Trusts.
The administration of estates. Classes of personal representatives in the UK. Letters of
administration. Powers and liabilities of personal representatives.
Elder law. Planning for disability. Living wills.
UNIT III: LABOR LAW
Employment at will. Application of the doctrine of employment at will. Exceptions
The contract of employment in the UK. Terms of the contract. Express and implied terms. Contract
for service and contract of service. Liability.
Wrongful dismissal and unfair dismissal. Automatic unfair dismissal. Termination contract.
Wrongful discharge in the US.
Classes of workers in the UK.
Wage laws. Wage determination. Overtime exemptions
Labor unions. The Labor-Management Relation Act. The Labor-management and disclosure act.
Feather bedding. Hot cargo agreement. Union organizations and election campaigns.
Labor relations. Collective bargains. Bargaining weapons and strategy. Management's weapons.
Worker health and safety.
Social security. Medicare. Private pension plans. Unemployment compensation.
Health plans.

UNIT IV: INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

Patents. Definition
Patent application in the UK. Priority date. Patentability and patentable inventions. Novelty.
Inventive step.
Patent infringement. Remedies for infringement. Employee inventions. Defenses to infringement.
Patents for business processes. Patents for software.
Copyright. Definition.
Copyright and related rights. Protected expression
Requirements. Duration of copyrights. Ownership of copyright. Compilation of facts.
Copyright infringement. Offenses. Exceptions to infrigement.
The "fair use" doctrine.
Copyright protection software.
Further developments in copyright law.
Trademarks. definition
Statutry protection of T. T registration
T infringement. Defenses and remedies to infringement. Distinctiveness mark. Strong mark.
Secondary meaning. Generic terms. Trade dress. Passing off.
Service, certification and collective marks, trade names
Cyber marks, domain names, anticybersquatting legislation.