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LAW-2046 Decision Making and Choice Management
Mr. Marc Lauritsen,
3 credits day; 3 credits evening.
Effective decision making is a key competence of any professional, indeed any human. The
quality of lawyers’ and clients’ lives depends in large part on the choices they make and cause
others to make. This course will review the many aspects of legal work that involve making
decisions and influencing the decisions of others, such as client counseling, dispute resolution,
adjudication, advocacy, document drafting, and negotiation. We’ll consider both decisions under
uncertainty and choices that require tradeoffs among competing considerations and perspectives.
A special focus will be on how modern information technology can help (or hinder) effective
decision making, by both individuals and groups. We’ll explore how the data, knowledge, and
processes at play in decisions can and should be formalized. Students will build software
applications that assist professionals or laypersons with law-related decisions. No programming
experience or other technical background is required.
This is a three credit course. In addition to weekly classes, students are expected to spend an
average of eight hours a week preparing for discussion and working on projects.
Enrollment is limited: 10
Elective Course
Meets Skills Menu Requirement
Meets Legal Technology and Innovation Concentration Requirements
<<Course Updated: March 11, 2016>>