Course Info

The principal objectives of this course are to: (1) learn the language and doctrine of property law such that you are prepared to take advanced courses in the area, pass the Bar exam, and provide competent legal counsel; (2) consider the ethical dimensions of legal practice; (3) improve your legal reasoning and analysis skills; and (4) improve your metacognitive skills such that you are better prepared to problem-solve both in your life as a law student and later as a lawyer.

Prof. Rick Bales

Credit hours: 3

Catolog Information

Course name/number: 1031 Property Law

Room No: 129
Credit hours: 3
General education tags: None

Instructor Information

Name: Rick Bales

Contact information: mobile 859-442-8837; r-bales@onu.edu

Office hours: an hour after most classes; by appointment

Course Objectives/Learning Outcomes

Class Structure

[To be added]

Daily Assignments

I have listed daily assignments on the attached Assignment List. To do well, you should (1) read the assigned material before class, brief all cases, outline all rules, and be prepared to discuss the material in class; and (2) be prepared to answer the questions or problems in the text book and in any handout materials. Working the problems – perhaps repeatedly – is the key to understanding the problems we will work in the module on estates and future interests.

Note from Teaching Assistant Amanda Hudson

My email is a-hudson.4@onu.edu and my cell phone number is (586)-994-0275. Students can reach me on either, whatever they feel more comfortable with. I check my email regularly so they would get a response quickly. I am planning to have my office hours virtually on Mondays and Wednesdays from 4-6 but if that time doesn’t work out for them or they want to meet in person they can email me and I would be more than happy to find a time to meet with them.

Class Participation and Attendance

. Every student’s name goes on a card. At the beginning of each class, I will draw several cards randomly from the deck. These persons will be “on” for the day. At the end of class, I will replace those cards in the deck, so if you are drawn in one class, you may also be drawn in the next. Toward the end of the semester, I will occasionally (unannounced) omit the cards of students who have been called on several times, to ensure everyone will have an opportunity to participate.

Although I expect attendance, I do not always take it. However, if I draw your card and you are absent at the time I draw or you are obviously unprepared, your final grade in the class will automatically drop a full step (e.g., from a B to a C) from what it otherwise would have been. There are only three exceptions to this rule. The first is if you have notified me (by email or text or note on the lectern) before class that you will be absent or are unprepared. However, on every fifth such notice that I receive from you during the semester, your grade will drop one-third step (e.g., from a B to a B-). The second exception is if you (not your mother, grandfather, dog) are physically or mentally incapacitated and therefore unable to give notice. The third is if you have a unique need for accommodation, such as a disability, and you have worked out a prior arrangement with me.

The foregoing notwithstanding, I prefer to spend the bulk of class time in a relatively informal discussion of the problems presented by the reading material. I therefore encourage you to volunteer whenever you have something to contribute. Volunteering will not be painful.

You are responsible for everything discussed or distributed in class. If you miss a class, it is your responsibility to get notes, handouts, assignments, etc. from a trusted fellow student. Please do not ask me for these materials.

Academic Dishonesty Policy
Academic Accommodations Policy
Health and Safety Policy
Title IX Policy
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Statement