Foundations of Real Estate Law
| Course Number: | MPRE 601 |
This course emphasizes the constitutional and historical origins of public legal power over real estate, the impact of contemporary environmental regulation upon traditional real estate law, and the private legal ordering of real estate transactions, development, and finance. The course also considers the legal aspects of problematic real estate. Although property law is considered at length, the course is more than merely a property law course, and attempts to introduce and summarize all portions of the standard law school curriculum and the parts of law practice relevant to real estate. Aspects of constitutional law, environmental law, municipal law, financial law, tax law, corporate law, contract law, tort law, bankruptcy law, and litigation pertinent to the real estate business are all presented. Reference is made to the real estate law of other countries as appropriate. The Law course generally is intended to present at least the broad outlines of virtually all of the real estate law that a nonlawyer real estate professional will ever need to know, and to serve as the foundational preparation for such advanced MPRE courses as Leasing, Construction Management Process, Real Estate Taxation, and Advanced Topics in Real Estate Finance and Real Estate Financial Law. At a practical level, the course also conveys what real estate lawyers do, and how other real estate professionals may best utilize lawyers in solving real estate problems. The approach will include some lecturing, some discussion, and the analysis of statutes, regulations, and cases.