Employment Law Syllabus

SYLLABUS

This course provides a survey of employment law in the United States. As the employment-at-will doctrine continues to erode and workplace-related litigation continues to expand, many of you will spend a significant portion of your legal careers counseling clients, negotiating resolutions, litigating cases, and otherwise addressing employment disputes. Even if you do not plan to practice in this area, it is likely you will encounter employment-law issues in some form during your career.

Topics covered include employee status and classification, wrongful termination and public policy protections, employee mobility and restrictive covenants, wage and hour laws, workplace accommodations, discrimination, and employment-related torts.

Class Preparation and Attendance Policy

Attendance is required. You are expected to carefully read and analyze all assigned materials and to participate actively in class. Questions and discussion are encouraged.

Reading assignments must be completed the week before the scheduled class. For example, on the first day of class, you are expected to have read the course introduction and the additional referenced materials.

The course also includes some drafting assignments. You are strongly encouraged to attempt each assignment on your own before consulting AI tools, internet examples, or other outside resources. Making a genuine first attempt will significantly enhance your learning and skill development.

Students who have exhibited thorough preparation and/or meaningful contribution to class discussions (including through the drafting assignments) will have their final grades raised by as much as two steps (for example, from a B+ to an A).  On the other hand, students who are repeatedly unprepared (or who do not meaningfully participate in the drafting assignments) or repeatedly not here when called upon may have their grades lowered by up to two steps (for example, from a B to a C+). 

To help guide your understanding of these materials, an overview and supplemental resources, including hypotheticals, are available online at fishlawfirm.com/employmentlawclass. Reviewing these materials will give you a clear sense of what I consider most important. The hypotheticals may be similar to questions on the final exam. Model answers are provided, but I strongly encourage you to work through the hypotheticals on your own before reviewing them. The materials also highlight key differences between Illinois and federal employment law and offer practical, real-world guidance for both employers and employees.

My office hours are on Sunday from 8 am until 10 am.   If unavailable during that time, you can contact me to schedule a mutually available time.   My telephone number is: 630-336-6720 and my email is dfish@fishlawfirm.com. 

Text

          The main text for this course is Employment Law: Private Ordering and Its Limitations, Fifth Edition. Authors: Glynn, Sullivan, and Arnow-Richman.   

Final Exam

The final exam is in-person.   It will likely require issue spotting and require that you have a deep understanding of the materials we cover. An understanding of the reading assignments and lectures are important for performing well on the final exam. 

Notice on Academic Honesty

You are presumed to know and understand all of the law school’s policies and procedures.   I call your especial attention to the following passages from the Northern Illinois University College of Law Student Handbook § 2.2.1, “Rule of Professional Conduct”: 

It is professional misconduct for a member of the law school to (1) engage in conduct involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit, or misrepresentation; or (2) engage in conduct that is proscribed by law and that reflects adversely on the member's honesty, trustworthiness, or fitness to practice law in other respects.

If you do not understand what conduct constitutes plagiarism, unauthorized collaboration, or other academic or professional misconduct, please come speak with me for clarification.  Submission of written work by a student at the College of Law is deemed to certify exclusive authorship without any assistance not specifically authorized by the professor. Handbook § 2.4.

Violations of these requirements that come to my attention will be referred to an Associate Dean and may result in disciplinary charges initiated against the offending student.  Violations may also have ramifications for the Character and Fitness assessment that you will undergo for admission to the bar.

Accessibility/Accommodations 

If you need an accommodation for this class, please contact the Disability Resource Center as soon as possible. The DRC coordinates accommodations for students with disabilities. It is located in the Campus Life Building, Suite 180, and can be reached at 815-753-1303 or drc@niu.edu.  Also, you may want to contact Associate Dean Anita Maddali for more assistance.

 Audio- and Video-Recording

Audio or video-recording of any class meeting, or any part thereof, by any electronic means (analog or digital) is prohibited by any student.  Failure to abide by this rule by any student is a violation of the College of Law Rule of Professional Conduct.  From time to time we will video and audio record classes and lectures.