Experiencing Property - Colleen E. Medill

Experiencing Property ISBN 9781685615062

Designed by an award-winning educator and member of the American College of Real Estate Lawyers, this text goes beyond traditional doctrine. It introduces students to Property Law through a rich blend of practical lawyering exercises, historical context, and professional identity formation, aligning with current trends in legal education and preparing students for the NextGen Bar Exam.

A Unique Pedagogical Approach
Rather than merely presenting abstract legal rules, Experiencing Property invites students to "experience" the law as they might in real legal practice. Through simulation of real-world lawyering tasks, students are prompted to reflect on their own experiences and values while engaging deeply with issues that shape Property Law and its societal impact.

Key features of this approach include:

Narrative introductions to legal concepts, making complex material more approachable.

Cases paired with applied problems, lawyering tasks, and reflective exercises, helping students practice essential legal skills.

Discussion of real-world social justice issues, illustrated through excerpts from books like The Color of Law and Evicted!, which contextualize Property Law within American history and contemporary inequality.

Comprehensive Tools for Learning and Teaching
Each chapter concludes with a student-friendly Study Guide, designed to reinforce vocabulary, clarify legal rules, and aid in outlining and exam preparation. The book also includes:

Authentic legal documents, giving students a hands-on view of real practice.

Custom formative assessments, accessible via eproducts.westacademic.com, offering:

Multiple-choice questions

Jeopardy-style reviews

Short-answer and essay questions with model answers

Integration suggestions for Developing Professional Skills: Property interactive lessons, offering further skill-building opportunities.

Faculty Resources
Instructors are supported with a robust Teacher’s Manual, which includes:

PowerPoint slides tailored to each chapter

Sample syllabi for courses ranging from three to six credit hours

Case briefs, suggested answers to problems, and discussion questions

Exemplars for lawyering skills exercises

Reflective prompts to guide students in shaping their professional identity

Suggested video links that bring landmark cases and legal principles to life

Aligned with the NextGen Bar Exam – Chapter-by-Chapter Coverage
Experiencing Property is purposefully designed to align with the subject areas and skills emphasized on the forthcoming NextGen Bar Exam. Each chapter targets core topics in Real Property Law while incorporating real-world lawyering tasks and professional identity development.

Chapter 1 – Introduction to Property Law
Introduces students to the foundational purposes and values behind Property Law, encouraging reflection on personal experiences and exploring its historical, cultural, and political underpinnings.

Chapter 2 – Personal Property
Covers the acquisition, ownership, and transfer of personal property, including foundational legal doctrines and practical applications.

Chapter 3 – Gratuitous Transfers and Adverse Possession
Explores property transfers through gifts, intestate succession, and estate planning. It also addresses the societal implications of heirs’ property and the doctrine of adverse possession.

Chapter 4 – Landlord-Tenant Law
Examines leasehold estates, tenant and landlord rights and responsibilities, and contemporary housing issues such as affordability, displacement, and homelessness.

Chapter 5 – Ownership Interests and the Uniform Partition of Heirs Property Act
Focuses on present and future estates, concurrent ownership (e.g., joint tenancy, tenancy in common), and statutory reforms aimed at protecting family-owned property from involuntary partition.

Chapter 6 – Real Estate Transactions and Mortgage Law
Introduces the process of transferring real property, including contract formation, title assurance, and mortgage law fundamentals.

Chapter 7 – Servitudes: Easements and Covenants
Covers easements, real covenants, and equitable servitudes, with attention to the historical use of racially restrictive covenants and their ongoing legacy.

Chapter 8 – Zoning and Takings
Discusses zoning laws, the history of racial zoning and urban planning, and the legal standards governing government takings of private property under the Fifth Amendment.

Experiencing Property offers students and instructors a compelling blend of traditional legal instruction and experiential learning, while grounding the study of Property Law in its broader human, cultural, and systemic dimensions.

Medill Experiencing Property ISBNs 9781685615062 & 978-1685615062