LISA BURNS

BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION Instructor
BUS 140, Legal Environment of Business
BA, University of Arizona
JD, Thomas Jefferson School of Law
VOICEMAIL: 760.757.2121 x1403
EMAIL: lisaburns@miracosta.edu

VIDEO

Lisa Burns is a graduate of the University of Arizona and continues to be a Wildcats fan. Eventually making her way to California, Lisa attended the University of San Diego and received a Certificate of Honors in Paralegal Program. Working as a paralegal, Lisa attended law school at Thomas Jefferson School of Law. Lisa has been a licensed attorney in California since 1997.

Complementing her skills as an attorney, she is also a credentialed mediator courtesy of the National Conflict Resolution Center in San Diego, California, an internationally respected mediation training center. Her business, North Coast Family Law Center, focuses primarily on uncontested divorces and mediation, and strives to minimize costs to clients and avoid needless courtroom battles.

In addition, since 2007, Lisa has been a part of the adjunct faculty at Palomar College in San Marcos teaching law-related courses such as Legal Environment of Business, Business Law and courses in the Legal Studies program. She has been nominated several times for the Distinguished Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching, an award designed to acknowledge and reward those faculty members who are deemed by students and fellow staff as excellent teachers in the classroom.

Although she is an attorney, her passion is teaching. Now she combines her education degree, paralegal training and attorney insight to help students develop their skills in understanding and analyzing legal concepts and practical law-related situations.

Join BUSINESS DEPT Email List

BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION Program

ACCOUNTING Program

REAL ESTATE Program

SYLLABUS LINKS

Fall 2016: BUS 140:1209: Syllabus Schedule

VIDEO LINKS

Lisa Burns:
How to Brief a Case
Negligence
Product Liability

BUS 140 Chapters for first two weeks of semester (PDFs):

ESSENTIALS OF BUSINESS LAW-5e CH01 CH02 CH03 CH04

IMPORTANT NOTE on CLOSED Classes: All the online classes and many of the on-campus classes close quickly. You should register ASAP if you are interested in any class. If you change your mind, please drop the class immediately so others can enroll. If the class is closed, consider the Wait List procedures; be aware of the rules and the limitations. Otherwise, consider these options: 1) register for another section if available; 2) register for another class; 3) consider registering in a future semester; 4) show up for the first day of an on-campus class and discuss with the instructor; or 5) forget about it and move on. The instructor will not intervene with the wait list procedure.

Please be aware that, once a class reaches maximum enrollment and “closes,” on or after the first day of the semester, even if “available” spaces appear on SURF due to drops, it is within the instructor's complete discretion on whether to add more students at that time. Drops after the first day are normal attrition and are factored in when setting the maximum enrollment. The class has started and important assignments and subject matter have already been covered. Please do not email the instructor. Thank you for your understanding.

Teaching Philosophy/Style and Class Management/Activities

Student participation and meaningful discussions are essential in learning in any classroom. As such, I encourage students to analyze and dissect legal scenarios presented in class and accept varying interpretations of a single fact pattern.

Familiarizing students with various aspects of the law and their relation to business situations is our main objective. Teaching students to analyze complex fact patterns and apply the relevant law to reach a solution allows students to think analytically and acquire the skills necessary to thoroughly understand the law as it relates to effective and informed business decisions.

As a side note, I am often considered to be “old school” in my teaching methods. Although, my classes consist mostly of class discussion and lectures, I do not use PowerPoint or Scantrons. Realizing that students learn in different ways, I offer handouts/charts to assist in understanding the material and to complement the lectures. It is important for all of my students to grasp a concept before moving on to the next.

I strive to make class enjoyable, yet challenging, so that each student succeeds in learning and understanding all of the material covered.