Summer Initiative for Technology, Innovation, and Ethics (SITIE)

Courses and Schedule

Immersion Course: Lawyering for Entrepreneurship and Innovation

3 credits

Faculty

Steve Tapia, Distinguished Practitioner in Residence, and Steven Bender, Professor and Associate Dean for Planning and Strategic Initiatives

Schedule

• In-Person Class Sessions: Monday, May 18 to Thursday, May 21, 2026, generally 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. (half day Thursday)
• Online SITIE 9th Annual Innovation and Technology Conference: Friday June 5th, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. PDT (fully virtual with local Seattle reception)

Format

Mostly in-person. Exceptions are the annual innovation conference and some or all of the day Thursday May 21.

Course Description

Dive into an exploration of the major business, legal, and ethical issues at play in technology and innovation businesses and get first-hand experience with some of the business environments responsible for the major recent entrepreneurial successes in the Seattle region and elsewhere.

Students will:

• Meet innovators and their lawyers virtually or in-person;
• Examine environments that foster creativity and produce innovation;
• Receive an introduction to strategic and disruptive technologies that will reshape business in the 2020s;
• See how ethical questions are handled in the business world, both properly and poorly;
• Learn how lawyers add value and contribute to entrepreneurial success, particularly in the technology sector;
• Consider some of the vexing policy issues that surround innovation in the technology sector; and
• Receive an intensive introduction to how entrepreneurs think.

The course curriculum combines lively classroom experiences, policy discussions, intriguing background readings, active reflections, daily film discussions, as well as highly interactive and immersive dialogue with legal practitioners and their clients, all meant to impart the knowledges, skills, and values needed to contribute to ethical entrepreneurial success.

Structure

• Optional course meeting/informal discussion online the week before the course begins
• Advance reading and preparation period of 9+ days
• Four days of full-time, intensive instruction
• Attendance at the online Innovation conference
• Completion of final project after course meetings conclude

Counseling Startups: Law, Regulation and Fundraising (online)

2 credits

Faculty

Paul Swegle, Chief Legal Officer, Molecular Testing Labs; General Counsel, CareXM, Observa, and Chapterly 

Schedule

Virtual class

• Monday/Wednesday, June 1-24, 4:00p.m.-5:50 p.m. PDT
• One all-day session on Saturday, June 27

Format

All course sessions will be conducted online via Zoom or a similar platform.

Course Description

Launching a company requires thoughtful decision-making and careful execution of myriad legal and regulatory tasks, all at the speed of business, and with limited resources. This course is about advising entrepreneurs and startups how to build, grow, and finance innovative businesses and how to prevent and address common legal, governance, and regulatory challenges.

The course is split into two sections:

• First half - business law fundamentals for advising startups, including choosing the best entity-type, forming companies soundly, protecting intellectual property, and minimizing friction and uncertainty by proactively structuring relationships with and among co-founders, employees, board members, and independent contractors.
• Second half - counseling startups on raising funds in the right amounts, at the right intervals, from the right investors, and on the right terms. Running out of cash is the second most common reason startups fail. Lawyers who can help founders succeed at early-stage fundraising are invaluable. Learn about startup fundraising processes, terminology, instruments, participants, regulations, and key strategies for fundraising success.

The Role of In-House Counsel: Lawyering within an Organization (online)

2 credits

Faculty

• Maja Larson, General Counsel, Board Advisor & Board Member, Governance, Compliance & Risk, Attorney Development

Schedule

Virtual class

• Tuesday/Thursday, June 2-25, 2:00p.m.-3:50p.m. PDT
• One all-day session on Friday, June 12th

Format

All course sessions will be conducted online via Zoom or a similar platform.

Course Description

Learn the role and responsibilities of an in-house lawyer, a unique position that must understand multiple practice areas and possess a working knowledge of business principles. Students study the legal challenges of a company and work through how best to counsel their internal clients on risks and issues. Each class has guests who are legal and business professionals to help students understand the role from multiple perspectives.

Artificial Intelligence Law: Practice and Theory (online)

2 credits

Faculty

Steve Tapia (Professor, Seattle University) and Jennifer Dumas (former General Counsel, Allen Institute for Artificial Intelligence)

Schedule

Virtual class

• Tuesday/Thursday, June 2-25, 4:00p.m.-5:50 p.m. PDT
• One all-day session on Saturday, June 20

Format

All course sessions will be conducted online via Zoom or a similar platform.

Course Description

This course examines the legal and ethical issues of Artificial Intelligence, and includes the following objectives:

• Introduces AI and considers its likely uses in society and in the economy
• Identifies AI concerns with respect to intellectual property, privacy law, tort, contract, agency, and the law of war
• Examines the role regulation will play in AI governance
• Considers broader implications of AI at the intersection of law and ethics

Additional Information

Eligibility

The courses are open to any student in good standing currently enrolled in an ABA-accredited law school (MBA students may be eligible, please inquire for more information).

Faculty

The four institute courses will be taught by legal experts, drawn from both Seattle University’s full-time faculty, visiting faculty, and leading legal practitioners in specific areas.

Steven Bender

Associate Dean Steven Bender is a national academic leader whose research interests coincide with his classroom teaching, which encompasses subjects as diverse as Business Associations, Property, Real Estate Transactions, UCC Secured Transactions, Contracts, and Latina/os and the Law. Read more.

Mark Chinen 

[NOT TEACHING SUMMER 2026]

Mark Chinen is Professor of Law at the Seattle University School of Law. He was educated at Pomona College and Yale Divinity School before receiving his law degree from Harvard Law School. Before he began law teaching, Professor Chinen practiced in the areas of international trade, banking and corporate and securities law in Washington D.C. with the firm, Covington Burling. Professor Chinen teaches contracts and courses in international law and writes on various aspects of international law, particularly international governance, theology and international law, and the relationship between domestic and international law. Read More. 

Jen Dumas

Jennifer Dumas is the Senior Lead Counsel, Commercial at Apollo.io , where she partners with customers and internal teams to structure clear, business-forward agreements that accelerate deals while managing legal and commercial risk. Read More. 

Maja Larson

Maja Larson has spent her most of her career building teams and functions in the in-house environment. She is a seasoned business and legal advisor, advising executives at public and private technology and biotechnology companies and not-for-profit corporations. Read more.

Paul Swegle

Paul has served as general counsel to a dozen companies across several industries, including fintech, financial services, health and medical devices, health and medical data management, e-commerce and natural resources, guiding them across most areas of law and regulation. Read more.

Steve Tapia

Distinguished Practitioner in Residence Steve Tapia has practiced entertainment, media and intellectual property law for over 30 years. As in-house counsel for DIRECTV Sports Networks, he was the primary contract negotiator for programming and distribution partnerships with the Seattle Mariners and many other teams and conferences. He also served as a Senior Attorney in Microsoft’s Law and Corporate Affairs department, where he advised on open source licensing strategies and policies. Read more.

Application/enrollment procedures

Seattle U Law students 

Seattle U students can begin to register for SITIE courses at their summer registration time (April 1-2, 2026). Registration will remain open on a space-available basis until classes begin.

Visiting students

All students from other law schools must complete and submit the following:

1. Application

• Visiting Students (for law school credit) (PDF)
• Visiting Students, Online Only (for certificate) (PDF)

2. Letter of good standing from dean or registrar of your home law school

Drop policy

The following applies only to the Immersion Course:

• 11:59 pm on Wednesday, May 6, 2026 - Deadline to receive a full tuition refund. Students who drop the immersion course on or before Wednesday, May 6, 2026 will receive a full tuition refund.
• Students who drop the immersion course between Thursday, May 7 and Monday, May 18, 2026 will receive a full tuition refund minus a $200 late-drop fee.
• No refunds will be issued for immersion course tuition after May 18, 2026 unless a student is unable to attend class because of illness or emergency.