A very high proportion of our graduates go into business law at some point in their careers. The term “business law” encompasses a wide range of practice areas. Some of these involve the organization, governance, and regulation of firms, including mergers and acquisitions, the issuance of securities, acting as or advising corporate counsel, bankruptcy, and the use of venture capital. Other practice areas involve discrete transactions between a firm and its suppliers or customers (which may be either businesses or consumers), including financing arrangements, commercial or consumer sales and joint ventures. And still other practice areas involve compliance with or litigation arising out of regulations and criminal laws, including corporate crime, securities regulation and financial institutions regulation. In each case, the attorney’s role may involve providing advice on the organization or governance of a firm, planning or implementing a transaction, or litigating or arbitrating the consequences of a decision that has already been made or a transaction that has already occurred. Since business is often conducted on an international scale, many of these practice areas involve dealing with foreign or international law.
Whether involved in corporate organization and governance, transactional work, or litigation, the business attorney must have broad knowledge of the various tools that businesses use to accomplish their objectives and the legal doctrines that regulate or facilitate those objectives.
Core Courses
Accounting for Lawyers and/or Corporate Finance (preferably both)
Business Transactions
If you are interested in Business Transactions, take the following additional Core Courses:
- Mergers and Acquisitions, Securities Regulation, Regulation of Financial Institutions, or Secured Transactions (or other foundational commercial course)
- Corporate Tax
- At least one Transactional and Law and Business course
Recommended Courses:
- A course on bankruptcy/corporate restructurings/creditor’s rights
- Any other course or seminar in Corporate and Securities, or Contracts and Commercial Law
- Classes on Antitrust Law or Intellectual Property Law
Business Litigation
If you are interested in Business Litigation, take the following additional Core Courses:
- Mergers and Acquisitions, Securities Regulation, Regulation of Financial Institutions, or Secured Transactions (or other foundational commercial course)
- At least one additional litigation course such as Evidence, Complex Litigation, Civil Litigation, or Conflicts of Laws
Recommended Courses:
- Any other course or seminar in Corporate and Securities or Contracts and Commercial Law
- Classes on Antitrust Law, Insurance, or Intellectual Property Law
Commercial Law
If you are interested in Commercial Law, take the following additional Core Courses:
- Commercial Sales or Commercial Sales: International and Domestic
- Secured Transactions
Recommended Courses:
- Payment Systems
- Corporate Bonds
- Contracts and Credit Agreements
- Bankruptcy
- International Business Transactions,
- International Commercial Arbitration and Complex Litigation
Bankruptcy, Corporate Restructurings and Creditors’ Rights
If you are interested in Bankruptcy, Corporate Restructurings and Creditors' Rights, take the following additional Core Courses:
- Bankruptcy
- Corporate Reorganization
Recommended Courses:
- Negotiating Complex Deals in Corporate Restructurings
- Cross Border Insolvency
- Secured Transactions
- Corporate Bonds Contracts and Credit Agreements
Business Criminal/Civil Enforcement
If you are interested in Business Criminal/Civil Enforcement, take the following additional Core Courses:
- Business Crime or Regulation of Foreign Corrupt Practices
- Securities Regulation
- For those interested in criminal enforcement: Criminal Procedure or Complex Federal Investigations
- For those interested in civil enforcement: At least one additional general litigation such, such as Complex Litigation, Civil Litigation, or Conflicts of Laws
Recommended Courses:
- Compliance and Risk Management for Attorneys
- Corporate Crime and Financial Misdealing: Legal and Policy Analysis Seminar
- Regulation of Foreign Corrupt Practices
- Complex Federal Investigations
- Criminal Securities and Commodities Fraud Seminar
- Federal Crime
- Securities Law & Litigation
- Issues in SEC Enforcement
- Antitrust
- Health Law
- Sentencing
International Transactions & Litigation
If you are interested in International Transactions and Litigation, take the following additional Core Courses:
One or more international transactions course such as:
- International Business Transactions
- Commercial Sales: International and Domestic
- Cross Border M&A
- International Business & Investment Transactions with China
- Regulation of Foreign Corrupt Practices
Recommended courses:
- One or more international litigation and arbitration courses such as:
- International Arbitration
- International Commercial Arbitration
- International Arbitration: Investment Arbitration
- International Investment Law & Arbitration
- Conflicts of Law
