The School of Law business law certificate is designed for those students wishing to focus on business or transactional law to prepare themselves for a business law practice or to enhance their career prospects in the business field in general. The program provides a strong framework in the fundamentals of business and transactional law and skills through coursework and related activities.

Typical Career Goals

The program will prepare qualified JD degree and post-JD candidates for a wide variety of business and transactional law practices and, for non-law students, it will help provide a strong foundation for legal aspects of the business environment.

Admission Requirements

The student must satisfy one of the following requirements:

(1) be currently enrolled in the JD program at the School of Law or be admitted as a visiting JD student at the School of Law;

(2) hold a JD degree from an accredited law school;

(3) be enrolled in the LLM program at the School of Law; or (4) be admitted by the Associate Dean or that dean’s designee (hereinafter the “Associate Dean”) as otherwise qualified to complete the certificate requirements successfully.

The Associate Dean may limit the number of students eligible to pursue the certificate at any one time.

Courses

Foundational Business Law Courses

It is assumed that all students seeking the certificate will enter the program having already successfully completed, as part of their JD degree program or other qualifying studies, the following foundational business law courses (or equivalent):

• Contracts (LAWW 4024) (4 Credits)
• Business Organizations (LAWW 4294) (4 Credits)
• Federal Income Tax of Individuals (LAWW 6933) (3 Credits)

Required Course Categories

In addition to completing all Foundational Business Law Courses, in order to be eligible for the Business Law Certificate a student must successfully complete at least 18 credit hours of business law coursework, including at least one course from each of the following three categories:

(1) Business Drafting Courses

• ULW - Business Drafting (LAWW 4082) (2 Credits)
• ULW- Contract Drafting (LAWW 406V) (2 Credits)
• ULW- Corporate Practice (LAWW 406V) (2 Credits)

(2) Experiential Learning Business Courses

• Business Lawyering Skills (LAWW 5213) (3 Credits)
• Corporate Counsel Externship (LAWW 686V) (4 Credits)

(3) Public Company Courses

• Mergers & Acquisitions (LAWW 5662) (2 Credits)
• Public Corporations (Adv. Corporations) (LAWW 629V) (2 or 3 Credits)
• Securities Regulation (LAWW 500V) (2 or 3 Credits)

Business Electives

The following courses will count toward the 18 credit hours of business law coursework needed to complete the Business Law Certificate:

• Antitrust Law (LAWW 6133) (3 Credits)
• Bankruptcy Reorganizations (LAWW 760V) (2 Credits)
• Corporate Counsel Colloquium (LAWW 500V) (2 Credits)
• Corporate Finance (LAWW 500V) (2 Credits)
• Effective Corporate Compliance (LAWW 5391) (1 Credit)
• Federal Income Taxation of Business Entities (LAWW 6253) (3 Credits)
• International Business Transactions (LAWW 7302) (2 Credits)
• Legal Clinic: Transactional (LAWW 6393) (3 Credits)
• Nonprofit Organizations (LAWW 500V) (2 or 3 Credits)
• Representing Startups (LAWW 500V) (3 Credits)
• Any courses listed in the Experiential Business, Business Drafting, or Public Company Course categories listed in (b)(1), (b)(2), or (b)(2) above.

Extracurricular Course of Study

Students must attend at least 250 minutes of extracurricular programing sponsored by the business law society or approved in advance by the Associate Dean.

Substitutions

The Associate Dean may designate a Special Topics or other course as a qualifying Business Elective, and in rare cases, with substantial justification, may allow a substitution in the Experiential Business, Business Drafting, or Public Company Course categories listed in (b)(1), (b)(2), or (b)(2) above.

General Requirements

General Requirements – JD candidates

Our JD students must declare their intention to complete the program before the final semester of their JD studies by notifying the Associate Dean. The student must have a cumulative law school GPA of at least 2.75 and a GPA of 3.0 or above in certificate courses at the time he or she declares. In order to receive the certificate upon graduation, the student must successfully complete the required courses, earn a GPA of at least 3.2 in certificate courses, and have a cumulative GPA of 2.75 or above.

General Requirements – JD visitors

Those currently earning a JD at another ABA accredited law school but visiting here may earn the business law certificate. They must apply to the Associate Dean, before their final semester of JD studies. These students can satisfy certificate course credits with courses taken at their own law school, but must take at least 12 credits in certificate courses here and they must complete the corporate counsel externship program or other approved experiential capstone course here.

A visiting JD student must have a cumulative law school GPA of at least 2.75 and a GPA of 3.0 or above in certificate courses at the time he or she applies for the certificate program. In order to receive the certificate upon graduation, the student must successfully complete the required courses and earn a GPA of 3.2 or above in certificate courses, and have a cumulative GPA of 2.75 or above.

General Requirements – Post-JD candidates

Those who have already earned a JD degree from an accredited law school in the United States may also earn a certificate. They must apply to the Associate Dean, before commencing the program.

For the purposes of this program, post-JD candidates can determine their GPA within the program based in part on courses completed elsewhere. All post-JD candidates must fulfill the requirements in §5-1503, at least 12 credits of which must be taken here, and they must complete the corporate counsel externship program or other approved experiential capstone course here.

Post-JD candidates must have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 from the school that conferred their law degree. To complete the program, they must earn a GPA of 3.2 or above in certificate courses.

General Requirements – LLM candidates

Our LLM candidates must notify the Associate Dean one month before enrollment in the LLM program of their intention to complete the program and must have the approval of the director of the LLM program.

For the purposes of this program, LLM candidates can determine their GPA within the program based in part on courses completed elsewhere. LLM candidates must satisfy all the required courses, at least 12 credits of which must be taken here, and must take the corporate counsel externship or other approved experiential capstone course here.

To declare, an LLM candidate must have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 from the school that conferred their law degree. To complete the program, they must earn a GPA of at least 3.2 in certificate courses, a cumulative GPA of 2.75 or above.

General Requirements – Non-JD / Non-LLM candidates

Post-baccalaureate students who are not enrolled as JD or LLM students at the law school (and do not have a JD degree) may also earn a certificate. They must apply to the Associate Dean before commencing the program. If they have taken at least 12 credits of the required certificate courses at another ABA accredited law school, their GPA in those courses must be at least 3.0 to apply. If they have not, their undergraduate cumulative GPA must be at least 3.5. For the purposes of this program, these students can determine their GPA within the program based in part on courses completed elsewhere.

To earn the certificate, these students must complete all the required courses, at least 12 credits of which must be taken here, and they must complete the approved experiential capstone course here. To complete the program, they must also earn a GPA of 3.2 or above in certificate courses.

Learning Objectives

Students who successfully complete the requirements for the Business Law Certificate will:

(a) demonstrate proficiency in explaining and analyzing the legal and regulatory implications of common business matters;

(b) be able to draft documents relevant to typical business formations and basic transactions; and

(c) demonstrate an understanding of the role of counsel to businesses, business owners, or business management, as well as an appreciation of the ethical implications of representing each discrete group.