J.D. Business and Entrepreneurial Emphasis Area Requirements
Emphasis in Business & Entrepreneurial Law
The Emphasis in Business and Entrepreneurial Law program is designed to provide within the J.D. degree a well-rounded course of study for students interested in an emphasis in business law and transactional practice.
Admission
Any candidate for the J.D. degree who has earned passing grades in the Business Organizations and Federal Taxation courses may apply for the Emphasis in Business and Entrepreneurial Law program.
The deadline for application to the program shall be no later than the beginning of the second week of classes of the student's sixth semester of law school. Any student who applies after the beginning of his or her fourth semester must demonstrate that the program can be completed by the end of the sixth semester of law school. Appropriate adjustments will be made to deal with part-time students not on the regular semester schedule. Exceptions to the deadlines may be made with approval of the Emphasis Faculty Advisors, Professors Chris Hoyt, Anthony Luppino, Del Wright and Dani Merrick, by majority vote.
Student Learning Outcomes
Students graduating from this program will:
- Students will demonstrate mastery of core doctrinal knowledge within emphasis area
- Students will demonstrate mastery of skills necessary for objective legal analysis.
- Students will demonstrate mastery of the skills necessary for effective legal research in the emphasis area.
- Students will demonstrate mastery of legal writing with particular emphasis on transactional drafting.
- Students will demonstrate mastery of the duties of attorneys as members of the legal profession.
- Students will demonstrate ability to work with people in a professional environment
- Students will demonstrate competency in professional work habits
- Students will demonstrate entry-level proficiency in lawyering skills especially relevant to the emphasis area.
Requirements
Minimum Total Hours Required
The program will require satisfaction of the required courses (Group A) and a minimum of 9 credit hours of courses from the approved elective courses (Group B) listed below . Any course in Group A or B may be counted toward the required total hours even if it is also used to satisfy the student's Emphasis Research and Writing Requirement.
Writing Requirement
Students must complete a paper of high professional quality that reflects detailed research and analysis of one or more business or entrepreneurial law topic(s) and is certified by one of the Emphasis Faculty Advisors as satisfying that standard. Subject to that certification requirement, a student may fulfill this requirement through their J.D. Research Requirement paper or through any other paper done during their J.D. program, whether in connection with a course, independent study, or otherwise, and whether or not the paper is graded or given course credit toward their J.D.
Practical Skills Requirement
Students must complete at least one course containing a substantial practical skills component. The following courses satisfy this requirement:
Code | Title | Credits |
---|---|---|
Transactional Lawyering Skills Lab | ||
Business and Personal Finance | ||
Entrepreneurial Lawyering: Solo and Small Firm Practice | ||
Advanced Legal Writing: Business Contract Drafting | ||
Business Planning | ||
Entrepreneurial Law & Practice Clinic | ||
Negotiating Mergers And Acquisitions | ||
Real Estate Transactions |
In lieu of one of those courses, the Practical Skills Requirement may be met by such other internships, externships, simulation courses, drafting courses, advanced research courses, or other courses designed to provide exposure to development of practice skills in the type of work commonly performed by lawyers in the business and entrepreneurial law field and that are approved by the Emphasis Faculty Advisors for satisfaction of this Practical Skills Requirement.
Ethics Requirement
In addition to relevant instruction provided in the required Securities Regulation course, each candidate for the Emphasis must attend at least three clock hours of instruction dealing with ethical issues that frequently arise in the business and entrepreneurial law field and that is approved by the Emphasis Faculty Advisors as countable toward satisfaction of this Ethics Requirement.
Advanced Research Requirement
All students in the program must satisfy an advanced research requirement which provides familiarity with materials and sources frequently consulted by lawyers practicing in the business and entrepreneurial law field. Subject to approval by the Emphasis Faculty Advisors this may entail a separate course, a component of an existing course, a separate lecture, seminar or workshop offering, or demonstrably satisfactory training on advanced research in connection with the Emphasis Writing Requirement.
Curriculum Requirements
Prerequisites or Co-requisites
Code | Title | Credits |
---|---|---|
Federal Taxation | ||
Business Organizations |
Required Courses (Group A) (All must be taken on a graded basis unless otherwise approved by the Emphasis Faculty Advisors)
Code | Title | Credits |
---|---|---|
Secured Transactions | ||
or LAW 8861 | Real Estate Finance | |
or LAW 8736 | Debtor-Creditor Rights | |
or LAW 8604 | Business and Personal Finance | |
Securities Regulation | ||
Legal Accounting (or other approved prior accounting education) | ||
Corporate Taxation I and Partnership Taxation I | ||
or LAW 8603 | Taxation Of Business Organization |
Sufficient Electives Requirement (Group B) (Must take at least 9 credit hours, all taken on a graded basis, from among these courses)
Code | Title | Credits |
---|---|---|
Transactional Lawyering Skills Lab | ||
Business and Personal Finance (if not taken to satisfy Group A course) | ||
Antitrust And Fair Competition Law | ||
Entrepreneurial Lawyering: Solo and Small Firm Practice | ||
or LAW 8757L | Special Topics in Entrepreneurial Lawyering | |
Secured Transactions (if not taken to satisfy Group A course) | ||
Commercial Transactions | ||
Debtor-Creditor Rights (if not taken to satisfy Group A course) | ||
International Business Transactions | ||
or LAW 8832 | Law of International Trade and Finance | |
Business Planning | ||
Entrepreneurial Law & Practice Clinic | ||
or LAW 8757N | Entrepreneurship and New Venture Creation | |
Social Entrepreneurship Ventures | ||
or LAW 8915 | Social Venture Creation | |
Labor Law | ||
or LAW 8813 | Employment Discrimination Law | |
or LAW 8814R | Employment Law | |
Administrative Law | ||
Public Finance | ||
Art Law | ||
or LAW 8890A | Sports Law I, Amateur Sports Law | |
or LAW 8890B | Sports Law II, Professional Sports Law | |
or LAW 8890R | Entertainment Law | |
Intellectual Property Law | ||
or LAW 8798 | Copyright Law | |
or LAW 8882 | Patent Law | |
Negotiating Mergers And Acquisitions | ||
Real Estate Finance (if not taken to satisfy Group A course) | ||
or LAW 8875 | Real Estate Transactions | |
or LAW 8875L | Legal Context of Real Estate Decision Making | |
Tax-Exempt Organizations | ||
Sales and Leasing | ||
Construction Law | ||
Advising Life Sciences and Technology Entrepreneurs |
If a Group B course is properly counted toward the 9 credit hour Group B requirement and also listed above as a course satisfying the Practical Skills Requirement, it may be applied to satisfaction of both the those requirements. A course listed above as a course satisfying the Practical Skills Requirement but not listed as a Group B course may not be applied to satisfaction of the Group B requirement.
Graduation
For a student to be recognized as having graduated with an Emphasis in Business and Entrepreneurial Law, the student must have achieved a grade-point average of at least 3.0 in the minimum number of Emphasis course requirements listed as Required (Group A) or Sufficient Electives (Group B); provided that a student may, at the student’s option, omit a grade received in either Corporate Tax or Partnership Tax, while still counting the course to reach the required number of academic credit hours for the Emphasis; and that a student may also omit any grade received in any Sufficient Electives (Group B) course, so long as the student has grades from at least 9 credit hours of other Group B courses properly included and counted in the grade point average necessary for the Emphasis.
Important Note: Because the School is committed to keeping up with changes in the practice of law, the requirements for emphasis areas may change during the course of a student's enrollment at the School. The requirements at the time a student is granted admission into the emphasis area are the requirements that govern completion of the student's emphasis requirements. For possible revised requirements that will take effect with the next academic year, ask the emphasis area advisor for the most recent iteration of requirements. A course not listed above can meet emphasis area requirements if approved by the emphasis area advisors, Professors Chris Hoyt, Anthony Luppino, Del Wright, and Dani Merrick.[LN1]