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:

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

Federal Taxation
Business Organizations

Required Courses (Group A) (All must be taken on a graded basis unless otherwise approved by the Emphasis Faculty Advisors)

Secured Transactions
Real Estate Finance
Debtor-Creditor Rights
Business and Personal Finance
Securities Regulation
Legal Accounting (or other approved prior accounting education)
Corporate Taxation I
and Partnership Taxation I
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)

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
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
Law of International Trade and Finance
Business Planning
Entrepreneurial Law & Practice Clinic
Entrepreneurship and New Venture Creation
Social Entrepreneurship Ventures
Social Venture Creation
Labor Law
Employment Discrimination Law
Employment Law
Administrative Law
Public Finance
Art Law
Sports Law I, Amateur Sports Law
Sports Law II, Professional Sports Law
Entertainment Law
Intellectual Property Law
Copyright Law
Patent Law
Negotiating Mergers And Acquisitions
Real Estate Finance (if not taken to satisfy Group A course)
Real Estate Transactions
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]