Business and Commercial Law
The law is an essential part of business and financial transactions, from the simplest purchase to a multi-billion dollar international joint venture. The KU Law curriculum covers the entire spectrum of business transactions.
Curriculum
The study of business and commercial law begins with the first-year Contracts course, which takes students from the history of contract formation and enforcement through the modern statutory treatment in the Uniform Commercial Code. Other first-year courses introduce students to areas of law that intersect the business world. Property is the groundwork for courses in Land Transactions, Real Estate Finance, natural resources and environmental law. Civil Procedure is the foundation of litigation; and Torts is the background for Products Liability and Workers' Compensation.
Students interested in business and commercial law need to pay careful attention to the prerequisites for each class. A list of these is available in the catalog. Commercial Law: Secured Transactions is required of all students. Secured Transactions is a pre-requisite for Bankruptcy, Advanced Bankruptcy and Agricultural Law. A separate commercial law course covers Payment Systems. Other electives of interest include Antitrust, Commercial Arbitration and Insurance Law.
The basic forms of business organizations, such as corporations, partnerships and limited liability companies are covered in Business Associations I and II. Business Associations is a pre-requisite for courses in Corporate Transactions, Securities Regulation, Taxation of Business Enterprises, Business Planning, and Taxation of Mergers and Acquisitions. Other related electives are Capital Raising by Privately held Business Firms and Nonprofit and Tax-Exempt Organizations.
Students with an interest in international affairs can study International Commerce and Investment, International Trade Law and International Economic Law and Development. More information about related areas can be found in the Curriculum Guides for International Law, Environmental Law and Tax Law .
Certificate Program
The Business and Commercial Law Certificate is a response to the longstanding demand for attorneys with expertise in the field. Completion of the certificate requirements allows a student to develop the knowledge and skills needed to begin a successful career as a business lawyer. A student who obtains the certificate receives a solid grounding in the basic principles of business and commercial law and is familiar with many of the transactions that business and commercial lawyers commonly encounter in practice.
Other Opportunities
Many students interested in business law choose the joint degree program in Law and Business , which allows them to obtain both a J.D. and an M.B.A. in four years. Students must be admitted to the joint degree program during the first year of law school.