An introduction to the law of business organizations, including agency, partnership, and business corporations. Topics include formation and structure of the corporation, power and fiduciary responsibility of management, rights and liabilities of shareholders, shareholders' derivatives litigation, acquisitions and tender offers and insider trading.

The potential for lawsuits plays a critical role in business decisions, particularly in regulatory compliance, risk management, and contract procurement and vendor risk management. This is often especially true in highly regulated fields such as healthcare, finance, HR, cybersecurity, and supply chain management. Litigation – whether in front of administrative agencies or courts – is generally the endgame for regulatory, contractual, or other liability problems that institutions may face. This class provides students with a basic understanding of the process of civil litigation in the U.S. We will trace the pathway of a lawsuit from the initial pleading stage to the appeal. Students will gain a solid grasp of the concepts and vocabulary that underlie the U.S. litigation system. Topics include types of lawsuits, forums, pleadings, response, discovery, trial procedures, appeals, administrative adjudication, and arbitration.

A study of consumer protection regulations, including consumer lending, mandatory and voluntary disclosures, common law fraud, and unfair and deceptive acts and practices. 

This course will cover the principles, frameworks, and best practices for analyzing and managing risks within business firms. Students will learn how to construct frameworks for managing strategic, operational, financial, and legal/regulatory risks. They will also learn how to assess and measure these risks.

An introduction to corporate governance, risk management, and compliance within business firms and financial institutions. Topics include: the role of the board of directors and executives in managing firms and overseeing risk management and compliance; Codes of Ethics; internal controls; the Sarbanes-Oxley Act; the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act; whistleblowers; crisis management; and disclosure requirements under Federal Securities Laws and under banking statutes and regulation.

A study of insurance contracts and insurance law. Topics covered include: the nature of insurance, insurable interests, persons and interests protected, contractual obligations of the insured and insurer, the claims process, bad faith, and subrogation. We will explore insurance contracts from the point of negotiation and execution through the claims process, settlement and dispute resolution.

This course introduces students to effective legal research techniques for navigating the vast landscape of legal sources and business information. Students will learn research strategies for working with primary legal sources--such as federal and state statutes, regulations, case law, and municipal ordinances and codes--as well as secondary legal sources. Students will learn how to efficiently research administrative materials, including federal and state registers and codes, proposed rules and comments, agency guidance, and enforcement actions. Students will also learn how to research business sources relevant for engaging in transactional due diligence, contract risk managements, vendor, and third-party risk management. Students will gain practical, hands-on experience working with both free and paid legal and business resources, and databases.

In this course, you will learn the main principles, concepts, tools, and skills of negotiations and bargaining. These will not only help you develop a good understanding of the subject but will also equip you with what is needed to be a “successful” negotiator. We will give primary attention to negotiation and bargaining in legal contexts. These include: contract negotiations; bargaining during the performance of long-term contracts and during other long-term relationships; bargaining between a business firm and its employees, customers, suppliers, vendors, and investors; bargaining among business firms regarding joint ventures and supply chain management; and bargaining during legal conflicts, both before and during litigation. You will learn how to identify the parties’ relative bargaining power and how to increase bargaining power–e.g., by using pre-commitment devices and acquiring information. You will also learn about the factors that can lead to quick, efficient agreements and those that can lead to costly delays and bargaining breakdowns, including the role played by bargaining procedures, informational gaps between parties, “credible” and “non-credible” threats, and trust and fairness.

In this course, students will learn about program management and project management from the perspectives of governance, contracting, and regulatory compliance. Topics: Project management lifecycle, from project conception, negotiation, and initiation through project delivery and closure. Predominant project management types—e.g., Waterfall, Agile, and Lean/Scrum. Selecting and managing the project team, assessing and managing risk, engaging and managing stakeholders, and determining and managing outsourcing and procurement strategy. The course gives special attention to legal risk management issues. These include project governance, contract risk management, project finance, human resources and employment law, intellectual property, and vendor risk management.