Business-Commercial

Business and Commercial Law Courses

Real Estate Transactions Skills

This course will be a hands-on approach to real estate transactions including: residential and commercial real estate closings, title search review, and the lien and foreclosure process. This will include preparation of the real estate contract for purchase and sale, including analysis of the FARBAR Contract and As-Is Contract; practical review of online searches to include entity searches, public records searches and property tax searches.

Consumer Protection Laws & Regulation

The course will fully analyze (1) the substantive federal and state laws and regulations concerning deceptive, unfair, and abusive business acts and practices (“UDAAP” and “Little FTC Act”) and (2) the role of the federal and state governmental agencies in enforcing those laws and regulations. The final weeks of the course will involve a hypothetical federal governmental investigation, where the student will play the role of defense counsel for the target of the investigation.

Civil Liberties in the Digital Age

In an era defined by rapid technological innovation, the relationship between technology and civil liberties has become an issue of increasing debate and concern. Are social media companies a blessing or a curse to public discourse? Are Facebook and X (formerly Twitter) a public forum, publisher, a platform or something else? Is it appropriate that social media companies cannot be sued for posts attributed to their users, even when those posts can destroy reputations and lives? With the ubiquity of smart phones, can anyone meaningfully escape surveillance and tracking?

AI & The Law

The recent explosion of Artificial Intelligence (“AI”) demands that lawyers engage and understand the opportunities and risks posed by AI for clients and the legal industry. The purpose of this seminar is to equip students with the knowledge and skill set to address that intersection of AI and the law. To do this, the seminar will focus on a number of AI-related legal issues, ranging from what governmental agencies are and will likely be regulating AI to a discussion of data privacy, intellectual property rights, and contract and tort liability issues arising from the use of AI.

Securities Regulation

Co-requisites: Corporations OR Closely Held Business Organizations

A study of the regulation of securities under the federal securities laws. Topics include registration of public offerings, exempt sales, insider trading, anti-fraud rules, mergers and tender offers, and the professional responsibility of securities lawyers. 

Nonprofit Organizations

This is a 2-credit class surveying the comprehensive law of nonprofit organizations. The course will begin with an overview of the nonprofit sector and provide an understanding of the various dimensions and rationales for nonprofit organizations. We’ll then dissect the legal framework of these organizations, including formation, dissolution, and restructuring; operation and governance; and state and federal requirements for existence.

Insurance Law

This course covers basic legal principles and their applicability to insurance generally. Construction of contracts, government supervision, insurance practice and litigation, and industry organization are reviewed.