There are many types of law courses that pertain to business law, including taxation, business organizations, and securities. Copyright, bankruptcy, and real estate law courses are additional types of classes that are useful for future business lawyers. Business attorneys must be familiar with a wide range of legal issues in order to properly represent and advise clients. Transactional, litigation, and regulatory lawyers all practice business law.
Taxation is a type of business law course that is usually recommended for all law students. It is normally taught over two or three semesters. This business law course sequence focuses on familiarity with the tax law, property ownership, and the taxation of partnerships and corporations. As students advance, the taxation of mergers, entities, and acquisitions are also discussed.
Another common type of business law course is business organizations. Students learn the difference between various business entities, such as associations, partnerships, and limited liability companies. Financing, management rights and the legal rules applicable to large corporations are additional topics.
Law students who have decided to pursue a career in business law are often required to take classes in addition to taxation and business organizations. Securities regulation and secured transactions are common course requirements. The former examines statutes pertaining to investors who buy and sell securities, while the latter focuses on loans involving collateral.
In addition to a required or typical type of business law course, law students may consider other classes that pertain to business law. Bankruptcy can be a useful business law course because business bankruptcy is usually addressed along with consumer bankruptcy. It is a good complement to a business law course in secured transactions.
A familiarity with real estate law can also serve a business attorney well depending on his or her type of practice. Such classes examine the purchase contract, title issues, and financing. Governmental processes like zoning, subdivision, and annexation are other possible topics, as are construction and property assessment.
Those who wish to practice international business law can consider international taxation and business transactions. Globalization and jurisdictional issues are typically the focus of these courses. How laws encourage and discourage globalized business practices is also usually discussed. International business law involves advising clients who move goods and services across borders.
A business law course in copyright law or intellectual property would be useful for those who want to help clients protect their investments in products. Copyright law dictates what can be copyrighted and what the rights of the copyright holder are. Intellectual property addresses copyrights, patents, and trademarks.
Business attorneys can be corporate litigators as well as transactional or regulatory lawyers. As a result, there is a wide variety of business law courses. Most future business lawyers take foundational courses like taxation, business organizations, and securities and secured transactions before specializing. More specialized business law courses include real estate, bankruptcy, and copyright law.