What is the Business Law Society
The Business Law Society (BLS) serves as a forum for students interested in exploring the opportunities within the field of business law. BLS equips students with resources and insights related to the study and practice of business law, including academic coursework, scholarships, and professional pathways. In addition, BLS fosters engagement with alumni, practitioners, and business leaders, providing valuable opportunities to build professional networks and to examine contemporary issues at the intersection of business law and policy.
Since 2018, BLS has enriched its programming through “Culture Week,” an annual series of events featuring distinguished panelists and speakers from across the legal and business communities. These experts have addressed topics ranging from corporate law, venture capital, and start-ups to employment law, in-house practice, and gender equity in business law.
Initiatives
BLS has cultivated a tradition of intellectual engagement and professional development. By connecting students with accomplished alumni, practitioners, and scholars, BLS continues to prepare its members to navigate the evolving challenges of business law while fostering a community grounded in mentorship, inclusion, and academic excellence.
- 2024-2025
- Panels included Big Law with attorneys from Hogan Lovells, Gunderson Dettmer, and Kirkland & Ellis; Women in Business with representatives from DLA Piper, Orrick, and Goodwin Procter, moderated by Professor Amelia Miazad; and In-House Counsel featuring practitioners from Juniper Networks, HPE, Raley’s, and Autodesk.
- 2023-2024
- Culture Week expanded to three tracks. The Big Law panel featured alumni at DLA Piper, Perkins Coie, Kirkland & Ellis, and Goodwin Procter. The In-House Counsel panel highlighted attorneys from Zoom, Turo, Raley’s, and Block. The Women in Business panel moderated by Professor Amelia Miazad showcased attorneys from Cooley, Airbnb, Orrick, and Sullivan & Cromwell. Collectively, these panels demonstrated the breadth of practice areas and career paths in business law.
- 2022-2023
- Programming included a conversation on ESG with Professor Amelia Miazad; a Women in Business Law panel moderated by Professor Afra Afsharipour, featuring attorneys from HP, Airbnb, and Perkins Coie; an In-House Counsel discussion with practitioners from Raley’s, Stripe, Thumbtack, and Poly; and a corporate panel with attorneys from Braunhagey & Borden, DLA Piper, and Weintraub Tobin.
- 2020-2021
- Amid the challenges of the pandemic, BLS launched the Big/Lil Program to strengthen its community by connecting upper-division students with 1L and LL.M. students, fostering mentorship and engagement.
- 2019-2020
- Panels featured employment law attorneys Katie Briscoe (Orrick) and Errol Dauis (Boutin Jones); a Women in Business Law discussion moderated by Professor Afra Afsharipour with alumni from Goodwin, Boutin Jones, and Downey Brand; an In-House Counsel panel with attorneys from HPE, Postmates, and Stripe; and corporate practitioners from Cooley, Ropes & Gray, Fenwick, and Silicon Legal Strategy.
- 2018-2019
- BLS hosted angel investor Tom Kelly; corporate attorneys David Richardson (DLA Piper) and Dennis Michaels (Boutin Jones); practitioners Patrick Wong (Naborly) and Jessica Holcombe (Holcombe Law); and in-house counsel Nime Rahimi (Spin) and Scott Fera (Educational Media Foundation). Discussions centered on start-ups, M&A, and the evolving role of general counsel.