Business Law

Lecture — 3 units. This course examines efforts to ensure a “fair” financial marketplace. These efforts include focusing on the Dodd-Frank Act and its creation of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau; disclosure requirements; prohibitions on unfair, deceptive, and abusive acts and practices; and other regimes enacted to protect consumers. Students will study salient contemporary markets for consumer credit, residential mortgages, and student lending. The course will also address how the concept of financial “fairness” has evolved and been influenced by social movements.

Skills — 1 unit. The course is designed to develop professional level research skills using intellectual property print and online materials. A brief lecture will start each class with the remaining class time spent researching real-world fact patterns and discussing findings in class.

Final Assessment: Combined scores from several graded exercises
Grading Mode: Letter Grading
Graduation Requirements: Counts towards Professional Skills Requirement

Lecture — 3 units. This course will provide an overview of business concepts for law students. The first part of the course will cover accounting, including what the major financial statements are and how to read them, as well as basic financial analysis ratios (e.g., return on equity, return on assets). The course will then cover basic financial concepts, such as risk versus return and the time value of money and the application of these concepts to business valuation.

Discussion — 3 units. The course presents a survey of the law of commercial transactions under the Uniform Commercial Code (UCC). The course will cover a number of topics under Articles 2, 3 and 9 of the UCC. These topics include attachment and perfection of security interests in personal property and general principles of negotiability. The primary goals of the course are to provide students with foundational knowledge and understanding of several articles of the UCC and improve students problem-solving skills in this area.

Seminar — 2 units. This seminar course will evaluate the privacy and cybersecurity issues that arise from technological advancements. The course will primarily focus on corporate surveillance and consumer data trade arrangements with corporate actors. Likely topics that the course will cover include the Internet of Things and legal responses to privacy related problems, such as the European General Data Protection Regulation and the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018.

Skills — 3 units. Complete complex contracts. Students learn various approaches to completing contracts (from term sheet to final document) and complete exercises and assignments to hone contract skills. Students build a contract skills toolbox with the tools needed for completing and drafting contracts.

Graduation Requirements: Counts towards Professional Skills Requirement. 
Final Assessment: Other
Grading Mode:  Letter Grading

Discussion — 3 units. This course examines the international regulation of intellectual property rights and explores the place of the United States in the international IP community. We will discuss international treaties and legal harmonization efforts, legislation and case law from different jurisdictions, and the role of technology.

Pre-requisite: Completed or simultaneously enrolled in Law 274 Intellectual Property, and/or Law 296 Copyright is required.
Grading Mode:  Letter Grading
Final Assessment: Exam

Students who have previously taken Law 215, Business Associations, or who plan to take Business Associations for 4 units may not take this course. Discussion — 3 units.

Discussion — 1 or 2 units. This course allows students to study and apply methods of leadership, conflict resolution and ethical decision-making to their current work at King Hall and in their future practice areas in the law and government.

King Hall’s Corporate Counsel Externship allows students to earn academic credit in the fall and spring semesters in pre-vetted and approved corporate counsel offices (including for-profit companies).  Students will learn how in-house attorneys collaborate and communicate with the company client, and how they incorporate the client’s unique mission, business, and industry context into their legal advice.