Informed Citizens. Accountable Power.

This course provides students studying civil law with an understanding of the laws that govern the formation, regulation, and dissolution of business organizations in the United States. The course begins with a study of contract and tort law frameworks, with a focus on the underlying structural features and rationales of the US system. This broader systemic understanding is then applied to a study of the laws, rules, and practices governing the most common forms of contemporary American business organizations: sole proprietorships, agencies, partnerships, limited liability structures. The course ends with an overview of the corporate form with focus on how the law can be used to influence business activities.

Course Schedule

1. Common Law
2. Big Picture: American Contract Law 
3. Big Picture: An Overview of American Tort Law 
4. Sole Proprietorships, Agency Law, & Partnership Law 
5. Limited Liability & Corporations
6. Corporations Practicum 

Grading Policy

Final Exam in three parts (50%): 

• Section 1: Ten multiple choice questions (25%)
• Section 2: Three traditional Issue-Spotter Questions (75%)

The final assessment is meant to capture a student’s understanding of the formal doctrine and jurisprudence underlying American approaches to commercial activities. Students who can demonstrate that a final exam will not adequately reflect their capacity and understanding can request due accommodations in this regard by approaching the lecturer in-person, via email, or via StudIP.