Concentration in Business Transactional Law

The Concentration in the Law of Business Transactions emphasizes information, analytical tools and skills lawyers require in representing business clients. It offers students the opportunity to specialize in courses that will expose them to the legal and practical issues that arise in business-oriented, transactional practice. As basic courses in Business Associations and Federal Taxation underlie any advanced study of business transactions, each student who will qualify for the concentration will complete those courses before beginning to fulfill the concentration requirements. Similarly, the course in Real Estate Transactions will be foundational and, accordingly, separate from the concentration although not all concentration candidates will enroll in the course.

Students who wish to receive this concentration will complete a minimum of 12 additional hours of advanced taxation and business courses. Students should consult with a concentration adviser to tailor their course selection to their particular interests. It is anticipated that students attending the full-time program will be able to complete the concentration requirements within the existing scheduling schema, including the registration priority system; and that students attending the part-time program who are able to take an occasional day/afternoon course will also be able to complete the concentration requirements.

1. Taxation Component. No fewer than 3 nor more than 8 of the 12 hours may consist of courses in advanced taxation. For small business practice, the concentration adviser generally will recommend Partnership Tax to meet this requirement:

Corporation Tax (LW-L794)(3)
International Taxation (LW-L795)(2)
Partnership Tax (LW-L799)(3)

Seminars in Taxation such as

Cultural Origins of Tax

2. Business Component. The remainder of the 12-hour minimum concentration requirement may consist of course work in transactionally oriented business law courses, seminars and negotiation skill courses or seminars. The student may select these hours from the following (and any additional courses that a designated concentration adviser may approve or that may appear on a list of additional approved courses that the concentration adviser(s) publish on the SLU Law Web site:

Advanced Secured Transactions (LW-L725)(3)
Antitrust (LW-782)(2)
Bankruptcy (LW-L736)(3)
Consumer Credit Transactions (LW-L826)(2)
Corporate Finance (LW-L785)(3)
International Trade Law (LW-L848)(3)
Nonprofit Organizations (LW-L789)(3)
Securities Regulation (LW-L784)(3)
Seminars emphasizing Negotiation skills such as

Negotiations (when offered as a seminar)
Sports Law (when offered as a seminar)

3. Skills Integration Component. In selecting courses for the concentration, students must select at least one course or seminar that integrates transactional drafting with substantive law. Courses currently satisfying this requirement include: Advanced Secured Transactions, Corporate Finance, Health Care Finance and Business Planning, Health Care Practices. Other courses may be offered from time to time that may also satisfy the skills integration component. Students should check with the concentration adviser. A corporate counsel externship placement also would satisfy this requirement. The concentration adviser will consult with the faculty supervisor for any writing project in determining whether the project meets the requisite standard. It is anticipated that students would enroll in their skills integration course in their final year of law school, most likely in their last semester, and that the integration of skills and doctrine would serve the purpose of a capstone course.