LAW 685LEC - Business Organization

This course involves a study of the various forms of business organizations and the laws governing them with an analysis of choice of business entity decisions. Coverage will vary from semester to semester and may include (but is not limited to) topics that will provide students with an introduction to: double-entry accounting; the creation and interpretation of financial statements; entity formation, governance and dissolution; entity capital structure and methods of financing the entity (debt v. equity); employee equity compensation; entity governance, agency, and fiduciary duties; return on investment (and the relationship between risk and return on investment); and time value of money implications. Because tax law is an integral factor to consider in a number of these topics, this course will briefly discuss some of the tax issues connected to the decision-making process. However, this course is not intended to be a deep dive into corporate or partnership tax law. Students interested in business taxation should enroll in Business Taxation. In addition, where applicable, this course may consider issues in other areas of the law (such as employment and security laws). While there are numbers and math in this course, this course is specifically intended for students who have little or no background in business, finance, and economics. In creating this course, it is my desire to: expose students to the business organization documents and provisions they will see in practice; teach students how to read and apply language from statutes, organizational documents, and/or contractual provisions; and introduce students to the planning and problem-solving issues involved in a business law practice.

Credits: 3