Learning Outcomes

The following is the A.B.A. Standard 301 Statement regarding learning outcomes for Business Law Certificate:

Knowledge and understanding of substantive law

• Understand the general legal boundaries that define the regulation of business, including the general parameters of business association law, tax law, and commercial law.

• Recognize the most common forms of business associations, including partnerships, limited liability companies, and corporations.

• Understand the rules governing formation, management and dissolution of the most common forms of business associations, as well as the implications of choosing one form of association over others.

• Understand basic principles of federal income taxation.

• Understand basic legal principles that govern at least one of the following advanced business association topics:  securities offerings, mergers and acquisitions, or business taxation.

• Understand basic commercial law principles that govern at least one of the following areas: sale of goods, creation and enforcement of security interests in personal property, or real estate transactions.

• Understand at a beginning level at least one of the following specialized business topics:  antitrust, consumer law, intellectual property law, international trade, or accounting.

Legal Analysis and reasoning

• Be able to identify relevant legal issues and to understand, interpret and apply statutes and case law in the area of business associations and income taxation at a developing level.

• Be able to identify relevant legal issues and to understand, interpret and apply statutes and case law in the area at least one of the following areas at a developing level:  commercial law, bankruptcy law, or real estate law.

Legal Research

• Be familiar with often-recurring issues in business practice, and where to begin researching such issues.

• Be familiar with business organization codes and tax codes and interpretative regulations as starting points for legal research as to most business association or tax issues.

• Understand the role of case law in statutory and regulatory interpretation in the business law area.

Problem-solving

• Be able to engage critical thinking to predict outcomes and recommend appropriate action on issues relating to business associations, income taxation, and commercial and/or real estate law.

Written and oral communication in the legal context

• Be able to locate sources for legal forms used in creating and managing business associations.

• Be able to strategically negotiate and/or draft simple contracts.

Exercise of proper professional and ethical responsibilities

• Understand ethical rules relating to entity representation and related conflict of interest issues.