As the field of law becomes increasingly business-oriented, law
schools specializing in corporate law are breeding the future
leaders of the business world.
In response to the growth of large-scale law firms and the
increase of bureaucracy and complexity in the organizational strata
of these firms, many law schools are changing their curricula to be
more business-focused, said Heinz, who wrote a book on the
subject.
In UCLA School of Law’s graduating class of 2003, 77
percent of the 96.5 percent of students who responded to a career
services survey said they were entering private practice.
Law students realize they will be $100,000 in debt once they
graduate, but the promise of high salaries in the private sector
still motivates them to pursue corporate law.
Many students entering private practice choose concentrations in
corporate law to better acclimate themselves to business law.
Much of UCLA’s corporate law program includes
transactional courses, “a term encompassing agreements as
diverse as the negotiation of a lease, the financing of low-cost
housing, and the mergers of billion-dollar companies,”
according to the 2003-04 UCLA School of Law bulletin and
application.
For some students interested in corporate law, such as
second-year law student John Alden, transactional courses are the
most beneficial aspect of the program.
“A lot of law school is theoretical and litigation-based,
but for business law you need a different set of skills,”
Alden said.
One course Alden finds beneficial is “Venture Capital and
the Start-Up Company,” which is taught by Professor Michael
Woronoff and emphasizes practical learning.
Examples of practical skills Alden learned during the course
include the writing of confidentiality agreements, a skill that is
rarely fostered in an average law school course.
Other transactional courses at the law school teach students how
to negotiate contracts and argue Chapter 11 bankruptcy cases at
“confirmation hearings.”
Ethical dilemmas that arise during contract negotiations are
addressed in Professor Kenneth Klee’s “Creating Value
Through Renegotiating Business Agreements” course.
Many corporate law classes offered at the school gear their
content toward specific fields of business. “Doing Business
in China,” in which technology licensing and foreign exchange
issues are covered, is one example.
The main goal of the corporate classes, regardless of their
specific direction ““ such as “Doing Business in
China” ““ is to teach students necessary skills in any
field of corporate law, said Susan Gillig, assistant dean of the
clinical programs.
The implementation of the clinical program at the law school,
under which the transactional courses fall, is meant to train
students to be competent lawyers, Gillig said.
“You might know criminal law, but you won’t win a
case unless you know how to argue,” Gillig added.
However, while the content of transactional courses is meant to
instill overarching lessons in the context of specific fields, some
students at the law school would like to see a greater variety in
the types of courses offered.
Alden, who hopes to enter the field of biotechnology law, said
he wished biotechnology law courses were offered.
“They really need some biotech courses. They don’t
have them, and they’re lagging behind other schools,”
Alden said.
The University of Virginia School of Law offers concentrations
in health law and intellectual property, with courses such as
“Germs and Justice: Infectious Diseases and the
Law.”
To get a better sense of what biotechnology law entails, Alden
resorts to attending symposia sponsored by the law school.
In addition to the symposia, Alden said other resources which he
took part in included networking events and extracurricular
activities.