Business Law Certificate Program Florida State University College of Law

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1 Business Law Certificate Program Florida State University College of Law The Business Law Certificate Program allows students planning a career in business law and finance to receive specialized training in a set of core areas: publicly traded corporations, closely-held business entities, corporate finance, law and economics, and taxation. The program carries additional requirements beyond those for the J.D. degree, and signals to potential employers that a graduate has advanced training in these core areas. At the same time, to become a well-rounded business lawyer, a student must become well-versed in many other areas of the law outside of the program. The Certificate program has been designed to allow students to craft a broad, well-diversified course of study. General Program Requirements: Credit Hours Requirement: The candidate must successfully complete a total of 91 credit hours for graduation with a Certificate in Business Law ( Certificate ). Of these, 21 credit hours must be courses designated as part of the Certificate Program by the Business Law Committee (Committee). Grade and Honors Requirements: All Business Law Certificate program courses must be taken at Florida State University for graded credit. 1 The Certificate will be awarded only to candidates with an average grade of 74 or above for all program courses. 1 Exception for Transfer Students: if you have taken Corporations and Federal Income Taxation before transferring, you can use those courses to meet the Certificate requirements, as long as you received at least a C+. Exception for students who took Corporations or Federal Income Taxation on a Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory (S/U) basis before the Spring 2012 semester: you will be able to meet the requirements of the Business Law Certificate Program if you take an additional course, on a graded basis, from the Corporate Finance Component; Law & Economics Component; or Small Business Organization and Entity Taxation Component. 1

2 Candidates achieving an average grade of 84 to for all program courses will be awarded the Certificate with Honors; 89 to will be awarded High Honors; and 93 and above will be awarded Highest Honors. Tracking Form: You will be required to fill out the combined Student Registration and Student Progress Tracking Form to pursue the Business Law Certificate Program. You will initially use the form for registration, and to document any requirements you have already completed at the time of registration. You will then need to fill in the form each semester to record your progress toward completion of the program requirements. Required Core Courses: The candidate must successfully complete: 1. Corporations 2. Federal Income Taxation 3. The Corporate Finance Component (1 course required) 4. The Law & Economics Component (1 course required) 5. The Small Business Organization and Entity Taxation Component (1 course required) Not all courses on the Corporate Finance, Law & Economics, Small Business Organizations and Entity Taxation Components, and Elective Courses list are offered on a regular basis you must consult the current Florida State Law or other relevant course offering list and plan your schedule accordingly. 1. Corporate Finance Component: (1 course required) Corporate Finance Securities Regulation Secured Transactions Bankruptcy Financial Regulation Seminar 2

3 In this Component, students are exposed to corporate finance issues from four principal points of view: (1) general perspective (Corporate Finance); (2) regulation of the issuance of securities, of capital markets, and financial intermediaries (Securities Regulation and Financial Regulation Seminar); and (3) debt financing through the use of collateral, as well as securitization issues (Secured Transactions and Financial Regulation Seminar); and (4) restructuring of capital structure and orderly liquidation of corporate assets (Bankruptcy). 2. Law & Economics Component: (1 course required) Law and Economics Law and Economics Seminar Corporate Law and Finance Seminar Empirical Methods for Lawyers Law and Economics of Insurance Antitrust Behavioral Law and Economics Economic Regulation of Business Seminar Corporate Governance Seminar Game Theory & Business Ethics Seminar Advanced Tax Topics Economics plays an important role in business law and tax. In this Component students are introduced to law and economic concepts from three principal points of view: (1) a general perspective: (Law and Economics, Law and Economics Seminar, Empirical Methods for Lawyers, Behavioral Law and Economics); (2) as applied directly to corporate law and finance (Corporate Law and Finance Seminar, Corporate Governance Seminar, Corporate Governance Seminar, and Game Theory & Business Ethics Seminar); and (3) as applied to regulated industries and market regulation (Antitrust, Law and Economics of Insurance, Economic Regulation of Business Seminar). 3

4 3. Small Business Organization and Entity Taxation Component: (1 course required) Closely-Held Business Organization 2 Business Planning Real Estate Finance Taxation of Business Entities In this Component students are introduced to a number of special corporate law, finance and tax issues relevant to closely held business organizations and complex real estate transactions. Elective Courses: The remainder of the 21 required credit hours must be fulfilled by taking additional courses on the Corporate Finance, Law & Economics, Small Business Organizations and Entity Taxation Components list and/or selections from the following Elective Courses: Commercial Law: Commercial Law Commercial Paper Consumer Law Contract Drafting Sales and Leases Bankruptcy Policy Seminar Regulated Industries: Banking Law Insurance Law Telecommunications Law 2 Closely Held Business Organizations was formerly called Unincorporated Business Entities. So if you have taken Unincorporated Business Entities that is sufficient to meet the Small Business Organization and Entity Taxation Component. 4

5 Tax: U.S. Taxation of International Transactions Tax Procedure Tax-Exempt Entities Federal Tax Research Advanced Taxation of Business Entities Estate & Gift Tax Advanced Issues in Estate Planning State & Local Tax Advanced Tax Topics Tax Crimes Tax Ethics International Business Transactions and Trade: International Business Transactions International Trade Law and Policy International Trade Simulation China Trade Simulation International Arbitration Other Business Courses: Accounting and the Law Business, Economics and Tax Law Research Mergers & Acquisitions Sustainable Business: Transactions & Strategy White Collar Crime 5