www.law.uga.edu

Business Law and Ethics Program

Law students planning to use their degrees in a business law practice can enrich their educational experience through Georgia Law’s Business Law and Ethics Program. The purpose of this program is to ensure law students are prepared to advise business clients in a dynamic and global economy.

In addition to learning about the complex laws and regulations affecting business organizations, students participating in the Business Law and Ethics Program gain an understanding of business practices and principles as well as ethical issues confronting corporate leaders. These students also have opportunities in and out of the classroom to practice essential skills such as negotiation, legal drafting, critical thinking and problem solving.

Elements of the Business Law and Ethics Program include core courses, electives and practice-based courses, which are designed to link legal theory to the practice of law. Practice-based courses, such as the Corporate Counsel Externship, also emphasize professional ethics as well as a lawyer’s role in advising business clients on both legal and ethical issues.

Experiential learning is an essential component of this program. At Georgia Law, Business Law and Ethics Program students will find several ways to continue their learning process outside of the classroom:

Georgia Law’s Negotiation Competition Team allows select second- and third-year students to vie against teams from other respected law schools across the country.  Two members of the 2009-10 team placed 5th out of 24 teams at the American Bar Association's Regional Negotiation Competition.

Georgia Law swept the 2010 First Annual Transactional Lawyering Meet, which required students to work in teams of two to draft a transactional agreement and to negotiate its provisions with other student teams.

Externships help students develop transactional skills while working for government agencies, charitable organizations and legal departments.  The newly created Corporate Counsel Externship will explore the practice of law from the perspective of an in-house counsel.  This course will benefit not only those students interested in an in-house career but also those who will work in law firms and deal with in-house counsel as their primary client contact.  Students will be placed with a corporate legal department and will attend a weekly seminar where they will develop skill sets required in an in-house setting, such as interviewing, counseling, negotiation, legal analysis, problem-solving, and drafting.  Organizations currently participating in the program include the American Cancer Society, Asbury Automotive Group, Cox Communications, John Deere and St. Mary's Hospital, among others.

Practice Based Courses:

• Anatomy of a Mergers &
  Acquisitions Deal
• Business Negotiations
• Corporate Counsel Externship
• Document Drafting
• Environmental Dispute Resolution
• Interviewing, Counseling, Negotiating
• Law and Practice of Lending
• Legal Drafting for
  Transactional Practice
• Life Cycle of a Corporation

The Business Law Society is a law student organization that sponsors speakers and guests to discuss and explore current business-related topics.

The Annual Business/Law Symposium, co-sponsored by the Business Law Society and the UGA Terry College of Business MBA Finance Club, brings together leaders in law and business to address timely issues affecting the business world.

 Related Links

• Carol Morgan, Business Law and Ethics Program Instructor
• It's a Moot Court for Transactional Attorneys, The National Law Journal, April 2010.
• Civil Clinic Opportunities