Law Practice Management
Instructor: Bigley (first offered spring 2023)
No boss, no timecard to punch, and unlimited income potential. Sounds amazing, right? Starting your own law practice can be the ticket to these rewards and many more, but it also means hard work, calculated risks, and a steep learning curve. This course is designed to help flatten the learning curve by covering issues commonly encountered when starting and building a new firm. Students will embark on a practice-oriented survey of topics such as: selecting a practice area; choosing a business structure; setting fees; establishing credibility in the space; acquiring clients; hiring and managing employees; and charting a path from startup to success. Students will design a business plan for their own startup firm and have the opportunity to receive one-on-one feedback from the instructor. This course counts toward the experiential course requirement.
Financial Literacy for Lawyers
Instructor: Bigley (first offered fall 2023)
This course aims to help students maximize the financial return on their law degree and better understand their clients’ financial interests by examining the U.S. financial system from both a legal and a business perspective. Students will learn the fundamentals of the financial regulatory structure, applicable laws, and how wealth is built and protected. Topics covered include: the regulatory framework of the U.S. financial system; depository products; equity and debt investments; digital currencies and NFT’s; common vehicles for investment (retirement plans, brokerage accounts, 529 plans, etc.); lending; venture capitalism and debt; and asset protection strategies. The instructor’s goal is for students to leave law school not only “practice ready,” but life-ready.
Legal Landscape of Small Business
Instructor: (first offered fall 2023 or spring 2024)
Entrepreneurs encounter a wide variety of legal issues while starting and growing a small business. This course is designed to survey the most common of these issues and evaluate them from two, sometimes vastly different, perspectives: The Attorney, and The Business Owner. Students will learn to spot and assess potential liabilities in small business operations, including those that may arise in the context of contracts, disability law, employment law, leasing, intellectual property, and taxation. Upon the conclusion of the course, students will be prepared for a more in-depth analysis of select topics of their choice as electives.
Client Development and Marketing (Formerly Entrepreneurship and the Law)
Instructor: Geraci (first offered fall 2022)
Today’s law firms demand more than legal proficiency; they are all looking for rainmakers who can generate a significant amount of business for the firm. Rainmakers aren’t made by accident, but rather through effective client development and marketing. This class will cover the critical intangibles like client trust, perceived expertise, and business acumen–all learnable qualities that make lawyers more marketable and less expendable. Students will review real case studies of how lawyers built their practices from nothing into seven or even eight-figure books of business. Students will also embark on an advanced analysis of pertinent ethics rules in areas like attorney marketing and interactions with clients.
Disability Law
Instructor: TBD
This course will examine state and federal laws governing access, employment, education, and transportation for people with disabilities. Students will review litigation that has and may come from the disability rights movement, with an eye toward effective representation of disabled individuals and businesses alike.