Courses | Columbia Law School

Section Description Provided by Instructor

No exam; students will be required to turn in periodic short written assignments.
Minor writing credit.
Grades will be determined based on evaluation of class participation and periodic assignments.
No specific prerequisites.

This course aims to give students the skills they need to be successful transactional lawyers in a variety of settings by bridging the gap between academic theory and transactional practice. This course is designed both for students who expect to be practicing in a law firm transactional setting as well as students who expect to be advising clients in a range of other settings, including not-for-profit, litigation and in-house counsel settings. The Workshop will introduce students to basic deal-making techniques, inlcuding structuring and negotiating terms of a deal, drafting documents, reviewing and advising on various types of deals, dealing with clients, working with other parties to a deal and exploring the ethics underlying transactional practice. The course will help students understand and explore the interplay of law, business, strategy, real-world issues, ethics and common sense involved in deal making. We will explore the lawyer's role in structuring and implementing deals to create value, managing business and other risks, counseling clients and promoting parties' interests in a complex legal and regulatory environment. Using selected readings and negotiation and drafting exercises, including drafting term sheets, negotiating deal terms, writing formal and informal memoranda for clients, and drafting contract language, the course will seek to improve each participant's ability to identify and resolve recurring problems in deal structuring and negotiations and develop the legal and non-legal skills necessary to become an effective transactional lawyer. Occasional in-class visitors will participate in some of the classes to add additional perspectives to the course.