Business Law Certificate
The Business Law Certificate Program allows students to receive recognition for successful completion of a rigorous course of study and advanced training in preparation for professional practice as legal advisors to businesses, to business-oriented NGOs, and to government entities. The curricular program requires students to develop a broad background in fundamental areas of law while also receiving advanced training in business practice and skills. Students completing the program will have breadth, expertise and preparation for future growth. Students are allowed (but are not required) to exercise some freedom in focusing their training on either the “transaction” or “litigation” concentrations within business law.
Students who meet the following requirements would be awarded a Certificate of Specialization in Business Law at graduation.To view the list of 2011 recipients click here.
Click here to download a print friendly version of the Business Law Certificate requirements.
Click here to download the application for the Business Law Certificate Program.
Click here to download the Request For Law School Transcript.
Note: the transcript will be reviewed
by BCLBE staff to validate Certificate
requirements.
1. Completion of the following five core courses (offered at least once a year):
• Business Associations
• Securities Regulation
• Antitrust
• Taxation I (Basic Federal Tax)
• Accounting for Lawyers*
2. Completion of at least four additional courses (aggregating to at least 8 additional units) from the following advanced electives (not all of the following courses are offered each year):
• Banking and Financial Institutions
• Corporate Finance
• Corporate Governance
• Corporate Tax
• Partnership Tax
• Partnerships & LLCs
• International Business Transactions
• Mergers & Acquisitions
• Bankruptcy
• Secured Transactions (Art. 9)
• Introduction to Law, Economics & Business
• Employment Law
• Financial Analysis for Lawyers*
• Complex Civil Litigation**;
• Securities and Class Action Litigation** ;
• One Skills Course with prior approval of the Certificate Administrator. Examples of permitted
skills courses include:
• Drafting Legal Documents for New Businesses;
• Pre-Trial Civil Litigation**;
• Samuelson Clinic
• Other appropriate courses, with prior approval of the Certificate Administrator
* Students who have completed two semester courses of undergraduate accounting may substitute Financial Analysis for Lawyers as a core course rather than an elective. In addition, other courses at Berkeley with an accounting focus (e.g., taken at the Haas School of Business) may satisfy this requirement with prior approval from the Certificate Administrator.
** Students electing to focus on litigation aspects of business law will typically include at least two of these courses among their electives.