Securities Regulation
Certificate(s): High Tech Law - Corporate Specialization Only
Course Description:
In the months that followed Facebook’s IPO, its value fell nearly 50%. WeWork, a highflying startup company, was forced to withdraw its planned IPO altogether and is now nearing bankruptcy. Over the last decade, the SEC and Department of Justice have prosecuted dozens of Wall Street traders and corporate managers for illegal insider trading. Over the same period hundreds of public companies have been sued by their shareholders for securities fraud. These are just a few examples that indicate the complex legal and financial environment faced by businesses today. This course will help you understand the legal framework that regulates business firms, including both startups and public companies, as they raise money to grow.
The course is transaction oriented. The aim is to train you to represent companies and their senior officers so that they can successfully negotiate the capital raising process, avoiding the problems faced by Facebook and WeWork. There is a strong emphasis on the problems of technology companies in the course. The course will be most useful to students who plan to work for corporate law firms as either transactional lawyers or litigators, or who plan to work in house for startups or publicly traded companies.
Class Notes:
Business Organizations is a pre-requisite. An interest in business and financial issues is helpful. Grades will be based largely on the final exam. Prerequisite: 248 Business Organizations. Approved IP LL.M. course.
The final exam will take place IN-PERSON in Charney Hall.
