The Business and Commercial Law Certificate is available to concurrently enrolled J.D. students at KU Law.
The Business and Commercial Law Certificate responds to the longstanding demand for attorneys with expertise in the field. Completion of the certificate requirements allows a student to develop the knowledge and skills needed to begin a successful career as a business lawyer.
A student who obtains the certificate will receive a solid grounding in the basic principles of business and commercial law. The student will be familiar with many of the transactions that business and commercial lawyers commonly encounter in practice.
In addition to all other J.D. degree requirements, students must also complete the certificate requirements for the Business and Commercial Law Certificate.
Students who intend to pursue a certificate program should complete the Declaration Form. The form deadline for your intention to pursue a certificate is November 1st of your 3L year, though you may certainly do so earlier. If you fail to meet the requirements of the certificate by the time you graduate, you will not earn the certificate.
Course List | Code | Title | Hours |
| |
| LAW 892 | Business Organizations | 3 |
| 6-9 |
| Accounting for Lawyers (or other accounting course precluding enrollment in LAW 911) | |
| Antitrust Law | |
| Arbitration | |
| Bankruptcy (2026 or later) | |
| Commercial Law: Secured Transactions | |
| Consumer Law | |
| Contract Drafting | |
| International Commerce and Investment | |
| International Negotiations | |
| Real Estate Finance | |
| Taxation of Business Enterprises | |
| Special Topics: _____ (with approval of the certificate director) | |
| 4-6 |
(2025 or earlier) | |
| Business Planning Seminar | |
| Corporate Finance | |
| Deals | |
| Due Diligence in Business Transactions | |
| Independent Research * | |
| Life of a Startup | |
| Mergers and Other Acquisitions | |
| Securities Regulation | |
| Transactional Law Competition | |
| |
| Total Hours | 13-18 |
A student must have a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0 in the courses that count toward the certificate.
*If Independent Research is selected, it must be for 2 credits; the topic must be certified in advance by the director of the certificate program as involving advanced study of business or commercial law; and the resulting paper must satisfy the standards of the upper-level writing requirement.
At the completion of this program, students will be able to:
- Acquire Knowledge and understanding of substantive and procedural law.
- Develop legal analysis and reasoning, legal research, problem-solving, professional skills, and written and oral communication in the legal context.
- Exercise proper professional and ethical responsibilities to clients and the legal system.
