Business & Commercial Law

The business and commercial law curriculum at KU Law covers the full spectrum of business transactions. Students learn from expert faculty in disciplines including trade law, antitrust and arbitration.

Overview

KU Law’s first-year curriculum introduces students to the core concepts of business law. Upper-level students have access to a broad selection of related courses in a range of subject areas. 

The school’s faculty in business and commercial law includes internationally known scholars. Our professors have special expertise in areas such as entrepreneurship, corporate governance, securities regulation, and commercial finance, as well as international trade, investment and dispute resolution.

Through the Polsinelli Transactional Law Center, KU Law alumni co-teach workshops in Deals and Due Diligence in Business Transactions. The skills simulations give students hands-on experience in transactional law. Students can hone their skills by participating in national transactional law competitions.

Business & Commercial Law Curriculum Guide

Required Courses:

  • Civil Procedure
  • Contracts
  • Property
  • Torts

Recommended Upper-Level Courses:

  • Advanced International Trade Law
  • Antitrust
  • Bankruptcy
  • Business Organizations
  • Commercial Arbitration
  • Commercial Law: Secured Transactions
  • Corporate Finance
  • Deals
  • Due Diligence in Business Transactions
  • International Commerce and Investment
  • International Trade Law
  • Mergers and Other Acquisitions
  • Nonprofit and Tax-Exempt Organizations
  • Product Liability
  • Real Estate Finance
  • Securities Regulation
  • Taxation of Business Enterprises
  • Transactional Law Competition

Course descriptions

Students who complete the Business & Commercial Law Certificate develop the knowledge and skills needed to begin a successful career as a business lawyer.

The certificate offers a solid grounding in the basic principles of business and commercial law. Students who complete the program become familiar with many of the transactions business and commercial lawyers encounter in practice.

Many students interested in business law choose the JD/MBA joint degree program, which allows them to obtain both degrees in four years. Students must be admitted to the joint degree program during the first year of law school.

KU Law students can choose to participate in one of several transactional law competitions, supported by the Polsinelli Transactional Law Center. The program gives students interested in business law the chance to develop and hone practice-ready transactional skills.

Related student groups include:

Members of the business law faculty are recognized scholars in their fields. Their research interests include arbitration, corporate governance, international trade, property theory and securities regulation.

Additionally, several adjunct faculty teach courses in this area.

Full faculty list

Questions?

Stephen Ware
Frank Edwards Tyler Distinguished Professor of Law
ware@ku.edu
785-864-9209