Mason Law School

Fall 2005 or Earlier:
Corporate and Securities Law Track Curriculum

See also Corporate and Securities Law Sequence.

Note: The faculty and administration have acted to increase the number of credit hours required for graduation from 84 to 89 effective with the class entering in the fall of 2006.

Click here to view Track Requirements for students who entered in Fall 2007 or later

Click here to view Track Requirements for students who entered in Fall 2006

The Corporate and Securities Law Track is designed to give students specialized preparation for practice in law firms and in-house corporate counsel offices in fields related to corporate finance and financial markets. Approximately one-third of the credits required for graduation must be in corporate and securities law courses. The remaining two-thirds of the course work of the track is outside corporate and securities law, thereby ensuring students substantial breadth in their professional training.

The course requirements for the Corporate and Securities Law Track are as follows:

  • 29 credit hours in corporate and securities law courses
  • 42 credit hours in required General Law Program courses (including Professional Responsibility)
  • 13 credit hours in elective courses

Selected Course Descriptions

Business Associations provides a detailed introduction to the law and economics of agency, partnerships, limited partnerships, and corporation law. The second half of the course focuses on publicly traded corporations.

Unincorporated Businesses is intended to be a modern successor to "Agency and Partnership." The course focuses on general and limited partnerships as well as several new business forms: limited liability companies, limited liability partnerships, limited liability limited partnerships, business trusts, and unincorporated nonprofits. The course covers the theoretical, legal, and business context of unincorporated firms, including choice of form considerations and exercises in drafting governance documents and statutes.

Securities Law and Regulation examines the disclosure system and securities market regulation, including registration, exemptions, and remedies under the Securities Act of 1933; reporting and accounting standards under the 1934 Act; the proxy system; Section 16(a) reporting; state "blue sky" laws; and the regulation of broker-dealers, specialists, and self-regulatory organizations.

Corporate Acquisitions focuses principally on state corporate law, though consideration is also given to federal securities, tax, and antitrust laws. Topics covered include business and tax considerations relevant to acquisitions, methods of corporate combinations, directors' duties in connection with sales of control, appraisal rights, and target defensive tactics.

Corporate and Securities Track Thesis. The Corporate Track Thesis requires the student to develop, refine, and expand a research paper into an article suitable for publication in law journals.

Schedules for the Corporate and Securities Law Track 

Note: The following schedules are illustrative of the general order in which students should take courses. Some courses might not be offered during the semesters indicated in these schedules, so be sure to check with the Records Office for a current schedule of courses.

Day Division Evening Division
First Year - Fall First Year - Fall
Legal Research, Writing, and Analysis I 2 Legal Research, Writing, and Analysis I 2
Torts I 3 Torts I 3
Contracts I 3 Contracts I 3
Property 4 Economic Foundations of Legal Studies 3
Economic Foundations of Legal Studies 3    
Total 15 Total 12

 
First Year - Spring First Year - Spring
Legal Research, Writing, and Analysis II 2 Legal Research, Writing, and Analysis II 2
Torts II 3 Torts II 3
Contracts II   3 Contracts II 3
Civil Procedure 4 Civil Procedure 4
Criminal Law 3
Total 15 Total 12

 
Second Year - Fall Second Year - Fall
Legal Research, Writing, and Analysis III 2 Legal Research, Writing, and Analysis III 2
Constitutional Law I 4 Property 4
Business Associations 4 Constitutional Law I 4
Income Tax 4
   
Total 14 Total 10

 
Second Year - Spring Second Year - Spring
Legal Research, Writing, and Analysis IV 2 Legal Research, Writing, and Analysis IV 2
Securities Law and Regulation 3 Criminal Law 3
Constitutional Law II* 2 Constitutional Law II* 2
Corporate Acquisitions 2 Electives 3
Electives 4
Total 15 Total 10

 
Third Year - Fall Third Year - Fall
Corporate Income Tax 3 Business Associations 4
Corporate and Securities Track Thesis 2 Bankruptcy 3
Professional Responsibility 2 Income Tax 4
Bankruptcy 3    
Secured Finance 3    
Electives 2
Total 15 Total 11

 
Third Year - Spring Third Year - Spring
Partnership Tax 3 Securities Law and Regulation 3
Electives 9 Unincorporated Business 2
    Corporate Acquisitions 2
    Corporate Tax 3
Total 12 Total 10

 
  Fourth Year - Fall
Secured Finance 3
Corporate and Securities Track Thesis 2
Professional Responsibility 2
Electives 3
Total 10

 
  Fourth Year - Spring
Partnership Tax 3
Electives 7
Total 10

 
Total Hours:  84 Total Hours:  84

* Note: Constitutional Law II is a requirement for students who entered law school in Fall 2003 or later.


This page last updated 24 July 2008
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