Deals I

(Formerly Law 273) This course applies economic concepts to the practice of structuring contracts. The course extends over two quarters. In the Fall quarter it will meet four hours per week. In the Winter quarter, it will meet ONLY FOR FIVE WEEKS for four hours per week--for 2 units of course credit. During those five weeks, it will meet on Monday and Friday. Exactly which five weeks the course will meet will be announced during the Fall quarter. Students enrolled in the course must take both quarters. All of the first quarter will be spent in a traditional classroom setting but with untraditional materials. Most of the materials consist of case studies of business transactions (and no case law). We will use those case studies to analyze the economics underlying a wide range of business transactions and the contractual terms and structures use to respond to underlying economic challenges. During the second quarter, we will explore deals in greater detail by studying five complex transactions in full. For this part of the course, students will be divided into groups and will be assigned one of the five deals. Each group will give a presentation of its deal to the class, and in the following class, a lawyer or other participant in the deal will come to class to present the deal based on his or her experience. We study five new deals each year. Deals that we have studied over the years have included movie financings, biotech alliances, venture capital financings, cross-border joint ventures, private equity investments, corporate reorganizations, and more. Special Instructions: Students enrolled in the course must take both quarters. Students who have not taken the course in the fall cannot register for it in the winter, and those who took it in the fall must register for it in the winter. No exam in Autumn Term. An In-School exam will be given at the conclusion of the course in the Winter Term. Grades will be given at the end of the second quarter and will be applied to both quarters. NOTE: This year, I have blocked out 4 class periods per week in the second quarter on Mondays and Fridays. As explained above, however, WE WILL ONLY USE HALF OF THOSE CLASSES -- that is, FIVE MONDAYS and FIVE FRIDAYS over the Winter quarter. Elements used in grading: Attendance, class participation, class presentation, written assignments, group paper, and exam. CONSENT APPLICATION: To apply for this course, students must complete and submit a Consent Application Form available on the SLS website (Click Courses at the bottom of the homepage and then click Consent of Instructor Forms). See Consent Application Form for instructions and submission deadline.