Executive LLM in International Business Law

For additional information, visit www.bu.edu/law/prospective/llm/intlbuslaw.

Designed exclusively for today’s international practitioner, this innovative and flexible degree program allows you to hone your international business law skills without having to leave your practice for an extended period of time.

You will pursue an intellectually engaging and pedagogically rigorous curriculum that marries classroom and online learning. You will study the core topics of international business practice at Boston University School of Law, one of the top law schools in the United States and a leader in graduate legal education. You will also benefit from the expertise of Boston University which has long been at the vanguard of distance education.

While in Boston, you will study with members of one of the country’s top teaching faculties during  intensive two-week residency modules.

While at home, you will engage in innovative, interactive, Internet-based learning, specifically designed to provide a foundation for the in-classroom instruction as well as to enhance and build upon the classroom experience afterward. You will engage in problem-solving assignments and exercises under faculty supervision, developing and honing the skills you need to successfully thrive in transnational practice.

Executive-Style Conveniences and Pre-Arranged Accommodations

You will be provided with pre-arranged housing, the costs of which are included in tuition, for each residential program or module. Daily luncheons will be provided, affording you the opportunity to interact and network with fellow international business law practitioners. You will further enhance your residential experience with social and networking events, allowing you to become part of the Boston University School of Law community.

Program Requirements

You will participate in a 20-credit program of instruction tailored to cover essential topics in international business law, taught from an American perspective.

You will complete six courses and two workshops (20 credits) in Boston, as well as a long-distance learning component for each course. Each module is preceded by a  five-week preparatory online component, and followed by a six-week online component. You will receive customized course materials prior to the residential sessions as well as comprehensive course packets for each specific class. Online orientation materials are available prior to each session, and an Introduction to American Law for the International Lawyer module has been created specifically for students in the Executive LLM program, also online.

Students are required to take U.S. Contract Law for International Lawyers (unless waived); U.S. Corporate Law for International Lawyers (unless waived); and International Business Transactions and Agreements. You will also attend a daily luncheon/workshop series, Current Issues in U.S. Business Law, featuring expert practitioners and academics who will discuss current legal topics in such fields as bankruptcy, intellectual property, alternative dispute resolution, international business arbitration, and multi-jurisdictional practice and competition (antitrust) law. This series is offered during each session, and you must participate in at least two luncheon/workshop series (each worth 1 credit) in order to complete the degree. Students must complete these requirements, for 20 credits total, in order to obtain the degree, but are free to complete more than 20 credits if desired.

A Flexible Program Schedule

Sessions are offered four times per year: the Red session, which has a mid-March residency; the Green session, which has a late-June/early-July residency; the Blue session, with a mid-July residency; and the Orange session, with a late-July/early-August residency. You may take these sessions in any order, or may even complete the entire residency requirement by taking the Green, Blue and Orange sessions consecutively over six weeks in the summer. You can complete the entire degree in approximately seven months, or take up to five years to finish: whatever best fits your professional schedule.

Courses

Courses are offered during four sessions:

• Red Session: U.S. Corporate Law (morning); U.S. Contract Law (afternoon)
• Green Session: U.S. Contract Law or U.S. and Trans-Border Securities Regulation (morning); International Business Transactions and Agreements (afternoon)
• Blue Session: U.S. Corporate Law or U.S. & International Intellectual Property (morning); U.S. & Trans-Border Mergers & Acquisitions (afternoon)
• Orange Session: International Arbitration (morning); and Corporate Finance with U.S. and International Reporting (afternoon).

Course Descriptions

Corporate Finance with U.S. and International Reporting: Corporate Finance & Accounting is concerned with understanding financial statements and reports. The objective is that students will be able to read and understand the four financial statements and the 10-K annual report. Emphasis is placed on understanding the nature and meaning of the reports, as well as the relationship to the underlying transactions. Other topics may include: basic accounting principles, U.S. GAAP versus IFRS, financial statement analysis, the relationship of the financial statement information to covenant documents, and accounting gamesmanship. It will also include analysis and structure of capital transactions, with emphasis on financial statement analysis, attributes of equity and debt securities, and transactions that restructure existing corporate capitalizations. Transactions discussed will include an acquisition, an out-of-court debt restructuring, and a negotiated reallocation of equity.

International Arbitration: The old maxim “Where business goes, disputes soon follow” has renewed vitality in an age of globalization. As cross-border commerce follows American business abroad, and offshore foreign investment flows into the United States, the potential for clashes in the business expectations of the parties increases, particularly as the economy softens. Dispute resolution thus becomes an almost inescapable component of today’s private international commercial dispute process. The focus of the course will be on international arbitration, from inception in the contractual drafting through the mechanics of the dispute resolution process to the enforcement stage, with some consideration of other alternative dispute resolution techniques. The original case studies and related materials are largely drawn from actual practice. This course is designed for corporate attorneys as well as litigators.

International Business Transactions & Agreements: IBTA covers the transactional approach to legal problems encountered in commercial and financial business ventures that cross national borders. Topics include forms of doing business, including formation of contracts and the range of issues presented—such as choice of law, commercial terms, force majeure, distribution and agency law, and franchise; licensing arrangements and direct investments in the form of partnerships or formation of corporations; financing the international sale of goods through letters of credit; the organizations and operations of the institutions of the World Trade Organization; investment in free-trade areas such as the European Union and NAFTA; and issues of transfer of intellectual property. Students will gain exposure to analyzing various international business agreements and documents including global joint venture agreements and privatization provisions, sales, distribution and franchise agreements, international development agreements, share purchase agreements, letters of intent, and technology licensing agreements.

U.S. and International Intellectual Property: This course examines legal protection of inventions, creative expression and other kinds of information. This course will introduce students to patents, copyrights, trademarks and trade secrets. Most of the course will cover American intellectual property law, but comparative and international issues will also be covered.

U.S. Contract Law for International Lawyers: This course covers legal and equitable remedies for enforcing contracts, elements of assent, interpretation of contract terms, determining what promises are enforceable, tests for performance and breach, and defenses to contract enforcement.

U.S. Corporate Law for International Lawyers: This course examines the legal structure and characteristics of U.S. business corporations and LLCs, especially in Delaware, with a focus on issues that will interest international lawyers. Topics include the distribution of power between management and shareholders; the limitations on management powers imposed by state law fiduciary duties; rights of minority shareholders; shareholder derivative suits; and capital and voting structures. U.S. Federal Securities Law and Mergers & Acquisitions are covered in other Executive LLM courses.

U.S. and Trans-Border Mergers & Acquisitions: This course will explore the various modes of business acquisition including statutory mergers, asset purchases and stock purchases and, for each type of business combination, will examine (1) the strategic and practical advantages and disadvantages, (2) the statutory requirements and procedures, (3) the documentation required or suggested, and (4) the relevant case law. The course looks at the practical aspects of the business lawyer’s role in structuring the transaction, in identifying, explaining and negotiating the business/legal terms, in negotiating the acquisition agreements, and in getting the deal done. The course materials will consist of traditional statutory and case materials, explanatory materials, and  legal documents such as letters of intent, confidentiality agreements and merger agreements. The course will use U.S. materials (especially the law of Delaware) as base materials, but will also consider trans-border transactions.

U.S. and Trans-Border Securities Regulation: This course analyzes key issues under the U.S. federal securities law, principally the Securities Act of 1933 and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, with respect to the offer and sale and trading of securities. It includes a study of what constitutes a security, the public offering process, mandatory disclosure requirements for public companies, exemptions from registration, and potential liabilities and sanctions.