Graduate Program in Banking & Financial Law Introduces New Financial Services Fundamentals Course
Three-week course will promote financial services literacy and prepare students for more in-depth study in the program.
Boston University School of Law’s Graduate Program in Banking & Financial Law (BFL) has introduced a new course, Financial Services Fundamentals, designed to give students a solid basis in financial services law to prepare them for more in-depth study in the program. Available beginning in summer 2016, this non-credit, pre-LLM course will provide students with the background they need to succeed in the BFL.
“Many students enter the BFL with several years of financial services industry experience, either in the US or internationally. However, each year we receive a number of applications from otherwise qualified candidates who lack such exposure to the industry,” says James E. Scott, director of the Graduate Program in Banking & Financial Law. “With this course, we can offer these students the opportunity to learn the fundamentals of financial services law and thus provide a pathway to the BFL degree.”
The three-week course will offer eight modules covering topics a lawyer ought to know as a basis for the study of financial services law, including corporate law, administrative law, regulators and industry structure of the financial services sector, and the role of the Federal Reserve. The faculty will be drawn from the wide pool of highly experienced industry experts in the Boston area, many with prior experience teaching in the BFL.
All admitted Banking & Financial Law LLM students may choose to take this summer financial services preparatory course, but for certain prospective students the course will be strongly recommended as a means of overcoming a lack of financial services experience. The course will also be available as a non-degree option for LLM students in other programs, domestic and international lawyers, and other non-legal professionals seeking a basic grounding in the legal aspects of the financial services industry.
The Graduate Program in Banking and Financial Law is the oldest LLM program of its kind in the United States, and has its roots in the Morin Center for Banking and Financial Law, founded in 1978. Since graduating its first class in 1985, the banking program has trained more than 2,000 lawyers for leadership positions in both domestic and foreign banking and financial services industries. Graduates hold influential positions in government, law firms, corporations, financial institutions, and multilateral and non-governmental organizations throughout the world.
“The financial services fundamentals course is an excellent opportunity for students to acquaint themselves with the financial services sector prior to joining the BFL,” Mr. Scott says, “I am proud of this addition to our already outstanding curriculum.”
For more information, visit the Financial Services Fundamentals course page.