2025-2026 Law School Catalog

Business Law and Financial Services

Overview

Students may pursue a Concentration certificate in Business Law and Financial Services.

Concentration students pursuing the certificate in Business Law must complete 21 - 22 credits in Concentration courses, broken down to 13 - 14 credits in Core courses, 2 credits in Practicum courses and 6 credits Elective courses.

Concentration students pursuing the certificate in Business Law and Financial Services, must complete 21 - 22 credits in Concentration courses, broken down to fourteen 13 - 14 credits in Core courses, 2 credits in Practicum courses and at least 6 credits Elective courses.  Students who opt to receive the certificate in Business Law and Financial Services must tailor their elective courses to include Banking Law and at least 2 other specific elective courses, as described below.  Specific elective courses required of students who opt to receive the Business Law and Financial Services certificate are noted at the end of this section.

For complete course descriptions, please consult the Elective Courses section of the Suffolk University Law School.  Please note that not all courses are offered each semester and plan accordingly.

Courses

Core Courses 13-14 Credits

All of the following four (4) courses are required of all Concentration students

LAW-2200Basic Federal Income Taxation

4

LAW-2136Business Entity Fundamentals

4

LAW-2350Securities Regulation

3

Choose one of the following:
LAW-2986Transactional Skills

3

LAW-2736Transactional Skills: Intel Property

2

B. Business Practicum Courses and Externships

Concentrators must complete an externship or business practicum course requirement. The requirement may be satisfied by:

  •  Completion of an appropriate, minimum three (3) credit externship in a business, corporate, finance or tax placement through the Externship Program that has been approved by the Concentration Director
  • Completion of a non-credit summer or semester externship in a business, corporate, finance or tax placement that has been approved by the Concentration Director
  • Completion of at least one (1) of the business practicum courses listed below
    • Students who opt to complete more than one (1) course from this list may count the additional course(s) as a Concentration elective(s)

An approved Externship Waiver for qualifying students as approved by the Concentration Director, such as part-time students with a full-time position already relating to business, corporate, finance or tax

 

Practicum Courses

LAW-0022Legal Externship

2-5

LAW-2945Business of Practice: Hit the Ground Running

2

LAW-2555Business Planning

2

LAW-2972Compliance Practice Seminar

2

LAW-2066Design Thinking for Lawyers and Business Professionals

3

LAW-2471Intellectual Property Clinic Casework

3

LAW-2288Mediation

3

LAW-2987Negotiating Business Transactions: A Simulation Course

3

LAW-2283Negotiation

2

LAW-2445Online Disupute Resolution for Adr

2

LAW-0064Securities Moot Court Team

2

LAW-2486Transactional Clinic Casework

3

In the event a Concentration student elects to take more than one Business Practicum Course, each additional Business Practicum course can count as an Elective Course under the "Elective Course Requirements" section.

Elective Course Requirements (at least 6 credits)

Students who opt to receive the Concentration certificate in Business Law may choose, at their own discretion, among the following courses to complete the elective course component of the Concentration. Special Requirements for students who opt to receive the Concentration certificate in Business Law and Financial Services are noted immediately following this elective course list.

Elective Courses

LAW-2005Accounting for Lawyers

2

LAW-2038Antitrust

3

LAW-2544Banking Law

3

LAW-2545Bankruptcy Introduction

3

LAW-2096Bankruptcy Reorganizations

2

LAW-2441Biotechnology and the Law

3

LAW-2681Business and Finance Thesis

2

LAW-2555Business Planning

2

LAW-2101Commercial Law Survey

4

LAW-2871Compliance Life Sciences Regulation and Recognition

3

LAW-2620Corporate Finance

3

LAW-2619Corporate Taxation

3

LAW-0005Directed Study for Juris Doctor

2

LAW-2170Emerging Issues in Information Technology & Transnational Business

2

LAW-2154Employment Law

3

LAW-2679Retirement Plans under ERISA and the IRC

2

LAW-2224International Business Transactions

3

LAW-2424International Investment Law

3

LAW-2887International Tax Law

3

LAW-2221International Trade Law

3

LAW-2913Investment Management Regulation

3

LAW-2240Labor Law

3

LAW-2252Law and Economics

2

LAW-2051Mergers and Acquisitions

4

LAW-2130Conveyancing

2

LAW-2345Secured Transactions

3

LAW-0064Securities Moot Court Team

2

LAW-0061Tax Law Team

1

LAW-2995Taxation of Mergers/Acquisitions

3

LAW-2360Taxation Practice and Procedure

2

With the approval of the Concentration Faculty Director, other courses offered as part of the Law School’s Summer Galway program, that are of a similar curricular character to other general Concentration electives, may be counted as Concentration electives.

The Graduate Program at the Sawyer Business School- up to 6 credits

The Concentration Director may allow other suitable courses, including appropriate business, corporate, finance, tax or entrepreneurial courses offered at the Sawyer Business School, to satisfy the Elective Course requirement on a case-by-case basis. Prior approval for any such Elective Course through the Sawyer Business School must be obtained from the Concentration Director prior to enrolling in any such course. Students wishing to register for approved elective courses offered at the Sawyer Business School may register for these courses using the JD Enrollment in SBS Graduate Courses form, which is found under the Academic Concentration/Specialization tab in Workday. Please contact the Concentration Director to discuss this option before enrolling any course offered at the Sawyer Business School.

How to Enroll

Enrollment in the Business Law and Financial Services Concentration is accomplished by filing a Notice of Enrollment form.

Concentration enrollment may occur as soon as a student completes the first year in law school in good standing.

The latest date students may enroll in a Concentration is October 1st for students graduating in January, and Feb. 1 for students graduating in May.

Formal enrollment in the Business Law and Financial Services Concentration is not complete until the Notice of Enrollment form is filed. Once enrolled in the Concentration, students will be invited to participate in a variety of programs and special events of interest to business, corporate, finance and tax practitioners.

Please Note: Students may pursue a Concentration certificate in one of two areas: (i) Business Law OR (ii) Business Law and Financial Services. Specific elective course requirements for the Business Law and Financial Services certificate are noted on the courses webpage, under the headline "Special Requirements for the Business Law and Financial Services."

Requirements

Continued enrollment in the Business Law and Financial Services Concentration is contingent upon the student:

  • Completing the four (4) required core courses (13 - 14 credits)
  • Completing either an internship with a business, corporate, finance or tax placement OR a Concentration Practicum course; (at least 2 credits)
  • Business Law and Financial Services Concentration: Completing at least seven (7) additional elective course credits so that it is possible to complete the required 22 - 23 credits in approved Business Law and Financial Services Concentration courses by the time the student graduates;
  • Business Law: Completing 6 additional elective course credits so that it is possible to complete 21 - 22 credits in the Business Law concentration.
  • Periodically reviewing the student's progress in attaining the requisite grade point averages with the Concentration Faculty Director and/or the Office of Academic Services; and
  • Obtaining the Concentration Faculty Directors' approval of the student's plan for completing the Concentration's writing requirement.
  • Meeting the GPA Requirements for the Concentration

Notice of Completion

Upon completion of the required courses, externship, clinical or Practicum course elective courses, the writing requirement and total credit hours required by the Business Law and Financial Services Concentration, students must complete and file a Notice of Concentration Completion form with the Office of Academic Services.

The latest date students may file Concentration Completion forms is Nov. 1 for January graduates, and March 1 for May graduates.