In many contexts, lawyers need to understand finance: to value a project, business or proposed settlement; to understand a firm's capital structure; and to design corporate securities, including common stock preferred stock and debt. This course seeks to provide students with the analytical tools necessary for sound financial decision-making in these contexts. It will also cover mergers and acquisitions and selected topics useful in a transactional practice. The course stresses problem solving and includes problem sets, cases, a midterm exam, and a final.
This course is intended to be accessible to, and is perhaps especially valuable for, students with a limited mathematical background. It does not assume any knowledge of mathematics beyond high school algebra.
This course is not open to JD/MBA students or other students with substantial prior background in finance. Concurrent or prior enrollment in Corporations is required. Quantitative Methods: Finance or the equivalent is strongly recommended but is not required.