The Deals workshops explore the lawyer's role in structuring and implementing buisness deals to create value, manage risks, and promote client interests in a complex business, legal, and regulatory environment. They aim to fill the gap between academic theory and law firm transactional practice by introducing students to basic deal-making techniques.
First offered in spring 2002, the workshops are taught principally by expert practitioners who serve as adjunct professors. They bring an interest in teaching transactions and unmatched experience in deal structuring and negotiation. In addition to covering concepts addressed in the Deals course, students are asked to apply those concepts to case studies and simulated problems. Students also complete a series of client memoranda and simulated negotiation and drafting problems related to various agreements and other documentation. Columbia Business School students are admitted to the workshops, and their presence adds a quantitative expertise to group discussions. Tactics and ethics are also taught.
Sample Syllabus
The syllabus for each Workshop varies with the instructor, reflecting his or her experience and specialization. A sample syllabus provides a basic idea of what is covered in each Workshop. Interested students, however, are encouraged to review the applicable Curriculum page or contact instructors about individual seminars.
Deals Article
The Program and its goals are described in more detail in this article, written by Victor Fleischer, the first Research Fellow in Transactional Studies and currently a professor at the University of Colorado Law School.
