Entrepreneurial Law

In this Certificate Program law students will learn about the business and legal issues involved in the creation and growth of new businesses. Required courses include the graduate level course in Entrepreneurship in the College of Business. In addition to required and elective courses in theCollege of Law, students in the Certificate Program may participate in, among other things, a seminar in Entrepreneurial Law in the College of Law, independent research in approved topics related to entrepreneurial law, or internships with lawyers who practice in the area of entrepreneurial law. The certificate program offers unique opportunities to law students with an interest in entrepreneurship.

I. Mandatory Core Courses

All three courses are mandatory

  1. Entrepreneurship (Management 7033) (to be cross-listed for law credit)
  2. Basic Corporate Law (3 or 4 hours)
  3. Agency and Partnership (2 or 3 hours) Note: A full-time student generally should take Agency and Partnership and Basic Corporate Law during the second year and Entrepreneurship during the third year.

II. Elective Core Courses

Select any one of the following three courses; if more than one are selected, the additional course(s) may be applied to satisfy III. below.

  1. Taxation of Corporations and Shareholders (3 hours) (Note: Federal Income Taxation is a prerequisite for this course.)
  2. Antitrust Law (3 hours)
  3. Employment Law (3 hours) or Employment Discrimination (3 hours)
  4. Labor Law (3 hours)

III. Elective Related Courses

Select any three of the following courses

  1. Introduction to Alternative Dispute Resolution (2 or 3 hours)
  2. Mediation (2 or 3 hours)
  3. Taxation of Corporations and Shareholders (3 hours) [if not taken in satisfaction of II. above]
  4. Taxation of Estates, Trusts and Gifts (3 hours)
  5. Trademark Law (2 or 3 hours)
  6. Workers' Compensation (2 hours)
  7. Estate Planning (2 hours)
  8. International Business Transactions (3 hours)
  9. Intellectual Property Law (3 hours)
  10. University or law courses related to entrepreneurial law approved by the Director of the Entrepreneurship Certificate Program and the Associate Dean

IV. Writing, Practice or Oral Advocacy Skills

One of the following is required

  1. Boesche Legal Clinic: Social Enterprise & Economic Development Law Project
  2. Independent Study paper with a grade of C+ or higher supervised by two College of Law faculty members (the topic of the paper must be approved for Section IV credit by the Director)
  3. Legal Internship (approved by the Director) with a lawyer who specializes in corporate or tax law
  4. Judicial Internship for credit with a United States Bankruptcy Judge

A student who satisfies the requirements of Sections I, II, III and IV will receive a Certificate in Entrepreneurial Law. A student should consult with the Director of the certificate program for advice about designing a program that meets the requirements for the certificate and satisfies the student's goals.

Patience A. Crowder
Wellspring Assistant Clinical Professor of Law
Supervising Attorney for the Social Enterprise & Economic Development Law Project
patience-crowder@utulsa.edu
918-631-5799

Professor Crowder joined the faculty in June 2007. Before joining the faculty, she taught as a Clinical Fellow in the Community Development Clinic at the University of Baltimore School of Law. Prior to joining the legal academy, Professor Crowder was the Business Development Manager for St. HOPE Corporation, a nonprofit community development corporation that revitalizes inner-city communities through economic development and public education. She began her legal career in private practice in San Francisco, California, as a bank finance associate with Shearman & Sterling. Her scholarly interests include examining the impact of contract, corporate, and local government law in transactional advocacy for the public's interest, particularly the revitalization of inner-city and underserved communities.

In individual cases, the Director of the Entrepreneurial Certificate Program and the Associate Dean are authorized to modify the requirements of the Program if, in their collective judgment, such a modification is warranted.