Results for LAW 1009: Corporate Finance I

(Formerly Law 262) There are many contexts in which lawyers need an understanding of finance. For example, many of the disputes that give rise to litigation center on the financial valuation of firms and the securities they issue. In addition, an understanding of firms' capital structures and the design of corporate securities is necessary in analyzing many legal issues, especially those arising in corporate transactions, executive compensation, and bankruptcy proceedings. This course is designed to provide students with a rigorous conceptual understanding of finance and to give students the analytical tools needed to make financial decisions and value financial securities. The course stresses problem solving and includes problem sets, cases, and a midterm and final examination. The course is designed to be accessible to students with a fairly limited mathematical background. In general we will not assume any knowledge of mathematics beyond high-school algebra. Elements used in grading: Class Participation, Attendance, Written Assignments, Final Exam.

(Formerly Law 264) Lawyers often need an advanced understanding of corporate financial decisions, instruments, and transactions, including equity financing and initial public offerings, the determination of a firm's cost of capital, valuation, payout policy, recapitalizations and bankruptcy, mergers and acquisitions, and the market for corporate control. Advanced Corporate Finance introduces these topics by lecture and then explores them through detailed analysis of actual cases. This structure maximizes the synergy between theory and practice, providing students with portable, durable, and marketable tools for their careers. Legal considerations that arise in the execution of these corporate financial decisions include mandatory disclosure requirements, the issuance of dual class shares, charges of anticompetitive practices, taxes, appraisal cases and fairness opinions, takeover defenses and fiduciary duty challenges, contractual provisions in merger agreements, insider trading, and Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings. This class rigorously advances both conceptual and practical/analytical understanding. The knowledge gained will facilitate professional dealings with boards of directors, chief financial officers and corporate treasurers, investment bankers, consultants, portfolio and investment managers, venture capitalists, and private equity investors. Prerequisite: Corporate Finance I (Law 1009, formerly Law 262) or equivalent background. Elements used in grading: class participation and final exam.