Business Law Certificate

The Certificate in Business Law enables you to explore a broad range of business related topics to begin a successful career as a business lawyer. The program provides you with a solid understanding of the basic principles of business and commercial law and the complex regulatory environment that business lawyers must navigate.

The curriculum includes traditional focus on business organizations, securities regulation and taxation as well as special interest topics such as intellectual property, bankruptcy, antitrust, and commercial law.

Supervising faculty member: Professor David Rosenfeld

  • You will demonstrate an understanding and fundamental knowledge of the basic rules, theoretical foundations and principles of substantive business law covered by the required basic courses as well as in one of the listed sub-specialties of the certificate program.
  • You will acquire effective analytical and problem-solving skills as applicable in the field of business law, including an understanding of the interaction between business and legal considerations.
  • You will demonstrate the ability to communicate with clients, decision makers and other stakeholders in the manner expected of a new lawyer through thorough and efficient research and writing in the area of business law.

Section 1

An applicant for an NIU-COL Certificate in Business Law must earn a minimum of eighteen academic credits in the courses described by sections 1.a, 1.b, and 1.c below; and must comply with all of the specified requirements of sections 1.a, 1.b, 1.c, and 1.d below.

  1. Required Basic Courses:
    • Business Associations I
    • Business Associations II
    • Introduction to Federal Income Taxation
  2. Required Capstone Courses (you must complete at least one of the following capstone courses)
    • A seminar, directed research project or law review note or comment leading to completion of a substantial written product on a business-related topic, if approved in advance for certificate eligibility by the supervising faculty member.
    • An externship or clinic course primarily focused on business law, if approved in advance for certificate eligibility by the supervising faculty member.
  3. Elective Courses (you must earn sufficient academic credits from courses listed below in order to meet the eighteen-credit minimum described above)
    • Antitrust Law
    • Bankruptcy
    • Copyright Law
    • Employment Law
    • Entertainment Law
    • Insurance Law
    • Intellectual Property Law
    • International Business Transactions
    • Labor Law
    • Landlord and Tenant Law
    • Real Estate Transactions
    • Sales
    • Secured Transactions
    • Securities Regulation
    • Taxation of Business Enterprises
    • Trademark Law
  4. Required Additional Skills Development Activities (you must complete at least one of the following co-curricular or extra-curricular activities)
    • NIU Internal Client Counseling Competition
    • ABA Regional Client Counseling Competition
    • ABA Regional Negotiation Competition
    • ABA Arbitration Competition
    • ABA Mediation Competition
    • ABA Taxation Law Student Tax Challenge
    • International Labor Arbitration Competition
    • Another equivalent internal or external student competition facilitating development of business practice skills if it is approved in advance for certificate eligibility by the supervising faculty member
    • A business-law related pro bono service if approved by the supervising faculty member

For purposes of this section 1.d, “completion” of an activity means:

    1. Participation in the preliminary rounds of an internal or external student competition and, in the case of external competitions, participation in faculty-supervised practice sessions; or
    2. Qualification for College of Law Approved Pro Bono Service Recognition.

Section 2

An applicant for an NIU-COL Certificate in Business Law must also meet the GPA and other requirements set forth in the College of Law Guidelines for Certificate Programs.