Business Law Certificate

Meets Jun 2-23; M-F 10:10AM-12:45PM
Professor: Reza Dibadj

Students will explore mergers and acquisitions transactions as attempts by the transaction parties to attain business goals and will learn how legal rules and documentation constrain and create opportunity for the parties’ ability to achieve their objectives. The real-world problems faced by parties involved in these transactions, as well as those of judges who must adjudicate these deals, are considered. Current doctrinal and policy debates will be discussed throughout.

Meets Jun 2-23; M-F 2PM-4:35PM
Professor: Stavros Gadinis

This survey course examines the laws governing the modern business organization (with an emphasis on corporations) and covers rules of agency law, partnership law, corporate formation, corporate identity, rights of creditors, fiduciary duties, corporate governance, executive compensation, mergers and acquisitions, securities fraud, and more. The goal will be to understand the rudimentary structure of each topic, and how the topics interrelate and in particular how corporate law regulates relationships among multiple different constituencies of the firm, including owners, managers, creditors, employees, customers, and suppliers.

Meets Jun 29-Jul 20; M-F 10:10AM-12:45PM
Professor: Ofer Eldar

The course covers venture capital investments in start-up companies, the structure of VC-backed companies, the allocation of cash-flow and control rights, and litigation arising from unique VC arrangements. Particular attention is given to how VC contract provisions are designed to protect investors from economic and voting dilution, how they allocate merger consideration in acquisitions of VC-backed startups, and how they can incentivize subsequent investment. A central objective of the course is to build a comprehensive skill set for cutting-edge VC legal practice: students will not only study contract provisions in detail but also use Excel to model their financial impact, gaining the tools necessary to navigate complex legal arrangements and understand their economic implications for both investors and founders. The course also engages with policy debates on the role of VC firms and the governance of startup founders.

Meets Jun 30-Jul 2; T/Th 4:45PM-7:20PM
and
Jul 6-10; MWF 4:45PM-7:20PM
Professor: Herbert Paul Fockler

This is a practice-oriented course focusing on legal and business matters encountered in the day-to-day life of corporate attorneys in Silicon Valley and elsewhere in the U.S. who advise technology and emerging growth startups, as well as their founders and investors. The course will touch on key issues and events in the life cycle of a startup with an emphasis on business realities and practical solutions, using many real-world examples.

Meets Jun 29-Jul 20-; M-F 10:10AM-12:45PM
Professor: Talha Syed

The course begins with an analysis of the competing policies underlying intellectual property laws. It covers the basics of patent law, copyright law, trademark law, trade secret law, and other state IP-related areas of law, as well as some of the salient controversies in intellectual property law, including patent protection for software and biotechnology, artificial intelligence, copyright in the digital age, design protection, and right of publicity (NIL).

No. If you are interested in financing these courses, Sallie Mae provides competitive education loan programs for credit qualified borrowers. For more information and to apply, visit the Sallie Mae website. If you decide to pursue such financing, please submit your application to Sallie Mae first and then contact us at [email protected]. We will provide additional instructions on completing your registration.

No. You will not receive a transcript or university credit for taking our courses as a non-degree (executive course) participant. You also don’t have to take an exam, though, so it balances out.

For international participants who have been invited to participate in short-term, non-credit bearing, professional, and training activities such as these Executive Education in-person courses, the B1 visa is the appropriate visa for entry into the United States from required countries. If you are admitted to a course, the admission letter you receive should be sufficient to obtain such a visa. It is important to emphasize that the visit is for business purposes.
For more information about visa and passport requirements, visit the U.S. Department of State website.

Yes. You will be asked questions during the application process regarding your English proficiency. If you do not come from a country or educational background in which English is the primary language, and you do not have proof of TOEFL or IELTS, you may be asked to make an appointment with an executive education program administrator to assess your English language skills.

No. Both the California and New York bars require a transcript and grades for a course to count towards bar eligibility requirements. However, the content you learn from taking the course may help you do better on the bar exam.

Yes. Most events that take place on campus are open to the public, unless otherwise noted on the UC Berkeley Law events calendar or other UC Berkeley calendar.

No. However, you may apply for summer housing through UC Berkeley through the Summer Housing website. Alternatively, there are housing options that are not affiliated with campus. Please note that the University and UC Berkeley Law do not endorse any housing listed there and do not guarantee the service or quality of service offered.

Please submit your question here, and we’ll reply as soon as possible.

Payment of Fees

Course fees must be paid in full no later than two weeks prior to the start of the course, pending availability. Failure to submit payment will result in cancellation of your registration.

Note: Fees paid for these courses are never transferable to degree program fees.

Payment Methods

We accept credit cards (VISA, MasterCard and American Express), wire transfers, or a cashier’s check or money order drawn from a U.S. bank.

Cancellations and Refunds

Participants may cancel their enrollment in any course that was previously paid for pursuant to the following requirements:

• All cancellation requests must be received in writing at [email protected].
• If a cancellation request is received 30 or more days before the first day of the course(s), the participant may receive a full refund, minus a $500 cancellation fee per course.
• If a cancellation request is received 14-29 days before the first day of the course(s), the participant may receive a 50% refund, minus a $500 cancellation fee per course, or may transfer the fees paid to another Executive Summer Course(s) occurring within the same summer term, with the same total units (see Transfers section below), space permitting.
• Participants who cancel within two weeks of the first day of the quarter in which the course begins will not receive any refund or fee transfer.
• In the case of a no-show or partial participation, no refund will be granted.

Transfers

Participants may change their course enrollment between courses of the same unit total that occur in the same summer term up to the day prior to the first day of the first course, space permitting in the course(s) in which they are transferring. Participants who wish to change their course enrollment should notify [email protected].

Exceptions

Berkeley Law Executive Education may make exceptions to the refund deadline based on medical issues, death in the family, call to military service, or other extenuating circumstances. Proof will be required to consider any exceptions to the refund deadline. The decision on any request for exception is final, and Berkeley Law Executive Education reserves the right to approve or deny requests for exceptions to our cancellation and transfer policies. Requests for exceptions should be submitted by email to [email protected]. Any refunds granted as an exception to the above policies will be subject to a $100 cancellation fee.

Berkeley Law Executive Education reserves the right to remove any participant from a course who is deemed to be disruptive by the instructor and/or does not conduct themself in a manner consistent with the University’s function as an educational institution. See the UC Berkeley Campus Policies below for more information.

If Berkeley Law removes a participant from any course(s), they will not be eligible for a tuition refund. Moreover, individuals removed from a course are not eligible for a Certificate of Completion, nor will the class(es) they are removed from count towards a Berkeley Law Executive Education Subject Area Certificate. Finally, individuals removed from any course(s) will not earn MCLE credit for the course(s).

Although Executive Education participants are not officially enrolled in the University, they are participating in courses at the University and we expect them to assume an obligation to conduct themself in a manner consistent with the University’s function as an educational institution:

• Center for Student Conduct
• UC Berkeley Academic Policies
• UC Berkeley Law Academic Rules
• UC Berkeley Office for the Prevention of Harassment & Discrimination Policies
• UC Berkeley School of Law Privacy Policy

In compliance with the Federal Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended (Public Law 93-112) and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (Public Law 101-336), University of California policy prohibits unlawful discrimination on the basis of disability in its programs, services, and activities.