Corporate Finance Fundamentals

Professor Adam Badawi introduces the fundamental concepts of corporate finance. This is essential viewing for any lawyer who is encountering finance in their practice for the first time.

This presentation addresses two crucial questions in M&A: How do we value companies? How do we sort out assets, cash flow, obligations, and more? Law and finance Professor Ken Ayotte walks through discounted cash flow and multiples, two of the most common strategies used in finance.

Venture capital investment requires careful lawyering to balance the control and economic interests of founders and investors. In this module, Professor Robert Bartlett explains and demonstrates a key feature of venture capital term sheets: antidilution provisions.

From leveraged buyouts to fairness opinions, M&A transactions involve complex financial structures and assessments. Professor Cathy Hwang walks through the essential features of modern M&A financing.

Silicon Valley CFO Apurva Desai walks through the basic form of financial information: the four statements. Gain a better grasp on balance sheets, income statements, cash flow statements, and statements of shareholders’ equity.

Confused by options? Don’t know the difference between forwards and swaps? UC Berkeley Professor Frank Partnoy dives under the hood of derivative financial products, which have become central features of modern finance.

In any area of finance, lawyers need to handle large amounts of complex financial information. Familiarity with spreadsheet software is an essential skill in any finance lawyer’s toolkit. WashU Associate Professor James Hicks walks you through a series of structured examples to build your confidence with Microsoft Excel.

BCLB Senior Fellow and former finance professor Matt Cain walks through an “event study”, commonly deployed by econometric experts in litigation. Learn the fundamentals of this important tool: what it means and how to unpack it.

What is the role of attorneys in financial transactions? What unique challenges do lawyers face in this world? Award-winning financial journalist Diana Henriques, the author of Bernie Madoff exposé The Wizard of Lies, speaks with BCLB’s Executive Director Adam Sterling about ethical lawyering in finance.

How can legal professionals ensure that they exercise independent professional judgement in dealing with complex financial transactions? Adam Sterling speaks with Therese Lee of Google and Joseph Azam of Infor.

New Content. What ethics rules should one consider when defending allegations of fraud? What rules should one consider when making allegations of fraud? Adam Sterling introduces a debate on these topics between Michele Johnson of Latham & Watkins and Carson Block of Muddy Waters Research.