Law School For Everyone: Corporate Law

Who is empowered to make and execute corporate decisions? Is it stockholders who have the final say, or a board of directors? What happens during a corporate merger or hostile takeover? What legal rules are in place to ensure corporations behave ethically?

These 12 lectures answer these and other questions about a high-stakes, ever-evolving area of the American legal system. Recreating a traditional law school course in corporate law, Professor Geis guides you through the foundations of corporate law, the history of corporations, the problems that can plague corporations (including insider trading and bribery), and more.

In clear, accessible language, Law School for Everyone: Corporate Law introduces you to the inner workings of corporate law, from the fundamental structure of a typical corporation to the high-stakes drama of battles over corporate control. They also explore fascinating, landmark court cases that have shaped the way corporate lawyers think about their field, transforming "legalese" into easily understandable stories that, woven together, create a grand narrative of the evolution of corporate law from its beginnings right up to the challenges of the present day.

This lecture series is a fascinating look at how corporate law works, where it works well, and where it may still fall short of its goals.

12 Lectures - Average 29 minutes each

1 Questions and Conflicts in Corporate Law
2 Corporations and Their Agents
3 Things Corporations Can and Cannot Do
4 Boards of Directors and the Duty of Care
5 Business Opportunities and the Duty of Loyalty
6 Executive Pay and the Duty of Good Faith
7 Shareholder Lawsuits: Goals and Limitations
8 Securities Regulation and Fraud
9 Insider Trading Laws and Their Complexities
10 Corporate Control Battles and the Law
11 Corporate Law of Mergers and Acquisitions
12 Hostile Takeovers, Defenses, and the Future