Law & Business Program
About Us
The Law & Business Program offers an innovative and intensive upper-level curriculum to students interested in a career in business law. Students build expertise in business law, corporate management, accounting, and finance by choosing among an extensive array of elective courses, including intensive transactional courses and seminars, without extending their studies beyond the normal three-year J.D. program.
Graduates of the Law & Business Program are prepared to enter legal practice with a solid understanding of the basic principles of finance and accounting, how businesses work, the ways in which the increasingly complex regulatory environment impacts publicly traded companies, their managers and their directors, and how to work effectively with businesspeople to help them navigate the laws and regulations that govern business activities.
Offerings
A series of courses that any J.D. student can complete during their second- and third-year studies, this well-established certificate of specialization is highly valued by legal employers. In recent years, about 25% of graduating J.D. students have completed this certificate program.
The Vanderbilt J.D./M.S.F. certifies advanced training and expertise that is highly valued by law firms and their business clients but rare among graduating law students entering careers in corporate and business law. Corporate law practice requires not only a deep understanding of the legal and regulatory environment in which businesses operate, but also mastery of increasingly complex financial transactions and instruments prevalent in 21st century business and finance, and the J.D./M.S.F. provides immediate advantages in the legal employment market.
By combining study in management with study in law, a student can earn both the J.D. and M.B.A. in a total of four years (eight semesters) instead of the traditional five-year requirement. Students enroll for their first year of study in the dual-degree program on a full-time basis in either the Law School or the Owen School. Students should begin their dual-degree studies in the Law School and then attend the Owen School in their second year.
J.D./M.B.A. Class of 2024
Trey Ferguson
"I engaged most intimately with the Law & Business Program. My corporate electives at VLS gave me a substantial knowledge base and a knack for issue-spotting legal problems in business situations."
Cheek Business Scholars
In 2019, James H. Cheek III, J.D. '67, generously established the Cheek Business Law Scholarship and the Cheek Summer Stipends to provide financial support for deserving students participating in the Law & Business Program. Each year, the law school selects at least one Cheek Business Law Scholar to receive supplemental scholarship funds for their second and third years of study completing the Certificate in Law & Business. Cheek Summer Stipends support experiential opportunities in certain government agencies, courts, or other settings that enhance preparation for a career in business law.