The College of Law offers JD students a concentration certificate in Law, Technology, and Entrepreneurship to meet the increased demand in the job market for trained lawyers who advise entrepreneurs. Law students completing this specialization can also graduate equipped with the skills needed to become entrepreneurs themselves.
The coursework required for the certificate provides training on both business creation and technology issues. The curriculum is designed to provide students with a strong legal foundation in the key doctrines relevant to modern entrepreneurship, along with experiential practical training.
For the foundational coursework, students must complete both Business Organizations I (LAW-L746) and Intellectual Property Law (LAW-L801). Students may then choose additional courses from a list of approved courses. The program is designed to give students flexibility to tailor their coursework to gain specialized expertise in fields of their choosing such as technology, taxation, finance, intellectual property, and employment law. For example, one of these courses is the Law & Technology Seminar (LAW-L967), which provides students with an overview of relevant modern digital technologies and examines the intersection of these technologies with relevant aspects of intellectual property law, privacy law, Internet law, business law, and communications law.
For the experiential coursework, students can choose among a set of classes designed to give them practical experience in creating and advising businesses. These courses include Contract Drafting (LAW-L843), where students learn the nuts and bolts of preparing real-world commercial contracts. In the Business Planning Seminar (LAW-L867), students learn each step required to create a business from the initial conception through the receipt of a round of outside financing. In Mediation and Arbitration (LAW-L817), students learn basic skills and experience in how to help a client choose the most appropriate dispute resolution process. Students may also satisfy the experiential requirements by joining the Entrepreneurship Project (LAW-L880), which allows students to earn credit while advising local start-ups with their legal and business needs.
The College of Law complements the certificate program with a regular roster of speakers including entrepreneurs, 501(c)(3) organizations that focus on supporting entrepreneurial activity, governmental agencies and departments that focus on economic development, and members of the local technology community.
**Please note: Not all courses are offered every semester.**
Foundational Coursework (6 credit hrs.):
LAW-L746 Business Organizations I (3 credit hrs.)
LAW-L801 Intellectual Property Law (3 credit hrs.)
Advanced Doctrinal Coursework (2 courses, totaling at least 5 credit hrs.):
LAW-L747 Business Organizations II (3 credit hrs.)
LAW-L806 Corporate Finance (3 credit hrs.)
LAW-L808 Securities Regulation (2 or 3 credit hrs.)
LAW-L820 Employment Discrimination (3 credit hrs.)
LAW-L821 Computer Law (2 credit hrs.)
LAW-L828 Trademark, Trade Name and Unfair Competition Law (3 credit hrs.)
LAW-L836 Real Estate Transactions (3 credit hrs.)
LAW-L840 Employment Law (3 credit hrs.)
LAW-L848 Privacy Law Seminar (2 credit hrs.)
LAW-L849 Patent Law (2 credit hrs.)
LAW-L850 Copyright Law (3 credit hrs.)
LAW-L872 Federal Income Taxation of Corporations (2 credit hrs.)
LAW-L873 Taxation of Partnerships (3 credit hrs.)
LAW-L967 Law and Technology Seminar (2 credit hrs.)
LAW-L980 Income Taxation (3 credit hrs.)
Advanced Experiential Coursework (2 courses, totaling at least 5 credit hrs.):
LAW-L817 Mediation and Arbitration (3 credit hrs.)
LAW-L843 Contract Drafting (3 credit hrs.)
LAW-L867 Business Planning (2 or 3 credit hrs.)
LAW-L880 Entrepreneurship (2 or 3 credit hrs.)
LAW-L900 Externship (1-3 credit hrs., as approved by the program director)
Other appropriate courses offered by Loyola or other accredited American law schools may be approved by the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs for partial fulfillment of the requirements of the specialization program.
Students must maintain a G.P.A. average of 3.0 or better in all classes taken to satisfy the course requirements for the certificate, while also graduating with an overall G.P.A. of at least 2.50, in order for this distinction to be noted on their official transcript.