Entrepreneurial & Business Law brochure

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Becoming a Business Lawyer

Colorado Law provides a robust curriculum in business law, tailored for aspiring deal lawyers in Boulder, Denver, and beyond. Boulder has a vibrant entrepreneurial community with many start-up and emerging companies. We place students in small law firms that serve small business and emerging companies, as well as in larger law firms who serve traditional larger corporate clients. In recent years, we have placed students in interesting and fulfilling in-house positions.

  • Robust Curriculum. We offer basic courses in corporate law, tax, securities, negotiation, and contract drafting, as well as more advanced courses such as venture capital, the regulation of financial institutions, and securities litigation.
  • Career Success. Colorado's thriving industries in energy, real estate, technology, health care, and asset management create jobs for transactional lawyers. The program's internships, externships, clinics, and relationship building opportunities help students jumpstart their careers.
  • Campus Opportunities Outside of the Law School. Colorado Law students often engage with entrepreneurship programs offered across campus. The Deming Center Venture Fund (DCVF) provides an opportunity for law, engineering, and business graduate students to make angel investments into local companies. And the Venture Capital Investment Competition (VCIC) is the world’s largest venture capital competition with over 70 universities competing.
  • Curriculum. Colorado Law's business law curriculum prepares graduates for careers at law firms, corporations, nonprofit organizations, and governmental agencies. Students receive a broad-based legal education in addition to specialized courses and practicum opportunities.

Faculty

Colorado Law's nationally known faculty teach foundational legal courses, a wide variety of specialized electives, and clinics for practical experience.

  • Professor Amy Bauer offers courses in transactional drafting.
  • Professor Brad Bernthal teaches venture capital and negotiations and leads the Entrepreneurship Initiative for Silicon Flatirons. Professor Bernthal's research focuses on the areas of entrepreneurship, venture capital, spectrum and public safety communications policy.
  • Professor Rabea Benhalim teaches secured transactions and her research focuses on the application of Islamic law in commercial contexts.
  • Professor Alexia Brunet Marks’s teaching and research interests are centered on international business transactions, international trade law, and food law. 
  • Professor Erik Gerding specializes in securities law, business transactions and financial regulation.
  • Professor Mark Loewenstein's teaching and research centers on business associations and securities law, with a particular interest in corporate governance.
  • Professor Nadav Orian Peer teaches and writes in the areas of bankruptcy law and the regulation of financial institutions.
  • Professor Amanda Parsons teaches and writes on tax law, with a particular emphasis on the interaction between the digital economy and tax law.
  • Professor Andrew Schwartz teaches corporate law and mergers & acquisitions and writes in the areas of capital formation, corporate policy and related fields.
  • Professor Sloan Speck teaches income tax, and corporate and partnership tax.  His research is in tax law and policy. 

Certificate Program 

The Entrepreneurial Law Certificate coordinates Colorado Law's strengths and business-law related assets in the areas of entrepreneurial and technology law, such as Silicon Flatirons, the Entrepreneurial Law Clinic, and the Colorado Technology Law Journal. It is awarded to law students who complete coursework reflecting a concentrated study of issues typically faced by transaction-side lawyers, and signals to prospective employers that a student possesses a skill set with applicability across issues of transactional law. 

Certificate requirements include: 1) at least 92 credit hours (89 is required for the J.D.), and 2) at least 21 of the 92 credit hours in the area of entrepreneurial law. Visit Rules of the Law School for complete details. Students must receive at least a 'C' grade in each of the designated courses.

Click here to fill out the online Entrepreneurial Law Signup Form

Required Courses

 

Brad Bernthal

"We're pushing the boundaries of legal education. Our entrepreneurship program immerses students within a world-class start-up scene and helps them learn how business works. Students build a network by working with entrepreneurs, emerging companies, and experienced entrepreneurial attorneys. We help students gain the skills they need to thrive."

Brad Bernthal - Associate Professor

Jason Mendelson

"If you are interested in start-ups, Boulder is the place to be, not only because of the number of start-ups, but because of the way the community engages students directly in their experiences and education. Colorado Law brings the start-up community together better than any other place I know."

Jason Mendelson - Co-Founder and Managing Director, Foundry Group, Adjunct Professor

Dan Fredrickson

“Colorado Law allowed me to immerse myself in a thriving entrepreneurial community where I could engage with, and learn from, lawyers and entrepreneurs alike. This dual immersion gave me the ability and confidence to pursue career opportunities outside of traditional legal paths, ultimately allowing me to take ownership of the direction of my own career.”

Dan Fredrickson ('10) - Attorney at Kendall, Koenig & Oelsner PC

Franz Hardy

“Colorado Law gave me the opportunity to succeed beyond my wildest dreams. It provided a close community of alumni and friends for important networking. I remain deeply connected and committed to the school.”

Franz Hardy ('00) - Partner at Gordon & Rees LLP