About
Lawyers play a pivotal role in a wide range of transactions and other matters distinct from litigation. A foundation in business law, negotiation skills, statutory analysis, and public policy is critical for lawyers engaged in both litigation and non-litigation practices alike, and in their civic leadership activity. Maine Law offers a rich mix of curricular and fieldwork opportunities in corporate law, tax, finance, nonprofits, economic development, commercial law, intellectual property, compliance, land use, bankruptcy, and more.
This certificate offers students the opportunity to explore the field of transactional law and gain valuable experiential learning even before they graduate. Additionally, the University of Maine Graduate and Professional Center offers potential for interdisciplinary clinical work in transactional law, and our Compliance Certificate Program facilitates ongoing collaboration with Maine-based enterprises.
Academic Requirements
To receive the Certificate in Business and Transactional Law, a candidate must complete the following:
Coursework
Required Courses:
Elective Courses
Six credits from the following, one of which must include a financial literacy component as designated by an *:
Not all of these courses are regularly offered. The program coordinator may designate or approve other courses if such courses have a substantial focus on business and transactional law.
To satisfy the financial literacy requirement, a course must include specific attention to the principal financial statements used in business (balance sheet, cash flow statement and income statement – what they show, how they work, and what lawyers can learn from them) and the related vocabulary, as well as the fundamentals and related vocabulary of business financing and capital structure. The program coordinator may waive the financial literacy requirement upon demonstration to the program coordinator’s satisfaction that the student has achieved financial literacy through his or her prior educational or professional experience.
The required courses must be taken on a graded basis. Electives taken from the list above (if taken towards the Certificate) must also be taken on a graded basis. Electives taken from the list above that are not being counted toward the nine credits may be taken on a pass-fail basis in accordance with the Student Handbook.
Research & Writing
A candidate must write a paper (or journal contribution(s)) on a topic related substantially to business and transactional law and which satisfies the upper level writing requirement (or would satisfy the upper level writing requirement if the candidate has already satisfied (or is otherwise satisfying) the upper level writing requirement). Publications and topics require prior approval from the Certificate Program Director. Candidates must submit a copy of the completed paper to the Certificate Program Director and the Registrar by April 1 of the year the candidate intends to graduate (for spring graduates).
Experiential Learning
The certificate includes an experiential learning component that can be satisfied in one of two ways. Either:
- The candidate must apply for and complete an externship that relates substantially to business and transactional issues; the externship must be pre-approved by the Certificate Program Director and the Maine Law Externship Program Director. If the externship has a low pass option in addition to a pass option, the externship must be completed with the pass option (not the low pass option) in order to satisfy the experiential learning requirement. (This does not extend the number of credits allowed for externships.)
- Or, the candidate may complete this requirement by working at a pre-approved job during law school (at least 150 working hours) focused on business and transactional law issues. It is expected that the job will involve attending meetings, regular attendance in an office, supervision and feedback. (Academic credit is not given for work at a job under this option.)
In extraordinary circumstances, the Certificate Program Director may deem the Experiential Learning requirement to be satisfied by: (a) crediting the combination of two or more student experiences that would not individually satisfy the requirement; or (b) crediting participation in significant business and transactional practicum coursework, in which case the particular practicum(s) will not count toward the student’s coursework requirement for the certificate.
Additional Information
J.D. candidates must declare their intent to obtain the certificate by the end of their third semester. A candidate’s resume can reference certificate candidacy only after declaration. Late declaration requests will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Students cannot earn both the Certificate in Business and Transactional Law and any other certificate.
A candidate will earn the certificate with distinction by averaging a B+ (3.33) or higher in the courses counted towards the certificate that are offered by the Law School. If the candidate takes more of the designated electives than are required, then the three highest grades received will be counted towards the “with distinction” designation.