In the last few days I have had several students question the relevance of LA245. This is good. I welcome the skepticism, and see exactly where it comes from. For many, the law seems far afield from their future careers as accountants, entrepreneurs, or bankers. The beginning of the semester does little to clarify; we must lay the groundwork necessary to understand all legal issues, not just those important to business. As we progress, the relevance of the course should become more obvious. Every accountant or banker must know something about securities regulation. Every business owner must choose how to organize legally. Every manager must know her rights and obligations with regard to employees. Every company that wants to sell something across borders must understand international sales contracts. Here is an interesting take on the relevance of lawyers to innovation, for those entrepreneurs out there.
The goals of LA245 are the following:
– provide future businesspeople with the ability to spot legal issues
– provide future businesspeople with the vocabulary to discuss these issues with their lawyers
– provide global citizens with knowledge of legal issues that impact most people’s lives
Most notable is what is NOT our goal: to create future lawyers. We often do end up inspiring students to pursue a career in law, which is rewarding. But we assume that the vast majority of our students will not go to law school, so we do not intend to be a pre-law curriculum.
Remember that your education is a two-way street. If you want to connect your classrooms to your lives or future careers, ask questions. Seek out more information on topics that you think are most relevant to you. Ultimately that will make you smarter, and you will enjoy the journey of your education much more.
