A Broader Context

Our business law specialization is one of the strongest in Canada. We understand businesses operate in larger social, economic and political contexts. We care about the interactions of business law and policy with technology, governance and stakeholder rights, economic, social and environmental justice.

Students who choose to study business law with us thrive in a supportive environment that looks at the issues in this broader context. We look forward to meeting you, and learning more about how you want to make the world a better place.

Career Paths

One of the advantages of studying at Schulich Law is our broad view of business law. Whether you want to work on Bay Street or Main Street, within government or in the private sectors, with small family business or large multinationals - our program will give you a firm foundation to succeed.

Specialize in Business Law 

JD students who pursue our business law specialization certificate will graduate with the skills and knowledge to support them in their work as business law practitioners or policy-makers, within Canada or abroad. To apply for the certificate, students must:  

• Complete and return the Business Law Specialization registration form to bizlaw@dal.ca as early as possible, ideally no later than the start of 2L; 
  
• Formally declare and submit for the Certificate through Dalonline.

Course Requirements

Mandatory Requirements:

Business Associations:
Every student must take LAWS 2002 Business Associations, the foundation for the business law program, during 2L.

and

Business Law Specialization Intensive:
Students are only required to take the Business Law Specialization Certificate Intensive once and may take it in 1L, 2L or 3L.

For the 2024-25 academic year, the Business Law Specialization Intensive is  as follows:

You must attend a minimum of four (4) sessions of the following three (3) events which will be taking place at the Schulich School of Law:

• September 13-14: the Purdy Crawford Workshop on International Business Law
• September 27-28: the Purdy Crawford Conference on Contemporary Issues in Business Law
  
• September 27-28: Colloquium on Cooperatives and the Good Director

AND

You must attend the following virtual session:

• September 20: Introduction to Life as a Mergers & Acquisitions Lawyer

You must pre-register for the sessions by emailing bizlaw@dal.ca. Please indiicate the event name as well as the sessions you are registering for.

In addition to the mandatory requirements, students must also complete a selection of Business Law courses.  

Business Law Courses

Courses are divided into three (3) sections:

Section A: Best Interests of the Corporation

Students must take one (1) course from four (4) of the following five (5) baskets:

Section B: Business in its International Economic Context

All businesses, no matter how small, engage in an increasingly globalized economy. This requirement introduces students to some of the legal complexity businesses face in the international environment.  

Students must take at least one (1) course from the following options:

• LAWS 2056 International Trade Law (3 credits)
• LAWS 2211/2212 Law of International Trade and Shipping (2/3 credits)
• LAWS 2269 Taxation II Law - International Law
• LAWS 2305/2306 Global Corruption (2/3 credits)
  

Section C: Skills Capstone

The courses in this section are focused on the development of applied skills (i.e.: drafting, oral arguments, negotiation, etc.), not by building a broad matrix of substantive knowledge evaluated by high-value final exam or by major paper.

Students must take at least one (1) course from the following options:

• LAWS 2129 Corporate Transactions (3 credits)
• LAWS 2170 Information Technology Transactions (3 credits)
  
• LAWS 2353 Purdy Crawford Seminar Course (2 credits)
  
• LAWS 2281 International Commercial Arbitration (1 credit)
• LAWS 2298 Advanced Commercial Drafting: Private Equity and Public M&A (1 credit)
• LAWS 2245 Bowman Taxation Moot (3 credits)
• LAWS 2177 Labour Arbitration Moot (2 credits)
• LAWS 2144 Corporate/Securities Law Moot (3 credits)

Additional Regulations:

• If a student is participating in an exchange program, they can request that courses from that exchange be credited towards the certificate. The course cannot duplicate a course that the student has taken at the Schulich School of Law. The burden is on the student to demonstrate that the substance and quality of the course fits within the parameters of the certificate, for example, by providing the course description, syllabus, etc. The Purdy Crawford Chair in Business Law has the final authority to approve the request. If the course is approved, the student will not be subsequently permitted to receive credit for a course at Schulich Law which, in the opinion of the Associate Dean (Academic), has undue overlap with the course taken on exchange.
• A student may substitute a directed research paper (DRP) for one of the courses in category 2 or 3. The DRP subject matter must be approved.
  
• Additional one-credit intensive courses may be added to the curriculum schedule at short notice. The Purdy Crawford Chair in Business Law will notify students if any such additions can be counted towards the Business Law Certificate.
• For the purposes of any Schulich School of Law certificate program, except where noted above regarding exchange studies, only those courses pursued at the Schulich School of Law during said student's successful completion of their Dalhousie University JD degree will be recognized. Students are not permitted to count a course towards more than one certificate.

Experiential Learning

As well as completing a skills based capstone course, students have opportunities to compete in moots, and take problem-based learning courses. We also have a number of internships that allow business law students to develop their skills outside of the classroom.

Combined Degree Programs

Through a partnership with Dalhousie University's Faculty of Management, we offer our students a combined JD/MBA degree. The combined degree is completed in four years, rather than the five required to get both degrees separately.

Graduate Studies (LLM & PhD)

At the Schulich School of Law, graduate studies in business law are informed by the Weldon Tradition - a tradition that celebrates and supports a commitment to unselfish public service.

Our graduate students carry on the Weldon Tradition in their research, teaching and community contributions. As a community of scholars, we care about the interactions of business law and policy with technology, governance and stakeholder rights, as well as economic, social and environmental justice.

Graduate business law students have opportunities to undertake research assistantships, and benefit from the conferences, speakers and workshops that we host on a regular basis.

Purdy Crawford Chair in Business Law

Associate Professor Olabisi D. Akinkugbe is the sixth holder of the Purdy Crawford Chair in Business Law. Previously he served as the Viscount Bennett Professor of Law at the Schulich School of Law and was convenor of the annual Viscount Bennett Roundtable on International Economic Law.

Professor Akinkugbe's research covers several topics on issues in/at the intersection of public international law, international economic law, human rights, law and development, international courts, and regional economic integration. He explores these issues from the national, regional, and international contexts.

At Schulich School of Law, he teaches Contracts and Judicial Decision-Making, International Trade Law, and International Investment Law. In 2024, Professor Akinkugbe was the recipient of the Hannah and Harold Barnett Excellence in Teaching Award. 

Our Faculty

Our business law faculty members are world reknowned experts in their field. Students have the opportunity to work one-on-one with professors who are passionately devoted to mentoring students.