This seminar will provide applied education on the business of legal practice, with a particular focus on law firms, the primary form of organization within the legal profession.  In addition to providing students with an understanding of the economics and management of the modern law firm, the course will also look to historical and sociological accounts of development, discrimination, and change among the organizations of the legal profession.  We will also use organizational theory to understand how firms and lawyers respond to the changing environments in which they operate, and look at the regulations that shape, constrain, and influence the structure and stability of professional service firms.

Students in this course may choose to satisfy the upper-level writing requirement by drafting a minimum 25-page research paper in accordance with the rules of the College of Law.  Students who do not wish to use their work in this course to satisfy the upper-level writing requirement may instead choose to draft two shorter papers as an alternative to the longer substantial paper.