Corporate and Business Law > Overview

Definition of Corporate Law

Corporate law governs the creation, striking, winding up, regulation, and liability of corporate entities. Corporate law includes the nature and classification of corporations, the extent of a corporations' powers, operation and control of a corporation, share structure, securities regulation, the rights and duties of directors and shareholders, mergers, purchase of shares and assets, corporate financing and taxation.

Areas of Corporate Law Practice

Securities Regulation: It covers the federal laws and regulations governing the public offering, sale and trading of stocks and other types of securities. It focuses on initial public offerings (IPOs), the Securities Act of 1933, important elements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and the working of the SEC.

Corporate Finance: It covers issues like valuation of corporations, debtholders' rights and their relations with equity holders, mergers and acquisitions, reorganization and bankruptcy, and hostile takeovers.

Mergers & Acquisitions: It covers corporate and securities law issues relevant to mergers and acquisitions of large public companies, including the Williams Act, proxy rules, state case law, and important forms of private ordering such as poison pills, lockups, and earnouts.

Business Planning: It include corporate organization and choice of entity, bringing in a new participant or investor, recapitalization, repurchase of a stockholder's interest, and liquidation.

International Finance: It covers financial transactions and regulation in the international context including Securities Regulation, Regulation of Financial Institutions or Banking Regulation.

Transnational Business: It includes legal structuring of business dealings that cross national boundaries.

Corporate Theory: It includes policy analysis of takeover law, limited liability, ownership and financial structure.

Negotiation/Mediation/ADR: Represent clients in negotiations and settlements with other corporations, employees, and government agencies.

Regulatory Law/Regulation: It covers financial intermediaries such as depository institutions, insurance companies, investment companies and Financial Institutions.

Other Related Areas: Corporate Taxation, Commercial Law/Bankruptcy, Employment/Labor Law, and International Law