CorporateCorporate law is the law relating to business organizations. The practice of corporate law includes the creation, governance, and restructuring of corporate entities; business transactions such as the acquisition or sale of  assets or shares of a corporate entity; contracts covering a range of commercial issues related to the ongoing business of a corporation; and the raising of capital and the regulation of the capital markets. Lawyers practising corporate law can be found in full-service business law firms, in the in-house legal departments of a wide range of organizations (including corporations, government departments, banks, and insurance companies), and in the offices of government ministries and agencies (such as the Ontario Securities Commission) that regulate the business of corporations.
 

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What courses can I take?

Courses to consider in the upper years*

  • Business Organizations
  • Art of the Deal
  • Canadian Income Tax Law
  • Finance, Business & Accounting in the Law
  • Financial Crimes and Corporate Compliance
  • Law and Policy of Public-Private Partnerships
  • Securities Regulation
  • Bankruptcy and Insolvency
  • Corporate Transactions
  • Contested Corporate Transactions – Mergers and Acquisitions
  • Investment and Growth in Emerging Markets
  • Secured Transactions
  • Rotman@Law (online certificate program)
  • Joint degree: JD/MBA

*Not all courses are offered in each academic year. Please consult the Course Calendar and Upper Year Courses by Subject Area resources.

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How can I get hands-on experience?

Experiential opportunities

  • Connect Legal externship
  • Investor Protection Clinic
  • M&A Litigation externship
  • Structural Genomics Consortium externship
  • OnBoard - Board Governance externship
  • Corporate Securities Competitive moot
 

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How else can I get involved?

Community/volunteer

  • Business Law Society
  • Venture Capital Law Society
 

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How can I connect with employers?

Work and networking ideas

Networking opportunities

  • Firm tours (check UTLC Events tab for details)
  • Informational interviews (go to UTLC > Resource Library > Interviews for guidance)
  • Events hosted by professional associations such as the Business Law Section of the Canadian Bar Association or the Canadian Corporate Counsel Association
  • Lawyers Doing Cool Things

Fellowships & internships

  • Future of Law Lab (Law Student @UofT Engineering’s Hatchery; Future of Law/Blue J Legal Summer Fellowship; In-house Counsel Partnership – Nestlé Canada)
  • International Business and Trade Law Internship (firm funded)
  • McCarthy Tétrault LLP Business Law/OMERS Internships (firm funded)
  • Fasken First Year Law Internship in Legal Innovation
  • Dr. Scott Guan China Law Practice Award International Business Law Internship

Paid opportunities

There are many paid summer and articling opportunities related to corporate law in legal markets across Canada, including:

  • Full-service law firms
  • Boutique business law firms
  • In-house counsel positions
  • Government entities such as the federal Competition Bureau, Revenue Canada, the Ontario Securities Commission, and the City of Toronto
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What resources can I look at?

Online career resources and events

The following resources are available to current UofT Law students and alumni through UTLC:

  • 1L Summer Employment Guide
  • Recruitment Guides: Students can find recruitment guides on UTLC listing corporate law positions for 1L summer, 2L summer and articling recruitment cycles for a range of legal markets
  • Video: Corporate Law Primer
  • Video: Women in Mergers and Acquisitions
  • Guide: Pathways to a Career as In-house Counsel
  • CDO Event: Career Information Sessions (current students only)
  • Upper Year Student Directory to connect with students who have worked with corporate law employers

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