Business Strategy for Lawyers

Amitai Aviram

Fall 2009

Syllabus

Learning Objectives: Most business law classes teach students about law, not about business: how to tell, in a given industry, which businesses compete with which and over what, what are their competitive advantages, opportunities or threats. Yet understanding the answers to these questions is essential to knowing your corporate client’s interests.

This course introduces students to principles and techniques of evaluating the competitive structure of a market. It will give you the tools to understand what makes an industry tick. Such analysis is the bread and butter of an antitrust lawyer’s work, but it is also useful to any practitioner who represents businesses.

The course combines theory with practice. To enhance students’ practical skills, the course includes simulations, in which students research (before class) and analyze (in class) a given market or the effect of hypothetical transactions in that market. The last segment of the course will be case studies: each student will give a 20-minute presentation on some aspects of a market of her/his choice that apply analytic tools we studied earlier in the course. At the end of the semester, each student will need to submit an elaborate report analyzing a market of her/his choice. Grades in this course are based on the quality of the report, with possible adjustment for class participation.

There are no prerequisites to this course; prior knowledge of economics is not required, though you shouldn’t take this course is you are averse to learning some economic concepts. The course is connected to the economics of antitrust, so having taken antitrust would make you familiar with some concepts addressed in this course (and conversely, having taken Business Strategy would make some concepts in antitrust law more familiar).

Reaching Me: The best way to contact me is by e-mail, at: Aviram@illinois.edu. You are also welcome to meet with me at my office. Simply send me an e-mail suggesting days/times that are more convenient to you and we will find a mutually convenient time to meet.

Do not be shy about scheduling a meeting to clarify something that you did not understand in class. If, despite having read the assigned material and attending class, you are puzzled about some issue that was discussed in class, it is perfectly appropriate for you to schedule a meeting so that I can (hopefully) make things clearer. Out-of-class discussion affords me the luxury of focusing on your individual questions or concerns.

Grading: Grades will be determined by the quality of the market analysis report submitted by the student, adjusted up to one grade point up and without limit down (i.e., as low as an F) for student participation (e.g., attendance & participation in class discussion, preparation for and participation in team activities, presentation of one’s market analysis report).

Report: Each student will research and write a report analyzing a market of her/his choice. A market can be as large as global crude oil production or as small as fast food restaurants in Champaign-Urbana, as long as it is a properly defined market (we will learn how to define markets in the course). The report must be submitted by the last day of classes of the semester, by e-mail, to: Aviram@illinois.edu. Please note that because the reports are not research papers, they do not qualify for the Upper Level Writing Requirement (ULWR).

You will benefit from access to some of the reports of past students in this course, who agreed to share their reports with you. To assist future students, I will assume that you agree to make your report available to future students unless you say otherwise on the first page of your report. Whether you agree to share your report with future students or not will not have any effect on your grade.

Required Books: The only required text for the course is the course materials packet that I am preparing. It’s taking quite a while to create these readings from scratch so I will have to distribute the material to you piecemeal ahead of each class. I promise to get each portion of the readings to you at least a week before the class for which the reading is required. I apologize that I cannot get all the readings done and consolidated into a packet before the beginning of the semester.

To return to the Main Menu, click here.