Law, Commerce & Finance - LAW00099M
- Department: The York Law School
- Credit value: 20 credits
- Credit level: M
- Academic year of delivery: 2025-26
Module summary
What forms of law regulate the establishment and operations of businesses, and how do lawyers use the law to practical effect in commercial and financial transactions? This module provides an introduction to the international legal systems under which businesses are regulated; the forms of legal structure commonly used to establish and run a business; and how lawyers apply core principles of law to establish business relationships, agree parties’ rights and obligations, and protect their interests, in their commercial and financial dealings.
Student activity will be varied and practical, and centred around a number of realistic commercial and financial case studies, and related transactional documentation. Activities will combine PBL, simulations, document analysis, research tasks and advising business clients. The practical context of the module will also enable students to develop their commercial awareness.
Professional requirements
N/A
Module will run
| Occurrence | Teaching period |
|---|---|
| A | Semester 1 2025-26 |
Module aims
Students will develop a practical understanding of the different forms of legal system - common law, civil and international - and the forms of regulation of businesses. They will also gain knowledge of the main legal structures through which businesses are established and operated. This will provide a foundation for exploration of the way in which core principles of law are applied to agree parties’ rights and obligations, and protect their interests, in their commercial and financial dealings. Aligned to this knowledge will be the development of a number of practical legal skills, including document analysis, research and advising. Knowledge, skills, and related commercial awareness, will all be developed in the context of realistic transactional scenarios and case studies, based on common commercial and financial transactions, using authentic transactional documentation.
Module learning outcomes
- Explain different forms of legal system and the ways in which they regulate businesses
- Compare and evaluate the principle legal structures through which businesses are established and operated
- Explain, apply, discuss and critically evaluate well-established legal concepts, principles, theories and perspectives relevant to, and in the context of, commercial and financial transactions
- Critically analyse the anatomy of commercial and financial transaction documentation
- Identify a business's commercial and financial interests, and areas of risk for parties to commercial and financial transactions, and evaluate mechanisms by which these can be achieved, protected and and managed
- Apply research and document analysis skills in the context of common commercial and financial transactions
- Apply and evaluate critically problem-solving strategies to develop and propose solutions to practical legal problems
- Advise on the outputs of the above in a variety of written formats and contexts to specialist and non-specialist audiences
Module content
Legal systems
The regulation of businesses, commerce and finance
Legal structures for establishment and operation of businesses
The application of core legal principles in establishing business relationships and managing transactional risk
The anatomy of contractual documentation for commercial and financial transactions
Indicative assessment
| Task | % of module mark |
|---|---|
| Essay/coursework | 100 |
Special assessment rules
None
Additional assessment information
The assessment will comprise advice to a client on a proposed transaction with another business entity. This will include a report to the client on the proposed contract for that transaction, including commercial and legal risks, and how these can be managed. In addition, students will be required to report on the business structure of the other party to the contract.
Indicative reassessment
| Task | % of module mark |
|---|---|
| Essay/coursework | 100 |
Module feedback
Students will receive regular feedback based on their contributions to workshops, and through peer and tutor review of advice given in workshops, based on module scenarios. The advice to be developed in workshops will be similar in format and purpose to the summative assessment and will thus provide informal formative assessment opportunities. There will also be a short formative assessment which will provide insight into both the level and writing style required for the summative assessment. Students will receive written feedback on their summative assessment outputs, within the timescale set by the University's Feedback Turnaround Time policy. There will be a general "open-door" approach to further feedback and guidance during the module and following assessments should this be required by individual students.
Indicative reading
Due to the practical and transactional nature of this programme, there will be no key texts detailed. However, students will be expected to locate and use practitioner texts, databases and know-how services, together with standard legal primary and secondary sources relevant to the module content.