November 11, 2025
Interested in a career in business law, or just dabbling in a class or two? Registration for the Spring semester is fast-approaching and the 10-Q is here to help you explore the business law course offerings available next semester. You don’t have to take our word for it—we have first-hand testimonials from recent Temple Law grads who recommended the below courses.
Banking and Financial Regulation (Professor Nelson)
Fleur de Jong (LAW ’24): If you’ve ever wondered how banks really work—and what happens when they don’t—this is the class for you. Professor Nelson makes the world of banking law come alive by breaking down real-life scandals, showing movie and TV clips to explain things like money laundering, and diving into hot topics such as how the marijuana industry intersects with modern banking. You’ll explore everything from how banks are formed and regulated to what happens when they fail, with lively discussions on consumer protection, fair lending, and big reforms like Dodd-Frank. Whether you’re aspiring to be a banking lawyer or simply want to understand banking and finance better, this course offers valuable insights for any transactional role after graduation.
Commercial Transactions (Professor Lipson)
Tithi Patel (LAW ’25): This course covers not one, but two major legal codes—Article 9 of the UCC and the United States Bankruptcy Code. Combining both into a single course makes it so that you can better see and understand the big picture behind a debtor-creditor relationship. The practice problems after every chapter help you navigate and apply the material to real-world issues, and don’t be surprised when Carly and Emeril from ITS reemerge in your drafting assignments. Learning Article 9 in this depth helped me in my bar exam prep and as a new associate conducting diligence for an M&A transaction.
Corporate Scandals (Professor Lin)
Ben Rothstein (LAW ’25): Professor Lin’s Corporate Scandals class puts you in the driver’s seat, asking you to grapple with some of the most infamous corporate scandals in American history. You’ll examine how leaders made their choices, the economic incentives behind those decisions, and the unintended ripple effects of regulation. From Enron to Chiquita, Professor Lin’s course pushes you to think critically about real-world ethical and strategic dilemmas in a dynamic, discussion-driven setting.
Corporate Taxation (Professor Abreu):
Josh Meyerson (LAW ’24): This is a foundational course for anyone who thinks they may want to pursue a career in tax, or anyone seeking some exposure to the tax concepts relevant to corporate transactions. Professor Abreu (immediate past chair of the ABA tax section) brings a healthy dose of passion to her wealth of knowledge and vast experience in the corporate tax area. Corporate Taxation is a must for all business law enthusiasts.
Lawyering for Entrepreneurship (Professors Devine & Dansak):
Michael DiPietro (LAW ’21): Not only is it helpful to watch hypothetical businesses go from cradle to grave from a legal standpoint, but it is even more helpful to understand the economic considerations that motivate this process in the first place. In practice, you will take your clients as you find them and many of them have gone through some form of the entrepreneurial capital-raising process. To expand the universe of potential options for your clients, you will need to know precisely what they are constrained by and how to circumnavigate the legal vestiges of their underfunded past.
Securities Regulation (Professor Lin):
Tithi Patel (LAW ’25): This course covers everything securities—what they are, registrations and exemptions, and federal enforcement laws. In addition to case law, you will study public company filings, review a big law firm’s guide to IPOs, and ask yourself if your favorite celebrity is subject to SEC enforcement for their latest online post. It’s a great course for future litigators (understanding how issues are framed and prosecuted) and transactional attorneys (securities law is relevant whether your client is public or not!) alike.
Taxation (Professor Bartow):
Nick Browndorf (LAW ’25): Everyone is aware that their income gets taxed, but few understand how it’s calculated. This course introduces you to the formulaic process of determining one’s taxable income and how much they owe in taxes. While some case law is present, much of the course involves utilizing key sections of the Internal Revenue Code and completing practice problems to help break down and simplify difficult concepts through real world examples. Professor Bartow spends plenty of time on each topic to make sure everyone fully understands the material before moving on. It is a great course to gain a basic understanding of how the tax system operates and is sure to benefit you in both a personal and professional capacity.
Unincorporated Business Organizations (Professor Wells):
Michael Attryde (LAW ’21): When I started as an associate in a private company M&A practice group in 2021, the Unincorporated Business Organizations course taught by Professor Wells enabled me to quickly get up to speed. This course helped me establish a baseline understanding of how governance functions for these increasingly utilized business entities. Additionally, the course covers the fundamental concepts of agency law, which dictates how organizations act and interact with individuals. Professor Wells teaches the course in an engaging manner that makes it clear how the topics apply to the real world. I would consider this class essential for anyone who intends to work in business law.
The 10–Q also recommends a special course taught by two of our advisors:
Current Topics in Business Law-Wreck of the Penn Central (Professors Lipson & Broder)
The Penn Central Railroad declared bankruptcy in 1970, two years after it was created by the unhappy merger of the Pennsylvania Railroad and the New York Central Railroad, two of the great railroads in American history. The bankruptcy was the largest of its kind, and it, the merger that preceded it, and the legal, regulatory and political maneuvering that followed had profound effects on virtually every aspect of the economy. This writing seminar will investigate the various legal and regulatory touchpoints of this massive, but often forgotten, debacle.
When is Registration?
Priority course selection for the Spring semester is staggered from November 10–14. General registration will be held from November 17–24.