Deals: Bringing Corporate Transactions into the Law School Classroom

Abstract

In this Essay, Victor Fleischer describes the "gap" between what is taught in law schools and what is needed in corporate transactional practice. The Essay identifies three related reasons why schools have struggled to teach transactions effectively: (1) the lack of a conceptual framework, (2) the lack of qualified teachers, and (3) the lack of quality teaching materials. The Essay then describes how the Deals program at Columbia Law School addresses these problems and provides students with a pedagogically sound and effective introduction to corporate transactional practice.