The Transactional Law Practice Certificate Program is a curricular pathway for students interested in pursuing legal careers representing clients in planning, negotiating, structuring, and documenting business transactions. It is designed to provide law students with a strong background in basic business law concepts, an opportunity for in-depth study of advanced business and business-related legal doctrine and practice, and intensive practice-oriented instruction focusing on the skills essential for transactional law practice.
South Texas College of Law Houston has a long tradition of excellence in skills oriented legal education, and the Transactional Law Practice Certificate Program builds on that tradition by providing a comprehensive and integrated course of study through which students may develop competence in transactional matters that business lawyers routinely handle, including working with clients in planning and implementing business transactions; negotiating and drafting legal documents; and advising and counseling clients on the applicable laws and regulations governing various aspects of the deal. Students need not have any special business background or experience to participate in the Transactional Law Practice Certificate Program. Students from all academic and professional backgrounds–including the humanities, sciences, engineering, and business–are encouraged to consider enrolling in the Program and taking business and transactional courses. Moreover, since most lawyers do some transactional work, even students who do not expect to have exclusively transactional law practices are encouraged to consider participating in the program.
Students must apply for admission to the program. Normally students should apply after completing the first thirty (30) semester hours of required law school courses and before completing forty-five (45) semester hours or during their third semester of full-time study. Exceptions will be made only in rare cases.
- To receive the Certificate at graduation, students must satisfy the following requirements:
- Three core business law courses
- Three elective business-related courses
- One general transactional skills course
- One specialized transactional skills course
- Satisfaction of the Substantial Writing Requirement by writing on a business- or transactional practice-related topic
- A 3.333 cumulative grade point average across all Certificate related courses and a 3.000 overall cumulative law school grade point average.