2017 Business Law Boot Camp
Baylor Law Hosts Second Annual Business Law Boot Camp
April 30 - May 5, Baylor Law hosted its second annual Business Law Boot Camp at the Sheila & Walter Umphrey Law Center in Waco, Texas.
A Unique Focus on Transactional Law
The Business Law Boot Camp is a week-long program that provides Baylor Law students with a practical overview of the various areas of law a business transactional lawyer will encounter regularly. The course brings together concepts and skills that are taught in separate classes but are interrelated in the practice of business law. The Business Law Boot Camp was underwritten by Kim and Bill Shaddock and sponsored by Beard Kultgen, Brophy, Bostwick & Dickson, LLP, Haynes and Boone, LLP, Bracewell LLP, and Greg Looser. Elizabeth Miller, professor of business organizations at Baylor Law, brought in distinguished transactional lawyers from Texas and other parts of the country to share their knowledge and experience with the students. During the program, students took a midterm and final exam, and the students received three credit hours for the course.
The Business Law Boot Camp began Sunday evening with a pizza-dinner reception and a session on tax issues related to business entities delivered by Johnny Lyle (partner at Adams and Reese LLP) and Steve Frost (retired partner at Chapman and Cutler LLP).
A Week-Long Course on Business Law
On Monday, Carmen Flores (director of the Business and Public Filings Division of the Texas Secretary of State’s Office), Briana Godbey (manager of the Legal Department of the Business and Public Filings Division), and Sara Wagner (staff attorney) taught the students about entity formation issues, such as how to file documents with the Secretary of State's Office and how the Secretary of State’s Office determines entity name availability.
During a luncheon sponsored by Bracewell LLP, Steve Frost discussed the State’s ten things he wished he had known when he began practicing law. This discussion was particularly interesting and helpful for those students who recently graduated and will soon launch their legal careers. On Monday afternoon, Claudia Coscia, JD ’96, (deputy general counsel and secretary of Bimbo Bakeries USA, Inc., the American arm of Grupo Bimbo, S.A.B. de C.V., the world’s largest baking company) gave a presentation about basic trademark, copyright, and advertising issues.
Tuesday morning, Rick Brophy, JD ’77, Jennifer Lindsey, JD ’06, and Matt Czimskey, JD ’12 (partners at Beard Kultgen Brophy Bostwick & Dickson, LLP) walked the students through practical and legal issues involved in commercial loan transactions. During lunch, Bill Shaddock, JD ’77 (owner and CEO of Capital Title of Texas), gave a talk entitled "How to be a Business Leader and Business Lawyer.” He discussed strategies for building and maintaining relationships with clients. Following lunch, Mollie Duckworth (partner at Baker Botts LLP) gave a crash course on securities law issues, start-ups, and venture capital.
On Wednesday morning, the students took a mid-term exam on the topics covered during the first half of the program. Following the mid-term, Haynes and Boone, LLP sponsored a brunch session in which Tom Harris, JD ’89, (partner at Haynes and Boone, LLP) spoke on the anatomy of an M&A transaction. "Baylor Law School and Professor Miller are doing a great service for the law students who participate in Baylor Law’s Business Law Boot Camp,” said Harris. "The students were focused and asked excellent questions about the M&A deal-making process. These future Baylor Lawyers now have a better understanding about what transactional lawyers do to help clients get deals done, education that will help these students whether they end up being courtroom lawyers or transactional lawyers."
Wednesday afternoon, Johnny Lyle gave a talk on business succession and how to avert dysfunction and disaster in family businesses. That evening, the students were treated to a reception hosted by Beard Kultgen Brophy Bostwick & Dickson, LLP, in the President’s Suite at McLane Stadium, which offers a picturesque panoramic view of the Baylor campus and the City of Waco. The opportunity to network and mingle with speakers and other attorneys in one of Baylor’s most beautiful venues was a highlight of the week for the students.
Thursday morning, Hull Youngblood, JD ’74, (of counsel, Ford Murray, PLLC) delivered an entertaining presentation entitled "Seven Deadly Sins of Contract Drafting.” Following Youngblood’s presentation, Greg Looser, JD '94, (co-founder and partner at Clarion Offshore Partners, LLC) gave a talk on having the courage to make ethical decisions in extremely difficult situations. Wrapping up on Thursday, Johnny Lyle led a class session on basic accounting for business lawyers. That evening, students joined Johnny Lyle and Greg Looser for dinner, giving the students the opportunity to ask questions about different career paths and firms’ expectations of young attorneys.
Prepared for the Practice of Transactional Law
Closing out the programming on Friday, Steve Bolden (shareholder at Mahomes Bolden PC) and Christina Marshall (owner of Keating Marshall, PLLC) provided instruction on effective communication and negotiation when representing clients in a transactional context. Two students then employed these tips in a mock negotiation of a confidentiality agreement. The students took a final exam on Friday afternoon followed by the Business Law Boot Camp’s closing ceremony, in which each student received a Baylor Law business card holder filled with the business cards of all of the speakers for the week. At the conclusion of the program, students commented enthusiastically about the benefits of the Business Law Boot Camp, noting, in particular, the unique and concentrated learning environment, practical insight into the legal topics covered, and networking and mentoring opportunities provided by the interaction with practicing lawyers. "I truly cannot emphasize enough how grateful I am that Baylor Law offered this program," said Jenny Forgey, a second-year Baylor Law student. "It has been the highlight of my time in law school to date."
For more about Baylor Law's Business Law Boot Camp, please email Elizabeth Miller at elizabeth_miller@baylor.edu.
