Student Perspective on the Business Law Boot Camp: Adan Abu-Hakmeh

Baylor Law's Business Law Boot Camp is a week-long program that provides Baylor Law students with a practical, deep dive into various areas of law a corporate or business transactional lawyer deals with regularly. Taught by a diverse team of accomplished transactional attorneys, the Boot Camp courses are delivered via both classroom lectures and collaborative exercises.

Adan Abu-Hakmeh attended Baylor Law's Business Law Boot Camp in 2022. Read her thoughts on the Boot Camp below.

 

Why did you apply for the Boot Camp? Did it meet your expectations?

While in Business Organizations I and II, Professor Miller impressed how much information there is regarding transactional law and strategies but how little time there is to learn it all competently. When choosing my schedule, because of advocacy teams and my concentration in Health Law, I had a difficult time fitting in classes I wanted to take during the school year, so I wanted to boost my foundational knowledge and understanding regarding business law and transactions. Boot Camp was the perfect fit for me to refresh what I have already learned and get a practical basis for mergers and acquisitions, succession planning, tax law, and corporate formation.

 

What are your thoughts on what you learned during the Boot Camp?

Every single faculty lecturer at Business Law Bootcamp has years of experience, and has framed all of their lessons by teaching us practically how the theoretical concepts we have learned in our transactional quarter apply to situations brought up by real clients they've had in their careers.

I was so surprised that the lawyers that came in to talk to us have spoken openly and candidly about the trials and tribulations of their careers and paths to transactional law.

Overall, I deeply appreciate how excited every attorney has been to meet us, talk to us, get to know us, and help us.

 

Which classroom session(s) or topic(s) made a particularly strong impression on you, and why?

The single most enlightening session of the Business Law Boot Camp has been Raising Capital: Intro to Securities Law Issues and Start-Up and Venture-Capital Lingo with Mollie Duckworth. I had never heard of venture capital, but Mollie clearly explained the basic terminology and regulatory functions of securities to a beginner.

The session of the Business Law Boot Camp that was, by far, my favorite, was Lessons from the Road Less Traveled with Greg Looser. By sharing real news stories, examples from his career, and comments regarding the importance of ethics, compliance, and upholding your values while working as an attorney, Greg really impressed upon us the importance of remaining ethical even if you are the only person in the room speaking up.

The session of the Business Law Boot Camp that I did not expect to like so much was Communication and Negotiation Skills for the Transactional Lawyer. We had an interactive activity and engaging panel of speakers with experience in a number of environments, sharing their experiences from an introspective as well as retrospective point of view.

 

What part of the Boot Camp was most challenging for you?

As someone who is on advocacy teams and focused on Health law, I did not have the opportunity to take classes focused on financing, capital, or securities prior to Boot Camp, and so at times, it was difficult- not to understand the lecture - but to understand some of my classmates’ questions! Professor Miller did a great job stepping in to give context or to clarify that the question was beyond the scope of the session, and our faculty lecturers were able to expertly answer the questions in a way that helped students like me to catch up.

 

What would you say to a fellow student who is interested in applying for the next Boot Camp?

The Boot Camp has been the absolute most fun way to learn in Law School. Professor Miller has expertly crafted a six-day schedule that is rigorous and stimulating, has opportunities for socialization and networking, and enough practical activities to learn how to apply the law.

 

What comes next for you? Do you think your attendance at the Boot Camp will impact your future plans?

For the rest of the summer, I will be applying the skills I've learned this year while at my internship with in-house counsel at a large corporation. After Practice Court, I am excited to fit in as many transactional law classes as I can, focusing on the courses that many of our speakers either recommended, teach, or regret not taking while in school. After graduation, I want to work in the transactional health law industry, working on mergers and acquisitions of healthcare facilities, negotiating contracts, or working in healthcare fraud. Because many of our faculty lecturers this week have had fluid career paths, I feel confident that no matter what industry I start in, I can change my mind and move to a different area at any point in time.