Student Perspective on the Business Law Boot Camp: Genesis Lozano

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.

Genesis Lozano 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?

I wanted to sign up and be a part of the Business Law Boot Camp due to my desire to be a transactional attorney. Coming into Baylor Law, I always knew I wanted to work on the business side of the law but was unfamiliar with what exactly the entire transactional practice entailed. During my 2L and 3L year, I arranged my course schedule to focus on transactional courses, and I had the opportunity to be taught and learn from Professor Miller and Professor Page. I knew that getting the ability to participate in the Boot Camp would be the perfect way to see all the transactional courses that I had taken come together. The Boot Camp met and far exceeded my expectations, providing a very practical, hands-on, and effective insight into the transactional practice of law. The Boot Camp and the practicing attorneys invited highlighted the different transactional areas and expanded each student's knowledge of transactional law.

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

The Boot Camp educated us on so many areas of transactional law and expanded my thoughts on what the practice truly is. We have gotten the experience of learning and hearing from so many practicing attorneys and seeing how their careers have taken different paths to get to where they are today. The camp has shown me that the transactional field of law is so complex, and there are many opportunities for law students and young attorneys aspiring to work in this field to get exactly where they want to be. Further, many of the speakers are Baylor Lawyers, and it has been inspirational to see the work they have done and the careers they have made since being in our positions.

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

While I enjoyed more than one session and topic during the Boot Camp, my favorite one was the session on Sale of a Business: Anatomy of an M&A Transaction by Tom Harris. This session was my favorite because M&A is an area that I have always been interested in concentrating on and one on which I hopefully want to focus my future career. The presentation was very interesting, engaging, and insightful and highlighted the main points of M&A. Its focus on deal structuring and walking through a purchase agreement was also very instructive and approachable whether one was hearing about M&A for the first time or already had skills in the area. Further, the other main reason this session stood out the most to me was due to my completion of Baylor Law's M&A course taught by Professor Page. It was exciting to see the skills and teachings learned in the classroom applied to the instructions of a practicing attorney.

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

For me, one of the more challenging parts of the Boot Camp was learning about accounting and intellectual property, mainly for the first time. Although I had taken a number of transactional courses during my time in law school, these areas were some that were relatively new to me since I had never really focused on them. However, the presenters on both these topics did a great job setting up their presentations and providing us with PowerPoint presentations, which helped clarify any confusion or questions I had. Additionally, Professor Miller and all the presenters did a great job in providing us with many materials that made following the presentations go more smoothly and allowed students whose first time it was hearing some of the topics the chance to review and understand the topics better.

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

I would encourage anyone interested in business and transactional law to definitely apply for the Boot Camp! The Boot Camp was one of the most enjoyable and fun experiences I have had at Baylor Law. Being grouped with fellow classmates who are also interested in this area of the law has also been very encouraging and fun, as we have uplifted each other and grown closer throughout the camp. Further, getting to learn and hear from practicing attorneys with years of experience has also been amazingly helpful as they provided advice, insight, and opportunities to network with them. Lastly, Professor Miller has organized this Boot Camp sensationally and allows us to participate in such a great program. It is so evident that she cares about the success of her students, and I would encourage any student interested in this area of law to take advantage of what she is doing with this program.

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

For the next part of the summer, I will be working with a firm in Dallas as a part of their transactional group. I will have the ability to work and learn from the firm's M&A, Securities, and Banking and Corporate Finance groups. After that, I will return to Baylor Law in the fall for my last two quarters in order to complete Practice Court. I will be graduating in February and plan to sit for the February bar exam. Upon graduation and taking the bar, I plan to keep working and focusing on transactional law in M&A and Securities and hopefully go on to one-day practice Healthcare transaction deals and regulations. I am confident that my attendance at the Boot Camp has impacted my future plans by demonstrating that you will always get to where you are meant to be.