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Areas of Study

Business and corporate law

Business and Corporate Law

Business and corporate lawyers, whether in-house or at a firm, must understand issues from both a legal and a business perspective in order to effectively advise their employer or client.

St. Thomas Law offers a robust curriculum that will prepare you for a career at the intersection of law and business. In fact, we were named a top school for business law by National Jurist in 2021.

Our courses provide a foundation in corporate and business law, as well as key financial aspects of organizations, with an emphasis on business ethics and professional values.

Experiential learning opportunities, such as externships and clinics, will help you build your skills and apply what you are learning in the classroom.

Our mentor program will pair you with an attorney each year of law school to help you gain experience and develop professional relationships within the Twin Cities business community.

Another highlight of our program is our location. St. Thomas School of Law is located in downtown Minneapolis near major law firms and businesses.

Featured Faculty

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Wulf Kaal

Professor Kaal is a leading expert and the most widely published proponent of blockchain innovation in law and corporate governance, as well as dynamic regulation and associated regulatory applications to improve and expand innovation, including through blockchain technology and smart contracting.
More about Wulf Kaal
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Elizabeth Schiltz

Prior to teaching, Professor Schiltz spent several years practicing at top law firms. She specialized in banking regulation, general corporate law and international law. At St. Thomas, teaches classes in contracts, sales, consumer law and disability law. She also leads the Special Education Clinic.
More about Elizabeth Schiltz
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Lyman Johnson

Professor Johnson is the nation’s leading legal scholar on corporate fiduciary duties. His publications are widely cited by influential judges and scholars. Johnson also explores religion and faith in the corporate world and how business leaders may consider their beliefs when making business decisions.
More about Lyman Johnson
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Thomas Berg

Professor Berg focuses his scholarship on religious liberty and, secondarily, intellectual property. He is co-editor of the leading religious liberty casebook and co-author of the book "Patents on Life: Religious, Moral, and Social Justice Aspects of Biotechnology and Intellectual Property."
More about Thomas Berg
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Brenda Arndt

Professor Arndt served for 21 years in the legal department of Cargill, America’s largest privately held company. As a senior international mergers & acquisitions specialist, she served as legal lead for acquisitions, joint ventures and divestures across a variety of industries, countries and deal sizes.
More about Brenda Arndt
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Dennis Monroe

Professor Monroe is a pioneer in corporate financing with a broad network of finance contacts and clients, and a long history of involvement in the restaurant and hospitality industries. He is the co-founder and chairman of Monroe Moxness Berg PA.
More about Dennis Monroe

Course List

Below are examples of some of the courses offered at St. Thomas Law for students interested in pursuing a career in business law.
  • Accounting for Lawyers
  • Administrative Law
  • Banking Law
  • Bankruptcy
  • Business Associations
  • Business Basics for Lawyers: Foundations III
  • Compliance Programming
  • Contracts
  • Corporate Finance
  • Corporate Governance
  • Cybersecurity: Managing Risk
  • Employment Discrimination
  • Employment Law
  • Environmental Law
  • Ethical Leadership in Organizations
  • Federal Income Taxation
  • Information Privacy and Data Protection Law
  • Intellectual Property
  • International Business Transactions
  • Mergers and Acquisitions
  • Negotiation
  • Patent Law
  • Regulation of Disruptive Innovation
  • Representing Entrepreneurs and Small Businesses
  • Sales
  • Secured Transactions
  • Securities Regulation
  • Taxation of Business Enterprises
  • Topics: The Role of the In-House Counsel

Experiential Learning

Legal Externships

Accelerate your professional development and substantive understanding of business law and in a legal externship.
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Business Externship

Gain pragmatic, real-world experience through both observation and hands-on work projects in a corporate or non-profit environment.

More about Externships
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Compliance Externship

Complete projects under the supervision of a compliance professional to gain an understanding of effective ethics and compliance programming.

More about Externships

Legal Clinics

Represent and assist clients working in one of our business-related legal clinics.
Mentor and mentee in office

Mentor Externship Program

A Mentor for Every Law Student

Each law student is matched with a mentor, such as an attorney working as in house counsel in a corporation or at a law firm, who complements their interests and professional goals. Our mentors allow students to engage in legal work, professional networking and meaningful reflection.

Meet our Alumni

Lawyer Search is St. Thomas Law’s online directory of alumni. It is available to those with legal needs, for attorney networking and referrals and so current and prospective law students can meet attorneys working in their area of interest—such as business and corporate law. Click below to connect with one of our alums!
General Mills Corporate

The Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul

A Dynamic Business Community

Minnesota is home to 17 Fortune 500 companies, including Target, Best Buy, Cargill, General Mills, 3M and UnitedHealth Group—and many of them are headquartered in the Twin Cities. Minneapolis and St. Paul have the most Fortune 500 companies per capita of any U.S. metro area. Major industries include medical devices, manufacturing, renewable energy, technology, finance and engineering.

Student Clubs and Organizations

With 35+ student organizations, our students put their commitment to professional development, service, leadership and social justice to work. Some of the business-related clubs include:

  • Business Corporate Law Society
  • Employment & Labor Law Association
  • Environmental Law Society
  • Greater Minnesota Practice Cooperative
  • Sports, Entertainment and Media Law Society
  • Student Intellectual Property Law Association