International Business Transactions

• Semester: Spring 2024
• Course ID: 393D
• Credit Hours: 3
• Unique: 28529

Description

This survey course is designed to provide you with a broad overview of the skills and understanding you will need to advise clients on business transactions involving more than one country.  There are no prerequisites: no prior knowledge of business or international law is required.

The course will examine different ways in which a business can structure its international business transactions (e.g. entering direct import/export agreements; appointing foreign agents or distributors; transferring technology to foreign licensees; and establishing or acquiring foreign direct investments), along with the relative advantages and disadvantages of each approach.

We will analyze the unique contractual and regulatory issues presented by each type of transaction, focusing on relevant provisions of US law; multilateral treaties such as the World Trade Agreements (WTO) Agreements and the Convention on the International Sale of Goods (CISG); and regional agreements such as the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) and the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA, formerly known as NAFTA).

Along the way, we will explore current policy debates on topics such as US-China trade relations; and the economic, social and security implications of the current legal framework for international trade and investment.