Business Law

A broader context

Our business law specialization is one of the strongest in Canada. We understand businesses operate in larger social, economic and political contexts. We care about the interactions of business law and policy with technology, governance and stakeholder rights, economic, social and environmental justice.

Students who choose to study business law with us thrive in a supportive environment that looks at the issues in this broader context. We look forward to meeting you, and learning more about how you want to make the world a better place.

Specialize in Business Law 

JD students who pursue our business law certificate will graduate with the skills and knowledge to support them in their work as business law practitioners or policy-makers, within Canada or abroad.

Students interested in registering for Business Law Specialization Certificate must complete and return the Business Law Specialization registration form  to bizlaw@dal.ca as early as possible. (Ideally, no later than the start of 2L).  You must also submit for the certificate through Dalonline .

Please note not all courses listed below are offered every year so refer to the current timetable. 

The certificate has five major components:

• First, students must take the foundational Business Associations course in second year.
• Second, students must take at  least 1 course from 4 of the 5 baskets for a total of 4 courses from the Corporate Stakeholders” category, designed to give students adequate grounding in understanding the duties required to meet the “best interests of the corporation” legal requirement.
• Third, students must take one course that sets business law and policy in its International economic context.
• Fourth, each student must take at least one course from the capstone skills basket.  These capstone offerings help students consolidate their substantive knowledge of business law in an applied context.
• Finally, every student must complete two days in a required, but non-credited, business law intensive.  The date of the next intensive is Friday, Sept. 16, 3:00-4:00 and Saturday September 17, 11:30 -4:30.  Students must attend all sessions both days.    Please email bizlaw@dal.ca to register

Specialization Requirements

1.   Mandatory Foundation (1 course)

• LAWS 2002 Business Associations

2.   Corporate Stakeholders ( At least 4 courses)

Every director and officer of a corporation must "act honestly and in good faith with a view to the best interests of the corporation." To fulfil this obligation, they may consider the interests of shareholders, employees, creditors, consumers, governments, and the environment, as well as the long-term interests of the corporation.

3.   Business in its international economic context (At least 1 course)

All businesses, no matter how small, engage in an increasingly globalized economy. This requirement introduces students to some of the legal complexity businesses face in the international environment. Students must take one of the courses listed below.

4.   Skills Capstone (At least 1 course)

The courses in this basket (the skills capstone) have as their focus the development of applied skills (drafting, oral argument, negotiation etc.).  They are not primarily focused on building a broad matrix of substantive knowledge evaluated by high-value final exam or by major paper.  Each student must take at least one course from the following list of courses:

5.   Business Law Certificate Intensive (2 days)

Students in the certificate must complete two days in the business law certificate intensive.  The intensive will not count for credit and will not be graded.  Topics addressed may vary.  The intensive will be scheduled for two days on a weekend in the Fall semester.

Additional regulations:

• If a student is participating in an exchange program, they can request that courses from that exchange be credited towards the certificate. The course cannot duplicate a course that the student has taken at the Schulich School of Law. The burden is on the student to demonstrate that the substance and quality of the course fits within the parameters of the certificate, for example, by providing the course description, syllabus, etc. The Purdy Crawford Chair in Business Law has the final authority to approve the request.  If the course is approved, the student will not be subsequently permitted to receive credit for a course at Schulich which, in the opinion of the Associate Dean (Academic), has undue overlap with the course taken on exchange.
• A student may substitute a directed research paper for one of the courses in category 2 or 3.
• Additional one-credit intensive courses may be added to the curriculum schedule at short notice. The Purdy Crawford Chair in Business Law will notify students if any such additions can be counted towards the Business Law Certificate.

 NOTE:  Except where noted above regarding exchange studies, for the purposes of any Schulich School of Law certificate program, only those courses pursued at the Schulich School of Law during the student's JD studies which lead to successful completion of a Dalhousie University JD degree will be recognized.  Students are not permitted to count a course towards more than one certificate.

Experiential Learning

As well as completing a skills based capstone course, students have opportunites to compete in moots, and take problem-based learning courses. We also have a number of internships that allow business law students to develop their skills outside of the classroom.

Combined Degree Programs

Through a partnership with the Faculty of Management, we offer our students a combined JD/MBA degree. The combined degree is completed in four years, rather than the five required to get both degrees separately.

Graduate Studies (LLM & PhD)

At the Schulich School of Law, graduate studies in business law are informed by the Weldon Tradition - a tradition that celebrates and supports a committment to unselfish public service.

Our graduate students carry on the Weldon Tradition in their research, teaching and community contributions. As a community of scholars, we care about the interactions of business law and policy with technology, governance and stakeholder rights, as well as economic, social and environmental justice.

Graduate business law students have opportunities to undertake research assistantships, and benefit from the conferences, speakers and workshops that we host on a regular basis.

Learn more about our graduate programs

Our Faculty

Our business law faculty members are world reknowned experts in their field. Students have the opportunity to work one-on-one with professors who are passionately devoted to mentoring students. 

Purdy Crawford Chair

Professor Michael Deturbide, QC, is the fifth holder of the Purdy Crawford Chair in Business Law. Professor Deturbide served for several years as the Associate Dean, Academic at the Schulich School of Law, and is a founding Director of the Law and Technology Institute. He also serves on the Nova Scotia Securities Commission.

Professor Deturbide’s research focuses on the intersection of technology and business law, including directors’ liability, stakeholder remedies, and consumer protection online. His teaching has included Business Associations, Taxation Law, and Commercial Law..  

Faculty Members

Career Paths

One of the advantages of studying at Schulich Law is our broad view of business law. Whether you want to work on Bay Street or Main Street, within government or in the private sectors, with small family business or large multinationals - our program will give you a firm foundation to succeed.