Learn about key legal areas that are essential to leaders in order to successfully grow a business while effectively managing and mitigating risk.
5–7 hours per week
Self-paced learning online
8 weeks
Excluding orientation
Weekly modules,
flexible learning
You need to identify and manage the legal considerations that may impact your business
You need to be better equipped to manage business risk and stakeholders’ impact
You strive to strengthen your position in negotiations with a sound understanding of legal contracts in the business environment
You want to learn business law alongside other business leaders at the top three ranked business school in the United States1
1 U.S. News (2020).
1
The essential legal knowledge needed to guide the strategic direction of your business, and the ability to mitigate various business risks.
2
Confidence to navigate the legal landscape and its impact on business.
3
The ability to interpret regulations in order to make informed and effective leadership decisions.
4
A personalized strategic playbook that provides the framework needed to develop offensive and defensive legal business strategies.
Over the duration of this online program, you’ll work through the following modules:
Module 1 Legal Systems and the Role of Regulation
Explore the application of U.S. laws both locally and globally, the role of the various courts, and an overview of dispute resolution.
Module 2 Agency and Employment Law
Discover the circumstances under which a business is legally liable for the wrongful acts of its employees.
Module 3 Tort Law: Establishing Liability for Civil Wrongs
Examine the basic requirements for a claim under tort law and the potential defenses to it.
Module 4 Leveraging Contract Law for Commercial Success
Investigate the fundamentals of commercial contracts and key business considerations.
Module 5 Antitrust and Competition Law
Examine the nuances of antitrust law and global competition law.
Module 6 Developing an Intellectual Property Strategy
Discover the business value of patents, trademarks, and copyrights.
Module 7 Corporations, LLCs, Partnerships, and Other Business Entities
Review various business structures, and the circumstances in which the protection they offer might be lost.
Module 8 Corporate Governance and the Duties of Officers and Directors
Explore the fundamentals of good corporate governance and the fiduciary duties of directors and officers.
Mark McCareins
Clinical Professor of Business Law, Strategy Department, Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University
McCareins teaches business law, including antitrust and competition, and non-profit governance and organization. He is also the co-director of the dual JD/MBA program at Kellogg. McCareins received a Student Impact Award for his teaching in the fall quarter of 2016 and served as the co-chair of the Kellogg Vertical Merger Conference in January 2019. While he has been instructing at Kellogg for 30 years, he also practiced law as a senior partner in the international law firm of Winston and Strawn LLP for 33 years before retiring in 2014.
This Northwestern University online program is delivered in collaboration with online education provider GetSmarter. Join a growing community of global professionals, and benefit from the opportunity to:
Gain verifiable and relevant competencies and earn invaluable recognition from an international selection of universities, entirely online and in your own time
Enjoy a personalized, people-mediated online learning experience created to make you feel supported at every step
Experience a flexible but structured approach to online education as you plan your learning around your life to meet weekly milestones