Introduction to American Corporate Law

This course introduces the legal structure of the modern corporation. Rather than treating corporate law as a technical checklist, we will study it as a system of institutional design that allocates power, defines obligations, and structures economic behavior. Through close readings of key cases and practical examples, you will learn how the law creates and governs the firm, how directors are shielded and constrained, and how rules interact with norms to shape decision-making inside companies. We will begin with the foundational attributes of the corporate form and move through formation, gov…