Business Law Courses
All Subjects > Law > Business Law
Take free online business law courses to build your skills and advance your career. Learn business law and other in-demand subjects with courses from top universities and institutions around the world on edX.
Related topics - Business Strategy | Contracts | Counseling | Criminal Law | Customer Insights | Data Privacy | Democracy | Foreign Policy | Government | Human Resources | Intellectual Property | International Law | International Project Management | Knowledge Management | Law | Localization | MBA Courses | Mergers & Acquisitions | Music Business | Negotiations | Public Economics | Social Responsibility | Sports Business
Hundreds of great courses at your fingertips
What is Business Law?
Business Law (also known as corporate law) refers all areas of law involved in starting and running a business in compliance with federal and state legal business standards. Business Law draws on a wide range of legal disciplines including administrative law, business law, common law, civil law, copyright law, contract law, real estate law, case law, and labor law.
Focused on commercial rather than inter-personal affairs, Business Law differs from disciplines like Family Law, which includes estate and end-of-life planning, assigning power of attorney, etc.
The success of a business can depend on the owner's knowledge of business law, or on their engagement of an experienced business lawyer. Thoughtful legal limit financial risk and reduce chances of litigation. Practitioners in employment law and business contract law help companies grow properly. New agreements must be properly reviewed to avoid commercial litigation that can stem from a breach of business contracts. Depending on the industry, specialties in international law and environmental law may be required as well.
Courses in Business Law
By its nature, Business Law touches on many industries, making it an exciting and versatile field of study.
For those just getting started, consider signing up for the Cornell University’s introductory course, Structuring Business Agreements for Success. In this course you’ll learn to identify the sources of law that govern businesses and society, and consider how lawyers construct legal arguments.
For more intermediate students, Harvard University currently offers ContractsX 2017, a course that details how contracts are formed, what makes them enforceable, and what happens when one party breaks a promise.
For more advanced students, Boston University offers Legal Risk Management Strategies for Multinational Enterprises, which explores corporate accountability and risk management.
Jobs in Business Law
A career in business law can take many different forms. Students of business law can become corporate attorneys and work for small or large firms, government agencies or corporations.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), lawyers employed in the management of companies and enterprises earned a mean annual wage of $175,930.
Those without a law degree can still work in Business Law as a paralegal conducting research, drafting documents, organizing case files, and providing essential support to lawyers. The median annual wage for paralegals according to the same BLS report was $48,810.
A background in Business Law can also benefit those interested in becoming a Financial Analyst in a business setting. Requiring a bachelor’s degree, financial analysts help companies make strategic investing decisions and assess risk management.
There are currently over 200,000 search results for Business Law on Indeed.com with over 72,000 positions offering salaries of $55,000 a year or more.
Career in Business Law
A career in Business Law can put you at the helm of helping some of the world’s top growing businesses; enabling you to help negotiate their risk in volatile markets and give them the council needed to successfully and responsibly compete. Consider a career in Business Law or learn the fundamentals with an edX Business Law course today!