An Overview of the Business Law Curriculum
The Richmond Law & Business Forum is highlighting course offerings related to business law. In this post, Professor Erickson offers advice on navigating the business law curriculum.
Richmond Law & Business Forum
Business Law Over Dinner Events
We will have multiple dinners throughout the semester with lawyers who practice in specific areas of business law. This spring, the dinners will focus on transactional law (Wednesday, February 19 and Wednesday, February 26), in-house practice (Tuesday, March 4), labor & employment law (Tuesday, March 4), intellectual property/transactional law (Tuesday, March 4), mergers & acquisitions (Thursday, March 6), and securities & finance (Wednesday, March 26). These dinners are among our most popular events, and spots are extremely limited. Students can express interest in one of these spots by registering with this link by January 29. We will randomly select the students who can attend from those who register. Only Forum members are eligible to attend, and the Forum covers the full cost of the events.
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September 2025
Introductory Meeting
Monday, September 8 at noon in Room 101
Do you want to learn more about your career options? The Law & Business Forum helps students explore opportunities in business law and connect with business lawyers. If you think you might want to practice business law or you’re just curious about this area, come and learn more! Lunch will be served. Email Professor Erickson for more information.
How the Legal Industry Is Using AI
Thursday, September 25 at noon in Room 101
The use of artificial intelligence is impacting nearly every industry, but how exactly are lawyers using AI? At this event, we will hear from three leaders in business law about how they use AI today and how they expect the use of AI in the legal industry to change over the coming years. They will also discuss how law students can prepare themselves for these changes. Our speakers include Richa Fortuna, Senior Counsel, Corporate and Strategic Transactions at Capital One, Justin Ritter, the founder of Ritter Law PLLC, and Tom Trujillo, McGuireWoods’ Chief Innovation and AI Officer.
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October 2025
Delaware’s Fight for Corporate Dominance
Thursday, October 16 at noon in Room 128
For more than a century, Delaware has dominated the competition for corporations, with nearly 70 percent of public companies registered in the state. Recently, however, other states have started to challenge this dominance. At this event, we will discuss how Elon Musk, claims of judicial overreaching, and political disputes have led states to make a play for Delaware’s corporate dominance. Our speakers include Allen Goolsby, one of the original drafters of Virginia’s corporate law, Steven Haas, Co-Head of the Corporate Team at Hunton Andrews & Kurth and outgoing Chair of the ABA committee that drafts the corporate code used in 36 states, and David Marcus, a leading business law reporter at The Deal.
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November 2025
Exploring the Role of In-House Counsel
Wednesday, November 5 at noon in Room 128
Not all business lawyers work in law firms. An increasing percentage of business lawyers start their careers in law firms and later work in-house in the legal departments of companies and other organizations. At this event, a panel of in-house lawyers will discuss how in-house positions differ from private practice, the skills are needed for this type of work, and how to obtain these opportunities. This event is co-sponsored by the Corporate Counsel Section of the Virginia State Bar.
