This 8 week course will drill down beneath the work that corporate clerks and corporate lawyers do and provide insights into why this work is being done and how strategic decisions are made as to what to do.   It will address how corporate structures are used for income tax planning, creditor protection, avoiding shareholder disputes and planning for business succession.  It will look at actual fact situations which turned out well because of good structures and planning, and others which resulted in litigation because of poor structures and planning.

The course will also address where shareholders agreements fit in and how financing, leasing and other commercial issues might affect the situation.  Most importantly, the course will tie together the work that corporate clerks and corporate lawyers do and the real people behind the corporations and examine how the work of corporate clerks and corporate lawyers affects clients’ families and financial well-being. 

Instruction will consist of a mixture of lecture, discussion of case studies and review of documents.   Class participation and discussion will be encouraged. Due to the nature of this course it will not be offered by webcast: only in-class attendance.

PowerPoint outlines will be distributed, however for the purpose of the exam students will have to rely upon the notes which they take in class and arrange to obtain notes from other students for missed classes.