Course Offerings

Instruction in dispute resolution theory and practice with a focus on negotiation, mediation and topics such as collaborative law and judicial dispute resolution, and application of those processes to a substantive area of law. 

An examination of the estate transactions. Topics include the purchase and sale of property, mortgaging and other ways to finance land transactions, commercial leasing arrangements, and the Land Titles Act as it relates to land development.

The basic language and concepts of taxation and identification of taxation issues. Topics include the unit of taxation, the meaning and taxation of income, taxation of benefits, the type and scope of deductions available for business income, and the taxation of capital gains including gains (and losses) on taxpayer assets.

The sale and supply of goods, including an examination of the provincial Sale of Goods Act, consumer protection issues, and the Vienna International Sales Convention.

The various types of insurance (e.g. fire, life, sickness and accident, motor vehicle, and liability). Topics include the nature and formation of the insurance contract, the role of insurance agents, insurable interest, misrepresentation and non-disclosure, and the rights of third parties against the insurer.

The law governing non-unionized workplaces in Canada. Topics include constitutional jurisdiction, defining the employment relationship and employer/employee status, the employment contract, implied rights and obligations, termination, reasonable notice of dismissal, constructive dismissal, cause for summary dismissal, human rights, and employment standards legislation.

Principles of tax policy (efficiency, equity, and simplicity) and applications related to income, sales, and payroll taxes. Topics include the economic and distributive effects of taxes, auditing and legal compliance, and political economy.

Legal aspects of corporate finance transactions, including applicable regulatory frameworks. Topics may include equity and debt financing, secured transactions, assess and/or share purchase and sale agreements, and takeover bids.

Intellectual property transactions and strategies in a variety of industries in energy, information technology, and life sciences. Topics include open source IP, IP governance, management and best practices, valuation, ownership, improvements, co-ownership and collaboration, patent pools and standard setting organizations, software licensing and IT transactions, licensing, infringement management, and warranties.

The tax implications of both inbound and outbound investment and implications for structuring affiliates, with consideration of international tax treaties and foreign tax credit mechanisms.

The regulation of capital market participants; the issuance of, and trades in, securities of companies, with an emphasis on Alberta and the National Instruments enacted by the Canadian securities regulator; the theory of securities regulation; as well as enforcement and compliance.

Key legal and financial concepts for mergers and acquisitions. Topics may include structuring transactions, the required legal documentation, securities legislation, director and officer responsibilities, negotiations, financing, defensive tactics, due diligence, employment and other issues.

The skills employed by a corporate solicitor in the context of one or more transactions. Skills covered may include drafting, negotiating, research, advocacy, and transaction management, in simulated or real transactions.

This course looks at the evolution of money laundering and financial crime in the last 100 years. Contemporary laundering isn’t just about the proceeds from drugs-trafficking, smuggling and corruption but also about Base Erosion Profit Shifting, trade-related malpractices and tax avoidance. The full range of laundering behaviours and practices lie on the spectrum between ‘downright criminal’ and ‘perfectly legal’; we will focus on the political, economic and historical contexts that make them so

The law governing unionized workplaces in Canada. Topics include freedom of association, the status of participants, union organization and certification, unfair labour practices, collective bargaining, the collective agreement and arbitration, industrial conflict, the duty of fair representation, and interaction between the labour law regime and the common-law of employment.

The common forms of business organization, including the law of agency, partnerships, limited partnerships, and societies and corporations, with a focus on the corporation and the rights and responsibilities of shareholders and directors. Topics will include fiduciary relationships in a commercial context.

Receivership, consumer and commercial arrangements and bankruptcy under the Bankruptcy Act and the Company Creditors Arrangements Act.

The modern law of secured transactions and the financing of personal property, with a focus on Alberta's Personal Property Security Act. Other topics include Bank Act security, the Farm Implement Act, and the Fair Trading Act.

Intellectual property, including the law of patents, copyrights, and trade-marks.

Private (between individuals) and mixed (investor/state) arbitration. Coverage includes domestic and international arbitration rules, including UNCITRA

An examination of the practical and theoretical implications arising from the application of economic reasoning to law. Topics include the economic method of legal analysis, the scope of its application, and the major critical responses in both traditional legal fields of economic influence (such as tort, contract and corporate law) and more novel areas (such as family and criminal law).

The remedies available to the unsecured creditor for the collection of debts and the protections offered to debtors, including prejudgment remedies, garnishment, execution against real and personal property, fraudulent preferences and conveyances, and the regulation of collection and credit agencies.

The principal concepts in corporate governance and their evolution in Canada; the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and the related rules of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the New York Stock Exchange; the securities regulatory response of Canada to the adoption of Sarbanes-Oxley in the United States; and other current topics in corporate governance.

Investor protection in customary law and treaties, in particular NAFTA Chapter 11, bilateral investment treaties (BITs), and the Energy Charter; the main disciplines, including national treatment, most favoured nation treatment, fair and equitable treatment, and the rules pertaining to expropriation; soft law norms pertaining to investment; and relevant domestic law, including the Investment Canada Act.

The legal and economic aspects of building a new venture, and the norms around legal and contractual structures in Canada and the United States. The focus is on advising an entrepreneur client in a start-up. Topics include creating the corporate structure, raising capital, hiring new employees, protecting intellectual property, founder-proofing the venture, and getting to acquisition or other liquidity event.

The non-legal skills required by lawyers working in-house or with business clients. Topics may include reading and analyzing financial statements; understanding cash flow models; business valuation; negotiation; capital markets; crisis management; project management.

A clinical seminar where students work with startup companies and entrepreneurs. Students may prepare memos and drafts of business agreements. 

This course will introduce students to developments in “fintech” law and policy in Canada. By taking this course students will acquire knowledge of new technologies impacting financial market products, services, and processes and how fintech may lead to great financial inclusion and social utility; Assess “fintech” as a historical development; Understand the regulatory frameworks that apply to key fintech sectors in Canada, and become familiar with comparative international regimes...

The provisions of the Income Tax Act applicable to corporations and their shareholders. Topics include the classification of corporations for tax purposes, the taxation of corporate income, the taxation of corporate distributions, and the taxation of various types of corporate reorganizations.