International Business Transactions, Regulation and Litigation

What legal problems arise when firms go global? Lawyers are increasingly asked to advise clients with global operations and to respond to multiple and sometimes inconsistent national laws. Through a series of case studies, we put you in the driver's seat and ask you to consider the challenges of doing business around the world. How should Twitter react to free speech limitations in Turkey? How should Facebook respond when governments around the world regulate its use and collection of data? What are the consequences for a US retailer if it expands in Europe? What rights and protections must it grant its employees? How should Nike weigh the legal risk from factory fires in Bangladesh? How should investors in China (or Ethiopia or North Korea) deal with the reality that they will lack basic legal protections that are common elsewhere? We examine how multinational firms respond to variation in national laws and what tools they have at their disposal when considering deals, disputes, and regulation. Elements used in grading: a short paper, class participation, and written assignments. This class is open to ALL students (except 1Ls). It is not limited to students enrolled in the Global Quarter.