Why is understanding the law crucial for a business’s success? When do legal decisions play a pivotal role in the creation or survival of a business? How are taxes a key driver behind vital corporate decisions?
Why should you study business law?
From lemonade stands to multi-billion-dollar mergers, business law is interwoven into our daily lives. But for businesses to be created, grow and thrive, we need an environment that guarantees that contracts will be honoured, structures will be stable, and competition will be fair – in essence, that rules will be followed.
Understanding, creating and enforcing those rules is the art and science of business law.
Learn about the body of law that governs and regulates the creation, operation, and termination of a business. Business law provides a framework that enables businesses to operate in an environment that is efficient and functional through the enforcement of contract and property rights. Without such laws, there would be no measure of predictability or security in the operation of a business.
The Faculty of Law at Queen’s University has designed a JD program that ensures students build expertise in many areas of business law including corporate law, commercial law, securities regulation, and mergers & acquisitions. The Business Law Program provides students the opportunity to learn from and interact with internationally recognized faculty members, as well as leading practitioners and members of the judiciary. Through courses and experiential learning opportunities, the Business Law Program equips students with the substantive and practical knowledge to lead a successful and rewarding career in the business sector.
Joint Degrees and Other Programs
In addition to the JD program, the Business Law Program offers the following inter-disciplinary combined programs:
- Bachelor of Commerce/Juris Doctor (BCom/JD)
- Juris Doctor/ Master of Business Administration (JD/MBA)
- Master of Economics/Juris Doctor (MA(Econ)/JD)
Queen’s JD students also have the opportunity to study International Business Law abroad at Bader College at Herstmonceux Castle in London, England. The Business Law Program also offers educational opportunities for legal professionals through its Graduate Diploma in Legal Services Management and for undergraduate students through its Undergraduate Certificate in Law.
Faculty
- Gail Henderson
Gail Henderson is an Associate Professor and the Director of the Business Law Program. Before academia, Professor Henderson clerked for the Supreme Court of Canada and practised law at Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP. Professor Henderson researches and teaches in the areas of business associations, consumer protection, contracts and securities regulation. Her research focuses on financial consumer protection. - Robert Yalden
Robert Yalden joined Queen’s Law in 2018 as the first Sigurdson Professor in Corporate Law and Finance. Professor Yalden clerked for the Supreme Court of Canada, practiced law for 25 years with Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP and served in a number of senior roles at Osler (including as a member of its Executive Committee and co-Chair of its Mergers & Acquisitions practice). His research interests include corporate law, securities law, mergers and acquisitions, director’s duties and corporate governance. - Ivan Ozai
Ivan Ozai is an Associate Professor and the inaugural Queen’s Faculty Scholar in Tax Law and Policy at Queen’s Law. He specializes in national, comparative, and international tax law and policy, focusing particularly on tax avoidance, tax competition, global tax justice, and the intersections of taxation, ethics, governance, and international law. Prior to joining Queen’s, he taught at Osgoode Hall Law School, York University. Before entering academia, he practised tax law for over a decade in São Paulo. - Joshua Karton
Joshua Karton is a Professor and Associate Dean for Graduate Studies and Program Development. He co-founded and remains the Managing Editor of the Canadian Journal of Commercial Arbitration. He was a commercial litigator in New York before entering academia and now works occasionally as a consultant or arbitrator in international commercial disputes. His research interests are in international commercial law, especially the law governing cross-border business relationships and the resolution of cross-border business disputes. - Nicolas Lamp
Nicolas Lamp is an Associate Professor and the Academic Co-Director of the International Law Program, an eight-week Queen’s Law summer course in Europe. With research interests in trade policy in response to globalization, international trade law, and the international lawmaking process, he received a SSHRC Insight Grant, “Trading in (Dis)Order: The Crisis of Globalization and the Future of International Trade Law and Policy,” in 2025. Prior to joining Queen’s, he worked as a dispute settlement lawyer at the Appellate Body Secretariat of the World Trade Organization. - Alyssa King
Alyssa King is an Associate Professor who studies courts and comparative procedure, with a focus on issues of adjudicator role and borrowing of procedural rules. She is particularly interested in access to justice and in the intersection of normative systems through mechanisms such as federalism, arbitration, and the reception of international law. She received her PhD from Yale University and her JD from Yale Law School, where she was an executive editor of the Yale Journal of International Law and a senior editor of the Yale Law Journal. - Erik Knutsen
Erik S. Knutsen is a Professor whose areas of academic interest include insurance law, torts, civil procedure and the civil litigation system, health law and medical liability. He was awarded the Queen’s University Chancellor Charles H. Baillie university-wide teaching award in 2018 and has earned Queen’s Law’s faculty teaching award three times. He is the author of several leading Canadian and American texts on insurance, torts, and civil procedure. Prior to teaching, he practised tort and insurance litigation at Carrel + Partners LLP; Fasken Martineau LLP; and Paul, Weiss LLP in New York. - Bita Amani
Bita Amani is an Associate Professor and Co-Director of Feminist Legal Studies at Queen’s Law. Professor Amani’s research interests include intellectual property law, privacy and feminist legal studies.
History
Queen’s Law was established in 1957 with the goal of providing students with a comprehensive legal education fit for the practice of law in modern society. The faculty has always recognized the important function business law serves in the contemporary economy and, with that in mind, has taken strides to establish a robust business curriculum. Leading faculty, such as the school’s second Dean of Law, Dan Soberman, a recognized expert in business law who co-drafted the Canada Business Corporations Act, have been instrumental in setting up the Business Law Program that exists today.
Research
Business law not only governs how Canada’s largest companies are managed; it also regulates numerous aspects of the daily lives of every Canadian.
The research conducted by Business Law faculty at Queen’s Law illuminates how law shapes our economy and vice versa, and offers solutions to make those laws both more efficient and more equitable.
Queen’s Law’s Business Law faculty involve law students at the JD and graduate level in their research through research assistantships supported by external grants and alumni donations. This provides students an opportunity to expand their knowledge on a specific area or question of law, while honing their legal research and writing skills for use in practice or academia.
Our Business Law faculty are leading experts in a range of areas. Professor Gail Henderson, who currently serves as the Director of the Business Law Program, specializes in financial consumer protection. Professor Bita Amani focuses on intellectual property law; Professors Josh Karton and Alyssa King are experts in international commercial law; Erik Knutsen, insurance law; Nicolas Lamp, international trade law (2025 recipient of a SSHRC Insight Grant, “Trading in (Dis)Order: The Crisis of Globalization and the Future of International Trade Law and Policy”); Ivan Ozai, tax law and policy; and Robert Yalden, corporate law and finance.
Click on these scholars’ links (and see Faculty, above) to read more about their areas of expertise and research!
Lectures and Events
Throughout the year, the Business Law program hosts a variety of lectures and events that bring distinguished scholars, judges, and practitioners to Queen’s campus to share and discuss their insights in various areas of business law. For example, the Law’80 Lecture in Business Law hosts scholars from around the world to speak about various areas of business law. In January 2025, Prof. Sanaa Ahmed of the University of Calgary spoke on anti-money laundering rules and the criminal charges brought in the US against TD Bank. Read more about our events here.
Courses
Queen’s Law offers a wide range of business law courses taught by academic and professional faculty including:
- Business Associations
- Commercial Bankruptcy and Restructuring
- Competition Law
- Consumer Protection
- Copyright Law
- Corporate Finance
- Corporate Governance
- Corporate Taxation
- Insurance Law
- International Taxation
- Law and Economics
- Mergers & Acquisitions
- Private Equity
- Secured Transactions and Sale of Goods
- Securities Litigation
- Securities Regulation
- Structuring Business Transactions
- Taxation
- Trademarks and Patents
Student Organizations
Students with an interest in business law are encouraged to get involved in one of many business-related student-led organizations.
The Corporate Law Club hosts several popular events, seminars, and networking opportunities where students can learn about the practice of corporate law through leaders in the field. The events include the Annual Toronto Law Firm Tour, Bennett Jones Social, Osler’s BizBasics, and the Law'80 Careers in Business Law series. Queen’s Venture Law Club explores the legal dimensions of entrepreneurship through the lens of lawyers from emerging business groups, venture capitalists, and new business owners. Queen’s Law Tax Society is a one-stop shop for those interested in Canadian tax law. Check out all Queen’s Law’s clubs here.
Can’t find an organization that interests you? Just like the business sector, there is always room for innovation at Queen’s Law. Where there is an interest, the Business Law program encourages students to propose the creation of new and enriching business-related organizations and initiatives.
Experiential Learning
Queen’s Law prides itself on the diversity of its experiential learning opportunities in business law. Experiential learning lets students apply what they learn in the classroom to the real world to better understand the intersection of law and reality. Through skill-based courses, clinical programs, moot competitions and exchange opportunities, students are able to hone their legal skills by applying theoretical concepts of business law to real-life simulations.
- Queen’s Business Law Clinic
At the Queen’s Business Law Clinic, students have the unparalleled opportunity to take a deep drive into the area of business law by providing legal assistance to local businesses, not-for-profits, and charities. Supervised by experienced counsel, students are able to experience the realities of the practice of business law in the early stages of their legal education. - Applied Courses
JD students in business law have the opportunity to hone their skills and apply concepts taught in applied courses such as Structuring Business Transactions and Securities Litigation. - Moot Court Program
JD students with an added interest in the advocacy of business law have the opportunity to participate in business-related moot competitions. The Davies’ Annual Corporate/Securities Law Moot is the only moot dedicated to corporate and securities law in Canada. Students are typically tasked with addressing complex business-related legal issues that are expected to end up before the Supreme Court of Canada. Students have the opportunity to network with prominent figures in business law and perform before leading members of the judiciary, regulators, and corporate/securities practitioners. Queen’s Law is also the only Canadian law school that participates in the internationally held Transactional LawMeet. The Transactional LawMeet is designed to prepare students interested in becoming transactional lawyers on how to structure and negotiate a simulated deal on behalf of a fictional high-profile client.
Careers in Business Law
Through our expansive curriculum, experiential learning initiatives and events, the Business Law Program facilitates the discovery and exploration of a wide range of careers in business law:
- Bankruptcy & Insolvency: B&I lawyers advise on the reorganization and restructuring of businesses facing financial difficulty, enforcement of creditor rights, personnel liabilities and more.
- Commercial Law: Commercial lawyers advise on issues relating to business transactions (i.e. supply of goods and services) such as a person’s legal rights, responsibilities, and obligations.
- Corporate Law: Corporate lawyers advise and assist corporate players on the formation, governance, and day-to-day legal concerns that affect a corporation.
As a corporate / commercial lawyer at an international law firm, I've worked with small clients up to fortune 500 companies, enabling them to acquire other companies, negotiate important commercial relationships, and explore new opportunities by understanding the regulatory landscape and integrating that understanding with key business considerations. I’ve also worked on-site with several of our clients, including a lengthy stint with Sidewalk Labs, a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc. Every day I learn something new, meet incredibly accomplished people, and am challenged to quickly find a solution to a new problem. I greatly enjoy diving deep into different businesses and meeting the people who were inspired to lead them!
– Valerie Eisen, Law'15, Associate, Fasken; currently working full-time with Sidewalk Labs - Financial Services: Finance lawyers advise on debt financing arrangements for various transactions. These arrangements can be as simple as bank loans to highly structured financing arrangements that span across multiple jurisdictions.
- Indigenous Law: Indigenous law lawyers are specialized counsel that advise on all aspects of business law as it applies specifically to indigenous communities including the operation of a business on or off a reserve, commercial agreements, tax implications and more.
- Insurance Law: Insurance lawyers advise on a wide range of areas involving or affecting the insurance industry. This may include providing advice on the operation of business in the industry, mergers and acquisitions of insurance companies, the issuance of insurance products and services, regulatory compliance, and more.
- Intellectual Property Law: Intellectual Property lawyers advise clients on the protection of valuable property through copyright, trademark, patent and licensing laws. Where property rights are violated, IP lawyers advise on resolution and/or litigation.
Working in intellectual property law is diverse and fast-paced. It is exciting to collaborate with innovative companies and advise them on how best to protect their cutting-edge inventions. Whether it is hardware that powers the next generation of smart-phones, or a cancer drug that will save lives, it is fascinating to learn about these advancements, and gratifying to help protect what has often taken years to invent. Patent, copyright, and trade-mark infringement disputes, the outcomes of which often have global implications, require research, planning and strategic thinking. It is rewarding to work as part of a high-functioning, motivated team to embrace these challenges and defend and enforce our clients’ rights.
– David Schnittker, Law'17, Lawyer, BLG - Mergers & Acquisitions: M&A lawyers advise on the consolidation of assets and/or entities through complex and sophisticated transactions.
I work on a variety of merger and acquisition transactions – be it acting for buyers or sellers, public or private companies, high-growth start-ups or more mature businesses. Each permutation presents its own unique challenges and rewards. On one deal I might be working for a solo entrepreneur, and get to see her receive a once-in-a-lifetime payday for her business, and the next deal I could be helping a public company purchase their third competitor in less than a year. An M&A lawyer helps with structuring the deal, negotiating terms, and drafting the transaction documents, but at the end of the day we hope to be trusted advisors in our client’s transformative transactions.
– Rebecca Cochrane, Law'15, Associate, Wildeboer Dellele LLP - Securities: Securities lawyers advise on matters involving transactions such as initial public offerings, issuance of debt and equity, compliance with securities regulations, take-over bids and more.
- Tax Law: Tax lawyers advise on comprehensive domestic and foreign tax implications, tax exemptions, estate planning, personnel related tax implications (i.e. income tax, employee compensation agreements) and more.
Contrary to popular opinion, tax law involves precious few numbers – but it is certainly one of the most analytical fields of law, and that’s what makes it so fascinating. Working in tax is often compared to completing a puzzle – we have to understand how tax legislation fits into the underlying common law of nearly any issue, from charity law, employment matters or M&A transactions, and then piece it all together to determine the correct tax result. As a tax lawyer, I get to really delve into complex legal issues that might all hinge on the proper interpretation in the tax legislation, and then help my client structure their affairs to comply with the law in the most efficient manner. It involves a lot of writing, and a lot more reading, but I couldn’t see myself doing anything else.
– Carl Deeprose, Law'15, Associate, Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP