Free Business Law Course
Business Law Essentials
A free business law course helps you recognize the legal questions behind a business decision. Join the lessons to understand contracts, liability, and ownership before discussing a specific concern with qualified counsel.
About this course
In this free business law course, you learn to spot the legal question within a business situation before trying to choose an answer. Contract lessons introduce the ideas behind an agreement, while business-entity lessons compare how organizations are structured. You begin to distinguish a commercial goal from the legal responsibilities that may accompany it.
The business law course for beginners places these topics within the US legal system, including the different roles of federal and state law. You also study intellectual property, employment concerns, and commercial transactions before comparing approaches to resolving disputes. This gives you language for discussing a concern with counsel and understanding why facts and jurisdiction matter. The course supports introductory legal literacy; it does not provide advice for a transaction or qualify you to practice law.
Course outline
Foundations of the U.S. Legal System and Business Law
In this module, you’ll learn where laws come from, how federal and state courts work, civil versus criminal law, agencies, jurisdiction, precedent, and how to think about legal risk.
Contract Law Essentials
In this module, you’ll learn what makes a contract binding, offer, acceptance and consideration, written versus oral deals, key clauses, breach and remedies, ending contracts, third-party rights, and negotiating.
Business Entity Formation and Corporate Governance
In this module, you’ll learn how sole proprietorships, partnerships, LLCs and corporations compare, how to pick one, plus founding documents, fiduciary duties, shareholder rights, and when liability protection fails.
Employment and Labor Law Compliance
In this module, you’ll learn employee versus contractor status, at-will employment, wage and overtime rules, anti-discrimination, disability and leave laws, safety, harassment, privacy, unions, and lawful termination.
Torts, Liability, and Risk Management in Business
In this module, you’ll learn negligence, intentional torts, strict and product liability, premises and vicarious liability, defamation, insurance, indemnification, and how to build a proactive risk management program.
Intellectual Property and Information Law
In this module, you’ll learn how patents, trademarks, copyrights and trade secrets protect your business, plus licensing, handling infringement, data privacy, breach notification, and protecting IP with vendors.
Commercial Transactions, Sales, and Consumer Protection (UCC)
In this module, you’ll learn how the UCC governs sales of goods, warranties, risk of loss, secured transactions, negotiable instruments, consumer protection, truthful advertising, e-commerce contracts, and international sales.
Regulatory Compliance, Business Ethics, and Dispute Resolution
In this module, you’ll learn antitrust, securities, environmental and anti-corruption basics, building a compliance program, ethics, lawsuits, mediation and arbitration, dispute clauses, working with counsel, and tracking legal change.
Get access to the complete curriculum once you enroll in the course
Frequently Asked Questions
How does the business law course introduce contracts?
What business structures will I compare?
Does the free business law course discuss liability?
How is intellectual property different from other business assets?
Which US legal-system concepts are part of the course?
What will I learn about employment-related legal issues?
Where does the UCC fit into commercial law lessons?
How does the course compare mediation and arbitration?
Will I study business ethics separately from legal compliance?
How can beginner business law study help when working with counsel?