Courses

What to look for in a company’s financials and annual report to give you a quick picture of a company’s financial health and current and future financial prospects.

Presenting the facts of the case in a clear and persuasive way, including selecting which facts to include, organization, and addressing “bad facts.”

ABA M&A Committee members Glenn West from Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP and Tali Sealman from White & Case LLP discuss market trends for fraud carve-outs, drawing on data from the ABA M&A Committee's Private Target Deal Points Study.

A look at filing under the UCC, including a close look at a UCC-1 financing statement. This course also covers extension, modification, and termination of a financing statement by filing a UCC-3.

A detailed discussion of everything that needs to—or should—go into an expert report, besides the opinions themselves. A section-by-section look into strategy and drafting, in addition to compliance with the rules.

How to prepare your witness for their direct examination. Includes how to discuss their answers with them, prepare them on negative points, and instruct them on demeanor. Also covers strategy for an effective mock Q&A.

The function and makeup of a board of directors, including who sits on a board, how directors are elected, the board’s powers and basic fiduciary duties, and a look at board committees.

How to get the most out of the two tools Microsoft Word offers to help you avoid spelling mistakes.

A practical course on creating effective prompts for large language models, with a focus on legal applications. It covers the principles of effective prompts, including general rules, common pitfalls, and best practices.

Management incentives used in private equity mergers and acquisitions, covering both equity and non-equity incentives, and looking at how the various incentives motivate key personnel in portfolio companies after the acquisition. The course discusses incentive units, RSUs, rollover equity, deferred compensation, SARs, phantom units, and change of control bonuses.

Teaches how to deliver timely, specific, and actionable feedback that helps others improve while also building trust—whether you're a midlevel supervising a junior, a junior delegating to a summer, or a team member working with professional staff.

Direct mergers are the simplest type of merger structure. Here’s how they work and why they’re used.

Lawyers often want to look for financial information about a company, whether it’s to better understand a client’s business, to learn about the other side in a transaction or litigation, or for business development purposes. This course provides some tips on where to look.

How to draft an engaging, effective preliminary statement, including what to include and how to make it persuasive.

An introduction to disclosure schedules updates provisions, including why parties include a right or obligation to update disclosure schedules, the scope of permitted updates, and the updates effect on other rights and obligations of the parties under the acquisition agreement. Features interviews with ABA M&A Committee members John F. Clifford from McMillan LLP and Ann Beth Stebbins from Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP.

A review of the typical process for closing a lending transaction, from picking a closing date, to conditions precedent and conditions subsequent, closing checklists, preparing for closing, and closing day.

A nuanced look into how to work with your expert on the opinion section of their report. Walks through a detailed hypothetical to teach how to effectively probe your expert about the analysis and reasoning behind their opinion, then illustrates how to help your expert plan, organize, and ultimately draft the opinion section.

An advanced discussion on how to prepare your witness for cross examination. Teaches how to educate your witness on the tactics the other lawyer will use, and how they can defuse those tactics. Also covers how to approach mock cross, what to look for in your witness’s mock answers, and how to give effective feedback.

An introduction to the role of stockholders in a corporation, including who stockholders are, their rights, and their fiduciary duties.

How to use Bullets and Numbering in Microsoft Word. Includes helpful tips, such as changing the formatting for sub-levels, defining your own multi-level lists, and adjusting the indentation just how you like it.

A discussion on how GenAI is transforming litigation practice, from case strategy development to e-discovery, with practical applications and strategic insights for leveraging AI tools across the litigation lifecycle.

A walkthrough of an equity commitment letter, as well as an examination of their role in securing financing commitments and their specific implications in private equity mergers and acquisitions.

Explains how day-to-day behavior, communication style, and demeanor shapes colleagues’ and clients’ perception of you. Covers practical ways to project professionalism, confidence, and credibility.

A brief introduction to forward triangular mergers.

The main difference between cash accounting and accrual accounting is how revenue and expenses are recognized. This course briefly explains these accounting methods and describes how revenue and expenses are recognized in accrual accounting.

Checklist for substantive review of legal authorities in a brief, format of legal and record citations, common mistakes, and when in the drafting process to prevent errors.

A look at two disclosure schedules updates provisions. Also includes drafting tips and perspectives from ABA M&A Committee members John F. Clifford from McMillan LLP and Ann Beth Stebbins from Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP.

A review of covenants and events of default, including affirmative and negative covenants, a detailed look at financial covenants, and the interplay between covenants and events of default. This course also looks at the concepts of “covenant lite” and “springing covenants” as well as the difference between a Default and an Event of Default.

How to prepare for the direct examination of your expert. Includes tips for drafting your questions and organizing your outline. Explains how to cover each section of the expert’s report in your questions, drawing out the right information in a way that will land with the jury. Also includes how to prepare the expert for their direct testimony.

Strategic guidance on the meticulous preparation required to conduct cross examination. Includes how to organize your outline, decide what to cover, start and end your cross, and draft effective questions. Also discusses how to adjust your plan in real time based on the witness’s direct, how to use exhibits, and other tips for a successful execution.