The use of court cases as educational tools is widely established and deeply entrenched as an effective approach to legal studies education. Exploring legal concepts against the backdrop of a known outcome, in the form of a verdict or a judicial opinion, provides certainty and a foundation for the analytical extension of precedent to new and…

When professors teach complex topics like trademarks in a business law or legal environment class, the delivery is often too abstract. Textbooks tend to focus on black-letter basics of trademark law, ignoring strategic considerations. Experienced managers know that the strongest trademarks (legally speaking) do not necessarily sell products. These…

Because many students may be unaware of the role played by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB or Board) in adjudicating cases involving employee use of social media and employer technology-related workplace rules, this article introduces a pedagogical perspective and approach that should help to engage today's digital native business…

This article offers a teaching case based on the 2013 controversy surrounding comments made in a deposition by Paula Deen during a lawsuit filed against her by a former employee. Deen's admission of using racially derogatory terms, on top of a variety of other allegations in the case, stunned and outraged many of her fans and the public in…

This case study presents the true story of Rodolfo--a former tailor and attorney from the provinces of Cuba--who moved to Havana to start a hospitality business. In 2016, the author (referred to as Adam throughout the case study), a business law professor from the United States, visited Havana to interview Rodolfo and learn about the factors for…

There are two overarching goals to this case study. First, the authors want to introduce students as early as possible in their study of business to the perils of deliberate misstatements of income in financial statement and the significant consequences that await those who do. Given the recent business scandals involving mortgage-backed…

AACSB International (the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business) is the premier accrediting body for business schools. Of the thousands of business schools worldwide, fewer than five percent have met the high standards for AACSB accreditation. The latest version of AACSB's accreditation standards was adopted in 2013 and updated in…

In September 2010, William Weldon, chief executive officer (CEO) and chairman of Johnson & Johnson (J&J), was called to testify in front of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform to explain the largest product recall in the 125-year history of the well-known pharmaceutical and consumer products company. This article presents a…

The topic of noncompetes is a rich one for a business law or legal environment course. It presents opportunities to tie law and policy, law and ethics, law and strategy. It exemplifies the challenges businesses and employees may face in a changing, complex, uncertain legal environment. Accordingly, this article provides materials on noncompetes…

This article provides an actual case that is designed to highlight business and legal issues that should be considered when operations expand and ownership changes. Of particular significance in this case is the focus on modernizing operations without losing the original organization's commitment to the environment and its cultural mission. The…

An attorney-client relationship is traditionally created when both parties formally enter into an express agreement regarding the terms of representation and the payment of fees. There are certain circumstances, however, where the attorney-client relationship can be implied from the parties' conduct. An implied attorney-client relationship may…

Numerous research studies clearly indicate the importance of first impressions. It is very likely that students will form their opinions of the class and the professor during the first class meeting. These first impression can be nearly impossible to reverse or undo, making those first encounters extremely important, for they set the tone for all…

This article represents background material that can be used e along with the "United States v. Windsor" case to teach Constitutional Law (particularly federalism, due process, and equal protection) and the legal debate surrounding same-sex marriage in America. Professors may assign it as background reading before or after a…

The explosion of social networks and the growing concern over privacy in the digital age--both in the United States and Europe--have provided an opportunity to introduce students to the legal risks of using social media in the workplace. This article builds on the authors' classroom experiences and provides social media scenarios and projects that…

The case law on attorney-client privilege is extensive and can be somewhat complex. Over seven hundred articles in Westlaw, for example, have the phrase "attorney-client privilege" in the title; in the last three years alone, there have been over 3700 federal cases in which the phrase "attorney-client privilege" appears at least once. However,…