Business & Finance

An introduction to the four main financial statements for companies: balance sheets, income statements, cash flow statements, and statements of shareholder equity. This track also explains key accounting and financial concepts for understanding the statements.

An introduction to the four main financial statements, with examples of how the statements are affected by different business transactions.

An introduction to balance sheets, including an explanation of the balance sheet equation and descriptions of assets, liabilities and shareholders’ equity.

The income statement shows whether and how a company made or lost money over an accounting period. This course describes the income statement and the common classifications of revenue and expenses you’ll see on it. It also explains different measures of profitability such as net income, EBIT and EBITDA.

Valuation is one of the most fundamental concepts in corporate finance. This course describes the different measures of a company’s value, and the various techniques used to value businesses and their assets.

Cash flow is fundamental to a company’s ability to stay in business. This course explains cash flow statements and how they’re used to track cash from a company’s operating, investing and financing activities.

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.

The key financial concepts in M&A practice, including valuations, the main financial provisions in M&A agreements and general tax and accounting issues.

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.

The math behind calculations related to the time value of money, including calculations for interest rates, present and future value, annuities and perpetuities.

A walkthrough of a statement of shareholders’ equity, including what events typically cause changes in the value of shareholders’ equity.

A summary of how depreciation and amortization work and how they show up on the financial statements.

An audit is the primary mechanism for providing confidence in the reliability of a company’s financial statements. This course explains the audit process, audit opinions and how audited financial statements are put together.

An overview of the accounting process, including how transactions appear in a company’s chart of accounts, general ledger, trial balance and financial statements.

An introduction to the regulatory framework and financial reporting for US and non-US companies, including GAAP, FASB, IFRS and IASB.

A discussion of how finance departments are structured, including descriptions of the typical responsibilities of common senior finance roles.

The key financial concepts in lending practice, including the main types of loans and their risk, financial reporting requirements for borrowers, financial covenants, and credit ratings.

The key financial concepts in capital markets practice, including types of securities, pricing, securities offerings and periodic reporting.

A high-level overview of private equity and venture capital firms, including the major types of firms, their investors, how they make money, competition and the largest firms in the industry.

The key financial concepts in litigation practice, including how financial statements are used by litigators, which bookkeeping records might be included in a document request, the roles of financial experts and fact witnesses, and the basis of calculations for damages or settlements.

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.

The key financial concepts in emerging companies practice, including initial startup issues and the financial and accounting issues involved in debt and equity financings.

The key financial concepts in bankruptcy practice, broken out by the main phases of the bankruptcy process.

An outline of the main services investment banks offer, including financial advisory services, underwriting, corporate finance and more. This course also details the different fee structures and other ways investment banks earn revenue.

The key financial concepts in real estate practice, including when financial concepts come into play, financial soundness and guarantors, and covenants and ratios.

An overview of the major participants in the investment banking industry, including the banks and the types of clients that use investment banks.

This course outlines the four stages of a typical private equity or venture capital fund's life cycle, from marketing the fund to potential investors to dissolution.

An overview of common private equity fund investment strategies such as growth equity and leveraged buyouts (LBOs). The course also covers alternative strategies including private debt, real assets, and funds of funds.

An overview of the hedge fund industry, including the largest hedge funds, common types of hedge fund investors, and how hedge funds make money.

A round-up of the most common investment strategies used by the managers of hedge funds to generate excess returns, such as “equity focus” and “global macro”. The course also includes a discussion of short selling and the impact of high-frequency trading and quants.

An overview of the wealth management industry. This includes a review of different types of wealth management firms, the clients they serve, the financial planning, investment management and other services they offer, and how they earn money.

An overview of the commercial banking industry, including the services usually offered through banks' retail, business, and corporate divisions. The course also discusses how commercial banks earn revenue and competition in the industry.

An overview of the custodian banking industry, including a description of custodian banks’ core trust, fiduciary, and financial and commodity market services, the types of customers that use custodian banks, the major custodian banks, and how they earn revenue.

The basics of M&A for junior associates. Covers deal structures, due diligence, and closings for M&A deals, and provides an overview of key financial concepts related to M&A.

A selection of courses on litigation practice for first-year associates.

A selection of courses on commercial lending and financial concepts relevant in finance practice for first-year associates.

A selection of courses on capital markets and securities practice for first-year associates.

Explains key concepts in financial reporting and accounting, such as accrual accounting, revenue recognition, and depreciation and amortization. This track also covers the roles in a finance department; the processes of accounting, financial reporting, and audits; and how to analyze a company’s annual report and financials.

An introduction to finance and accounting basics including valuation, statistics, data visualization, and where to find financial information about a company. This track also provides an introduction to Excel and explains how to perform present and future value calculations.

Covers key financial and accounting concepts and how they apply in specific legal practice areas, including M&A, litigation, finance, securities, emerging companies, bankruptcy, and real estate.

The basics of M&A and securities offerings. Introduces associates to deal structures, diligence, closings, registered and unregistered offerings, finance concepts, and other important aspects of corporate practice.