FROM THE PUBLISHER

Zeroing in on the topics that are truly essential to law students, Hamilton and Booth organize their book into short sections that can be consulted for answers to specific questions. BUSINESS BASICS FOR LAW STUDENTS, Second Edition, builds from basic to sophisticated subjects:

—Accounting and Financial Statements

—Federal Income Taxation

—Basic Forms of Business

—Life Insurance

—Real Estate

—Securities Law

—Time Value of Money and Valuation

The authors bring law students "up to speed" quickly; no prior knowledge of business concepts is required for understanding.

While they condensed the book to 19 (from 22) chapters, Hamilton and Booth incorporated a host of important information, including:

—LLCs and other unincorporated entities; why they exist and common problems

—small business financing

—executive compensation

—fairness opinions

—derivative securities

—new ways of trading securities and commodities, the increasing importance of institutional investing, and the impact of derivative products

—new insurance products and the growing significance of insurance concepts in legal reasoning

—fundamental changes in the economics of law firms

—friendly transactions and planning issues in connection with mergers and acquisitions

Key terms and concepts appear in bold type when they are introduced. Instead of a regular glossary, BUSINESS BASICS FOR LAW STUDENTS offers a word list at the end of the book that sends readers to the page where the term is first defined, putting its definition in context. With more detail than other businessconcepts books, unique coverage of finance, and greater flexibility for use with a wide range of course materials, BUSINESS BASICS FOR LAW STUDENTS, Second Edition, is the sensible choice for students and instructors alike.

Table of Contents

Contents

Acknowledgements

Introduction

PART I: BASIC FINANCIAL CONCEPTS

Chapter 1: Debt and Interest

Chapter 2: Present Value

PART II: APPLICATIONS

Chapter 3: The Creative Use of Debt: Real Estate

Chapter 4: Commercial Annuities and Retirement Plans

Chapter 5: Insurance

PART III: ACCOUNTING, VALUATION, AND TAXATION

Chapter 6: Fundamental Accounting Principles

Chapter 7: How to Read and Use Financial Statements

Chapter 8: Valuation of An Ongoing Business

Chapter 9: Federal Taxation

PART IV: BUSINESS FORMS

Chapter 10: A Survey of Business Forms

A: PARTNERSHIPS AND LIMITED PARTNERSHIPS

B: CORPORATIONS

C: LLCs AND OTHER FORMS OF ORGANIZATION

D: SELECTION OF BUSINESS FORM

Chapter 11: Corporate Securities

Chapter 12: Dividends and Distributions

Chapter 13: Mergers and Acquisitions

PART V: FINANCIAL MARKETS AND INVESTMENTS

Chapter 14: Trading in Stocks and Bonds

Chapter 15: Investment Strategies for the Small Investor

Chapter 16: Options, Commodities, Futures, and Other Esoterica

PART VI: THE PRACTICE OF CORPORATE LAW

Chapter 17: The Practice of Law as a Business

FROM THE CRITICS

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