Transactional Lawyering: Sources and Tips   Tags: contracts, corporate law, corporations, forms, real estate, transactional law  

This guide introduces some of the best sources of information for new lawyers doing transactional work.  For additional recommendations by subject, see this guide or our full list of research topics. You can suggest useful sources to add using the "Feedback" tab, and you can also subscribe to an RSS feed that will notify you of new additions to this guide. 

For assistance with specific research questions relating to your summer job, we recommend talking with your firm librarian, or please feel free to contact a HLS research librarian at 617-495-4516,  research@law.harvard.edu, or by using the chat box on the right.

These relatively inexpensive volumes may not only help you with the practicalities of your summer work - they may also help you to discover whether a particular legal subspecialty is a good fit for you. 

The Corporate, Securities, and M&A Lawyer’s Job: A Survival Guide (ABA 2007) - Matt Swartz and Daniel Lee

Call Number: KF1477 .S925 2007

ISBN: 1590318242

An excellent introduction that includes advice on both substance and style. Features include:
* How to organize and execute the closing of a transaction?
* How to conduct and report a due diligence investigation?
* What are the key documents of a venture capital financing and how do they work?
* What are the main components of an acquisition agreement?
* What are the basics of drafting board minutes and resolutions?
* What tasks should you expect to receive when working on a public securities offering?
.

The Commercial Real Estate Lawyer’s Job : A Survival Guide (ABA 2009) - Brad Dashoff and John Antonacci

Call Number: KF572 .D37 2009

ISBN: 160442480X

"The Commercial Real Estate Lawyer's Job explains the most common transactions, and the tasks associated with them. It offers practical advice for organizing workload; provides tips for success; and details vital resources needed for real estate lawyers.
Specific areas include: * Real property interests and deeds * Purchases and sales * Debt and equity financing * Mezzanine loans * Real estate investment trusts * Leases and property documents * Transaction closings, and much more!

Drafting for Corporate Finance: What Law School Doesn't Teach You (PLI 2007) - Carolyn E.C. Paris

Call Number: N/A

ISBN: 9781402408823

Written by a former corporate finance partner at Davis Polk & Wardwell, 388 pages. Includes a ”best practices” chapter featuring a technical drafting checklist, guidance on drafting disclosure of contract terms and on leveraging technology, and cautionary ”lessons of Enron.” A version is available on Westlaw, PLIREF-CORPFIN.

Working with Contracts: What Law School Doesn't Teach You (PLI 2008) - Charles M. Fox

Call Number: KF801.Z9 F69 2008

ISBN: 9781402410604

“Working with Contracts should become a bible for … associates in large corporate firms because it offers the reader both basic and more advanced drafting techniques and concepts. The conscientious reader will be drawn into the subject matter and may likely be surprised that such potentially complex, and perhaps dull, topics could be so inspiring.”

—New York Law Journal