Fall In-house Competition

The Wayne State Taft Transactional Law Competition is one of the most important skill-building courses offered from a transactional practice perspective to Wayne State University Law students.

About the course

The course is offered as a one-credit fall course, and most of the work is done independently by teams, much as would happen in actual practice. The course is graded on a Pass-No Credit basis. Students must have already completed Corporations (or be enrolled in for the fall semester).  Notably, there are three to five in-class background sessions taught by Professor Zacks with respect to basic mergers and acquisitions concepts relevant to the course. The chairpersons are also available throughout the fall semester to assist students as they prepare for the competition. Additionally, the chairpersons will conduct mock negotiation sessions for students to observe. 

In this course, students will be paired up in teams of two and given the opportunity to act as counsel for either a buying or selling party in a business acquisition. Each team will be tasked with advising its client, drafting questions for the client, participating in conference calls, preparing an agreement (typically an amendment to a purchase agreement or a letter of intent), completing a mark-up of opposing counsel's document, and negotiating the agreement. The negotiation sessions are the most exciting part of the course, as Metro Detroit M&A attorneys act as judges for the student competitors. The judges will provide each team with individualized feedback and determine which teams represented their clients the most effectively based on various guidelines. The students are also judged on their drafting skills. The winners of the competition will be eligible to enroll in the winter semester of the course and represent the school at the regional Wayne State Taft Transactional Law Invitational. The drafting winners will help the negotiation teams prepare for the regional competition, including assisting with the drafting that will be required for competitions and conducting practice negotiation rounds.

Fall 2023 In-house Competition

The fall in-house competition is Friday, November 10, 2023