Curriculum Guide · Courses

Professor Mattar

LL.M Course 792 (cross-listed) | 2 credit hours

This course is designed to provide an overview of the commercial laws of the Middle East from an international and comparative perspective. The course will focus on the legal aspects of doing business in the Middle East. Key areas of discussion will include: substantive and procedural rules under foreign investment and trade laws, joint ventures and other legal forms of establishing economic enterprises, contract negotiations and drafting, oil concessions, construction contracts, franchising agreements, commercial agency, labor law regulations pertaining to employment of foreign employees in Islamic banking, privatization, and tax exemptions. The course will also address intellectual property protection (copyright, patents, trademarks, technology transfer) and the enforcement of foreign judgments and arbitral awards in the Middle East. Although legal rules governing commercial activities vary from one country to another in the region, there are common features which shall be emphasized. Selected jurisdictions shall be chosen as representative of the different approaches to the regulation of foreign investment in the Middle East, such as the Arab Gulf countries, Egypt, Palestine and Israel. The legal aspects of the U.S. trade relations with these countries shall be considered. The course will also examine various international agreements and conventions which are relevant to business transactions, investment and trade in the Middle East. Students may elect to take a take-home written examination or write a research paper in lieu of the exam.