Tomorrow’s corporate lawyers need more than legal knowledge — they need business instincts too.
Business law is broad and fast-moving, covering everything from startups and securities to mergers, compliance and cross-border deals. To succeed, students need a strong foundation in legal principles plus an understanding of finance, strategy and risk.
Whether advising on contracts or navigating global markets, today’s business lawyers must think like problem-solvers and speak the language of business.
The following law schools earned a place on our Business Law Honor Roll, recognized for the strength of their programs. Following the list, you’ll find the latest developments and news from business law programs at these various law schools.
Top law schools for business law
University of Missouri – Kansas City School of Law supports nonprofit and small business development through its Entrepreneurial Legal Services Clinic. In partnership with Am Law 200 firm Stinson LLP, students help launch new nonprofit organizations by assisting with entity formation and addressing startup legal challenges.
The clinic is also preparing to support Kansas City’s small business community ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. With the city set to host six matches — including a quarterfinal — students will help entrepreneurs access retail spaces near fan zones, draft lease agreements, and create legal resources tailored to first-time business owners. The clinic is directed by Clinical Professor Danielle Merrick and operates within UMKC’s Center for Law, Entrepreneurship and Innovation.
The University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law partnered with global law firm A&O Shearman this past June to lead a corporate governance training session in Shanghai. The three-day program, held in collaboration with the Shanghai Pudong Legal Service Industry Association, brought together nearly 70 senior legal and financial professionals from top firms and institutions including HSBC, JP Morgan, Morgan Stanley and CLP Power.
Drake University Law School launched its Artificial Intelligence Law Certificate in 2025, preparing students to tackle legal and ethical challenges emerging across the AI ecosystem. The program builds on Drake Law School’s pioneering undergraduate AI degree and takes a cross-disciplinary approach, integrating law, policy, technology and ethics.
Oklahoma City University School of Law launched the Collaborative Clinic: Law Clinic for Business and Innovation in 2024 to support early-stage startups, entrepreneurs and nonprofits in underserved areas of Oklahoma City. The clinic offers free legal assistance with entity formation, contracts, intellectual property and other transactional matters, while also preparing students to advise on business ethics, ESG strategies and inclusive workplace practices.
The Collaborative Clinic is a certified USPTO and Copyright Claims Board Clinic and hosts the USPTO Pro Bono Patent Program, which connects financially under-resourced inventors with free legal help and commercialization guidance.
DePaul University College of Law students provided more than 1,500 hours of legal counsel in 2025 through the Business Law Clinic, supporting small and mid-size businesses across the Chicago area. Through partnerships with DePaul’s Women in Entrepreneurship Institute and the University of Chicago’s Polsky Exchange, students assisted women- and BIPOC-owned businesses with transactional needs, trademark filings and legal strategy.
Under attorney supervision, students led negotiations, drafted legal documents, and prosecuted trademark applications before the USPTO. The clinic’s interdisciplinary model pairs law students with DePaul MBA and computing students, offering clients wraparound support and giving students hands-on experience in corporate governance, intellectual property and business planning.
Brooklyn Law School launched the Community Development & Movement Infrastructure Clinic in the fall of 2024. Directed by Professor Michael Haber, the clinic uses the tools of corporate and transactional law to support grassroots efforts to make New York — and the country and the planet—more equitable, sustainable and just. Students in the CD-MIC represent group clients (primarily non-profits, small cooperative businesses and unincorporated associations) on a broad variety of corporate and transactional matters.
University of California, Berkeley, School of Law launched the Social Enterprise Clinic this fall. The clinic serves as transactional counsel for its social enterprise clients — for-profit and nonprofit businesses that use market-based strategies to address social and environmental issues. It is geared to students who are interested in exploring the potential power and limitations of market-based methods and thinking critically about the relationships between law, business and racial equity.
Lewis & Clark Law School student Arlette Lozano Villegas created a multilingual animated video to walk potential owners through essential information about franchises as part of the Small Business Legal Clinic. The legal animation project was intended to empower prospective franchise owners to ask questions to fully understand the implications of franchise agreements before they sign.
Methodology
preLaw magazine grades law schools based on the breadth of their curricular offerings. The scores are figured as follows: 30% for a concentration, 24% for a clinic, 12% for a center, 12% for an externship, 9% for a journal, 8% for a student group, 5% for a certificate and added value for additional offerings.
