In an increasingly complex legal marketplace, the University of Miami School of Law is cementing its reputation as a leader in practical education through its robust Transactional Law Concentration and Area of Focus curriculum. By moving beyond the traditional image of a trial lawyer, offerings such as the Transactional Skills Program, directed by Marcia Narine Weldon, equip students with the real-world drafting, negotiation, and business literacy skills that top law firms demand, making graduates highly sought-after candidates for careers in corporate law and commercial litigation. With approximately 1,300 enrollments since its inception and almost 170 students currently participating, the program serves as a cornerstone of the school's career-focused, business law curriculum.
Transactional lawyering—the art of protecting a client's interests in commercial, financial, or nonprofit settings—represents the focus of a growing percentage of legal work. These lawyers rarely see the inside of a courtroom; instead, they handle everything from entity formation and contract negotiation to business acquisitions and corporate governance. The Transactional Skills Program is designed to ensure School of Law students leave law school with a solid background in how to review, draft, and negotiate contracts of all types while learning how to incorporate the use of artificial intelligence responsibly, providing skills training that extends far beyond litigation-based writing.
“When I came into law school, I never imagined I’d be drafting contracts, negotiating deals, and also learning how to use AI responsibly at the same time,” said third-year Riya Goel. “Professor Weldon's Transactional Skills Program gave me both the confidence to negotiate like a lawyer and the awareness that those of us who can pair judgment with AI will become incredibly valuable. In a world where technology is constantly reshaping and influencing the practice of law, knowing how to work with these tools without losing sight of strategy and client trust is what I feel truly sets Miami Law students apart.”
Students also participate in skills-building events, such as the interactive Essentials of Transactional Practice Bootcamp and CLE with 20 guest speakers and over 250 students and lawyers in attendance on September 5, and the Canes Contract Challenge on September 6, which required students to draft a contract, redline, develop an issues list, and then negotiate two rounds with different prompts. Many School of Law alumni participate as judges and coaches.
A tiered approach to building deal lawyers
The program's curriculum is structured across three progressive courses—Transactional Skills I, II, and III—that guide students from foundational concepts to sophisticated, specialized practice areas.
In Transactional Skills I, students focus on the basics of drafting and negotiation. Acting as junior associates, they work on a single scenario throughout the semester, drafting key documents like nondisclosure agreements, employment agreements, licensing agreements, and distribution agreements. Reflecting the pace of modern practice, the course has increased the number of negotiations and integrated them earlier in the semester. This semester, the program is also strengthening its offerings with AI tools from different vendors, allowing students to use cutting-edge technology to create an NDA playbook while still focusing on fundamental skills and hands-on learning. This practical experience is enriched by a co-teaching model that pairs full-time professors with experienced practitioners.
Transactional Skills II elevates the training by having students advise a business through its lifecycle. The course delves into more complex documents, including commercial leases, loan agreements, LLC operating agreements, joint venture agreements, master services agreements, and vendor contracts. Significant emphasis is placed on enhancing financial and business literacy. In one simulation, students advise fictional investors after analyzing financial statements. In another, they navigate fictional board meetings dealing with pressing contemporary issues like product liability, ESG, activist investors, and ethical concerns, teaching them about corporate governance and risk mitigation.
Finally, Transactional Skills III offerings have included a course on negotiating and drafting for M&A, where students followed one deal from start to finish, another on private equity agreements taught by an in-house lawyer and his outside counsel, and another on legal and business issues related to Initial Public Offerings.
A direct pipeline to career success
Top attorneys provide the backbone, preparing students in a hands-on, practical approach that serves as a powerful draw for both students and employers. The skills taught directly align with the tasks assigned to junior associates at major law firms, reducing the training curve for graduates and making them more valuable hires from day one. This career-centric focus is evidenced by increasing demand for in-person options from students, many of whom are planning to take the New York bar exam and see the program as essential preparation for a career in a major legal market.
“The Transactional Skills program is not just teaching the law,” said Narine Weldon, “it is building the next generation of dealmakers and solidifying the University of Miami School of Law's status as a premier institution for launching successful legal careers.”
Read more about Miami Law’s business law area of study.
