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Terry Thomson: Legal system in common law countries/Fundamental laws affecting business organizations in the U.S.

Terry Thomson, 18-26 October 2017

Course outline

The course will be two-pronged. The first prong, consisting of three classes, will focus on providing the foundation for understanding the legal system in two common law countries, i.e., the United States primarily and the United Kingdom secondarily. The first three courses will address topics such as: (i) core differences between common law countries and civil law legal systems; (ii) an overview of the legal, business, and social culture relating to the legal systems in the U.S. and U.K. (i.e., how the professions are structured and regulated); (iii) differences in the roles of the courts in the creation of laws in these two common countries, as compared to civil law countries; and, (iv) the role of international law in these countries.
The second prong of the course, consisting of three classes, will provide an overview of the fundamental laws affecting business organizations in the U.S., including (i) a brief look at how federalism has created a complex, intertwined system of state and federal law, (ii) the overriding importance of agency law and the fiduciary duties of care, loyalty and good faith, in all aspects of business organizations, and (iii) corporate management.
There is no way that we can complete a comprehensive study of all of these issues. The goal is to provide a solid foundation for further research by the students, if and when the need arises.
Students are encouraged to participate actively throughout the course, and to share their perspectives on the matters discussed. This will greatly enrich this cross-cultural exchange, and our understanding of the substantive law."

Course schedule

Wednesday, 18 october: 12,00-15,00 (room B302)
Thursday, 19 october: 11,00-14,00 (room B301)
Wednesday, 25 october: 12,00-15,00 (room B302)
Thursday, 26 october: 11,00-14,00 (room B301)

Lecturer bio

Terry Thomson obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Washington, in Seattle, Washington, and Juris Doctor degree from Harvard Law School, in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He grew up in the States of California, Oregon, and Washington, before completing his formal education in Massachusetts. He is an active member of the Washington State and New York Bars, and has been engaged in the private practice of law since graduating from law school. He is a founding partner of a top-rated boutique law firm in Seattle, Washington, where he practices to this day.

His lengthy and diverse background in business, real estate, tort, employment, and Civil Rights law, as a trial attorney, appellate attorney, counselor for entrepreneurs and small businesses, mediator, and arbitrator, gives him some valuable insights into the American legal system. He has litigated a variety of cases in federal and state courts, at both the trial and appellate court levels, such as: successfully defending subcontractors in one of the largest construction lawsuits in the State of Washington's history (relating to the defective welding of a nuclear containment vessel at Hanford, Washington); successfully representing 19 members of a Rom family in a Civil Rights suit based on an illegal search and seizure (one of the first Civil Rights lawsuits brought by the Rom against a law enforcement agency in the U.S.); and, obtaining a leading decision in the State of Washington recognizing the differential impact of a hostile work environment on women in the workplace.

He has taught business-oriented courses in the Czech Republic and Moscow, Russia, to undergraduate and graduate law students, including Approaching Legal English, Legal English, Introduction to U.S. Law, and Business Organizations.