I.

Agency
a. Is there an agency relationship
i. Actual
ii. Implied
iii. Apparent
iv. Inherent
b. Is there an undisclosed principal?
c. Was there ratification?
d. Was there agency by estoppel?
e. Is it an Independent Contractor?
i. Scope of employment
ii. Statutory Claims (non-delegable duty)
f. Conduct upon termination
i. Customer lists
ii. Trade secrets
II. Corporations
a. General Characteristics
b. Formation
i. De Jure
ii. De Facto
iii. Articles of Inc
1. Mandatory provisions
iv. Bylaws (optional)
v. Contracts
1. Employment
2. Buy-sell
3. Shareholder
c. Capital Structure
i. Is it debt or equity
ii. Shares of stock
1. What are the classes, rights etc
2. Are there any impermissible restrictions
a. Transferability
b. Voting
d. Was there a promoter
i. Did they sell to the corp
ii. Disclose material information
e. What is the conduct of the corporation
i. Piercing the Corporate Veil
1. Alter-ego
2. Fraud
3. Inadequate capitalization
ii. Business Judgment Rule
iii. Role & Purpose
1. Ultra vires
2. Intra vires
 3. Gifts or donations
f. Shareholders
i. Rights
1. Control
2. Voting
a. Proxy
b. Voting agreements
3. Meeting
ii. Actions
1. Direct (representative)
2. Derivative
a. Demand requirement
i. Demand futile
Self interested
1.
Corporate waste
2.
Conflicting transaction
3.
b. Special Committee
i. Independence
ii. Proper dismissal
g. Duties of Managers, Officers & Directors
i. Duty of Care
1. Business Judgment Rule
2. Informed Decision Standard
ii. Duty of Loyalty
1. Corporate opportunities
2. Shareholder Approval
iii. Dominant Shareholders
1. Intrinsic Fairness
2. Ratification
iv. Good Faith
1. Compensation
2. Corporate Waste
3. Oversight (CareMark)
III. Corporate Planning
a. What is the purpose of the entity? (E.g. stay private or go public)
b. Proper formation (for this particular business)
i. Mandatory steps?
ii. Stock issuance
1. Transferability
2. Voting
3. Dividends
iii. Contracts with 3rd parties and employees to
1. Buy-out
2. Limit liability
3. Transferability
4. Subordination of debt
 c. Board Formation
i. Staggering of directors (different voting dates)
ii. Special Committees
d. Shareholder Protection
i. Voting rights
ii. Protection against mergers
1. poison pill
2. flip overs
3. right of first refusal
e. Dissolution Rights
i. Subordination of debt
ii. Liquidation rights
1. Creditors
2. Shareholders
IV. Securities
a. Definition of security
b. Registration
i. Registration Exempt
ii. Private v. Public Offering
1. Materiality
2. Relationship to Issuer
c. 10b-5
i. Manipulative or Deceptive
ii. Material
iii. In connection with
iv. Private
1. Standing
2. Reliance
3. Causation
4. Damages
d. Insider Trading
i. Is it an insider
ii. Material
iii. Theory
1. Tipper v. tippee
2. Missappropriation
e. Short-Swing Profits
i. 16(b)
ii. Who is it
iii. What is the %
iv. What is the timeline
f. Indemnification and Insurance
i. Who is insured
ii. What is the result of the litigation
1. success
2. settlement
 3. loss
iii. Restrictions