The objective of this course is to familiarize the student with contracts as used by sophisticated parties. Accordingly, this course will explore “real-world” contracts actually entered into by “real-world” companies—the Coca-Cola’s, Microsoft’s, and HP’s of the world. Through this course, the student will attain a certain facility with agreements, their organization and structure, their language, and their provisions. In addition to looking at contracts through the eyes of parties and practitioners, the course will pay attention to how courts have treated various contractual provisions, exploring areas of substantive law—including, and in addition to, contract law—to the extent relevant. The class will be structured with two meetings each week: (1) a lecture (with all students from all sections attending) where we will explore and clarify fundamental concepts and potential confusions and (2) a discussion section where we will apply the fundamental concepts from lecture and readings through simulations and exercises with the objective of building practical contracts skills. Readings will include comments from leading practicing attorneys at law firms and corporate law departments. The student’s grade will be based on thoughtful and active participation in class discussion and exercises as well as performance on a mid-term exercise and a final exam. This course is highly recommended for those students interested in taking other transactional offerings at the Law School.