Louisville Law students visit Fortune 1000 company to see legal concepts at work

In April 2019, Louisville Law students in Professor Lisa Nicholson's Mergers and Acquisitions course had the opportunity to see the legal concepts they had studied all semester discussed in a real-world setting.

Nicholson arranged for her students to visit Brown-Forman Corporation, a Fortune 1000 spirits company headquartered in Louisville, to aid in their understanding of M&A practices at a publicly held corporation.

The class visit was coordinated by Jaileah X. Huddleston, VP, Assistant General Counsel and Assistant Corporate Secretary at Brown-Forman.

Students spent a half day at Brown-Forman. Their very busy morning began with a warm welcome by, and discussions with, Matthew E. Hamel, Brown-Forman’s General Counsel. Students received a guided tour of the campus from Tim Holz, Senior Brand Communications Partner. Students also had an opportunity to ask questions following presentations from Huddleston and Alexander Hill, Director of Corporate Development at Brown-Forman, about M&A and the role of attorneys from the perspectives of business and their legal advisors.

"My M&A course is designed to teach the relevant state and federal laws and practice points governing business combinations through discussions, problem-solving, case analysis and planning exercises," says Nicholson. "Students also learn the legal and practical considerations involved in making structural, drafting and implementation decisions in order to become an effective legal advisor on mergers and acquisitions transactions.”

"I regularly arrange for in-class speakers, field trips or an M&A-focused scavenger hunt in order to foster greater learning through real-world experiences," she says. "Last year, we were hosted by Dawn F. Croft, Director of Legal at KFC, who coordinated meetings with Yum! Brands C-Suite representatives."