Fordham Law School

Corporate &
Finance Law

Corporate & Finance Law at Fordham Law

Where Students Make an Impact on Corporate Culture

Fordham Law students can concentrate their J.D. studies on business and finance law—learning from expert professors and participating in student-run opportunities that include the Fordham Journal of Corporate and Financial Law and the Fordham Business Law Association (FBLA).

Javier Melendez ’25 came to law school bringing a background working with venture capital firms.

As part of the FBLA, he said he appreciated the mentorship relationships he formed with fellow students. He says joining the group helped him navigate the ins and outs of corporate law as he applied to internships and jobs.

“One thing that I found really helpful in New York was that the legal community was very much willing to provide mentors and be mentors,” says Melendez. “The ability to easily access those resources and those communities has been very valuable to me, especially coming from a first-generation background where sometimes you don’t really know what OCI (on-campus interviews) or working on journals might be like. Being able to have that opportunity to reach out to either an actual attorney or someone at School and ask those questions has been invaluable.”

A smiling, portrait image of Javier Melendez, a male student with dark hair and glasses. He is standing outdoors on a patch of grass with a building in the background, wearing a light blue button-down shirt and dark trousers with a brown belt.

Javier Melendez ’25

“It’s a really unique opportunity to work in the corporate area but still have the impact of servicing a community.”

He says his background really interested him in working with minority startup founders.

“My niche area within venture capital is working with first-time founders, and also working with minority founders, minority investors, and fund managers,” says Melendez. “I think it’s a really unique opportunity to work in the corporate area but still have the impact of servicing a community. I was able to see the impact of how that can trickle down, as to being able to invest in minority-owned businesses and how that can lead to employment opportunities for others.”

Business law students can also get involved with the Corporate Law Center, which supports students who are interested in pursuing a career in financial law. The Center hosts a wide range of events, including lectures, workshops, and conferences, where students can meet with business career professionals.

Corporate & Finance Law Quick Facts

The Fordham Journal of Corporate & Financial Law is the 6th-ranked student-edited journal in its field, the 5th-most-cited journal in its field by other journals, and the 6th-most-cited journal in its field by judges.
Business law students participate in externships with the New York Stock Exchange, the Internal Revenue Service, the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, and the Federal Trade Commission.
Fordham’s dual full-time J.D./M.B.A. degree program allows students to earn both degrees in as little as four years.
Students in the Securities Litigation and Arbitration Clinic have obtained over a million dollars for their clients through settlement and arbitration awards.
Fordham’s Corporate Law Center offers students the opportunity to engage in debates and discussions with practicing corporate lawyers, judges, policymakers, and leading scholars on hot topics in corporate and financial law. The Center also offers fellowships to interested students each year.