I was reading Brown University’s page on the fields of law and it stated that international private law can encompass “finance and trade divisions of multinational corporations.” while corporate law includes “mergers, acquisitions, internal reorganization, or disputes between corporations”.
Could someone better explain the differences between the two? I’m applying to undergraduate schools and I really want to have a clear definition of what I’m working towards before I decide on a major. (currently preferring economics)
Corporate law is corporate law, period: you work with companies whey they borrow money, take in investments, hire people, merge, etc., and you deal with their investors, employees, managers, etc.
“International private law” is just corporate law with people or companies that are abroad.
Actually, ‘international private law’ is not confined to merely corporate law but rather encompasses the legal relationships among all entities with legal personality (of which corporations are merely one type) that span multiple jurisdictions. For example, an American bequeathing property he owns in Canada to his heir living in Mexico would have to be cognizant of private international law even if no corporations were involved.
@peterquill, you are correct in that international private law includes a variety of types of entities. “Corporate law” means “business law” more or less, though–not just law relating to corporations to the exclusion of other types of entities. Private international law means law relating to actors other than governments: funds, operating companies, private individual investors, etc., to give a more complete description.