Overview

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As you plan your own career or take on responsibilities for managing the work and careers of others, you will almost certainly confront key decisions for which an understanding of the legal framework of employment is essential. This course is designed to provide the skills you will need to navigate those critical junctures successfully, maximizing opportunities and avoiding major risks.

Some examples of the topics which we will explore in real, practical terms: the true meaning of offer letters, whether noncompetes are enforceable, what intellectual property rights employees retain, gender and privacy issues in the workplace, what employees can and can't do when leaving a job to start another company, and when terminations are unlawful.

Throughout the course, there will be special attention to certain perspectives and contexts:

The entrepreneur, founder or early employee of a start-up;
The employee whose key value lies in cutting-edge technical or analytic skills, and whose career is likely to include non-linear transitions, such as leaving an established company to join a competing venture or start one up;
The manager or employee dealing with some of today’s most sensitive and contentious workplace issues, including gender diversity, confidentiality and privacy, and the use in the workplace of AI and other digital technologies;
An international student interested in understanding the legal rules governing US employment.

The instructors were for many years practicing attorneys. The focus throughout will be on realistic concerns, and practical skills and tools. We will read and review actual court cases and legislation, sample documents and agreements, and simulated employment scenarios. You do not need any prior knowledge of the law to take this course.

Students from all departments at MIT are welcome. Students from outside Sloan who do not participate in the Sloan bidding process can show up for the first class and, space permitting, will be admitted.