It was a typical afternoon at his law firm when a senior partner appeared in James Boswell’s doorway, doubled back and delivered what might be the most consequential two-sentence assignment of Boswell’s career.
“I was supposed to teach a business law class at our local community college, and I’m not going to be able to do it,” the partner said. “I told them you’d do it.”
Boswell’s response was measured, if slightly alarmed. When is it? The partner glanced at his watch. About two hours. Is there a syllabus? Probably—They’ll give it to you when we get there. A book? Yeah, probably—They’ll give it to you when we get there.
Two hours later, Boswell was standing in front of 30 students, teaching a subject he had never taught before. And within about 15 minutes, something unexpected happened.
“I was absolutely hooked,” he said.
That moment launched a teaching career that has now spanned decades, and it began with a realization that has shaped everything Boswell has done in the classroom since. Teaching law to future business leaders, he discovered immediately, was an entirely different enterprise from practicing or studying it in a legal context.
“It’s a class in leadership, and it’s a class in strategy, and it’s a class in decision making and working within the framework that the law provides,” he explained. “Every class is a little bit different. It all relates. But it also relates to pretty much every other class that students take in a business program.”
Today, Professor Boswell—a William & Mary undergraduate alumnus—brings that same perspective to the Raymond A. Mason School of Business Online MBA program, where he teaches Business Law as part of a redesigned curriculum built to give students the tools they need to lead with confidence in a complex legal environment.
A Framework for the Operation of Every Business
Ask Boswell why business law matters for MBA students, and his answer is immediate and unambiguous.
“The law provides the framework within which every business operates,” he said. “And if you don’t understand that framework, you’re navigating blind.”
His course is organized around three foundational pillars, each addressing a critical stage in a business’s life.
The first is business formation. Before a single product is sold or a single employee is hired, business leaders face a consequential set of decisions: Will you operate as a sole proprietorship, a partnership, a corporation or an LLC? Each structure carries different legal implications, tax consequences and levels of personal liability. Getting this wrong at the start can create complications that compound for years.
The second pillar is contracts. No business operates without them—whether buying or selling goods, engaging service providers or entering into partnerships. Boswell’s course covers how contracts are created, what makes them enforceable, how to negotiate terms that protect your interests and what happens when disputes arise. Understanding the mechanics of a contract, he argues, is one of the most practical skills any business leader can have.
The third pillar is employment law. The moment a business hires its first employee, it becomes subject to a web of federal, state and local regulations. And as a company grows, so does its legal exposure. Knowing how to hire, onboard, train and treat employees in compliance with the law isn’t just good practice—it’s essential risk management.
The Best Defense Is a Good Offense
Running through all three pillars is what Boswell describes as the central thesis of his course: that Business Law is, at its core, a class in litigation avoidance.
“It is as much a class on litigation avoidance as it is anything,” he said.
His reasoning is hard to argue with. “Going to court will always be more expensive than you expect, and it will always be more time-consuming than you expect. And it will always be more aggravating and frustrating than you expect.”
The goal, then, is to never get there in the first place. The way to do that is to make smart decisions early: choosing the right business structure for your long-term strategy, negotiating contracts that provide meaningful protections and cultivating a workplace culture that keeps the company on the right side of the law. Reactive legal knowledge—learning what the rules are after something goes wrong—is far more costly than the proactive kind.
This forward-looking orientation is what separates business law from the way it’s approached in a law school setting, and it’s exactly what has made Boswell so passionate about teaching it in a business context. In law school, he noted, a student will spend two semesters on contracts alone. In his Business Law course, every class brings something new, and every topic connects directly to the decisions business leaders make every day.
A Course That Connects Everything
One of the most valuable aspects of business law, Boswell argues, is how thoroughly it intersects with the rest of an MBA curriculum. Strategy, finance, accounting, management, leadership—all of them touch the law in meaningful ways. For students who want to see how the different pieces of their degree fit together, business law provides a unifying lens.
That’s especially true in the William & Mary Online MBA, where the diversity of the student body enriches every discussion. Boswell recently led a residency at William & Mary’s Washington, D.C., center that brought together students from across the school’s online programs, and the range of backgrounds in the room was striking. The event included military professionals, a microbiologist, people working in the entertainment industry and patent holders. Each brought a different perspective on how the law shows up in their world, and each left with a deeper understanding of how it shapes the decisions they make every day.
“Every time I teach a class, I learn so much about all kinds of things,” Boswell said. “All kinds of unexpected things.”
A Personal Message to the Hesitant
If you’re considering the William & Mary Online MBA but haven’t yet taken the leap, Boswell has something he wants you to hear, and it comes from personal experience.
He didn’t stop at his William & Mary undergraduate degree or his law school diploma. Decades into a successful legal career, he went back to school, earning both an MBA and a master’s in government. He knows exactly what it feels like to return to the classroom after years away, to wonder whether you can still do it and to weigh whether the effort is worth it.
“I understand what it’s like for a lot of people to jump back in,” he said. “But it is so worth it. Just exercising your brain, recognizing that you still can do it even if it’s been a while since you were in school.”
Beyond the intellectual challenge, he points to something William & Mary is particularly known for: the strength and loyalty of its alumni network. The connections you build here, he said, are lifelong and extremely valuable. And with the Online MBA program actively being redesigned to offer greater flexibility, updated content and more relevant elective options—Business Law among them—there’s never been a better time to get started.
His advice to anyone still sitting on the fence is simple and direct: “Put your fear and hesitations aside and jump right in.”
Ready to Take the Next Step?
Professor Boswell’s course is just one of the reasons the William & Mary Online MBA equips graduates to lead with clarity and confidence. Whether you’re building a business from the ground up, managing a growing team or navigating an increasingly complex legal and regulatory environment, the tools you gain here will stay with you for the rest of your career.
William & Mary’s Online MBA program offers a flexible learning environment. You’ll gain insight into the world of business through rigorous academic coursework that marries practical business skills with preparation in the sort of high-level strategic thinking that is sought out by companies across industries.
The program also offers nine specializations in critical business areas such as finance, marketing, business analytics and supply chain management. Find your niche in the business world with an advanced qualification from one of the original Public Ivies.
Schedule an appointment with one of our helpful admissions outreach advisors to explore your options in detail.