My undergraduate education at Oklahoma State University has prepared me for whatever academic and professional challenges I may come by. At the outset of my academic career in Agribusiness, I had never imagined that I would find myself interested in studying Law. However, after a rigorous course load that touched on many issues of law, I became increasingly interested in the administration of power and concepts of sovereignty and jurisdiction. I also realized the ubiquity and necessity of agriculture to human endeavors and the benefit to development that large agricultural enterprises can bring. While some people view industrial farming and food production with suspicion, I have come to appreciate the fact that, for the first time in human history, hunger might prove to be a solvable problem. Understanding the various rules and regulations governing any particular instance of food production, might prove the key to major human development goals.
Just as hunger is omnipresent in its governance of human actions, law is a universal construct that governs mankind’s interactions. An education in law informs every aspect of society as everything is subject to the jurisdiction of courts, and thus the understanding of a regulatory landscape can be the key to a successful enterprise. As an administrative assistant at Loving Care In-Home Health Services I witnessed firsthand the association of Law with the administration of healthcare. Everyone is familiar with the state prosecutors, personal injury, and malpractice lawyers involved in insuring that health services are administered correctly, but there are in fact lawyers partaking in every aspect of the delivery of healthcare services. A lawyer oversees employment contracts, vendor contracts, real estate agreements, and just about every ancillary project of the enterprise. Training programs must also be developed in order to comply with the requirements of administrative agencies, state, and federal regulations. Law is everywhere, in areas as diverse as the doctor’s office and the farm.
Commercial and industrial ventures require the use of attorneys in order to fulfill their functions and deliver products and services to their clients. In an increasingly diverse local and international market, it is necessary that someone understand the patchwork of regulatory authorities that a product must comply with. In the United States, the legal system is composed of a mixture of traditional common law and codified law instructing as to the rights and duties of the corporation, employer, employee, and consumer. Furthermore, different products must comply with different regulatory mechanisms and a practitioner needs to be aware of the similarities and differences between different bodies. The Food and Drug Administration govern both healthcare and food; however, businesses that are involved in the supply of food are additionally subject to Department of Agriculture regulations, while healthcare facilities must insure HIPPA compliance, amongst many others.
I would like to enter business law and an education at Oklahoma City University School of Law will provide me with the tools necessary to partake in this exciting field. Commercial law encompasses an enormous arena of human interactions, from employer/employee relations, to consumer safety, to simple contracts, and to large corporate transactions and mergers. Through my work and academic experience I have come to appreciate the necessity of having someone seasoned in navigating the legal landscape. The function of a business lawyer is to improve the efficiency of commerce. The downstream effect of this improved efficiency is a better or cheaper product that improves the consumer’s life.
