Business Law, 12th edition

Published by Pearson (June 3, 2025) © 2026
Henry R. Cheeseman

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Title overview

For courses in business law.

The real-world impact of business law

In Business Law, author Henry Cheeseman focuses on real legal disputes, involving real people, to illuminate the relationship between legal principles and business. Using actual court cases, he illustrates core issues in national and international business law, with an emphasis on emerging legal issues related to technology and artificial intelligence (AI). Short, easy-to-read chapters and a curated design keep the content approachable and impactful.

The 12th Edition is a significant revision with many new cases and examples. New coverage includes recent laws and modern issues in areas such as ethics, electronic contracts, cybercrime, securities law, consumer protection, business organizations and immigration law.

Hallmark features of this title

Real cases and examples

  • Hundreds of current cases from the U.S. Supreme Court and federal and state courts are used throughout the text to show how the law applies to real people and their everyday encounters.
  • More than 1,000 examples demonstrate legal concepts at work, such as rules around slogans and trademarks.
  • Special text features highlight the role of ethics, infotech and other key topics in high-profile cases.

Text-wide pedagogical features

  • Hundreds of definitions and summaries clarify laws and concepts at the point they’re presented.
  • Exhibits provide resources such as legal documents or visual representations of key concepts.
  • More than 200 end-of-chapter case questions ask students to decide actual lawsuits by evaluating the facts of the case against legal concepts.

New and updated features of this title

New cases and examples

  • NEW: More than 25 new U.S. Supreme Court cases include Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. President and Fellows of Harvard College (racial justice) and National Rifle Association of America v. Vullo (free speech).
  • NEW: More than 60 new state and federal court cases include Gibson Bros., Inc. v. Oberlin College (defamation) and Friends of Buckingham v. State Air Pollution Control Board (environmental justice).
  • NEW: More than 30 new special text features examine cases involving ethics, infotech, AI, business environment and legal environment. Sample cases include Facebook’s $5 billion fine for privacy violations (ethics) and regulation of cryptocurrencies (business environment).

Recent laws and modern issues

  • NEW: Laws regulating AI are now extensively explored. This includes laws applied when AI is used to commit fraud, commit cybercrimes, engage in impersonation and more.
  • NEW: Uniform Commercial Code Amendments (2022) are discussed in terms of their impact on the law of sales contracts, negotiable instruments and secured transactions.
  • EXPANDED: Added coverage of social justice shows how laws can promote employment opportunities and prohibit discrimination by the government, among other issues.

Key features

Features of Pearson+ eTextbook for the 12th Edition

  • Personalized study tools, available on both the web and mobile app, help students check their understanding and focus their studies.
  • NEW: Interactive student knowledge-check questions now appear at the end of each major section of each chapter.
  • NEW: Interactive concept maps and show/hide features promote student engagement with the content.

Features of MyLab Business Law for the 12th Edition

  • NEW: Interactive Reading Assignments engage students through an integrated blend of narrative, media and assessment, while holding them accountable for coming to class prepared.
  • EXPANDED: Mini Sims put students in professional situations related to business law and ask them to problem solve and make decisions. This new edition of the Cheeseman MyLab includes several new Mini Sims focused on key legal documents.
  • EXPANDED: Video Assignments are included in the Assignment Manager, with accompanying auto-graded assessment questions. With the Assignment Manager, you can create, import and manage auto-graded homework assignments, quizzes and tests.
  • The Case Study Library offers brief, assignable case studies based on real-world business scenarios (both text and video cases). Case study assignments include case-related writing prompts as well as auto-graded multiple-choice assessment questions.
  • Dynamic Study Modules pose 25-30 quiz questions per chapter and then respond to each student’s progress in real time. Learners deepen their grasp of concepts as they go.
  • The Course Coordinator helps you manage multiple class sections. It also lets other instructors copy your settings so a standardized syllabus can be maintained across your department.

Table of contents

PART I: LEGAL ENVIRONMENT, JUDICIAL SYSTEM, DISPUTE RESOLUTION, AND CONSTITUTIONAL LAW

  1. Legal Heritage and the Information Age
  2. Courts and Jurisdiction
  3. Judicial, Alternative, and E-Dispute Resolution
  4. Constitutional Law for Business and E-Commerce

PART II: TORTS, CRIMES, AND INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

  1. Intentional Torts and Negligence
  2. Product and Strict Liability
  3. Intellectual Property and Information Technology
  4. Criminal Law and Cybercrime

PART III: CONTRACTS AND E-COMMERCE

  1. Nature of Traditional and E-Contracts
  2. Agreement
  3. Consideration and Promissory Estoppel
  4. Capacity and Legality
  5. Genuineness of Assent and Undue Influence
  6. Statute of Frauds and Equitable Exceptions
  7. Third-Party Rights and Discharge
  8. Breach of Contract and Remedies
  9. Digital Law and E-Commerce

PART IV: SALES AND LEASE CONTRACTS AND WARRANTIES

  1. Formation of Sales and Lease Contracts
  2. Title to Goods and Risk of Loss
  3. Remedies for Breach of Sales and Lease Contracts
  4. Warranties

PART V: NEGOTIABLE INSTRUMENTS, BANKING, AND ELECTRONIC FINANCIAL TRANSACTIONS

  1. Creation of Negotiable Instruments
  2. Holder In Due Course and Transferability
  3. Liability, Defenses, and Discharge
  4. Banking System and Electronic Financial Transactions

PART VI: CREDIT, SECURED TRANSACTIONS, AND BANKRUPTCY

  1. Credit, Real Property Financing, and Debtors’ Rights
  2. Secured Transactions
  3. Bankruptcy and Reorganization

PART VII: AGENCY, EMPLOYMENT, AND LABOR LAW

  1. Agency Formation and Termination
  2. Liability of Principals, Agents, and Independent Contractors
  3. Employment, Worker Protection, and Immigration Law
  4. Labor Law
  5. Equal Opportunity in Employment

PART VIII: BUSINESS ORGANIZATIONS, PARTNERSHIPS, CORPORATIONS, LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANIES, INVESTOR PROTECTION, AND BUSINESS ETHICS

  1. Entrepreneurship, Sole Proprietorships, and General Partnerships
  2. Limited Partnerships and Special Partnerships
  3. Limited Liability Companies and Limited Liability Partnerships
  4. Corporate Formation and Financing
  5. Corporate Governance and The Sarbanes-Oxley Act
  6. Corporate Acquisitions and Multinational Corporations
  7. Franchises and Special Forms of Business
  8. Securities Law and Investor Protection
  9. Ethics and Social Responsibility of Business

PART IX: GOVERNMENT REGULATION

  1. Administrative Law and Regulatory Agencies
  2. Consumer Protection and Product Safety
  3. Environmental Protection
  4. Antitrust Law and Unfair Trade Practices

PART X: PERSONAL PROPERTY, REAL PROPERTY, AND INSURANCE

  1. Personal Property and Bailment
  2. Real Property
  3. Landlord–Tenant Law and Land Use Regulation
  4. Insurance

PART XI: THE ACCOUNTING PROFESSION

  1. Accountants’ Duties and Liability

PART XII: PERSONAL LAW

  1. Wills, Trusts, and Estates
  2. Family Law

PART XIII: GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT

  1. International and World Trade Law

Appendix A: The Constitution of the United States of America

Glossary

Case Index

Subject Index

Author bios

About our author

Henry R. Cheeseman is professor emeritus of the Marshall School of Business of the University of Southern California (USC), Los Angeles, California.

Professor Cheeseman earned a bachelor’s degree in finance from Marquette University, both a master’s in business administration (MBA) and a master’s in business taxation (MBT) from the University of Southern California, a juris doctor (JD) degree from the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) School of Law, a master’s degree with an emphasis on law and economics from the University of Chicago, and a master’s in law (LLM) degree in financial institutions law from Boston University.

Professor Cheeseman was director of the Legal Studies in Business Program at the University of Southern California. He taught business law, legal environment and ethics courses in both the MBA and undergraduate programs of the Marshall School of Business. At the MBA level, he developed and taught courses on corporate governance, securities regulation, mergers and acquisitions, and bankruptcy law. At the undergraduate level, he taught courses on business law, the legal environment of business, ethics, business organizations, cyberlaw and intellectual property.

Professor Cheeseman received the Golden Apple Teaching Award on many occasions by being voted by the students as the best professor at the Marshall School of Business. He was named a fellow of the Center for Excellence in Teaching at the University of Southern California by the dean of the Marshall School of Business. The USC’s Torch and Tassel Chapter of the Mortar Board, a national senior honor society, tapped Professor Cheeseman for recognition of his leadership, commitment and excellence in teaching.

Professor Cheeseman writes leading business law and legal environment textbooks that are published by Pearson Education, Inc. These textbooks include Business Law, Contemporary Business Law and Legal Environment of Business.

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