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Colleen Baker

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PhD (Wharton) Professor Baker is an expert in banking and financial institutions law and regulation, with extensive knowledge of over-the-counter derivatives, clearing, the Dodd-Frank Act, and bankruptcy, in addition to being a mediator and arbitrator.

Previously, she spent time at the U. of Illinois Urbana-Champaign College of Business, the U. of Notre Dame Law School, and Villanova University Law School. She has consulted for the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, and for The Volcker Alliance.  Prior to academia, Professor Baker worked as a legal professional and as an information technology associate. She is a member of the State Bars of NY and TX. Read More

Ciao, from Italy.

Tomorrow, I have the privilege of sharing my work in an international symposium at the University of Genoa at the invitation of Vanessa Villanueva Collao.  This symposium offers a unique opportunity for transnational collaboration among corporate governance scholars.  We also are celebrating Vanessa’s completion of her J.S.D. degree (University of Illinois 2023).  

I am presenting my paper, forthcoming in the Michigan State Law Review, on civil insider trading in personal networks.  This is the companion paper to my article on criminal insider trading in personal networks, recently published in the Stetson Business Law Review and part of my larger, long-term project on U.S. insider trading in friendships and family situations.  As many readers may know, this project has fascinated me for a number of years now.  Each phase of the project offers new insights.  And each audience helps provide valuable food for thought. I am confident that the participants in and audience members at tomorrow’s symposium will be no exception.  I look forward to the interchanges on my work and the work of others being featured.

The program for the symposium is included below.  You will see more than a few fascinating members of the U.S.

The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

 . . .

He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:

 . . . 

For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:

For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:

 . . .

We, therefore, the Representatives of the United States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good people of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have…

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Western State College of Law at Westcliff University Faculty Hiring Announcement

Tenure-Track/Tenured Positions

Western State College of Law (WSCL) at Westcliff University invites applications from entry level and lateral candidates for tenure-track or tenured Assistant/Associate/Professor of Law positions beginning in the 2024-25 academic year. We are especially interested in candidates with demonstrated interest or experience in 1) Civil Procedure and Evidence or 2) Contracts.  We will also consider excellent candidates with teaching interests in other first year and required subject areas.  Applicants must hold a J.D. degree (or the equivalent), should have strong academic backgrounds, commitment to teaching excellence, and demonstrated potential for productive scholarship. Appointment rank will be determined commensurate with the candidate’s qualifications and experience.  We are particularly interested in candidates who will enrich the diversity of our faculty and welcome applications from women, underrepresented minorities, persons with disabilities, LGBTQI+ individuals, veterans, and others whose backgrounds, experiences, and viewpoints would contribute to the diversity of our institution.

WSCL is located in the city of Irvine, California – close to miles of famous beaches, parks, recreation facilities and outdoor activities as well as the many museums, music venues, and diverse cultural and social experiences of greater Los Angeles.

Founded…

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We’re Hiring!

This is an exciting opportunity to help NYU School of Law, through its Grunin Center for Law and Social Entrepreneurship, advance a movement that creates new ways for law and lawyers to support positive change in the world.

Join us at the Grunin Center at NYU Law as we accelerate the effective participation and enhance the community of lawyers and legal institutions engaged in social entrepreneurship, impact investing, and sustainable development. 

The Grunin Center is seeking lawyers for these unique career opportunities:

If you or someone you know is eager to contribute to the mission of the Grunin Center, we encourage you to apply or share this opportunity within your legal networks. 

Please apply by submitting your resume and a cover letter to: law.gruninsocent@nyu.edu. Please indicate in the subject line of your email the job title of interest.

Emory2023(Announcement)

8th Biennial Conference on the Teaching of Transactional Law and Skills

PREPARING FUTURE LAWYERS TO DRAFT CONTRACTS, DO DEALS, AND TAKE CARE OF BUSINESS

October 6-7, 2023 | Atlanta, GA

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Call for Proposals and Nominations for
Tina L. Stark Teaching Excellence Award

Call for Proposals

Emory’s Center for Transactional Law and Practice is delighted to open the Call for Proposals for its eighth biennial conference on the teaching of transactional law and skills. We welcome your proposals related to our theme – “Preparing Future Lawyers to Draft Contracts, Do Deals, and Take Care of Business.” 

By design, our theme is broad.  We see it as encompassing everything from how to teach the nuts-and-bolts of contract drafting through how to help students understand and advance a deal.  In addition, we would like to know what you are doing to familiarize students with business and finance.  On a more abstract level, consider leading a discussion about how to define the core values and guiding principles foundational to a successful transactional law practice. Or reporting your success encouraging students to engage in self-reflection about their professional identities as deal lawyers. 

Each session will be 60 minutes long.  Given this time limitation, each session

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As part of or an adjunct to the National Business Law Scholars Conference, we often host a mentoring workshop designed for individuals considering entering the academy and those who have recently landed an academic position.  This year, we will hold a virtual workshop on Wednesday, July 5th from 4:30 to 5:30 EDT. The session will be a panel focusing on entering and navigating the academy and becoming a scholar. The event is intended for scholars beginning their careers in business law and business-law related fields.

Participants should RSVP as soon as possible to Eric Chaffee (Eric.Chaffee@case.edu). Even if you are at a later point in your career, you may know individuals who may be interested in this event.  Please feel free to let them know about it and offer them Eric’s contact information.

Corporate governance has become a bit of an alphabet soup over the years–CSR,* DEIB,** and ESG*** (among other initialisms) are all part of the current practical lexicon for those of us working with businesses.  As a day celebrating the emancipation of the last enslaved Black Americans, Juneteenth, connects with so many of those acronyms in one way or another.  Businesses have been noticing.

For example, Hassina Obaidy’s June 13, 2023 article, Juneteenth in the Workplace: Why your company should celebrate, posted on the website of workplace training and compliance provider Emtrain, offers one perspective on Juneteenth and CSR.

Black Lives Matter has taught both individuals and companies what allyship can really look like. We’ve also learned that the passing of time is not enough to make real change. Companies need to support employees that come from demographics that have historically been marginalized through company policies, workplace culture, and corporate social responsibility (CSR). Giving employees a day off to celebrate Juneteenth and engage with their communities in a productive way is one step leaders can take to move the needle on CSR.

Similarly, in an article entitled Seven thoughtful ideas for observing Juneteenth in the workplace, Christina Bibby at…

If you happen to be traveling in the region of Knoxville, Tennessee on Thursday or Friday, feel free to stop by and catch all or part of this year’s National Business Law Scholars Conference, hosted by the Clayton Center for Entrepreneurial Law at The University of Tennessee College of Law.  The final schedule will be posted on the conference website within the next day, but I can tell you now that we start at 8:15 am for breakfast on Thursday (9:15 am for the program) and run through a 5:30 pm reception, and we start at at 8:00 am for breakfast on Friday (8:45 am for the program) and run until 3:30 pm. We have, as usual, a number of engaging plenary programs, but the conference mostly consists of scholarly paper panels.  As always, the schedule has been produced by the incomparable Eric Chaffee (who is moving to Case Western Law this summer).  He is amazing.

The morning plenaries (which start the conference proceedings each day) focus on entrepreneurship, a topic of focus for and strength of The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and The University of Tennessee College of Law, working through our Transactional Law Clinic.  Thursday’s…

The following message was received by me earlier this evening from the SEC Historical Society.  I thought many of you would want the information.  I interviewed with Harvey Pitt back at Fried Frank in 1984.  He then was already a securities regulation icon.  I was impressed (even though I did not end up working at Fried Frank–but together with Skadden’s Washington, DC office, it was at the top of my list if I had decided to go to DC instead of Boston).  May he rest in peace and may his memory be for a blessing.

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Dear Friends,

I write to pass along the very sad news that former SEC Chairman and one of the Society’s founders, Harvey Pitt, passed away today.

There will be a service on Monday, JUNE 5th at 1:00 PM at the Washington Hebrew Congregation at 3935 Macomb Street, NW, Washington, DC 20016.

I understand that for anyone who would like to reach out to his wife, Saree, it was recommended by his family to give her a day or two before doing so.

I will pass along any additional helpful information that I may receive.

Sincerely,
Jane

Jane Cobb
Executive Director
j.cobb@sechistorical.org
202-756-5015

CGC(20thAnn&NeelCeleb-2023)
Earlier today, I had the honor of making a brief presentation at a luncheon honoring both the 20th anniversary of the Corporate Governance Center at The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and a dear colleague and mentor, C. Warren Neel, who passed away at the end of March.  Set forth below are the reflections I shared at the luncheon–in relevant part.   These are my prepared remarks, but I often comment extemporaneously, rather than read.  So, please understand that I did not exactly say what is set forth below, although it accurately captures the content I delivered.

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Lawyers must be lawyers, and so I start with law.

On July 30, 2002, President George W. Bush signed into law the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002—the most broad-based federalization of corporate governance since the adoption of the federal securities law regime itself in the 1930s. It was in the shadow of that landmark legislation that The University of Tennessee’s Corporate Governance Center—now appropriately named the Neel Corporate Governance Center—was born. Like the legislation itself, the Corporate Governance Center cast a wide net. As an interdisciplinary research program that includes the College of Law and the College of Business…