Corporate, Business and Commercial Law

Washington University School of Law's faculty has exceptional expertise in corporate, commercial, and business law. Faculty research and writing focuses on a wide range of topics including, but not limited to, securities law, consumer transactions, tax law, corporate and white collar crime, intellectual property, bankruptcy and antitrust.

Faculty Experts:

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Adam Rosenzweig Associate Professor of Law Adam Rosenzweig has done extensive work in the area of tax law and policy. He previously worked as a visiting assistant professor at Northwestern University School of Law and clerked for Judge James L. Dennis, United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. While working in New York, Rosenzweig ... Direct contact: (314) 935-4419 / arosenzweig@wulaw.wustl.edu

Gerrit De Geest Professor of Law De Geest specializes in comparative law and in law and economics. As a member of the European Group on an Integrated Contract Law and of the Economic Impact Group of the Common Principles of European Contract Law, De Geest has delved extensively into these issues and has served as the president of ... Direct contact: (314) 935-7839 / degeest@wulaw.wustl.edu

Cheryl Block Professor of Law Block Cheryl Block is an expert in tax law and policy. Author of a leading book on corporate taxation, she has also written numerous articles on taxation, public policy relating to federal bailouts, legislative voting rules, social choice theory, federal budget process, and the interplay between tax and ... Expertise: tax law and policy, corporate taxation, federal bailouts Direct contact: (314) 935-6444 / cblock@wulaw.wustl.edu

Samuel Buell Associate Professor of Law Samuel Buell Samuel Buell writes and teaches in the area of regulation of behavior in corporations and financial markets. His courses include Criminal Law and Securities Regulation. Buell frequently comments on white collar crime and federal criminal law for the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Washington ... Expertise: securities regulation, criminal law, white collar crime, corporations, federal criminal law Direct contact: (314) 935-6406 / swbuell@wulaw.wustl.edu

Kent Syverud Dean and Ethan A. H. Shepley University Professor Kent Syverud Download Syverud has established an extraordinary reputation as an expert in legal education, complex litigation, insurance and civil procedure. He is the author of numerous articles on the subjects and is a former editor of the Journal of Legal Education. Expertise: civil procedure, insurance law, negotiation, professional, responsibility, legal education Direct contact: 314-935-6420 / syverud@wulaw.wustl.edu

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News Stories & Tip Sheets:

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Supreme Court to rule on patent law -- Quanta v. LG "Patent holder had a right to sue a downstream purchaser," says patent law expert Jan. 22, 2008 -- Reversing the longstanding case law would give undue windfall to opportunistic third parties, says Kieff. The U.S. Supreme Court is reviewing Quanta v. LG, a case that could determine the future direction of patent law. "This case is key to ensuring that patent law develops in a way that best promotes innovation and competition," says F. Scott Kieff, J.D., professor of law at Washington University in St. Louis. Kieff and colleagues have filed an amicus brief in the Supreme Court in support of LG, arguing that under contract law the patent holder had a right to sue a downstream purchaser. Kieff will be closely following this case and is available for comment.

Former Enron prosecutor available to discuss Conrad Black trial Looting case will hinge on Hollinger board of directors and possibly Black March 5, 2007 -- Download When the Conrad Black trial gets under way in March, the argument will be similar to the case against Tyco's Dennis Kozlowski rather than the cases against Ken Lay or Bernard Ebbers, says Samuel W. Buell, J.D., associate professor of law at Washington University in St. Louis. "This is a case about whether an executive looted his own company, not whether he committed accounting fraud," says Buell, a former Enron prosecutor. "In a looting case, the battle is often over the testimony and credibility of the members of the board of directors." More...

Renowned legal scholar to discuss antitrust Law School's Public Interest Law and Policy Speakers Series Oct. 27, 2006 -- The Law School's Public Interest Law and Policy Speakers Series, in conjunction with the Federalist Society and the Assembly Series, will present Richard Epstein at 3 p.m. Tuesday, October 31, in the Anheuser Busch Moot Courtroom (Room 310). The lecture is free and open to the public. The well-known libertarian and influential legal scholar will discuss the question, "Has Modern Complex Litigation Outgrown the Federal Rules of Civil Procedures? The Case of Antitrust."

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Related News Clips:

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Show More Corporate, Business and Commercial Law Clips

Commentary: Let The Markets Regulate Microsoft Forbes.com March 12, 2008 -- WUSTL law professor Scott Kieff writes a commentary about regulating Microsoft. He is also a research fellow at Stanford University' s Hoover Institution, where he runs the Hoover Project on Commercializing Innovation, which studies the law, economics and politics of innovation.

What Will Senate Hearings Mean for Gonzales? NPR - Talk Of The Nation April 24, 2007 -- Attorney General Alberto Gonzales faced tough questions during the Senate Judiciary Committee over his role in the firing of eight federal prosecutors. WUSTL law professor Samuel Buell, who is a former Enron prosecutor, was one of the experts speaking in this broadcast.

U.S. Inquiry on Bonds at Big Bank The New York Times and 1 others Feb. 12, 2007 -- Bank of America said that it was cooperating with a Justice Department investigation into bidding practices in the municipal bond business in exchange for leniency. Investigators are examining whether there was collusion among some financial institutions in bidding to handle the bond revenue during those interim periods. WUSTL law professor Kathleen Brickey, who specializes in white-collar crime, comments.

Judge again blocks flight attendants from striking against Northwest Airlines Associated Press, Chicago Tribune and 5 others Sept. 22, 2006 -- Northwest Airlines Corp. flight attendants on Thursday asked to be released from federal mediation so they can strike the carrier after a federal judge ruled they couldn't walk off the job. WUSTL law professor and labor relations expert Neil Bernstein comments.

Tightening noose Forbes June 19, 2006 -- Last year 2.4% of U.S. public companies were hit with securities class actions. Virtually all of those cases will be settled for pennies on the dollar--1.2% of maximum estimated losses in 2005, according to economic consultant Cornerstone Research. But loss as typically defined in securities suits has no connection to the economic reality of stock investing. A "fraud" that inflates a share price helps the investor who sells as much as it hurts the one who buys. Washington University researcher Anjan Thakor found that 31% of institutional investors showed a profit trading stocks of 480 companies that were later sued for fraud.

Debate over Fannie, Freddie takes place in the extremes Wall Street Journal March 3, 2006 -- Supporters of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac say that cutting their massive mortgage portfolios would doom the housing market. Critics say those same portfolios create the risk of an LTCM-style meltdown that would doom financial markets. They could both be wrong. One of the studies mentioned was a 2004 paper co-authored by WUSTL's real estate and finance professor Michael LaCour-Little, which found that the U.S. government-sponsored entities (GSEs) that buy and hold mortgages in an effort to keep borrowing costs low and make home-buying more affordable, gave homeowners just a 0.24-percentage-point advantage on their mortgage rates.

Commentary: Private insecurities Wall Street Journal Feb. 20, 2006 -- U. Pittsburgh professor Ken Lehn looks at the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act on its 10th anniversary. He mentions a recent study co-authored by WUSTL business professor Anjan Thakor which reveals a fundamental problem: The compensation investors receive in settlements of federal securities class-actions does not correspond to the harm investors incur from alleged securities fraud.

Northwest fate may hang on judge's decision USA Today and 32 others Feb. 16, 2006 -- WUSTL law professor and labor relations expert Neil Bernstein comments on union negotiations with Northwest Airlines over whether the company could throw out contracts with pilots and flight attendants.Bernstein said the judge's main concern was helping the airline sort out its financial problems and survive — not how much the workers get paid.

Craigslist accused of ad discriminating Washington Post and 43 others Feb. 10, 2006 -- A federal lawsuit accuses the online site Craigslist of violating fair housing laws by publishing discriminatory classified ads, reviving the question of what legal boundaries, if any, should exist for postings on the Internet. But legal experts say the lawsuit against Craigslist, a fast-growing online network of classified ads and forums, faces an uphill battle because of laws in place to protect online service providers. WUSTL law professor Jennifer Rothman comments.

State unable to prove KCP&L violated rules Kansas City Star and 14 others Feb. 2, 2006 -- The evidence that would show whether a coal-fired power plant near Weston violated its permit is inconclusive, according to the Missouri Department of Natural Resources. Kansas City Power & Light got a permit and plans to build a second coal-fired power plant next to it. In their argument, Sierra Club and other opponents used a study by WUSTL law school's Interdisciplinary Environmental Clinic. Evidence of a boiler upgrade came largely from an analysis conducted by the Washington University Law School's Interdisciplinary Environmental Clinic.

Split verdict on selecting juries quickly Wall Street Journal Feb. 1, 2006 -- The spectacular financial collapse of Enron Corp. happened quickly. The selection of a jury in the criminal trial of its two former top executives, Kenneth Lay and Jeffrey Skilling, was even speedier. It took only a day to impanel the 12-person jury, while in some other high-profile cases, such proceedings have dragged on for weeks. Some lawyers uninvolved in the case were dismayed, saying there is absolutely no way a jury can be picked fairly in that case in one day. WUSTL law school dean Kent Sevyrud and others say the move toward speedier jury selection is a welcome one.

Critics of shareholder suits aim at big holders New York Times and 3 others Oct. 27, 2005 -- Article looks at shareholder litigation and how shareholders injured by fraud should be compensated. A new study for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce contends that settlements of shareholder lawsuits brought in the wake of fraud overcompensate institutional investors. WUSTL finance professor Anjan Thakor helped conduct the research.

Beer strike tests St. Louis' loyalties to Bud and unions Associated Press and 70 others Oct. 19, 2005 -- In the battle of Bud against the Brotherhood of Teamsters, it seems that Busch is still king. Partly because of the city's affinity for Budweiser, the Teamsters strike has been the least successful labor action in at least 30 years, said Neil Bernstein, a law professor specializing in labor law. Bernstein said the strike has been undermined because beer deliverymen aren't high-profile workers that interact with the public. But drivers took center stage outside Busch Stadium during the playoffs. Teamsters stood outside the main entrance with placards and signs, asking fans to stay away from Anheuser-Busch products inside.

Frist accumulated stock in family company outside Senate trusts Associated Press and 128 others Oct. 12, 2005 -- Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist has long maintained that he could vote on health care legislation and still own HCA stock because he placed his shares in Senate-approved blind trusts. However, ethics experts say a partnership arrangement shown in documents obtained by The Associated Press raises serious doubts about whether the senator truly avoided a conflict. Kathleen Clark, WUSTL law professor and government ethics expert, comments.

Frist followed wave of insiders in selling hospital stock Associated Press and 1 others Sept. 23, 2005 -- Article on Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist and whether or not there was anything improper when he ordered a trustee to sell all his stock in his family's hospital corporation about a month before the price dropped. Information about the insiders' moves was publicly available through disclosures required by the SEC. WUSTL law professor and government ethics specialist Kathleen Clark comments.

Schwarzenegger's Consulting Deal Los Angeles Times and 1 others July 15, 2005 -- WUSTL law professor and government ethics expert Kathleen Clark comments on the controversy surrounding California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and his consulting deal with a magazine publisher.

Cox's nomination to run SEC signals a regulatory shift Wall Street Journal and 16 others June 3, 2005 -- Business-friendly Californian Christopher Cox was named as the new chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission. WUSTL law school dean and SEC historian Joel Seligman comments on the direction the SEC might take under Cox.

When just one heavy hitter just isn't enough The New York Times May 27, 2005 -- WUSTL legal ethics professor Kathleen Clark comments on the legal defense strategy of A.I.G.'s former CEO Maurice Greenberg.

SEC looking at possible revisions to anti-fraud law, chairman says Associated Press and 32 others Feb. 10, 2005 -- The Securities and Exchange Commission chairman says a landmark anti-fraud law has proved too burdensome and costly for some public companies, especially smaller ones, and his agency is considering revisions of the statute. WUSTL law school dean and SEC historian Joel Seligman comments on the future of SEC reforms.

Election puts time crunch on SEC Washington Post Nov. 4, 2004 -- This week's presidential election heightens pressure on the Securities and Exchange Commission to move quickly on several key initiatives because the composition of the five-member commission may change next year, legal experts said. WUSTL law school dean and SEC historian Joel Seligman comments.

More News:

Record profile: Dean Joel Seligman, J.D., has towering reputation in Wall Street legal circles
May, 2000 - Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Arthur Levitt joked at a recent law school conference that if the Library of Congress' wing of historical documents on the nation's markets were to burn down, the government simply could call Joel Seligman, J.D., with the request: "Could you just start from the beginning?" Full Story

Record profile: Drobak helps new Czech economy emerge
Feb., 1998 - Having walked along the line where the Iron Curtain used to separate Czechoslovakia and West Germany, Law Professor John Drobak, J.D., marvels over the remaining pieces of destroyed fence and the tremendous political upheaval they represent. But nearly as dramatic for Drobak, an expert in economic regulation, has been the opportunity to observe personally the rapid economic transformation of the Czech Republic following the collapse of communism. Full Story

Legal scholar says Sarbanes-Oxley Act makes a significant contribution to federal criminal law
March, 2003 -The U.S. government quickly responded to the public outrage over the numerous corporate scandals of 2001 and beyond by enacting the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. While critics complain that the law's criminal provisions are ineffective, Kathleen F. Brickey, the James Carr Professor of Criminal Jurisprudence at the Washington University School of Law, finds that Sarbanes-Oxley "addresses weaknesses in federal criminal law that became all too apparent in the aftermath of the Enron-Andersen debacle." Full Story

Don't overcharge and watch your receipts, consumer law expert advises
Dec., 2002 - Consumers in a gift-buying frenzy are at greater risk of fraud, says Michael M. Greenfield, J.D., Walter D. Coles Professor of Law at Washington University in St. Louis and author of a treatise titled Consumer Law, as well as a casebook, Consumer Transactions. Full Story

SEC disclosure regulations may be overwhelming investors with too much information
March 2003 - Investors and legislators alike continue to be concerned about the true state of companies. Since the corporate accounting scandals of Enron, Tyco, WorldCom and others, there has been a legislative push for full disclosure from companies. Full Story

Koreans visit WU to learn about U.S. intellectual property law
Dec., 1996 - Representatives from Yonsei University in Seoul, Korea, said their recent visit to the Washington University School of Law provided invaluable insights into the nuances of U.S. intellectual property law.

"We are the first graduate program in intellectual property and law in Korea but don't yet have the professional manpower quantitatively and qualitatively," said Jung-Gun Kim, dean of Yonsei's Graduate School of Intellectual Property and Law. "I wanted the students to meet and be exposed to some of the renowned experts in the world in this field." Full Story