• 
  
  
• Symposium Schedule
  
  
• Speakers List
  
  
• Directions & Parking
  
  
• Questions? Email us
  
  

Business Law as Public Interest Law Symposium

Friday, April 13, 2012
10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

University of California, Irvine
School of Law, EDU 1111 (Directions)

The University of California, Irvine School of Law has set out to be a top-tier law school that emphasizes the public interest. This raises the issue: What is Public Interest Law? The concept of public interest law defies simple description. It is many sided, but often focuses on areas of the law that are used to help vulnerable members of society. These include civil rights and civil liberties, as well as the rights of the poor, children, the elderly, and the disenfranchised.

Business law, too, is multi-faceted and represents an umbrella term for several areas of law, including antitrust, bankruptcy, corporate governance, development, finance, insurance, intellectual property, payment systems, secured credit, securities, tax, and white collar crime. To the uninitiated, public interest law and business law may seem like entirely separate spheres of law.

This symposium bridges the gap by exploring the relationship between public interest law and business law. Business law is not distinct from public interest law; it is a necessary component of public interest law. Many leading business law scholars will explain how business law, in its many forms, can serve fundamental public interest goals.

Attendance is free, but please RSVP online for catering and seating purposes.

FEATURED SPEAKERS

SYMPOSIUM SCHEDULE

10:30 a.m. Panel 1: Finance, Credit, and the Public Interest

• Mechele Dickerson, University of Texas School of Law
  Housing: A Matter of Civil Rights or Finance
• Christine Hurt, University of Illinois College of Law
  Microfinance as an Economic Development Tool
• Bill Maurer, University of California, Irvine School of Anthropology
  Privatized Payment Systems and the Public Interest
• Katherine Porter, University of California, Irvine School of Law
  Secured Credit and the Public Interest

Noon - 1:00 p.m. Lunch

1:00 p.m. Panel 2: Using Business Law to Serve Social Goals

• Anita Ramasastry, University of Washington School of Law
  Business and Human Rights
• Maggie Sachs, University of Georgia School of Law
  Shareholders and Social Justice Proposals
• Trilby Robinson-Dorn, University of California, Irvine School of Law
  Business Lawyers as Public Interest Lawyers
• Robert Solomon, University of California, Irvine School of Law
  The Critical Role of Community Banks: Are They Too Small to Fail?

2:45 p.m. Panel 3: Specific Areas of Business Law as Public Interest Law

• Harry First, NYU School of Law
  Business Crime and the Public Interest: Lawyers, Legislators, and the Administrative State.
• Christopher Leslie, University of California, Irvine School of Law
  Antitrust Law as Public Interest Law
• Tony Reese, University of California, Irvine School of Law
  Copyright and Trademark Law as Public Interest Law
• Shauhin Talesh, University of California, Irvine School of Law
  Insurance Law as Public Interest Law