250S sec. 001 - Business Associations (Summer 2026)
Instructor: Stavros Gadinis (view instructor's teaching evaluations - degree students only | profile)
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Units: 3
Grading Designation: Graded
Mode of Instruction: In-Person
Meeting:
MTuWThF 2:00 PM - 4:35 PM
Location: Law 244
From June 02, 2026
To June 23, 2026
Class Number: Click to show Class Number
Enrollment info:
Enrolled: 0
Waitlisted: 0
Enroll Limit: 35
As of: 02/06 08:02 AM
In virtually every area of legal practice, some rudimentary knowledge about the laws governing business organizations (and particularly corporations) proves helpful. This 4-unit survey course provides much of that orientation, examining the laws governing the modern business organization (with an emphasis on corporations). We will cover a number of topics, including rules of agency law, partnership law, corporate formation, corporate identity, rights of creditors, fiduciary duties, corporate governance, executive compensation, mergers and acquisitions and securities fraud. At the core, this is a survey course, so many of the topics we will discuss also have specialized courses offering a more detailed treatment. Consequently, our key goal will be to understand the rudimentary structure of each topic, and how the topics interrelate and in particular how corporate law regulates relationships among multiple different constituencies of the firm, including owners, managers, creditors, employees, customers, and suppliers. Viewed in this light, the governance of a corporation implicates the same challenges and concerns that affect any multi-party economic relationship, ranging from problems of collective action, free riding, private information, distribution and opportunism. The laws governing business organizations constitute an important set of rules, institutions, and practices that regulate and address these concerns.
Professor Gadinis’ research examines questions in corporate law and financial regulation, both domestic and international. He is particularly interested in the interplay between companies and regulators, exploring the institutional framework for law enforcement, compliance, and risk management. In the last few years, he has focused on sustainability and social issues as an attempt to expand the scope of corporate governance. In Corporate Law and Social Risk (co-authored with Amelia Miazad)(2020 Vanderbilt Law Review), the focus is on stakeholder outreach as a governance system seeking to identify and address social risks for the business. In a follow-up article, A Test of Stakeholder Capitalism (co-authored with Amelia Miazad) they explore how corporations relied on feedback from stakeholders to address the implications of the Covid pandemic. His article The Hidden Power of Compliance (co-authored with Amelia Miazad)(2019 Minnesota Law Review) explores how extensive internal reporting within companies impacts the liability of board members. In Collaborative Gatekeepers (co-authored with Colby Mangels)(2016 Washington & Lee Law Review) he explores anti-money laundering law as a model of pro-active misconduct reporting. Gadinis’ work has also traced the spread of financial standards around the world, showing how private, regulator, or government supports leads to distinct results (Three Pathways to Global Standards, 2015 American Journal of International Law). Gadinis has argued that systemic risk reforms introduced after the 2008 financial crisis has resulted in increasing the role of political appointees over independent regulators in the oversight of the financial system (2012 California Law Review).
Before entering into academia, Gadinis practiced corporate law for four years in Europe. Gadinis completed his S.J.D. at Harvard in May 2010. He also holds an LL.M. degree from the University of Cambridge (UK), and a law degree from Aristotle University, Greece.
Exam Notes: (TH) Take-home Final Exam
(Subject to change by faculty member only through the first two weeks of instruction)
Course Category: Business Law
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