We leverage the power of business to address society’s most difficult challenges.
The Berkeley Center for Law and Business brings together scholars, practitioners, and students to tackle the most pressing challenges in capital markets, corporate innovation, and sustainability. Through our programs and research, we shape the next generation of leaders for the global economy.
Consistent with UC Berkeley’s role as the world’s leading public university, we are the premier forum for debate on corporate governance, responsible innovation, equity and inclusion, financial fraud, mergers and acquisitions, venture capital, and other critical policy issues. If there’s a conversation about law and business that matters, we’re leading it.
Message from the Dean of Berkeley Law
“The Berkeley Center for Law and Business provides a center of gravity for students, faculty, entrepreneurs, investors, and organizations on issues of law and business throughout the world.”
– Erwin Chemerinsky, Dean, Berkeley Law
Letter from the Faculty Director
Stavros Gadinis
Faculty Director, Berkeley Center for Law and Business
This was a year when corporate governance stood at the center of the most important dilemmas our society faces.
Letter from the Executive Director
Angeli Patel
Executive Director, Berkeley Center for Law and Business
The Berkeley Center for Law and Business continues to be at the forefront of critical conversations in business law.
Watch Us in Action
Voices from the Bench and Commission: Leaders Shaping Law and Regulation
Some of our richest conversations this year came from sitting down with judges and regulators to talk through what’s actually changing in business law.
Voices from the C-Suite: Leading Legal Officers Shape the Conversation
We sat down with CEOs and CLOs from some of the most interesting companies out there—fintech, AI, social media, sports— to hear how they’re thinking through societal puzzles that don’t have easy answers.
The Berkeley Forums
This year’s Spring and Fall Forums drew record attendance as regulators, Delaware judges, and CEOs tackled the questions defining this moment: merger enforcement, AI governance, geopolitical risk, and what boards need to know now.
From the Presenting Sponsor of the Spring Forum:
“The Spring Forum for the last 11 years has been a highlight on the calendar for the Bay Area M&A community…”
Ethan Klingsberg, Partner, Co-Head of US Corporate and M&A, Freshfields and Presenting Sponsor of the Berkeley Spring Forum
From the Presenting Sponsor of the Fall Forum:
“For five years, Cooley has proudly partnered with Berkeley as the presenting sponsor of the Berkeley Fall Forum…”
Jamie Leigh, Parnter and Chair of Global M&A, Cooley and Presenting Sponsor of the Berkeley Fall Forum
Bringing Together Students, Academics, and Practitioners
BCLB keeps the conversation going year-round through webinars on the latest in global business law, student-led symposia, practitioner-led skills workshops, and events that connect students with the Bay Area’s corporate law community—building a pipeline of talent and ideas.
Applied AI Bootcamp for Lawyers
As AI began transforming legal practice, we moved fast launching our Applied AI Bootcamp for Lawyers and bringing 65 attorneys to campus for intensive, hands-on training with leaders from Ironclad, Everlaw, Thomson Reuters, and Anthropic.
Business in Society Institute
The pressures on business leaders aren’t slowing down—so neither are we. From new fellowships for international scholars to summits on climate regulation and stakeholder capitalism, we’ve been equipping executives, board members, and policymakers with the governance frameworks and research they need to lead through complexity.
Berkeley Art, Law, and Finance Project
The art world’s thorniest issues—unpacked.
Our Academic Influence
Curriculum. Scholarship. Executive training. Shaping what’s next.
“Without a doubt, the legal profession is at an inflexion point in terms of tech-driven transformation. All of us privileged enough to work in the industry have an obligation to continue to learn about the opportunities and challenges that this transformation offers. GenAI for the Legal Profession is an excellent, practical course to facilitate the beginning of your learning journey.”
— Lisa Mather, General Counsel
About Us
Our team combines operational rigor with intellectual curiosity and manages complex programming while staying attuned to the ideas and relationships that drive our mission forward. We are a small but mighty team that punches above its weight.
Sponsors
Hear from our Advisory Board Member
“Davis Polk is proud to support Berkeley Law’s vital work at the intersection of legal scholarship and business practice. The research and dialogue fostered here help shape the future of corporate law and governance, providing insights that benefit our clients and the broader legal community.”
—Alan Denenberg, Partner, Davis Polk