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Full-Text Articles in Law

Entrepreneurs On Horseback: Reflections On The Organization Of Law, Darian M. Ibrahim, D. Gordon Smith Mar 2017

Entrepreneurs On Horseback: Reflections On The Organization Of Law, Darian M. Ibrahim, D. Gordon Smith

D. Gordon Smith

“Law and entrepreneurship” is an emerging field of study. Skeptics might wonder whether law and entrepreneurship is a variant of that old canard, the Law of the Horse. In this Essay, we defend law and entrepreneurship against that charge and urge legal scholars to become even more engaged in the wide-ranging scholarly discourse regarding entrepreneurship. In making our case, we argue that research at the intersection of entrepreneurship and law is distinctive. In some instances, legal rules and practices are tailored to the entrepreneurial context, and in other instances, general rules of law find novel expression in the entrepreneurial context. …


Chancellor Allen And The Fundamental Question, D. Gordon Smith Feb 2016

Chancellor Allen And The Fundamental Question, D. Gordon Smith

D. Gordon Smith

In this article, the author explains Chancellor Allen's expansive reputation by examining his ability to speak to what philosopher John Danley calls "the fundamental question": "What is the appropriate role of the modem corporation in a free society?" From the chartering of the first corporations in the United States to the present day, debate over the fundamental question has been rancorous. On one side of the debate stand those who believe that society is best served when corporations strive to maximize profits for the benefit of shareholders; on the other side stand those who believe that corporations should have some …


Debate: Saving The World With Corporate Law?, Kent Greenfield, D. Gordon Smith Feb 2016

Debate: Saving The World With Corporate Law?, Kent Greenfield, D. Gordon Smith

D. Gordon Smith

The current debate within corporate law is as fundamental as any time since the New Deal, when the great exchange between Merrick Dodd and A.A. Berle defined the issues for a generation of scholars. Today, the community of corporate law scholars in the United States is split between two groups. The first, heavily influenced by economic analysis of corporations, argues the merits of increasing shareholder power vis-à-vis directors. Another group, animated by concern for economic justice, challenges the traditional, shareholder-centric view of corporate law, arguing instead for a model of “stakeholder governance.” The enclosed article is an untraditional method to …


Organizational Perspectives On Contracts, Gordon Smith, Brayden King Mar 2008

Organizational Perspectives On Contracts, Gordon Smith, Brayden King

D. Gordon Smith

Most written contracts are drafted by lawyers, but legal scholars rarely study contract documents, preferring instead to focus on the legal rules governing contracts. Despite this neglect on the part of the legal academy, empirical studies of contracts have become more common over the past decade. However, the range of questions addressed by these studies is narrow, inspired primarily by economic theories that focus on the role of contracts in mitigating various forms of advantage taking by contracting parties. We believe that legal scholars have something important to add to this scholarly discussion – namely a deep knowledge of contract …