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Articles 31 - 48 of 48
Full-Text Articles in Law
Devilry, Complicity, And Greed: Transitional Justice And Odious Debt, David C. Gray
Devilry, Complicity, And Greed: Transitional Justice And Odious Debt, David C. Gray
Faculty Scholarship
The doctrine of odious debts came into its full in the eighteenth and early nineteenth century to deal with the financial injustices of colonialism and its stalking horse, despotism. The basic rule, as articulated by Alexander Sack in 1927, is that debts incurred by an illegitimate regime that neither benefit nor have the consent of the people of a territory are personal to the regime and are subject to unilateral recision by a successor government. While the traditional doctrine focused on the nature and circumstances of individual debts, it has been expanded in recent years, moving the focus from the …
The Criminalization Of Corporate Law, Lisa M. Fairfax
The Criminalization Of Corporate Law, Lisa M. Fairfax
Faculty Scholarship
No abstract provided.
The Duty To Creditors Reconsidered - Filling A Much Needed Gap In Corporation Law, Richard A. Booth
The Duty To Creditors Reconsidered - Filling A Much Needed Gap In Corporation Law, Richard A. Booth
Faculty Scholarship
The most fundamental question of corporation law is to whom does the board of directors of a corporation owe its fiduciary duty. Recently, the question has tended to be whether and under what circumstances the board of directors has the duty to maximize stockholder wealth. But if a corporation is insolvent (or close to it), business decisions designed to maximize stockholder wealth may result in a reduction of creditor wealth. Although the conventional wisdom is that creditors must protect themselves by contractual means, there is a substantial body of case law that says that creditors can assert claims sounding in …
Some Reflections On The Diversity Of Corporate Boards: Women, People Of Color, And The Unique Issues Associated With Women Of Color, Lisa M. Fairfax
Some Reflections On The Diversity Of Corporate Boards: Women, People Of Color, And The Unique Issues Associated With Women Of Color, Lisa M. Fairfax
Faculty Scholarship
As one might expect, there are many similarities between the circumstances of women directors and directors of color, which includes African Americans, Latinos, and Asian Americans. Indeed, both groups began appearing on corporate boards in significant numbers during the same period—right after the Civil Rights Movement pursuant to which the push for racial equality throughout society precipitated efforts to achieve greater representation of people of color as well as women on corporate boards. Moreover, while women and people of color have experienced some increase in board representation over the last few decades, both groups also have encountered significant barriers to …
Capital Requirements In United States Corporation Law, Richard A. Booth Marbury Research Professor Of Law
Capital Requirements In United States Corporation Law, Richard A. Booth Marbury Research Professor Of Law
Faculty Scholarship
This paper focuses on corporation law in the United States as it relates to capital contributions and capital maintenance. In other words, the paper addresses the provisions of corporation law relating to (1) the obligation of investors to contribute to the corporation a specified amount of capital and (2) the obligation of the corporation to maintain a specified amount of capital (and not to pay it back to the stockholders in the form of dividends or payments to repurchase or redeem shares). Traditionally, the amount of capital that must be contributed to and maintained by a corporation is called the …
Spare The Rod, Spoil The Director? Revitalizing Directors' Fiduciary Duty Through Legal Liability, Lisa M. Fairfax
Spare The Rod, Spoil The Director? Revitalizing Directors' Fiduciary Duty Through Legal Liability, Lisa M. Fairfax
Faculty Scholarship
It appears that our society has tacitly agreed to spare corporate directors any significant legal liability—which includes both financial and incarceration—for failing to perform their duties as board members. Thus, over the last twenty years, there has been a virtual elimination of legal liability—particularly in the form of financial penalties—for directors who breach their fiduciary duty of care. This is true despite the fact that we entrust directors with the awesome responsibility of monitoring all of America's corporations as well as the officers and agents within those corporations. More surprisingly, this tacit agreement against legal liability for directors has persisted …
Achieving The Double Bottom Line: A Framework For Corporations Seeking To Deliver Profits And Public Services, Lisa M. Fairfax
Achieving The Double Bottom Line: A Framework For Corporations Seeking To Deliver Profits And Public Services, Lisa M. Fairfax
Faculty Scholarship
Achieving the Double Bottom Line: A Framework for Corporations Seeking to Deliver Profits and Public Services argues that many people who object to for-profit corporations that deliver public services, such as kindergarten through 12th grade education or foster care, have greatly exaggerated the extent to which the for-profit regime will compel such corporations to subordinate the delivery of those services to financial considerations. Because of this over-exaggeration, these opponents have not focused on designing a framework that would assist these entities in meeting their double bottom line—achieving profit for their shareholders while also delivering a high quality public service. The …
Form And Function In Business Organizations, Richard A. Booth Marbury Research Professor Of Law
Form And Function In Business Organizations, Richard A. Booth Marbury Research Professor Of Law
Faculty Scholarship
In this piece, I argue that the recent proliferation of forms of business organizations in addition to the traditional partnership and corporation may have arisen from the implicit recognition that various organizations may serve needs of business people in different types of businesses, and that traditional theory of the firm explanations are too narrowly focused on market failure explanations for firm formation. I identify at least five different factors that may motivate people to form a business organization and discuss how these different factors may militate in favor of one business form rather than another. I conclude that the collections …
Doing Well While Doing Good: Reassessing The Scope Of Directors' Fiduciary Obligations In For-Profit Corporations With Non-Shareholder Beneficiaries, Lisa M. Fairfax
Doing Well While Doing Good: Reassessing The Scope Of Directors' Fiduciary Obligations In For-Profit Corporations With Non-Shareholder Beneficiaries, Lisa M. Fairfax
Faculty Scholarship
This article explores corporate fiduciary duties in the context of for-profit companies that operate in traditionally non-profit spheres. The rise in “privatization”—a conversion from certain businesses being operated by nonprofit and government entities to operation by for-profit companies—has sparked considerable opposition, particularly when it occurs within industries that deliver some societal good such as health care or education. Opponents claim that for-profit companies cannot pay heed to their social or charitable commitments because they must focus on generating profits. In a related debate, many corporate scholars disagree about the proper aim of the corporation—with some insisting that it should serve …
The Sarbanes-Oxley Act As Confirmation Of Recent Trends In Director And Officer Fiduciary Obligations, Lisa M. Fairfax
The Sarbanes-Oxley Act As Confirmation Of Recent Trends In Director And Officer Fiduciary Obligations, Lisa M. Fairfax
Faculty Scholarship
This Article argues that, instead of dramatically altering the responsibilities of corporate officers and directors, Sarbanes-Oxley confirms at least some case law and other recent articulations of management’s fiduciary duty. At a minimum, recent allegations regarding corporate misconduct may suggest some degree of confusion on the pat of corporate officers and directors about the manner in which they should comply with their fiduciary duty. By requiring more exacting standards of conduct from these corporate agents, Sarbanes-Oxley may not only clear up that confusion, but also may represent a natural extension of recent pronouncements by Delaware courts, the SEC and other …
Minority Discounts And Control Premiums In Appraisal Proceedings, Richard A. Booth Marbury Research Professor Of Law
Minority Discounts And Control Premiums In Appraisal Proceedings, Richard A. Booth Marbury Research Professor Of Law
Faculty Scholarship
In a merger, a stockholder often has a statutory right of dissent and appraisal under which the stockholder may demand to be paid fair value exclusive of any gain or loss that may arise from the merger itself. Most courts and commentators agree that a dissenting stockholder should ordinarily receive a pro rata share of the fair value of the corporation without any discount simply because minority shares lack control. In several recent cases, the courts have indicated that a minority stockholder is thus entitled to a share of the control value of the corporation even though the merger does …
The Direction Of Corporate Law: The Scholars' Perspective, John C. Coffee Jr., Richard A. Booth Marbury Research Professor Of Law, R. Franklin Balotti, David C. Mcbride, Edward P. Welch
The Direction Of Corporate Law: The Scholars' Perspective, John C. Coffee Jr., Richard A. Booth Marbury Research Professor Of Law, R. Franklin Balotti, David C. Mcbride, Edward P. Welch
Faculty Scholarship
Transcript of a panel on a scholar's approach to corporation law.
Fiduciary Duty, Contract, And Waiver In Partnerships And Limited Liability Companies, Richard A. Booth Marbury Research Professor Of Law
Fiduciary Duty, Contract, And Waiver In Partnerships And Limited Liability Companies, Richard A. Booth Marbury Research Professor Of Law
Faculty Scholarship
Among the controversies swirling around the promulgations of new uniform statutes governing partnerships and LLCs is the question whether and to what extend fiduciary duties should be made mandatory or waivable. Although courts and commentators have not traditionally focused on the costs of fiduciary duties, the costs are significant in that such duties may preclude agents from engaging in other legitimate ventures. Indeed, fiduciary duty may be used by those to whom it is owed to prevent competition or extort side benefits form participants. Mandatory duties effectively require participants who may identify multiple business opportunities to overinvest their human capital …
The Limited Liability Company And The Search For A Bright Line Between Corporations And Partnerships, Richard A. Booth Marbury Research Professor Of Law
The Limited Liability Company And The Search For A Bright Line Between Corporations And Partnerships, Richard A. Booth Marbury Research Professor Of Law
Faculty Scholarship
Despite the potential loss in tax revenue, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is making it easier and easier to avoid corporate taxes. Witness the advent of limited liability companies and the proposed "check-the-box" regulations. This article takes a look at the real distinctions between -- and policy supporting -- pass-through and entity level taxation and draws the conclusion that entity level taxation will probably become limited to publicly traded entities only.
Business Combination Antitakeover Statutes, The Unintended Repudiation Of The Internal Affairs Doctrine, And Constitutional Constraints On Choice Of Law, Robert E. Suggs
Business Combination Antitakeover Statutes, The Unintended Repudiation Of The Internal Affairs Doctrine, And Constitutional Constraints On Choice Of Law, Robert E. Suggs
Faculty Scholarship
This article examines the constitutional validity of business combination antitakeover statutes. Delaware and other important corporate law jurisdictions enacted these statutes during the 1980s to inhibit hostile leveraged corporate takeovers and protect incumbent managements. These statutes work by prohibiting transactions which enable a hostile acquirer with a mere majority of target stock to sell target assets for cash and retain all the cash to service acquisition debt while paying off with securities the minority shareholders' interest in the assets sold. This allows the takeover to be financed with the assets acquired. Analyzing the structural operation of these statutes in greater …
Racial Discrimination In Business Transactions, Robert E. Suggs
Racial Discrimination In Business Transactions, Robert E. Suggs
Faculty Scholarship
When the Supreme Court invalidated a municipal minority business set-aside in City of Richmond v. J.A. Croson Co., it failed to recognize the special circumstances confronting the minority entrepreneur. Contrary to the Court’s own erroneous assertion that “[s]tates and their local subdivisions have many legislative weapons at their disposal both to punish and prevent present [business] discrimination ….” – they do not. Nor can they create effective antidiscrimination remedies as a practical matter. As a result that decision leaves minority business owners vulnerable to discrimination from other business firms but without a remedy. Part I identifies the glaring failure …
Rethinking Minority Business Development Strategies, Robert E. Suggs
Rethinking Minority Business Development Strategies, Robert E. Suggs
Faculty Scholarship
Minority business set-asides were created as a prophylactic measure to redress discrimination against minority owned business firms. Predominantly minority jurisdictions found them especially attractive because they promised to provide minority firms a share of the procurement dollars expended by these jurisdictions. The Croson decision invalidated Richmond’s ordinance and posed substantial barriers to further enactments. This article proposes an alternative to such set-aides. It argues that the proposed alternative, an Equal Opportunity Rating Agency (EORA), provides a superior business development policy tool and does not have the constitutional vulnerabilities of set-asides. An EORA would operate much like a credit rating agency, …
Federal Corporate Law, Federalism, And The Federal Courts, Gordon G. Young
Federal Corporate Law, Federalism, And The Federal Courts, Gordon G. Young
Faculty Scholarship
No abstract provided.