LAWS 6824 Startup Company Governance: Taming Unicorns

This course focuses on corporate governance practices in the U.S. and their impact on risk taking by corporations and financial institutions. Students will gain a firm grounding in the principles of corporate governance including the role of state corporate law, securities law and oversight of the banking system. Topics covered will include the ownership structure of financial firms and professional gatekeepers, executive compensation practices, the role of directors, securities fraud liability, corporate recruitment policies, and shareholder activism. While exploring these topics we will review recent regulatory reforms including the Dodd-Frank Act. The only prerequisite is the basic corporate law course.