Geoffrey Parsons Miller

Courses

• Banking Law and Regulation

  This course examines the law and regulation of banks and other financial institutions. Classes will focus on the role of regulation in (a) ensuring that institutions have sufficient capital and liquidity; (b) protecting the financial system against the risk of a systemic crisis; and (c) protecting consumers and guaranteeing access to financial services. We will focus primarily on the U.S., but also cover relevant global regulatory initiatives. The financial crisis of 2007-2009 and its aftermath will form a central focus for discussion.

• Corporations

  This is the basic course on Corporations. It covers, among other topics, formation; certificate of incorporation and bylaws; limited liability; management and control rights and powers of shareholders, directors, and officers; shareholder voting; fiduciary and other duties and liabilities of officers and directors; amendments to the certificate of incorporation; and mergers and acquisitions.

• Emerging Issues in Large Scale Litigation

  This seminar will focus on emerging issues in large scale litigation -- class actions, shareholder derivative suits, "aggregate" mass tort litigation (e.g., asbestos cases), and attorney-general litigation (e.g., tobacco cases). We will examine issues such as the criteria for class certification, strategic considerations for plaintiffs and defendants, the role of class counsel, special problems under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act, "reverse auctions," whole-case and lead counsel auctions, ethical issues for plaintiffs' counsel, methodologies for calculating attorneys' fees, strategies for funding litigation, issues related to the scope and permissible extent of settlement releases, and recent changes to Federal Rule 23. The seminar will examine these issues generally as well as in the context of intensive study of particular large-scale cases.

• Professional Responsibility and the Regulation of Lawyers

  This course examines law as a regulated industry. Attention will be paid to the values of the profession, the rules of professional responsibility, the impact of the United States Constitution and federal and state statutes, and practical approaches that lawyers employ to comply with the regulations applicable to their professional lives.