Schottenstein Zox & Dunn's Distinguished Practitioners in Residence Program in Business Law

The Schottenstein Zox & Dunn's Distinguished Practitioners in Residence Program in Business Law course series was launched in the fall of 2005. This program brings judges and practitioners as adjunct professors to Moritz to teach one-credit, concentrated courses in advanced aspects of business law.

2005-06 Program

In the program's inaugural year, five distinguished business practitioners or judges taught these courses at Moritz as adjunct professors.

E. Norman Veasey

E. Norman Veasey is the former Chief Justice of the Delaware Supreme Court, which handles some of the nation's most complex takeover and corporate governance litigation. He is currently a partner at Weil, Gotshal & Manges in New York and Wilmington, where he practices in these fields. He is a graduate of Dartmouth and the University of Pennsylvania Law School. He is a former Chair of the National Conference of Chief Justices and has chaired important committees in the ABA Business Law Section.

Justice Veasey taught "Professional Responsibility Challenges and Pitfalls of the Corporate Lawyer" during the fall 2005 semester. The content includes fiduciary duties of officers, directors and corporate lawyers, the lawyer-client privilege, work product and the rules of ethics in the corporate setting, ethical issues of counseling in M & A deals, derivative claims and corporate governance settings, special problems of counseling in crisis modes, avoiding implications of client fraud, and when to report or not to report.

Students must have taken or be taking contemporaneously Business Associations and Professional Responsibility. The course was offered, October 31 through November 4: Monday through Thursday evenings from 6:00 to 8:30 and Friday afternoon 2:00 to 5:30.

R. Franklin Balotti

R. Franklin Balotti is one of the best known lawyers in corporate takeover and governance issues, practicing primarily in the Delaware courts. He is a graduate of Hamilton and Cornell Law School, and has taught as an adjunct professor for years at Cornell and the University of Miami law schools.

Mr. Balotti taught "Litigating Takeover Cases" in the fall. Students must have taken or be taking contemporaneously Business Associations. The course was offered November 7-11 and met Monday through Thursday evenings from 6:00 to 8:30 and Friday (which is a holiday) from 10:00 to 12:30.

Scott V. Simpson

Scott V. Simpson is a partner in the London office of Skadden, Arps, where he specializes in cross-border mergers and corporate finance. The Daily Deal ranked him as one of the top ten transactional lawyers in Europe. He is a graduate of George Washington and Fordham Law School and has an MBA from NYU.

Mr. Simpson taught "An Introduction to International Mergers & Acquisitions and Strategic Investments" in the fall. The course covered case studies, including the Gucci Takeover Case (1999-2004), and involved guest speakers, including the former General Counsel of Gucci and current Director of Abercrombie & Fitch, Allan Tuttle.

The course met for a week October 10-14, with classes Monday through Thursday evenings 6:00 to 8:30 and Friday 2:00 to 5:30.

Gail Block Harris

Gail Block Harris is a former partner of, and currently Of Counsel to, Simpson Thatcher & Bartlett LLP in New York City. She became Of Counsel in 1998, after 21 years of practice in the areas of corporate and securities law with a special emphasis on entertainment and media companies as well as international joint ventures. Ms. Harris currently serves on the board of directors of an insurance company and is president of the board of a not-for-profit organization in New York. She is a graduate of Stanford University and Stanford Law School, where she serves on the Executive Committee of the Board of Visitors.

Ms. Harris taught "An Introduction to the Issues Associated with International Joint Ventures" during the winter semester. The course provided an introduction to the issues associated with international joint ventures. It drew largely on case studies involving entertainment companies. The topics covered include, among others, governance issues, choice of law, investment protection, antitrust and competition considerations, dealing with foreign counsel and exit strategies. The course included a discussion of the negotiation process and the types of documentation which might be involved.

The course met for a week, February 27 through March 3, with classes Monday through Thursday evenings 6:00 to 8:30 and Friday 2:00 to 6:10.

Chancellor William B. Chandler, III

Chancellor William B. Chandler, III is the Chancellor of the Delaware Court of Chancery. He is currently handling the Disney case involving corporate executive pay. Chancellor Chandler has a JD from the University of South Carolina and an LLM from Yale and has taught at the University of Alabama Law School and Widener Law School and will teach this fall at Vanderbilt Law School.

Chancellor Chandler taught a course on the Fiduciary Responsibilities of Corporate Board Members in the winter. Business Associations is a prerequisite. The course met March 17-19, with classes Friday from 2:00 to 6:00; Saturday from 9:00 to noon and 1:30 to 5:00 and Sunday from 1:00 to 3:00.