Note from the Executive Director

We are finally back to in-person classes this Fall 2021 semester. It’s exciting to be back, and at the Center for Business Law we look forward to engaging with leading scholars, business leaders, practitioners, regulators and students to explore some of the latest business trends from Silicon Valley and beyond.

This Fall, the Center has expanded with three new advisory board members plus a director for our new CBL Roundtable on Financial Policy & Regulation.

We have also been busy creating new programs and events, including the following:

• On September 14^th we inaugurated the academic year with a kick-off event and happy hour at the Skydeck of the Cotchett Law Center, a wonderful new venue in case you have not visited yet.
• On October 14^th we will launch the CBL Lunch Speaker Series, featuring discussions with leading practitioners to explore issues at the intersection of law, business, and private practice. The first event will focus on venture capital.
• On October 26th we will host an event for 1Ls interested in applying for our CBL Scholars Program, the merit award that we created last year to develop a new generation of future leaders in business law.
• On November 4^th we will launch the “Unicorn Initiative”, a joint research project between CBL and the Brattle Group, with a panel discussion hosted on campus focused on unicorn exits, building on Professor Abraham Cable’s research in this area.
• On November 10^th, we will host the 4^th Annual UC Hastings/UCLA Economic Outlook event with UCLA Anderson Forecast including a panel discussion on “Technology, Governance, and Silicon Valley Post Covid-19” with invited guest speakers.
• On November 11^th-12^th, we will launch the CBL Roundtable on Financial Policy & Regulation. The goal of this Roundtable is to promote dialogue and thought-leadership around the evolving regulatory frameworks for new financial products and services.

This year, we also plan to expand on the success of our CBL Scholars Program. We were proud to announce our two inaugural CBL Scholars this spring, thanks to the support of UC Hastings alumni and law firms Orrick and Gunderson Dettmer. This year we are grateful to Freshfields and DCVC who have joined as the latest sponsors of this initiative.

Please do not hesitate to reach out to me if you are interested to learn more about CBL’s research, programs or events. If you would like to partner with us or become a CBL sponsor, please feel free to contact me directly at epsteinevan@uchastings.edu. If you would like to donate on an individual basis, you can always do so in our donation link. Thank you in advance for your support!

[Full edition: CBL Newsletter Fall 2021]

Sincerely,

Evan Epstein

Executive Director of the Center for Business Law, and Adjunct Professor,

UC Hastings College of the Law