A Ribstein Legacy: Politics, Scholarship, and the Value of Discourse

Last month, there was something of a squabble with Professors Ribstein, Romano, and Bainbridge on one side and Professor Coffee on the other.  The squabble highlighted some differences in views among some of the truly elite business law scholars -- mostly about the value of securities regulation and how Professor Coffee characterized the views of the others -- which I found interesting because I agree with all of them about some significant portion of business law.  The squabble had scholarly, as well as political, overtones. A summary of the difference of opinion is here and the conclusion is here and here. 

The passing of Larry Ribstein has caused me to reflect on what his scholarship meant to me as a developing business law professor. I agree with most of Ribstein's writing about LLCs and corporate obligations, and this agreement represents an evolution in my way of thinking about entity governance and operations. What is particularly appealing to me about this is that, from his blog posts, I get that sense that Professor Ribstein and I were not necessarily on the same page politically. Nonetheless, even when I disagreed with what seemed to be the motivations for his thinking, I usually thought his analysis was right.  

His writing on LLCs and "uncorporations" had a particularly profound impact on how I view business entities because he helped (and perhaps caused) me to think about the value in multiple options among enitities.  He explained how the LLCs and corporations are different in their respective histories and how those histories should inform the law's view of each entity. In his book, Rise of the Uncorporation he explains, at page 6:

Uncorporations are characterized by their reliance on contracts. This is an aspect of uncorporations’ partnership heritage, as partnerships are contracts among the owners. . . . In contrast, corporate law is mainly couched in mandatory terms. . . . [T]he corporation’s special regulatory nature emerged from its historical roots. The corporation initially was a vehicle for government enterprises, monopolies, or franchises.

See more of his thoughts on this here. It was, in part, Professor Ribstein's writings that spurred me to write the short piece, LLCs and Corporations: A Fork in the Road in Delaware? (Harvard Business Law Review Online).

As I think about it, through their books, articles, and blogging, Professors Ribstein and Bainbridge have probably had more of an influence on my views of corporations and LLCs than anyone, even though I tend to disagree on any number of political issues. I suspect part of it is that I like to be engaged by people with different views, and I want them to have the chance to change my view. If I'm not questioning my rationale, I'm not learning.  Changing my mind doesn't happen that often, but it does happen. In turn, I hope to be given the same opportunity to influence others from time to time.

This is just one more small reason, among many large ones, why Larry Ribstein will be missed.

--JPF