Tricks and Treats: My October as a Law Professor

My October included some signifiant tricks and a bunch of parallel treats.  I will highlight but a few of each here.  They illustrate, in my view, the busy mid-semester lives that law professors may have.

The Tricks

It was a real trick for me to give three distinct presentations in three cities (two in person and one virtually) in a two-day period early in the month.  On the morning of October 6, I participated in a panel discussion at The Crowdfunding Conference in New York City (New York).  That afternoon, I jumped on a plane for Little Rock (Arkansas), where I gave a continuing legal education presentation on crowdfunding for the Arkansas Bar Association as part of a program on "Capital Raising Today and Securities Law Issues."  Finally, later that day, I was Skyped into a the North Carolina Law Review 2016 annual symposium in Chapel Hill (North Carolina) on "The Role of Law in Entrepreneurship," at which I presented a draft paper, forthcoming in the North Carolina Law Review, on the important role of business finance lawyers in entrepreneurial enterprise.  

It then was a trick to refocus my energy on faculty hiring a few days later.  That next week, I jetted off to Washington (DC) with my fellow Appointments Committee members and our Dean and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs for a UT Law alumni reception and the Association of American Law Schools (AALS) 2016 Faculty Recruitment Conference.  We were successful in interviewing a variety of folks for our two business law openings--one in the clinic and one in the doctrinal faculty.

After only a few nights home in my own bed, it was (again) a trick to haul my body into the car to drive to Lexington (Virginia) to participate in and attend the Washington and Lee Law Review's 2016 Lara D. Gass Annual Symposium, an event focusing on "Corporate Law, Governance, and Purpose: A Tribute to the Scholarship of Lyman Johnson and David Millon."  At that symposium, my presentation addressed shareholder wealth maximization as a function of firm-level corporate governance.  My essay on that topic will be published in a forthcoming issue of the Washington and Lee Law Review.

Before the next week was out, I accomplished yet another trick.  I drove up to Louisville (Kentucky) to offer my thoughts on current securities litigation issues for the Kentucky Bar Association 2016 Securities Law Conference.  I was asked to cover insider trading and liability under federal and state securities laws.  In fulfillment of this charge, I delivered a presentation entitled "Where There’s a Securities Market, There’s Fraud (and Other Misconduct): Hot Topics in Federal Securities Litigation."

My final October trick?  Fitting in my Business Associations oral midterm examinations and my Monday and Wednesday class meetings for Business Associations and Corporate Finance with all these trips.

The Treats

All of that effort was an investment, however.  The trips, presentations, and other interactions all yielded multiple benefits.  Most of them may be obvious, but I will list a few in any case.

• I met lots of new and interesting folks from the crowdfunding industry, local bar associations, the AALS applicant pool, and the law academy (from the United States and abroad).
• I got great feedback on my current work and new ideas, research avenues, and citation sources for my ongoing work.
• I was able to honor two amazing colleagues, Lyman Johnson and David Millon.
• I participated meaningfully in the important task of recruiting new faculty to UT Law.
• I squeezed in some important family and personal time around the edges, including in attending the Knoxville Brewers Jam with my hubby (the tickets having been part of my anniversary gift to him back in August).

I am grateful for safe travels throughout the month.  Having said that, I admit that I am relieved all that travel and activity is over and done.  I look forward to a more calm November and a fun holiday season to follow.  In the mean time, however, I will continue to enjoy the fall, with pumpkins being among my favorite hallmarks of the season.