Corporate Crimes & Misconduct

Catalog description

This is an advanced seminar for students with a deep interest in the way in which the authorities seek to deter and punish crimes and other serious misconduct committed by corporate entities. The seminar focuses on topics beyond those covered in the White Collar Crime course and related classes. These may include (topics vary each semester based on current events and developments): (1) corporate enforcement theory and policy; (2) available mechanisms for authorities to punish corporations for misconduct, such as the doctrine of respondeat superior; (3) individual liability for culpable corporate employees and officers; (4) corporate internal investigations; (5) obstruction of justice; (6) corporate recidivism; (7) whistleblowers; and (8) substantive areas of the law concerning corporate crimes and other misconduct including money laundering, fraud and corruption, national security crimes, bribery & corruption, crimes involving cryptocurrency and digital assets, cybercrime and failures of cybersecurity, misuse of AI, and misuse of personal data. Each class will explore both the law and policy around a particular issue, which may also be illustrated with a case study. The final class of the semester will invite students to participate in a tabletop crisis management exercise designed to simulate issues facing senior management of a corporation when serious misconduct is discovered. The seminar will also include presentations by and discussions with leading practitioners in the area.