Business & Entrepreneurship

Washington University in St. Louis School of Law celebrated the outstanding achievements of six individuals at the annual Distinguished Alumni Awards Dinner April 15 in the Crowder Courtyard of Anheuser-Busch Hall. Kent Syverud, JD, dean and the Ethan A.H. Shepley University Professor, presented the awards. Four alumni received Distinguished Law Alumni Awards, and two received Distinguished Young Law Alumni Awards.

In the late 20th century, Chinese authorities enacted sweeping legal reforms, but in recent years, officials have stepped back from these reforms in the face of increasing citizen protests and concerns about social stability. “Horrified by the chaos of the Maoist era, Chinese authorities rebuilt their legal system in the 1980s and 1990s,” says Carl Minzner, JD, leading expert on Chinese law and politics and associate professor of law at Washington University in St. Louis. Now Chinese Party and court authorities have begun to move away from the reform track of the last several decades, reasserting tighter control over the Chinese judiciary, restricting the activities of public interest lawyers, and resurrecting earlier mediation practices.

Robert R. Kuehn, JD, professor of law, has been named associate dean for clinical education at the Washington University in St. Louis School of Law, effective July 1, 2011.

With over a dozen states considering banning Sharia (Islamic law) in their courts, laws governing other countries are facing increased scrutiny. “This is emblematic of U.S. fears about international law,” says Leila Nadya Sadat, the Henry H. Oberschelp Professor of Law and director of the Whitney R. Harris World Law Institute at Washington University in St. Louis. “International law has become a ‘whipping boy’ for the ills that are being felt because of globalization.” Sadat say that this is unfortunate because the United States proudly led the trial of the major German leaders at the end of World War II at Nuremberg. “In fact, the entire post-World War II framework of modern international law was, if not an American creation, at least American inspired and American driven,” she says.

Anjan Thakor, PhD, associate dean and the John E. Simon Professor of Finance; Stephen Williamson, PhD, the Robert S. Brookings Distinguished Professor in Arts & Sciences; and Julie Stackhouse, senior vice president at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, will discuss “The Future of The Fed” during an Olin Business Issues Forum at 3 p.m. Tuesday, April 19, in Simon Hall, Room 112. The event is free and open to the public.

Burt Tansky, former CEO and chair of Neiman Marcus Group, addresses a large gathering of students April 11 in the Knight Center. Tansky was on campus to speak to students enrolled in a spring mini course aimed at providing a comprehensive understanding of the $237 billion luxury goods market.

Planning to negotiate a raise? Try not to discuss it with the boss in his or her office, suggests a new study by an organizational behavior expert at Washington University in St. Louis.

Christina D. Romer, PhD, former chair of President Barack Obama’s Council of Economic Advisers, will deliver a keynote address to open a panel discussion on “The Continuing Unemployment Crisis: Causes, Cures, and Questions for Further Study” at 3 p.m. Tuesday, April 12, in the Bryan Cave Moot Courtroom of Anheuser-Busch Hall.

The meltdown of private pension plans, 401(k)s and Individual Retirement Accounts during the recession demonstrates that Social Security is more essential than ever, says Merton C. Bernstein, LLB, the Walter D. Coles Professor Emeritus at Washington University in St. Louis School of Law. Bernstein discussed the crucial role of Social Security in a report for the university’s Weidenbaum Center on the Economy, Government, and Public Policy.

This summer, the Supreme Court will rule whether to allow the district court certification of the class action gender bias case against Wal-Mart. While much of the attention has focused on the enormous size of the class, the impact of the case is likely to be felt across a range of class action and employment discrimination cases, says Pauline Kim, JD, the Charles Nagel Professor of Law at Washington University in St. Louis and employment law expert.