An economist and lawyer by training, Michael Klausner is an expert in corporate law, corporate governance, business transactions, and financial regulation. Professor Klausner has testified in state and federal courts, and before Congress, on matters involving corporate governance, corporate structure, transaction structure and terms, mergers and acquisitions, and disclosure.
Professor Klausner analyzes the economics that underlie contractual terms and structures. He also addresses issues related to corporate law, liability risk for corporate officers and directors, takeover defenses, standardization of contracts, and securities litigation. Professor Klausner oversees Stanford Securities Litigation Analytics, which tracks data on private shareholder securities litigation and SEC enforcement actions.
Professor Klausner co-leads the Directors’ Consortium, jointly run by Stanford Law School and Stanford Graduate School of Business. His research has been published in leading academic and professional journals, and he is the author or coauthor of book chapters on securities litigation, corporate law, and shareholder liability.
Before joining Stanford Law School, Professor Klausner taught law at New York University School of Law. Previously, as a corporate lawyer, he served as a White House Fellow and deputy associate director in the Office of Policy Development in the White House. He clerked for Justice William Brennan of the U.S. Supreme Court and Judge David Bazelon of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.