Laarni T. Bulan

Vice President

Contact

  • Boston

Education

Laarni Bulan has over a decade of experience consulting on complex litigation involving economic and financial issues. Dr. Bulan is an expert in corporate finance, specializing in securities, mergers and acquisitions (M&A) and other corporate transactions, firm valuation, risk management, executive compensation, and corporate governance matters. She leads large case teams and works closely with experts and attorneys at all stages of litigation through trial.

Dr. Bulan coleads Cornerstone Research’s securities settlements and derivative settlements initiatives. She also serves as cohead of the firm’s corporate governance practice. She is a member of the Advisory Board of the Institute for Law and Economics at the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School.

Securities litigation

In securities class actions, Dr. Bulan has analyzed market efficiency, price impact, loss causation, and damages issues. She has supported clients in mediation, class certification, and motions for summary judgment, including a federal securities matter in which the judge denied class certification. She has also analyzed disclosure issues in Section 10(b) matters and underwriter due diligence issues in Section 11 matters.

Corporate transactions, M&A, and valuation

In a variety of settings and industries, Dr. Bulan has examined M&A and other corporate transactions disputes and conducted business enterprise valuations. She has addressed valuation issues related to minority buyouts, private equity and real estate transactions, and appraisal matters. In addition, she has analyzed the value of complex derivative securities and hedging instruments.

Executive compensation

Dr. Bulan has analyzed the incentive structure and reasonableness of executive and director compensation. She has evaluated issues related to compensation clawback policies as well as lost wages in employee termination disputes. Dr. Bulan has also analyzed the materiality of nonpublic information and alleged insider trading violations by corporate executives.

Corporate governance

In matters alleging breach of fiduciary duties, including derivative actions, Dr. Bulan has evaluated the activities of company directors and executives with respect to customary corporate governance practice. She has also assessed issues pertaining to alter ego/corporate veil piercing, successor liability, and “tone at the top.”

In The Hertz Corporation et al. v. Frissora et al., in which a federal judge granted summary judgment to  Cornerstone Research’s client, Dr. Bulan supported multiple experts who addressed clawback claims related to a restatement of Hertz’s financial statements.

Thought leadership

Dr. Bulan has published numerous articles in peer-reviewed journals, including Financial Management, the Journal of Banking and Finance, the Journal of Economics and Business, and the Journal of Urban Economics. Her research covers dividend policy, capital structure, executive compensation, corporate governance, and real options.

Prior to joining Cornerstone Research, Dr. Bulan held a joint appointment at Brandeis University, where she served as an assistant professor of finance in the International Business School and also in the economics department.

Press Release

Cornerstone Research Announces Senior Staff Promotions to Vice President and Principal

Report

Parallel Derivative Action Settlement Outcomes: 2023 Review and Analysis

Press Release

Number of Securities Class Action Settlements Falls as Median Settlement Amount Reaches Highest Level Since 2010

Report

Securities Class Action Settlements–2023 Review and Analysis

Report

Securities Class Action Settlements

Research

Parallel Derivative Action Settlements Update

Case

The Hertz Corporation et al. v. Frissora et al.

Blog

International Women’s Day 2023: Embrace Equity

  • Careful with Caremark: Recent Shifts in Longstanding Compliance Principles,” Dechert Corporate Governance Symposium, 27 February 2024
  • “Pursuing a Career in Consulting,” Intercollegiate Business Convention 2018, 28 October 2018