Cognitive biases play a fundamental part in franchisor-franchisee deal making. Ordinarily, franchisors have more power and information than do franchisees. The disparity between these parties is often exacerbated by the franchisees' psychological dispositions. Are franchisees biased or...

When a large transaction closes, lawyers routinely obtain from each party a certification (i) authorizing the deal and (ii) affirming that signing parties have authority to sign. The certification is usually obtained from an officer called a "secretary." No one seeks assurance that the secretary...

Franchises serve as a potential avenue through which direct investment can be made into new markets. However, the current state of franchise law and related concepts such as the franchisor's or franchisee's goodwill are still underdeveloped. This Article reviews the franchise laws in key...

The UK's withdrawal from the European Union will have – and already has – a dramatic impact on the political, legal and economic landscape, both in Britain and on the continent. This contribution takes a closer look at the effects on individual relationships and businesses. Against the...

Non-possessory secured transactions are key components of market economies. National and international legal reform projects have been advanced to further their use and broaden access to credit. Yet reforms appear to be limited by practical obstacles posed by national legal categories. This...

This essay, written in honor and memory of Professor Alan R. Bromberg as part of a symposium issue of the Southern Methodist University Law Review, is designed to provide preliminary answers to two questions. First: is a limited liability company (“LLC”) operating agreement (now known under...

After an unexpectedly slow start, the Trump Administration's deregulatory push finally gained momentum in late 2017. In the field of student lending, this slowdown affected the Department of Education (DOE), the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), and the Department of Justice (DOJ)....

When the Supreme Court (“Court”) handed down its opinions in AT&T Mobility LLC v. Concepcion, 563 U.S. 333 (2011), the majority's holding engendered breathless (at least in legal terms) headlines. Clearly, without a smidgen of doubt on the part of arbitration's opponents and proponents, five...

Since 1978, dismissals of involuntary bankruptcy petitions due to petitioning creditors' bad faith have proliferated. In the process, a textual oddity has not gone unnoticed: even as “bad faith” is denominated as the basis for an award of punitive damages, nowhere in the Bankruptcy Code's...