Bert W. Wasserman Workshop in Law and Finance
Established in 2007, the Bert W. Wasserman Workshop in Law and Finance brings faculty from throughout Yale and from other institutions to present their current research in law and finance.
Recent Workshops have discussed:
transparency regulation for certain methods of oil and gas extraction;
whether the gender of start-up founders predict corporate governance structures that differentially limit founder control compared to venture capitalists;
the spectrum of state influence in Chinese firms; and
the rise of non-banks in servicing household debt.
The Bert W. Wasserman Workshop in Law and Finance was established by Craig Wasserman ’86 in memory and honor of his father, Bert W. Wasserman, a distinguished leader in the field of finance. For more about Bert W. Wasserman, please see below.
Upcoming Workshop
2023-2024 Workshops
October 19, 2023
Christian Leuz, Charles F. Pohl Distinguished Service Professor of Accounting and Finance, The University of Chicago Booth School of Business
“Internalizing Externalities through Public Pressure: Transparency Regulation for Hydraulic Fracturing, Drilling Activity and Water Quality” (with Pietro Bonetti and Giovanna Michelon)
Co-sponsored with the Law, Economics & Organization Workshop.
November 2, 2023
Eric Talley, Isidor and Seville Sulzbacher Professor of Law, Columbia Law School
“Sex and Startups” (with Jens Frankenreiter and Talia Gillis)
Co-sponsored with the Law, Economics & Organization Workshop.
November 29, 2023
Lauren Yu-Hsin Lin, Visiting Professor of Law, Washington University in St. Louis School of Law and Associate Professor, City University of Hong Kong School of Law
“The Spectrum of Control: Unveiling Layers of State Influence in Chinese Firms.”
Co-sponsored with The Paul Tsai China Center.
This Wasserman Workshop covered four recent papers by Professor Lin, with a focus on:
“China’s Corporate Social Credit System: The Dawn of Surveillance State Capitalism?” (with Curtis Milhaupt) and published in The China Quarterly; and
“Party Building or Noisy Signaling? The Contours of Political Conformity in Chinese Corporate Governance” (with Curtis Milhaupt) and published in the Journal of Legal Studies (available upon request).
February 1, 2024
Manisha Padi ’17, Assistant Professor of Law, University of California Berkeley School of Law
“The Rise of Non-Banks in Servicing Household Debt“ (with Naser Hamdi, Erica Jiang, Brittany Almquist Lewis, and Avantika Pal)
Co-sponsored with the Law, Economics & Organization Workshop.
Bert W. Wasserman
Bert W. Wasserman joined Warner Communications, Inc. in 1966, and helped to guide the growth and dynamic success of that company alongside its legendary CEO Steve Ross. After the historic merger between Warner and Time Inc. in 1990, Mr. Wasserman served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer and as a Board member of the combined entity (now known as Time Warner, Inc.) until his retirement in 1995.
Mr. Wasserman had a strong sense of commitment to the public interest and in 1982 he received the Eleanor Roosevelt Humanitarian Award in recognition of his extensive philanthropic activities. Mr. Wasserman also served as President of the Board of Trustees for Baruch College, from which he graduated in 1954, was a Certified Public Accountant and received a law degree from Brooklyn Law School in 1961.
On November 19, 2007, Andrew Metrick, then of the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, gave the inaugural Wasserman Workshop on “The Economics of Private Equity Funds”.
The Bert W. Wasserman Workshop in Law and Finance was established by Craig Wasserman ‘86 in memory and honor of his father, Bert W. Wasserman, a distinguished leader in the field of finance who exemplified the field’s highest professional and ethical standards.
(From left) Roberta Romano '80, Sandra Wasserman, Andrew Metrick, Marla Wasserman, Craig Wasserman '86 and Harold Hongju Koh (YLS Dean 2004-2009).
Andrew Metrick speaking at the Inaugural Wasserman Workshop.
Audience at the Inaugural Wasserman Workshop.
Debra Wasserman Glasser, Bret Glasser, and Jason Glasser listening.
Andrew Metrick speaking at the Inaugural Wasserman Workshop.
YLS Profs. Alan Schwartz '64 and Henry Hansmann '74 (front row) and Yale SOM Profs. Merle Ederhof and Nick Barberis (middle row).