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  • Changes in corporate legal structures to be topic of Chicago conference

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Changes in corporate legal structures will be the focus of a conference sponsored by the University of Illinois College of Law April 23 (Friday) at the Illini Center, 200 S. Wacker Drive, Chicago.

  • Changes in management of finances needed to solve state pension crisis

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - The pension crisis roiling Illinois, which has caused Gov. Rod Blagojevich to propose cutting billions of dollars of anticipated retirement benefits to future state employees, has been a long time coming.

  • Christmas spirit lives in family tree-trimming rituals, U. of I. expert says

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Worried the Christmas spirit has been cast aside like a lousy gift amid a frantic, commercialized holiday rush that cranks up even before Halloween's pumpkins start to shrivel?

  • Law professor Larry E. Ribstein says the U.S. Supreme Court's 5-to-4 ruling in favor of corporate speech has sparked a furor among pundits and the public that has shown little signs of slowing down.

    Citizens United case unlikely to end corporate speech debate

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - The debate over the constitutionality of regulating corporate speech took a significant turn in the U.S. Supreme Court's Citizens United decision, but it's an issue that almost certainly won't die down in the aftermath of that highly publicized case, says a University of Illinois business law expert.

  • Law professor Jay P. Kesan says the current "non-negotiable approach" to user privacy is in need of serious revision, especially with the increased popularity of Web-based software that shares information through cloud computing.

    Cloud computing user privacy in serious need of reform, scholars say

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - When Web surfers sign up for a new online service or download a Web application for their smartphone or tablet, the service typically requires them to click a seemingly innocuous box and accept the company's terms of service and privacy policy. But agreeing to terms without reading them beforehand can adversely affect a user's legal rights, says a new paper by a University of Illinois expert in technology and legal issues.

  • College of Business gets $1 million grant for markets information lab

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - The College of Business at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign was awarded a $1 million grant from the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) Trust to support a markets information laboratory.

  • College of Business scholarship program to benefit members of military

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - The College of Business at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is establishing a $250,000 education scholarship fund for military veterans and active members of the military from Illinois.

  • Colombo named interim dean of College of Law

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- John D. Colombo today was named interim dean of the College of Law at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The university Board of Trustees, meeting in Chicago, approved the appointment, effective immediately. His appointment expires Aug. 30, by which time a new dean is expected to have been named.

  • Law professor and taxation expert Richard L. Kaplan says tax deductions have grown like wildfire, and their proliferation has unduly complicated the tax code.

    Competing GOP tax plans renew debate about value of deductions

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - If a presidential election is looming, it's inevitable that the law many Americans love to hate - the federal income tax - will come under attack from candidates. While this election cycle is no different, two competing plans from GOP rivals renew an important public policy question: Why have tax deductions at all?

  • Conference at Illinois focuses on police activities as they relate to terrorism

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - The University of Illinois College of Law will sponsor a conference Friday and Saturday (March 11 and 12) on the regulation of police activities aimed at fighting terrorism and other forms of international crime.

  • Confidence a key to recent economic initiatives, U. of I. expert says

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Restoring confidence in the sputtering U.S. economy is at the heart of recent moves to shore up the nation's lagging financial and housing markets, a University of Illinois economist says.

  • Law and journalism professor Amy Gajda says long-held boundaries for news coverage have narrowed in a recent spate of privacy rulings, which could ultimately have a chilling effect on mainstream journalists whose watchdog role helps safeguard against corruption and other misconduct.

    Court privacy rulings a threat to the media, expert says

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Press freedoms are eroding as courts step in to restore personal privacy battered by an explosion of tabloid reporting on the Internet and 24-hour news outlets hungry for fresh stories, a study by a University of Illinois legal expert warns.

  • Most courts disregard the immigration status of workers who file suit against former employers, says a study from Michael LeRoy, a professor of law and of labor and employment relations at Illinois.

    Courts mostly ignore immigration status in lawsuits, study says

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - When a person living in the U.S. without legal permission or suspected of doing so is involved in a work-related lawsuit, most courts disregard their immigration status when determining remedies, says a study from a University of Illinois expert in labor relations.

  • Credit cards' insidious effects may pose product liability issue

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Are credit cards hazardous to your health and safety under the principles of product liability?

  • Production analyst and U. of I. student worker Josh Weiner enters information into the SPOTLITE database.

    Database expands to document police uses of lethal force across US

    The Cline Center for Advanced Social Research and an interdisciplinary team of University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign experts have developed a nationwide registry on the use of lethal force by police officers in the U.S., identifying more than 23,000 incidents between 2014-2021.

  • Deal ending writers strike scores rare victory for unions, expert says

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - A deal that ended a three-month strike by Hollywood writers also scored a rare victory for unions by giving workers a financial stake in new technology, a University of Illinois labor expert says.

  • When soldiers and civilians are killed or injured, private contractors who supervise them use the veil of government immunity and other war-related legal arguments to limit financial payouts, according to an analysis by labor and law professor Michael LeRoy.

    Death, injury benefits a casualty of new war strategy, study says

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - A hole in public policy is shortchanging U.S. soldiers and civilian workers who become casualties of a new-age war strategy that leans heavily on private contractors, a new University of Illinois study says.

  • Deloitte & Touche USA chairman to lecture on leadership and integrity

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Sharon L. Allen, the chairman of the board of Deloitte & Touche USA, one of the nation's leading accounting and consulting firms, will talk about leadership and integrity Thursday (March 30) as the 2006 Leighton Lecturer on Ethics and Leadership at the University of Illinois' College of Business.

  • Democratic Party control could ban mandatory arbitration, expert says

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Democratic Party control in Washington could restore lawsuits as an option for workers and consumers now forced to settle disputes through mandatory arbitration that gives employers and businesses an unfair edge, a University of Illinois labor law expert says.

  • Depression-era failings behind recent Wall Street bailouts, expert says

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Lessons from the Great Depression are likely guiding an unprecedented wave of government bailouts now propping up American International Group Inc. and other cash-strapped financial firms, a University of Illinois economist says.

  • Digital imagery leaves artists without legal protection

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - The move from physical objects to digital technology in the art world has created a thorny set of legal questions centered on how artists can protect their work from unauthorized use, manipulation or even destruction.

  • Director of French industrial economic institute to speak at Illinois

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Jean Tirole, scientific director of the Institut d'Economie Industrielle in France, will deliver the David Kinley Lecture in Economics at 3:30 p.m. April 15 (Friday) in 134 Temple Hoyne Buell Hall Auditorium, 611 E. Lorado Taft Drive, Champaign.

  • Lauren R. Aronson, a clinical professor and the director of the Immigration Law Clinic at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign College of Law.

    Does new Illinois law allow non-citizens to become law enforcement officers?

    A new Illinois law that expands the eligibility for law enforcement jobs to non-U.S. citizens such as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program participants is mostly aspirational since DACA recipients aren’t legally allowed to possess firearms, says Lauren R. Aronson, a clinical professor and the director of the Immigration Law Clinic at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign College of Law.

  • Professor Richard Kaplan

    Does President Trump’s tax reform plan add up?

    President Trump’s much-hyped tax overhaul plan is tantamount to a 'tax-reform wish list,' said Richard L. Kaplan, an internationally recognized expert on U.S. tax policy

  • Professor Angela Lyons

    Does revoking professional licenses prompt borrowers to repay student loans?

    Even though several states have these regulations on the books, they’re really a last resort for collecting student loan debt, says Professor Angela Lyons

  • Law professor Robin Fretwell Wilson

    Does Supreme Court nominee Gorsuch fit the Scalia mold?

    Law professor Robin Fretwell Wilson: Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch similar to the late Justice Antonin Scalia.

  • Robert M. Lawless

    Does the U.S. need a moratorium on mortgage foreclosures?

    A Minute With™... law professor Robert Lawless

  • Kathryn Anthony

    Does the U.S. need 'potty parity' legislation?

    A Minute With™... Kathryn Anthony, a professor in the School of Architecture

  • Photo of Colleen Murphy, the Roger and Stephany Joslin Professor of Law at Illinois and an expert in political reconciliation

    Does the US need to pursue transitional justice in the post-Trump era?

    To promote accountability in government, President-elect Biden ought to pursue “transitional justice” in the aftermath of the Trump presidency, said Colleen Murphy, the Roger and Stephany Joslin Professor of Law at Illinois and an expert in political reconciliation.

  • Photo of University of Illinois law professor Jacob S. Sherkow

    Do-it-yourself COVID-19 vaccines fraught with public health problems

    “Citizen scientists” developing homemade COVID-19 vaccines may believe they’re inoculating themselves against the ongoing pandemic, but the practice of self-experimentation with do-it-yourself medical innovations is fraught with legal, ethical and public health issues, says a new paper co-written by University of Illinois law professor Jacob S. Sherkow.

  • Photo of Michael LeRoy, an expert in labor law and labor relations at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

    Do labor laws need to be modernized with rise of gig economy?

    The Protecting the Right to Organize Act would be the most significant revision of U.S. labor law since 1947, says Michael LeRoy, an expert in labor law at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

  • DVD-editing software raises ire of Hollywood, interest of courts

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - What Hollywood studios call censorship and copyright infringement, software companies call freedom and parental choice. Any wonder that the legal issues raised by new film software is winding up in the courts and before Congress?

  • Economics students to compete in College Fed Challenge

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - A team of University of Illinois economics students will compete Nov. 10 in the district finals of the College Fed Challenge, a national contest promoting the Federal Reserve's role in the U.S. economy.

  • Law professor Richard L. Kaplan says House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan's proposal to change Medicare for those under age 55 is nothing short of a complete reconceptualization of the popular health insurance program.

    Elder law expert: Ryan plan would fundamentally change Medicare

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan's proposal to change Medicare for those under age 55 is nothing short of a complete reconceptualization of the health insurance program, says a University of Illinois elder law expert.

  • Electricity markets and transmission course to be offered in Chicago

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - The 2007 Transmission Business School will take place June 4-7 at the Illini Center, 200 S. Wacker Drive, Chicago. This marks the 14th offering of the annual course on electricity markets and the transmission business.

  • Electricity-transmission grid, power markets among conference topics

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign will offer a course for industry specialists on electricity transmission and power markets June 14-17.

  • A repeat of a corporate tax holiday that found little success in 2005 is still a long shot to jump-start a stagnant U.S. economy, says Dhammika Dharmapala, a UI professor of law and expert in corporate and international taxation.

    Encore of corporate tax holiday unlikely to stimulate economy

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - A repeat of a corporate tax holiday that found little success in stimulating the economy in 2005 is still a long-shot to jump-start a stagnant U.S. economy, says a University of Illinois expert in corporate and international taxation.

  • Environmentalist lawyer seeks common ground in property-rights debate

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Don't blame just Hurricane Katrina for leaving New Orleans in shambles or single out wildfires for thousands of homes reduced to rubble this year across southern California, a University of Illinois law professor says.

  • Ethanol will curb farm income until economy rebounds, economist says

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Ethanol helped drive two years of record profits for grain farmers, but also will hold income down during a looming recession that has already sliced crop prices in half, a University of Illinois economist says.

  • Executive MBA Program marks 25th anniversary with e-commerce symposium

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- The impact and possibilities of e-commerce in everyday business are among the themes of the 25th anniversary symposium of the University of Illinois Executive MBA Program.

  • Reforms aimed at curbing executive compensation will likely have little effect on reducing systemic risk in the financial system, according to published research by U. of I. law professor Christine Hurt, an expert in business law and corporate finance.

    Executive pay reform unlikely to reduce systemic risk in economy

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Reforms aimed at curbing executive compensation will likely have little effect on reducing systemic risk in the financial system, and they may even have unintended consequences for the freedom to contract, according to a University of Illinois expert in business law and corporate finance.

  • Ex-NFL player says Congress should regulate steroids in pro sports

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Congress should step in to regulate performance-enhancing drugs in professional sports because players and owners lack incentive to effectively police themselves, former NFL tight end Josh Whitman says.

  • Law professor Amitai Aviram argues that "bail-ins" amplify the highs and lows of future business cycles and undermine the policy goals of those who believe free markets allocate investments optimally, as well as those who prefer government guidance in allocating investments.

    Expert: 'Bail-ins' exacerbate market bubbles by making economy more cyclical

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - In the wake of financial crises, governments that wish to assist crisis victims must choose between publicly financed bailouts and "bail-ins," which use the law to retroactively modify agreements in favor of victims so that private resources support the victims. While bail-ins are politically appealing and may seem fair, a University of Illinois business and law expert argues that they amplify the highs and lows of future business cycles and undermine the policy goals of those who believe free markets allocate investments optimally, as well as those who prefer government guidance in allocating investments.

  • Expert calls proposed gross receipts tax textbook case of 'inefficient tax'

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - The gross receipts tax proposed by Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, while a welcome step in tackling the state's budget shortfall, is a flawed approach to taxation, according to a University of Illinois expert.

  • Expert: Cutting-edge gains not always death knell for old-guard firms

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - For every technological breakthrough that spawns new industry giants such as Microsoft or Intel, old-guard companies wither or die, according to an evolutionary theory of capitalism embraced for well over a half-century.

  • The fiscal-cliff bill passed by Congress settles most of the significant tax issues that would have an immediate and direct impact on the average taxpayer's pocketbook, says Richard L. Kaplan, the Peer and Sarah Pedersen Professor of Law at the University of Illinois.

    Expert: Fiscal cliff deal yields tax certainty at expense of simplification

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Although major battles over spending cuts and raising the federal debt limit have been punted for another two months, the fiscal-cliff bill passed by Congress settles most of the significant tax issues that would have an immediate and direct impact on the average taxpayer's pocketbook, a University of Illinois expert on taxation and retirement issues says.

  • Expert: Flawed corporate watchdog methods helped fuel economic crisis

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Archaic corporate governing systems that failed to ferret out risky business deals helped stoke the nation's deepest financial meltdown since the Great Depression, a University of Illinois business law expert says.

  • Expert: Hold on executions could continue after Supreme Court rules

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - A historic capital punishment case pending before the U.S. Supreme Court could extend a de facto moratorium that has already halted executions for more than five months, a University of Illinois death penalty expert says.

  • Photo of John W. Kindt, a professor emeritus of business administration at the University of Illinois and a leading national gambling critic

    Expert: Justice Department reversal on online gambling 'correct decision'

    In reversing an Obama-era decision that effectively allowed internet gambling, the Department of Justice has revitalized the Interstate Wire Act of 1961, an anti-gambling statute championed by then-Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy to fight organized crime, said John W. Kindt, a professor emeritus of business administration at the University of Illinois and a leading national gambling critic.

  • With many Americans now spending most of their adult lives owing debts to financial institutions, the need for a consumer financial agency free of "regulatory capture" is now more acute than ever, according to Robert M. Lawless, a University of Illinois expert in consumer credit.

    Expert: Keep consumer protection agency free of 'regulatory capture'

    CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - With many Americans now spending most of their adult lives owing debts to financial institutions, the need for a consumer financial agency free of "regulatory capture" is now more acute than ever, according to a University of Illinois expert in consumer credit.