The University Of Mississippi School of Law

Narron receives the Sara H. Davis Excellence Award from the N.C. State Bar Board of Legal Specialization

jkluster — Wed, 22 May 2013 21:04:45 +0000

RALEIGH, NC– On April 5, the North Carolina State Bar Board of Legal Specialization presented John Narron (J.D. 77) with the 2013 Sara H. Davis Excellence Award. Each year, the Board accepts nominations and presents the award to an individual who exemplifies excellence in his or her daily work as a lawyer and serves as a model for other lawyers. To be considered, lawyers must demonstrate a consistent record of handling challenging matters successfully, sharing knowledge with other legal professionals, and upholding the highest ethical standards.

Mr. Narron became a board certified specialist in family law in 1989, in the first class of lawyers to be certified as specialists in that field.

Bullard Files Comments on SEC Rule Proposal

jkluster — Wed, 22 May 2013 20:45:10 +0000

Professor Mercer Bullard has submitted a comment letter, joined by the Consumer Federation of America, on the SEC’s proposal to eliminate a ban on general solicitations and advertising by issuers that are conducting a private offering. The letter highlighted recent research that showed that half of hedge fund managers, who are expected to take advantage of the new rule when it becomes final, had revised previously disseminated investment performance data, apparently to mislead investors. Unlike hedge funds, publicly offered mutual funds are required to calculate their performance according to a standardized formula. Bullard contended that the study demonstrated that a similar standard should be applied to all funds that offer their shares publicly.

The letter may be viewed here.

Gabrynowicz to Address Columbia Journalism

jkluster — Wed, 22 May 2013 20:36:28 +0000

Professor Joanne Gabrynowicz will speak on June 1, 2013 about sensor journalism to the Columbia School of Journalism. She will address how the law applies to satellite imagery and other geospatial technologies.

Learn more about the event.

Marketwatch Quotes Bullard on Facebook IPO Fallout

jkluster — Wed, 22 May 2013 20:30:36 +0000

MarketWatch quoted Professor Mercer Bullard in an article on lessons learned one year after Facebook’s IPO. He noted how the IPO highlighted differences in investors’ access to information and the unlevel playing field in public securities markets.

Read the article.

Press Cites Bullard Article on 401(k) Plans

jkluster — Wed, 22 May 2013 20:21:24 +0000

Professor Mercer Bullard’s article — “The Social Costs of Choice, Free Market Ideology and the Empirical Consequences of the 401(k) Plan Large Menu Defense” — found on the SSRN database (see http://ssrn.com/abstract=2263353), has been picked up by the press. A Newsmakers article cited Bullard’s analysis of empirical research on the effect of large menus in 401(k) plans.

Read the article here.

Alexandre Named a Top 50 Under 50

jkluster — Mon, 20 May 2013 16:40:44 +0000

Michele Alexandre, associate professor, was named among Lawyers of Color magazine’s “Most Influential Minority Law Professors 50 Years of Age or Younger”. The list recognizes professors who are making “bold contributions to the legal cannon and community at large.”

View the magazine.

Brown Nominated to be Federal Judge

jkluster — Sat, 18 May 2013 15:49:28 +0000

University of Mississippi School of Law alumna Debra Brown has been nominated to be a federal judge for the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi. If confirmed, she’ll be the first African-American woman to serve as a federal judge in Mississippi.

Read the story.

Frontline Quotes Bullard Article on Pension Plan Regulation

jkluster — Mon, 13 May 2013 15:49:45 +0000

Professor Mercer Bullard was quoted on May 9 in a Frontline article on a Department of Labor proposal. The proposal would impose a fiduciary duty on financial professionals who advise Individual Retirement Account (“IRA”) investors. Bullard argued that allowing investors to opt out of the rule would defeat its underlying purpose and aggravate existing conflicts of interest in the financial services industry.

Read the article.

Mason Quoted in Atlanta Journal-Constitution

jkluster — Wed, 08 May 2013 16:17:21 +0000

Professor Don Mason was quoted recently in an Atlanta Journal-Constitution article discussing cyber crimes and predators. Mason is the associate director for the National Center for Justice and the Rule of Law.

Read the article.

Bullard Publishes Article on Crowdfunding

jkluster — Wed, 08 May 2013 15:55:40 +0000

On Thursday, May 2, Professor Mercer Bullard published an article on crowdfunding regulation on Morningstar.com. He has previously testified and lobbied on crowdfunding regulation and uses the article to lay out the problems with the new crowdfunding regulatory structure created by Congress. He suggests some alternative approaches, including one that would allow for crowdfunding with virtually no securities offering regulation.

Read the article.