Business Law Program

On March 30, 2023, the Commodities and Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) announced the newly constituted Technology Advisory Committee (TAC), which features Professor Hilary Allen amongst the Committee Membership. Sponsored by Commissioner Christy Goldsmith Romero, the TAC will provide “foundational knowledge about the technology, as well as the complex and nuanced impacts and implications of technology on financial markets.”

When Silicon Valley and Signature banks failed in early March 2023, government regulators rushed in to guarantee deposits and protect bank customers. Shortly after, another bank, Silvergate, collapsed amid scrutiny from regulators and a criminal investigation by the Justice Department’s fraud unit into dealings with fallen crypto giants FTX and Alameda Research. As part of the media’s coverage, Professors Hilary Allen and Gerard Comizio were each featured for their analysis in various publications.

On April 10, 2023, the Business Law Program hosted a fireside chat on the Work of the Division of Corporation Finance with Director Erik Gerding. On leave from his position as a Professor of Law at the University of Colorado (Boulder), Director Gerding joined the SEC in October 2021 and led work in legal and regulatory policy in the Division of Corporation Finance before being tapped to head the Division in January 2023.

On March 20, 2023, Professor Gerard Comizio, Associate Director of the BLP interviewed Josh Sussberg, a member of the Executive Committee and partner in the Restructuring Practice Group at Kirkland & Ellis, as part of the Business Law Program’s (BLP) Spring Webinar Series. The discussion focused on the legal, policy, and regulatory issues raised by the recent “crypto winter” and the direction of digital asset activities and regulation.

On February 23, 2023, the Honorable J. Christopher Giancarlo, former Chair of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), current co-head of the Digital Works Practice at Wilkie Farr & Gallagher LLP and author of Crypto Dad: The Fight for the Future of Money, joined the Business Law Program (BLP) for a discussion on legal, policy, and regulatory issues raised by the recent “crypto winter” and the direction of digital asset activities and regulation. The conversation was moderated by Professor Gerard Comizio, Associate Director of the BLP.

On Thursday, October 13, 2022, WCL’s Business Law Program and the Digital Asset Law Project hosted a hybrid event on new virtual currency regulations and the way forward in navigating this newly charged yet unclear financial and regulatory space.

On April 1, 2022, Brown Rudnick LLP, sponsored a panel at Paris Arbitration Week on “Blockchain Arbitration and the Resolution of Cryptocurrency Disputes.” Featured among the key speakers was Professor Gerard Comizio, Associate Director of the American University Business Law Program, who spoke on the different Legal, Regulatory & Law Enforcement Concerns regarding virtual currency and the various government legal/regulatory responses.

On March 21, 2022, Professor Hilary Allen joined the Business Law Program (BLP) for a discussion on her new book, “Driverless Finance: Fintech’s Impact on Financial Stability.” The conversation was introduced by was Professor David Snyder, Director of the BLP, and moderated by Professor Gerard Comizio, Associate Director of the BLP.

On March 17, 2022, Dr. Björn Arp, a Fellow and Adjunct Professor at the American University Washington College of Law Center on International Commercial Arbitration, interviewed Professor Gerard Comizio, Associate Director of the Business Law Program (BLP), about his new book, Virtual Currency Law: the Emerging Legal and Regulatory Framework. The conversation was hosted Program for International & Comparative Law Studies (ICLS) and the Blockchain and Cryptocurrency Law Society (BCLS).

On March 7, 2022, the International Centre for Parliamentary Studies, a leading international research institution promoting effective policy making and good governance, hosted its annual Public Policy Exchange conference on “Regulating Cryptocurrencies: Protecting Investors and Mitigating Environmental Damage.” Featured among the key speakers was Professor Gerard Comizio, Associate Director of the American University Business Law Program, who spoke on Crypto’s Trajectory: The Emerging Legal and Regulatory Framework and Challenges-and the Ukraine Invasion.

On Wednesday, June 29, 2022, WCL’s Business Law Program hosted a virtual symposium on the “CFPB’s New Approach to Discrimination: Invoking UDAAP Laws.” With an introduction by Professor V. Gerard Comizio, Associate Director of the Business Law Program, the symposium began with a Q&A with Eric Halperin, Assistant Director of the CFPB and head of its Office of Enforcement. Mr. Halperin discussed the CFPB’s priority to ensure a financial marketplace that is free from discrimination and where all people have equal access to financial products.

American University Washington College of Law’s Business Law Program is pleased to announce that it once again received the top A+ ranking for Business Law from preLaw Magazine in its new rankings for Fall 2021, joining Harvard Law and a select group of leading law school business law programs for the second year in a row in preLaw’s rankings.

Please join the Tech, Law & Security and Business Law programs at American University Washington College of Law for this series of conversations with leading experts on combating the growing threat ransomware poses to businesses, individuals, and the Nation’s security.

On October 13, 2021, the American Banker, a leading national publication covering U.S. and international financial industry featured an article titled “Is modernizing the National Bank Act the answer to fintech charter woes?” that included an interview with Professor Gerard Comizio, associate director of the American University Business Law Program, and other financial regulatory experts.

As part of American University's Washington College of Law Annual Alumni Reunion Weekend events, on Friday September 24, 2021, the Business Law Program hosted a roundtable discussion with three WCL alums who are legal leaders in the exploding virtual currency and blockchain industry.

On Wednesday, June 30, Associate Professor Hilary Allen testified before a House Subcommittee on Consumer Protection and Financial Institutions Hearing on “Addressing Climate as a Systemic Risk: The Need to Build Resilience within Our Banking and Financial System.” The hearing, held in a hybrid format, featured experts from different parts of the financial sector who addressed climate-related financial challenges.

On Thursday, May 20, 2021, AUWCL faculty and WCL’s Business Law Program hosted “Talking Fintech with Benjamin Lawsky, Former Superintendent, New York Department of Financial Services.” With an introduction by Professor V. Gerard Comizio, Associate Director, Business Law Program, and moderated by Professor Hilary J. Allen, the conversation covered the hottest topics in fintech today, including fintech regulation, the sector’s impact on financial industry culture, the use of technological tools for regulatory compliance, cybersecurity vulnerabilities in fintech business models, and more.

On Tuesday, March 2, American University Washington College of Law hosted an interview with U.S. Securities and Exchange Commissioner Hester M. Peirce and AUWCL faculty on the exciting developments under the federal securities laws governing financial technology and virtual currency.

The Business Law Program at American University Washington College of Law is pleased to announce an innovative Compliance and Ethics Certificate (CEC).  Covering one of the fastest growing areas of business law,  the Compliance and Ethics Certificate enables students with a special interest in business law to earn a certificate that provides a core competency and a deeper understanding of compliance laws and regulations. Students will learn how to adopt and implement successful corporate compliance strategies as they acquire knowledge and skills in the legal, regulatory, and ethical framework undergirding compliance.

AUWCL's Business Law Faculty hosts a virtual panel discussion on upper-level business law courses.