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Justice Sonia Sotomayor Visits the Law School

Minnesota Law On Tuesday, Sept. 27, hundreds of students, faculty, and staff celebrated the first Review Symposium: Gopher Gratitude Day at the University of Minnesota Law School. This event gave the entire First Amendment Law School community the opportunity to come together to say thank you to the many v. Inclusivity alumni, donors, and friends who generously provide their support. Theory at Work: Myron Orfield

Faculty Profile: Richard W. Painter law.umn.edu

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FACULTY PROFILE: RICHARD W. PAINTER S. Walter Richey Professor of Corporate Law

Professor Painter joined the Law about debt and junk bond deals “The White House was looking for School in 2007 after serving as happening in the early ’90s,” he somebody who had experience in President George W. Bush’s chief says. “During the savings and loan financial conflicts of interest, which is White House ethics lawyer for two crisis, I observed firsthand the role what I had focused on for most of years. His areas of expertise include lawyers played in encouraging clients the previous decade,” he says. In his business law, corporate governance, in the wrong ways. Lawyers were role, he helped more than 150 people government ethics, securities law, partially responsible.” rid themselves of conflicts each year. and professional responsibility. That experience led Painter to “Most of these people were new to co-author an ethics book with John the public sector, so they had very In the tumultuous political environ- T. Noonan Jr., a judge on the U.S. little experience in this arena. It was ment of the last year, Professor Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit, an interesting but labor-intensive job. Richard Painter, one of the country’s with whom Painter had clerked after Long, long hours.” leading experts on government and graduating from Yale Law School in After leaving the White House, corporate ethics, has found himself 1987. That casebook, Professional and Painter wrote a book about govern- consulted on a host of highly charged Personal Responsibilities of the Lawyer, is ment ethics, Getting the Government issues. The New York Times and Star now in its third edition. America Deserves: How Ethics Reform Tribune interviewed him about Painter was the leading contributor Can Make a Difference. “That book presidential candidates’ tax returns, the to a key provision in the Sarbanes- began my journey into campaign Times quoted him about the White Oxley Act of 2002, aimed at finance reform, what I call ‘the House forbidding cabinet members deterring securities fraud and elephant and donkey in the room,’” to address the Democratic National improving lawyers’ ethics. Section he says. He continued to investigate Convention, and the Wall Street 307 of the Act—“up-the-ladder the topic with his latest book, Journal and Washington Post inter- reporting,” as he terms it—was a Taxation Only with Representation: viewed him several times on presi- direct response to what he had The Conservative Conscience and dential candidate conflicts of interest. observed in corporate behavior. Campaign Finance Reform. That In addition, over the past few months “There’s a scandal on the trading book was the product of a residential the Times has published three opinion floor and the lawyer tells the CEO to fellowship at Harvard University’s pieces by Painter—on the Clinton report it to the Treasury Department,” Safra Center for Ethics during the Foundation, campaign finance Painter explains. “The CEO ignores 2014-15 academic year.In 2015, with reform, and Supreme Court nominee the advice, and the lawyer doesn’t feel his colleague Professor Claire Hill, Merrick Garland—plus a fourth, compelled to go to the full board. Painter co-authored Better Bankers, co-authored with President Obama’s That’s a problem, and that’s what Better Banks: Promoting Good Business former chief White House ethics section 307 fixes.” It is one of the few through Contractual Commitment, a lawyer, on Donald Trump’s ways in which the federal govern- book about the personal responsibil- tax returns. ment regulates the conduct of ity of investment bankers, which he Painter acknowledges this has been lawyers. As a result of the provision, calls “a high point” of his work at the an unusual year—for him and the he says, “There’s a lot better commu- Law School. nation. “Much of what I have focused nication between lawyers and Painter is passionate about shaping on in my career has been at the directors, not just the CEO.” his students’ understanding of the role center of our country’s debates,” he During his time in the White of ethics in the legal profession. “I like says. “It has been, to say the least, an House Counsel’s office, Painter served helping a new generation of lawyers extraordinary time.” as the chief ethics lawyer not only for understand how ethics plays a role in Painter was drawn to the topic of President Bush, but for White House every area of the law.” ethics early in his career, when he employees and nominees to Senate- worked in the financial services confirmed positions in the executive By Kathy Graves, a writer based in sector. “I quickly became concerned branch as well. Minneapolis

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