Impact Area
Business Law
Albany Law’s depth and excellence in business law is growing rapidly. We are proud to share news and information about our exceptional group of faculty, students and alumni, who are distinguished by the breadth of their scholarship and practical experience and the range of ways they are engaging with, and shaping public discourse and the rule of law within the sphere of business law.
Faculty Spotlight:
Professor Randle B. Pollard
Pollard Joins Albany Law School’s Business Law Faculty as Assistant Professor of Law
We are delighted to welcome Professor Randle Pollard as the newest member of our tenure-track faculty. Professor Pollard’s research focuses on issues in general state and local tax policy, including the use and evolution of municipal bonds to finance the operations of state and local governments and public purpose projects, and the use of economic incentives, including tax incentives, to increase economic growth within states. His articles are published in The Hastings Business Law Journal, The Indiana Law Review and the Pittsburgh Tax Review and his forthcoming work, Revocation of Tax Exemption – Harvard University’s Constitutional Right to Due Process, will be published in and presented at a symposium on The University and Democracy at Boston University Law School.
Recent Faculty Publications, Presentations and Leadership Roles
Professor Zhaoyi Li
Privacy Paradox in Digital Service Taxation, Yale Journal of Law & Technology (2025) (featured in the TaxProf Blog)
Professor Rose Rameau
Corporate Liability for Human Rights Violations in National Courts and International Tribunals, Northeastern L. Rev. (forthcoming 2026)
Professor Christine Chung
Encasing Markets: How the Securities Brokerage and Fossil Fuel Industries Are (Mis)using Disclosure to Exploit Investors and Markets, Deflect Attention From Abusive Business Practices, and Block Reform, 29 Stanford Journal of Law, Business & Finance 69 (2024).
Professor Jennifer S. Martin
Uniform Commercial Code Survey: Sales of Goods, 80 The Business Lawyer (2025).
Professor Edward W. De Barbieri
Lawmakers and Economic Othering, 76 Oklahoma L. Rev. 575 (2024)
Professor Carla Spivack
Creditors’ Access to Beneficiaries’ Interest in Trust Assets, Oxford Handbook on Comparative Trust Law (2025)
Professor Meredith R. Miller
(In)Coherence in Employment Contract Law: Response to Professors Arnow-Richman and J.H. Verkerke, Florida Law Review Forum (2024)
Professor David Pratt
Focus On . . . Retirement Plan Investments in Cyptocurrency, J. Pension Benefits (2025)
Professor Patricia Reyhan
Art As Real Property, (with E. De Barbieri) 55 Seton Hall L. Rev. __ (forthcoming 2025)
Additional Scholarship, Presentations, Media Appearances, and Appointments:
Professor Rose Rameau - Current Trends in Corporate Governance, Corporate Democracy, Business, Human Rights, Sustainable Development, Technology Governance, ESG, SEAALS (2025)
Professor Jennifer Martin - Article 2 Under the 2022 Amendments, ABA Business Law Section, Article 2 Subcommittee (Sept. 2024)
Professor Edward W. De Barbieri - Managing Editor, New York Business Law Journal, New York State Bar Association Business Law Section
Professor Meredith Miller - Ethics of Authenticity, JAMS CLE Program (2024).
Professor Meredith Miller was interviewed for the Bloomberg Law story, "Corporate Power to Limit Workers’ Window to Sue Faces New Test"
Professor Christine Chung was quoted in the Wall Street Journal story, "Congress Thinks Hiding Fund Fees Is Good for You."
Professor Zhaoyi Li was quoted in Law 360's expert analysis piece, Top International Tax Policy To Watch In 2nd Half Of 2025
Student Spotlight:
Albany Law Students Gain Hands-On Experience at ABA Business Law Section Fall Meeting in Toronto
A group of Albany Law School students had the exciting opportunity to attend the American Bar Association (ABA) Business Law Section Fall Meeting in Toronto—one of the premier gatherings for business law professionals.
The ABA Fall Meeting offered more than 50 CLE programs and a variety of engaging discussions, giving students firsthand insight into the trends and innovations transforming business law today. It was an opportunity not only to learn from top legal minds but also to build professional networks that could help shape the trajectory of their careers.
Alumni Spotlight:
Life Imitates Golf: Tenacity Leads Bill Collins ‘85 to Success on the Course and at the Negotiating Table
Legendary golfer Tiger Woods said of the game, “No matter how good you get, you can always get better — and that’s the exciting part.”
Avid golfer and Albany Law School alumnus Bill Collins '85 would probably agree with this statement -- not just about his golf game, but about the practice of law as well.
Growing up, Collins worked in the pro shop and caddied at a country club in Kingston, New York. Through the club, he came to know a number of lawyers who had graduated from Albany Law. In college, he played varsity golf for the University of Virginia. As a history major there, law school seemed like a logical next step.
A small-town kid, Collins assumed he’d become a litigator for a local firm but wanted to give New York City a try. One summer after his second year at Albany Law School, he did just that, working for the venerable Wall Street firm Mudge, Rose, Guthrie, Alexander & Ferdon. That experience introduced him to transactional practice and changed the course of his career.
Latest News
Sample Courses
| Course Name | Credits |
|---|---|
| Advanced Trust Law | 3.00 |
| Bankruptcy | 3.00 |
| Business Organizations | 2.00 |
| Community Development Clinic | 4.00 |
| International Business Transactions | 3.00 |
| Introduction to Taxation | 3.00 |
| Mergers and Acquisitions | 3.00 |
| Sales | 3.00 |
| Secured Transactions | 2.00 |
| Securities Regulation | 3.00 |
| Tax Policy and Social Justice | 2.00 |
| Technology, Privacy and the Law | 3.00 |