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Beny, Laura Nyantung

Professor of Law

3246 South Hall
734.647.9054
E-mail lbeny@umich.edu

Since joining the University of Michigan Law School in 2003, Prof. Laura N. Beny has taught Corporate Finance, Enterprise Organization, International Finance, the Public Corporation, Law and Development, and an advanced seminar in law and finance. Her research interests include a wide range of subjects in law and economics, finance, political economy, and development. Her research has been published by the American Economic Review, the American Law and Economics Review, and the Journal of Corporation Law, among others, and will be forthcoming in the Annual Review of Law and Social Science. Prof. Beny also has published numerous opinion pieces on the Sudan in various media, such as Newsweek International, Africa.com, Gurtong Focus Magazine, and New Times (South Sudan), among others. Before coming to Michigan, she practiced private and pro bono law at Debevoise & Plimpton, an international law firm based in New York City. Prof. Beny earned her MA and PhD in economics at Harvard University, her JD at Harvard Law School, and her BA in economics at Stanford University. She was a visiting professor at Duke University School of Law in fall 2010 and spring 2012.

Also see Professor Beny's homepage.

Recent Publications

More Publications...

Co-author. "Private Regulation of Insider Trading in the Shadow of Lax Public Enforcement: Evidence from Canadian Firms." A.I. Anand, co-author. Harv. Bus. L. Rev. (Forthcoming).
Full Text: SSRN | BePress

Co-author. "Political Violence and "State" Disintegration." In Sudan's Killing Fields, edited by L. N. Beny and S. Hale. Forthcoming.

Co-editor. Sudan's Killing Fields. S. Hale, co-editor. Forthcoming.

"The Empirical Evidence on the Regulation of Insider Trading." Ann. Rev. L. & Soc. Sci. Forthcoming.

"Beyond Economics: Slavery in the Sudan as Genocide." In Sudan's Killing Fields, edited by L. N. Beny and S. Hale. Forthcoming.

"The Political Economy of Insider Trading Laws and Enforcement: Law vs. Politics? International Evidence." In Research Handbook on Insider Trading, edited by S. Bainbridge, 266-98. Research Handbooks in Corporate Law and Governance. Northampton, Mass.: Elgar, 2013.
Full Text: SSRN | BePress

Co-author. "Has Illegal Insider Trading Become More Rampant in the United States? Empirical Evidence from Takeovers." N. Seyhun, co-author. In Research Handbook on Insider Trading, edited by S. Bainbridge, 211-29. Research Handbooks in Corporate Law and Governance. Northampton, Mass.: Elgar, 2013.
Full Text: SSRN | BePress

Diversity Among Elite American Law Firms: A Signal of Quality and Prestige. Univ. of Michigan Law & Economics. Working Paper.
Full text: SSRN

Co-author. "Metals or Management? Explaining Africa's Recent Economic Growth Spurt." L. D. Cook, co-author. Am. Econ. Rev. 99, no. 2 (2009): 268-74.
Full Text: BePress

Recently Taught Courses

Curriculum Interest Areas

Activities

Presented research on "Diversity, Performance, and Prestige among Elite U.S. Law Firms" at the American Bar Foundation's Second Annual Conference of the Research Group on Legal Diversity, Northwestern University Law School, May 2013.

Moderated panel, "Is President Obama Bad for Business," at the Alfred L. Edwards 37th Annual BBSA Conference, Ross School of Business, University of Michigan, Feb. 16, 2013. Panelists from the private sector and government debated the consequences of Obama's policies—such as the Affordable Care Act and the auto and banking bailouts—for U.S. economic competitiveness.

Presented law and finance lecture and workshop to ETH Zurich, University of Zurich and University of St. Gallen, Zurich, Switzerland, December 6-7, 2011.

Taught seminar on "Critical Issues in Law and Development" as a visiting professor of law at Duke Law School, August-September, 2010.

Spoke about the potential for and obstacles to economic development and rule of law in pre- and post-referendum Southern Sudan and co-delivered the Southern Sudanese Diaspora’s recommendations to General Scott Gration, U.S. Envoy to Sudan, at the Way Forward on Darfur and South Sudan Pittsburgh Summit, Carnegie Mellon University, March 2010.

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