News & Developments
September 30, 2019
PRIVATE EQUITY, ENTREPRENEURSHIP, AND CREATING YOUR OWN PATH: A CONVERSATION WITH BRANDON FREEMAN
The SMU Robert B. Rowling Center, along with the Corporate Law Association, the JD/MBA Society and Dedman Law Career Services is pleased to sponsor a conversation with Brandon Freeman, founder and president of the Freeman Group, a private investment and asset management firm based in Dallas.
All members of the SMU law community are encouraged to attend this event, where Freeman will discuss his experiences and advice on forging a unique path to success in private investment, private equity, and asset management.
A member of the Dedman Law class of 1998, Freeman attended law school with the express objective of creating his own business. Today, the Freeman Group has historically managed control positions in private companies, while taking an active role developing and overseeing strategy. The firm continues to allocate capital to this type of investment, providing leadership and managerial experience when necessary, but also participates in opportunities across the capital structure in both private and public markets and in diverse market segments.
The conversation will take place Thursday, Oct. 3 at 12:15 p.m in Walsh. For more information and to RSVP, please visit the event page.
September 26, 2019
FORMER COMMISSIONER AND ACTING CHAIRMAN OF FTC TO KEYNOTE SMU CORPORATE COUNSEL SYMPOSIUM
One of SMU Dedman Law’s signature events, the 27th Annual Corporate Counsel Symposium addresses cutting-edge issues that confront in-house counsel. Symposium topics include managing proxy battles, the significance of board diversity, coping with international trade issues in uncertain times, and an exploration of the California Consumer Privacy Act, among other hot topics relevant to in-house practitioners.
Former Commissioner and Acting Chairman of the United States Federal Trade Commission, Maureen K. Ohlhausen, with be the keynote speaker. Ohlhausen is a respected thought leader who has testified over a dozen times before the U.S. Congress and is a recipient of the FTC's Robert Pitofsky Lifetime Achievement Award. She will be speaking on Data as an Asset: Threats and Opportunities.
The Symposium will be held on October 18, 2019, at the Westin Galleria Hotel, in Dallas, TX. Learn more about the Symposium on the event page and register here. Discounted rates are available to members of the State Bar of Texas, Corporate Counsel Section, The Texas General Counsel Forum, and alumni of SMU.
#RowlingCtrEvent
September 16, 2019
ROWLING CENTER CELEBRATES DIVERSITY WEEK WITH IN-HOUSE SPEAKERS
The SMU Robert B. Rowling Center is pleased to host distinguished speakers from major international corporations as part of SMU’s diversity week programming. Joann Harris, Chief Compliance Officer at TPG Global; Sandra Zamora, Senior Counsel at McKesson Corporation; and Chequan Lewis, Senior Director at Pizza Hut Express will be speaking on Going In-House: Charting a Different Course.
The event, co-hosted by the SMU Diversity Council, will be held Sept. 25 at 12:15 p.m. in Hillcrest. Special thanks to McKool Smith and AT&T for their support of Diversity Week programming.
August 22, 2019
CORPORATE COUNSEL EXTERNSHIP PROGRAM KICKS OFF WITH NEARLY 90 DFW COMPANIES
This week 92 second- and third-year JD and LL M students started their participation in the SMU Corporate Counsel Externship Program. This program, one of the largest of its kind and in its 7th year, places law students in corporate legal departments around the DFW area.
Student externship participants work for 10 hours during the week at their respective companies and participate in a weekly class that addresses many issues related to in-house counsel. This combination of classroom learning and in-house experience helps students develop a framework in which to apply their academic knowledge in a practical setting. Learn more about the Corporate Externship Program here.
August 13, 2019
PROFESSOR MARC STEINBERG PROVIDES ‘VERY RARE AND USEFUL CONTRIBUTION’ WITH REPORT ON SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
SMU Dedman School of Law Rupert and Lillian Radford Professor of Law Marc I. Steinberg’s latest book, Deep Dive: Securities and Exchange Commission v. Cuban, is being applauded for “demystif[ying] the intractably difficult law of insider trading,” through its exploration of Mark Cuban’s alleged insider trading of Mamma.com stock. For the complete book review and to purchase the publication, please visit the New York Law Journal.
A scholar of corporate governance, Steinberg spoke at the University of Tokyo’s Graduate School of Law and Politics last month on “Corporate Governance: A U.S. Perspective,” and recently published his article, “The Federalization of Corporate Governance: An Evolving Process” in the Loyola University Chicago Law Journal.
August 7, 2019
SMU ROWLING CENTER COLLABORATES WITH BERKELEY AND TULANE ON VENTURE CAPITAL UNIVERSITY
The SMU Robert B. Rowling Center is excited to collaborate with the Berkeley Center for Law and Business and Tulane University's Freeman School of Business on VC University LIVE - South. VC University is an educational program with the goal of democratizing access to education on venture finance in startup ecosystems across the country.
As a regional academic supporter of the program, the Rowling Center is offering discounted rates to alumni and friends of SMU Dedman School of Law who would like to attend. The event takes place Sept. 19-21 in New Orleans, and applications are accepted on a rolling basis until the program reaches capacity. For more information please email rowlingcenter@mail.smu.edu and visit the VC University site.
October 30, 2018
SMU DEDMAN SCHOOL OF LAW NAMED A "TOP SCHOOL FOR BUSINESS LAW"
Receives an "A" Ranking From preLaw Magazine
In Fall 2018 Issue of preLaw Magazine, identified the top schools for business law and graded them based on their offerings in this specialty, from clinical offerings to certificates to the breadth of their externships. Schools were also asked to provide information that is pertinent to their program's strength. Read More
September 15, 2018
INTERNATIONAL LAW, ETHICS AND COMPLIANCE LEADER TO HEAD NEW CENTER IN SMU DEDMAN SCHOOL OF LAW
DALLAS (SMU) – Eric F. Hinton has been named director of SMU Dedman School of Law’s new Robert B. Rowling Center for Business Law and Leadership.
The Rowling Center’s mission is to prepare the next generation of prominent legal and business leaders and influence national and international conversations surrounding business and law. Beginning September 24, Hinton will oversee the Rowling Center, including development of innovative courses and programming for SMU Dedman Law students, alumni, and the DFW business community.
“We are delighted to welcome Eric Hinton as the leader of this important new center,” said Jennifer Collins, Judge James Noel Dean of SMU Dedman School of Law. “His extensive legal and business experience, combined with his professional network, will enable him to make the Rowling Center immediately impactful to our students and the business and legal community.”
May 16, 2018
The Robert B. Rowling Center for Business Law and Leadership
NEW CENTER AT SMU DEDMAN SCHOOL OF LAW TO EQUIP LEGAL AND BUSINESS LEADERS FOR A CHANGING WORLD
DALLAS (SMU) – Combined gifts of $4 million will create the new Robert B. Rowling Center for Business Law and Leadership in SMU’s Dedman School of Law to train the next generation of prominent legal and business leaders and influence national conversations surrounding business and corporate law.
At the request of an anonymous donor who made the lead gift, the center is being named in honor of Dallas businessman Robert B. Rowling, owner and Chairman of TRT Holdings, Inc., which is the holding company for the Omni Hotels and Resorts chain as well as Gold’s Gym International. He received an undergraduate degree in business before graduating from SMU’s Dedman School of Law in 1979.
The lead donor asked Mr. Rowling the favor of sharing his name with the new center to reflect that Mr. Rowling exemplifies the type of business achievement, community engagement, and civic contribution that future participants in the center’s programs should strive to emulate. Read More