Seth C. Oranburg
Professor of Law, University of New Hampshire Franklin Pierce School of Law
Director, Program on Organizations, Business and Markets, NYU School of Law
Chair, Section for Law Faculty, Academic Engagement Network
sco259@nyu.edu • 603.703.6133
Teaching Areas: Contract Law; Business Associations; Securities Regulation; Corporate Finance; Venture Capital Transactions; Trade Secret Law
Honors
Academy of Management Perspectives Best Reviewer Award 2025
University Excellence in Teaching Award 2024
Center for Teaching Excellence Inclusive Teaching Award 2021
Presidential Scholarship Award 2019
Dr. John Murray Award for Excellence in Faculty Scholarship 2018
Doctrinal Appointments
University of New Hampshire, Franklin Pierce School of Law, Concord, NH
Professor of Law 2024 – Present
Associate Professor of Law 2022 – 2024
Duquesne University, School of Law, Pittsburgh, PA
Associate Professor of Law; Director, JD/MBA & Mini-MBA Programs 2021 – 2022
Assistant Professor of Law 2016 – 2021
Chicago-Kent College of Law, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, IL
Visiting Assistant Professor of Law 2015 – 2016
Florida State University, College of Law, Tallahassee, FL
Visiting Assistant Professor of Law 2014 – 2015
Scholarship
Books
Protecting Trade Secrets (Carolina Academic Press, 2026)
Contract Law: Rules, Cases, and Problems (2d ed., Carolina Academic Press, 2025)
Questions & Answers: Business Associations (Carolina Academic Press, 2024, with John T. Rice and Douglas M. Branson)
Contract Law: Rules, Cases, and Problems (Carolina Academic Press, 2023)
A History of Financial Technology: From American Incorporation to Corporations and Crowdfunding (Cambridge University Press, 2022)
Judgment Proof: The Reign of the Safety State — Reclaiming Human Wisdom (book manuscript in progress)
Articles, Essays & Book Chapters
Forthcoming
The GENIUS Dilemma: Innovation Versus Antifraud in Stablecoin Regulation, 9 [Stanford Journal of Blockchain Law & Policy]{.smallcaps} ___ (forthcoming in print Summer 2026; available online)
Replacing Howey with CLARITY: Resolving Securities Regulation’s Temporal Paradox, 45 [Review of Banking and Financial Law]{.smallcaps} ___ (forthcoming Spring 2026)
A Systems Approach: Teaching Intellectual Property in Our Interconnected World, in El Rol de la Universidad en la Propiedad Intelectual (American Intellectual Property Law Association, forthcoming 2026)
Collective Phrónēsis in Equity Crowdfunding: Structuring Financial Regulation for Practical Wisdom, [Journal of Markets & Morality]{.smallcaps} (forthcoming 2026)
Published
Function Over Form: Toward a Safe Harbor Framework for DeFi Regulation of Utility Tokens, 86 [Louisiana Law Review]{.smallcaps} 1 (2025)
Beyond the Ivory Tower: Confronting Antisemitism, Anti-Zionism, and Free Speech Through Firsthand Observation and Engagement, [Academic Engagement Network Research Paper Series]{.smallcaps} No. 7 (2025)
Right Not to Work: Unions and Title VII, 19 [Florida International University Law Review]{.smallcaps} 893 (2025)
Advanced Online Continuing Legal Education: How to Leverage Technology-Mediated Education for Lawyers’ Lifelong Learning, 72(3) [Journal of Legal Education]{.smallcaps} 556 (2024)
Antitrust Law for Blockchain Technology, 49 [Journal of Corporation Law]{.smallcaps} 379 (2024)
Unintended Consequences of Mandatory ESG Disclosures, 77 [Business Lawyer]{.smallcaps} 697 (2023)
Social Media and Democracy After the Capitol Riot, or, A Cautionary Tale of the Giant Goldfish, 73 [Mercer Law Review]{.smallcaps} 591 (2022)
Transaction Cost Economics, Labor Law, and the Gig Economy, 50 [Journal of Legal Studies]{.smallcaps} S219 (2021, with Liya Palagashvili)
Online Onboarding: Corporate Governance Training in the COVID-19 Era, 2 [Arizona State Corporate & Business Law Journal]{.smallcaps} 1 (2021, with Ben Kahn)
Corporations Hybrid: A Case Study in Business Law Pedagogical Innovation, 56 [Willamette Law Review]{.smallcaps} 363 (2021, with David Tamasy)
Encouraging Entrepreneurship and Innovation through Regulatory Democratization, 57 [San Diego Law Review]{.smallcaps} 757 (2020)
Balancing Flexibility and Rigidity: Do Unions Make Sense in the On-Demand Economy?, in The Cambridge Handbook of U.S. Labor Law for the Twenty-First Century (eds. Richard Bales & Charlotte Garden, Cambridge University Press, 2020, with Liya Palagashvili)
Securities Regulation and Social Media, 52 [Loyola University Chicago Law Journal]{.smallcaps} 101 (2020)
Start-up Financing 2.0, in Startup Creation, 2d ed. (ed. Fernando Pacheco-Torgal, Woodhead/Elsevier, 2020)
Unbundling Employment: Flexible Benefits for the Gig Economy, 11 [Drexel Law Review]{.smallcaps} 1 (2019)
Hyperfunding: Regulating Financing Innovation, 89 [Colorado Law Review]{.smallcaps} 1033 (2018)
Female Entrepreneurs and Equity Crowdfunding in the US: Receiving Less When Asking for More, 10 [Journal of Business Venturing Insights]{.smallcaps} e00099 (2018, with Mark Geiger)
Democratizing Startups, 68 [Rutgers University Law Review]{.smallcaps} 1013 (2016)
A Place of Their Own: Crowds in the New Market for Equity Crowdfunding, 100 [Minnesota Law Review Headnotes]{.smallcaps} 147 (2016)
Start-up Financing, in Startup Creation, 1st ed. (ed. Fernando Pacheco-Torgal, Woodhead, 2016)
Bridgefunding: Crowdfunding and the Market for Entrepreneurial Finance, 25 [Cornell Journal of Law & Public Policy]{.smallcaps} 397 (2015)
A Little Birdie Said: How Twitter Is Disrupting Shareholder Activism, 20 [Fordham Journal of Corporate & Financial Law]{.smallcaps} 695 (2015)
Works in Progress
Network Externalities and the Empirical Limits of Efficient Breach: A Covenantal Theory of Commercial Obligation (2026)
Exclusive Inclusion: How University Governance Produces the Discrimination It Promises to Prevent (2026)
Crosstagion: The GENIUS Act, CLARITY, and the OCC-CFTC-SEC Gap in Bidirectional Stablecoin Contagion (2026)
From Anti-Bad to Pro-Good: Legal Architecture for Collective Phrónêsis (2025)
Legitimate University Governance (2025)
Beyond Form: A Function-Based Approach to Regulation of Decentralized Finance (2024)
University Disentanglement: Toward a Theory of University Governance (2024)
Machines and Contractual Intent (2022)
Distance Education in the Time of Coronavirus: Quick and Easy Strategies for Professors (2020)
Do Female Investors Support Female Entrepreneurs? An Empirical Analysis of Angel Investor Behavior (with Mark Geiger) (2019)
Proposed Brief of Current and Retired Practitioners and Professors as Amici Curiae in Support of Reversal in In re Tesla, Inc. Derivative Litigation (with Bainbridge, Bebchuk, Epstein, Griffith, et al.) (2025)
Select Op-Eds and Commentary
2 Jews, 3 Opinions on Campus Antisemitism, [The Daily Signal]{.smallcaps} (Feb. 28, 2026)
Rebranded DEI Offices Won’t Ensure Religious Liberty, [Washington Examiner]{.smallcaps} (Feb. 2026)
Big Banks Destroying Digital Dollars, [Center Square]{.smallcaps} (Feb. 6, 2026)
From Fragmentation to Integration: UNH Franklin Pierce’s Hybrid JD and the Future of Global IP Education, [Global IP Matrix]{.smallcaps} (forthcoming)
This Veteran’s Day, Keep America’s Builders Working, [Center Square]{.smallcaps} (Nov. 10, 2025)
Truman-Era Securities Ruling That Governs Crypto Needs an Update, [Bloomberg Law]{.smallcaps} (Oct. 27, 2025)
State Stablecoins: Financial Federalism or Flagrant Fraud?, [Center Square]{.smallcaps} (Aug. 25, 2025)
GENIUS Act Revives Civil War-Era Banking Problem for States, [Bloomberg Law]{.smallcaps} (Aug. 18, 2025)
Crypto Decentralization Era Takes Shape as CLARITY Act Advances, [Bloomberg Law]{.smallcaps} (Jul. 21, 2025)
CLARITY Now: Congress Must Bring Truth to Crypto Markets, [Daily Caller]{.smallcaps} (Jun. 21, 2025)
Boulder Must Move Beyond Anti-Zionism and Confront Dangerous Rhetoric, [Boulder Daily Camera]{.smallcaps} (Jun. 18, 2025)
Tokenized Stocks Get a Sandbox. Crypto Deserves a Statute, [Oxford Business Law Blog]{.smallcaps} (Jun. 10, 2025)
Universities: No More ‘Blind Neutrality’ When It Comes to Protesters, [The Daily Signal]{.smallcaps} (Apr. 11, 2025)
The Real “Constitutional Crisis” Is Bigger Than Trump, [Daily Caller]{.smallcaps} (Apr. 4, 2025)
Delaware’s Corporate Law Reform Would Fortify Stable Governance, [Bloomberg Law]{.smallcaps} (Mar. 18, 2025)
Musk’s OpenAI and Warren Clashes to Steer AI Governance’s Future (with Anat Alon-Beck), [Bloomberg Law]{.smallcaps} (Dec. 27, 2024)
A New Year’s Resolution for Concord and UNH, [Concord Monitor]{.smallcaps} (Dec. 31, 2024)
The Golden Rule of Democracy: No Murder, [Washington Examiner]{.smallcaps} (Oct. 1, 2024)
Striking the Right Balance on Campus Protests, [Concord Monitor]{.smallcaps} (Aug. 24, 2024)
How to Integrate New Corporate Directors Online (with Ben Kahn), [Columbia Law School Blue Sky Blog]{.smallcaps} (Aug. 12, 2020)
Blockchain—Not Bitcoin—Represents the Next Step in Financial Evolution and Beyond (with Joseph Stead), [Oxford Business Law Blog]{.smallcaps} (Jul. 24, 2020)
Preliminary Evidence Suggests That Female Entrepreneurs Raise Less Than Their Male Counterparts via U.S. Equity Crowdfunding. Why?, [Oxford Business Law Blog]{.smallcaps} (Nov. 28, 2018)
Hyperfunding is the Harbinger of New Corporate Finance, [Oxford Business Law Blog]{.smallcaps} (Aug. 9, 2017)
The Gender Equity Gap, [Oxford Business Law Blog]{.smallcaps} (Jan. 11, 2017)
A Place of Their Own: Crowds in the New Market for Equity Crowdfunding, [Oxford Business Law Blog]{.smallcaps} (Nov. 14, 2016)
The Law and Economics of the Series A Gap, [Columbia Law School Blue Sky Blog]{.smallcaps} (Apr. 6, 2015)
Crowdfunding under Title III Doesn’t Work, But We Can Fix It, [Law & Economics Prof Blog]{.smallcaps} (Feb. 22, 2015)
Twitter Is Disrupting Shareholder Activism, [Columbia Law School Blue Sky Blog]{.smallcaps} (Jan. 14, 2015)
Recent Media Appearances
André Beganski, Ethereum Governance Tokens Spike as SEC Backs ‘Innovation Exemption’ for DeFi Projects, Decrypt (Jun. 10, 2025)
Challenges to Academic Freedom on College Campuses, [The Legal Impact Podcast]{.smallcaps} (Mar. 29, 2025)
Campus Protests and Free Speech, [The Legal Impact Podcast]{.smallcaps} (Sep. 23, 2024)
Groff v. DeJoy, [The Legal Impact Podcast]{.smallcaps} (Aug. 21, 2023)
California Ballot Measure Keeps ‘Gig’ in Gig Economy, [Marketplace]{.smallcaps} (Nov. 20, 2020)
Presentations
Jul. 13–15, 2026 Next Generation of Legal Scholars Conference. Federalist Society, Salt Lake City, UT (Roundtable Participant).
Jun. 26, 2026 Law and Technology. Virgin Islands Bar Association, Virtual (CLE Speaker, Scheduled).
Mar. 27, 2026 “The Art of the Deal” — Negotiation Skills CLE. Virgin Islands Bar Association, Virtual (2.0 CLE credits).
Mar. 8–9, 2026 5th Annual Law vs. Antisemitism Conference. Cardozo School of Law, New York, NY (Steering Committee; Presenter & Moderator).
Mar. 2, 2026 Faculty Job Talk. University of Iowa College of Law, Iowa City, IA (Lateral Callback).
Feb. 19, 2026 “Selective Inclusion” — Invited Testimony. U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, Washington, DC.
Jan. 7–8, 2026 Annual Faculty Conference — Works in Progress. AALS / Federalist Society, New Orleans, LA.
Dec. 2025 Law and Religion Conference. Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel.
Aug. 26, 2025 Faculty Job Talk. Stetson University College of Law, Gulfport, FL (Lateral Callback).
Jun. 2025 Markets and Morals Conference. Federalist Society / Classical Liberal Institute, Virtual.
Jun. 2025 Cyber Week 2025. Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
Jan. 2025 Annual Faculty Conference. AALS / Federalist Society, San Francisco, CA.
Jul. 17, 2024 Job Talk Workshop. Federalist Society Faculty Division, Virtual (Faculty Mentor).
2024/25 Law vs. Antisemitism Conference. UCLA School of Law, Los Angeles, CA.
Jul. 5, 2023 Zoom Best Practices Workshop. Federalist Society Faculty Division, Virtual (Faculty Mentor).
2023/24 Law vs. Antisemitism Conference. FIU College of Law, Miami, FL.
Oct. 2022 “Antitrust Platform Economics”. CLI-JCL Conference, NYU School of Law, New York, NY.
Jun. 2022 Job Talk Workshop. Federalist Society Faculty Division, Chicago, IL (Faculty Mentor).
Jun. 2022 Zoom Presentation Seminar. Federalist Society Faculty Division, Virtual (Faculty Mentor).
Oct. 2021 The ESG Movement Symposium. NYU Law / Classical Liberal Institute, New York, NY.
Oct. 2021 Faculty Job Talk. University of Tennessee College of Law, Knoxville, TN (Lateral Callback).
Aug. 2020 “Experiential Learning and Doctrinal Classes”. SEALS Annual Conference, Virtual.
Jul. 2020 Job Talk Workshop. Federalist Society Faculty Division, Virtual (Faculty Mentor).
Jan. 2020 “Do Female Investors Support Female Entrepreneurs?”. AALS Annual Meeting, Washington, DC.
Jan. 2020 “Social Media and Securities Regulation”. AALS Annual Meeting, Washington, DC.
Aug. 2019 “Preparing Law Schools for Online Education”. SEALS Annual Conference, Boca Raton, FL.
Jul. 2019 New Scholars Workshop. SEALS Annual Conference, Boca Raton, FL.
Apr. 2019 “Unbundling Employment” — Colloquium. Duquesne University School of Law, Pittsburgh, PA (Organizer & Moderator).
Mar. 2019 “Qualitative Findings in Crowdfunding Research”. Law School Venture Fund.
Aug. 2015 “Democratizing Startups”. SEALS Annual Conference, Boca Raton, FL.
Grant Awards
Academic Engagement Network; Institute for Humane Studies; University of Wyoming Blockchain Research Center; Hayek Fund for Scholars; Clifford Asness Foundation; John Templeton Foundation; Law & Economics Center
Select Academic Service
Steering Committee Member, Annual Law vs. Antisemitism Conference 2023 – Present
Editorial Board Member, Academy of Management Perspectives 2025 – Present
Senator, University of New Hampshire 2023 – Present
Member, UNH Finance and Administration Committee 2023 – Present
Member, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee 2022 – Present
Peer Reviewer, Israel Science Foundation 2025
Faculty Mentor, Federalist Society Job Talk Workshop 2020 – Present
Advisor to multiple student associations
Secondary Appointments
Commissioner, New Hampshire Stable Token Study Commission (NH HB310), Concord, NH 2025 – Present
Chair, Law Faculty Section, Academic Engagement Network, Washington, D.C. 2025 – Present
Fellow, Faculty of Law, Haifa Center for Law and Technology, Haifa, Israel 2025 – Present
Director, Program on Organizations, Business and Markets, NYU Law, Classical Liberal Institute, New York, NY 2021 – Present
Prior Legal Practice Experience
Corporate Law Associate, Fenwick & West LLP, San Francisco, CA 2012 – 2014
Antitrust Law Associate, Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP, Washington, DC 2011 – 2012
Bar Memberships
New Hampshire Attorney No. 278598 (2024 – Present)
District of Columbia Attorney No. 1012991 (2012 – Present)
California Attorney No. 281994 (2011 – Present)
Education
J.D., University of Chicago Law School, Chicago, IL 2011
Order of the Coif; Kirkland & Ellis Scholar
B.A., University of Florida, Gainesville, FL (English & Political Science) 2006
Magna cum laude
Professional Development
Dean’s Leadership Academy, George Mason University Antonin Scalia Law School (Dean Ken Randall) 2024
Economics Institute for Law Professors, George Mason University Law & Economics Center, Arlington, VA 2025
Two-week intensive: price theory, public choice, and behavioral economics