
Academic Faculty
Full Time Teaching Faculty
M. Todd Henderson
Michael J. Marks Professor of LawBiography
M. Todd Henderson is the Michael J. Marks Professor of Law at the University of Chicago Law School. Professor Henderson’s research interests include corporations, securities regulation, and law and economics. He has taught classes ranging from Banking Regulation to Torts to American Indian Law.
Professor Henderson received an engineering degree cum laude from Princeton University in 1993. He worked for several years designing and building dams in California before matriculating at the Law School. While at the Law School, Henderson was an editor of the Law Review and captained the Law School's all-University champion intramural football team. He graduated magna cum laude in 1998 and was elected to the Order of the Coif. Following law school, Todd served as clerk to the Hon. Dennis Jacobs of the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. He then practiced appellate litigation at Kirkland & Ellis in Washington, DC, and was an engagement manager at McKinsey & Company in Boston here he specialized in counseling telecommunications and high-tech clients on business and regulatory strategy.
Education
The University of Chicago Law School
JD with high honors, 1995-1998
- Editor, University of Chicago Law Review
- Order of the Coif
Princeton University
BSE in civil engineering & operations research, cum laude, 1989-1993
- J. Rich Steers Award for Academic Excellence
- Elected to Sigma Xi
Experience
The University of Chicago Law School
Michael J. Marks Professor of Law and Mark Claster Mamolen Research Scholar, 2015-present
Aaron Director Teaching Scholar, 2013 - 2015
Professor of Law, 2009 - 2014
Assistant Professor of Law, 2004 - 2009
Université de Paris Ouest Nanterre la Défense
Visiting Professor, 2016
University of California, Berkeley
Visiting Professor, 2014, 2015
University of Bergen
Visiting Professor, Norway, 2012-present
Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. ("FINRA")
Member, National Adjudicatory Council, 2011-2014
University of Genoa
Fresco Endowed Professor of Law, Italy, summer 2011
University of California, Hastings School of Law
Roger J. Traynor Summer Professor in Corporate Law, 2011
McKinsey & Company
Engagement Manager, Washington, D.C. and Boston, MA, 2001 - 2004
Kirkland & Ellis
Associate, Appellate Litigation, Washington, D.C., 1999 - 2001
Judge Dennis Jacobs, Second Cir. Ct. of Appeals
Clerk, New York, NY, 1998 - 1999
Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz
Summer Associate, New York, NY, 1996 and 1998
Department of Justice, Antitrust Division
Summer Honors Program, Dallas, TX, 1997
Raytheon Engineers & Constructors
Design Engineer, Eastside Reservoir Project, Los Angeles, CA, 1993 - 1995
Publications
Books (Author)
- Securities Regulation: Cases and Materials (13th ed.) (Foundation Press, 2015) (with John C. Coffee & Hillary Sale ).cu
- Limited Liability: A Legal and Economic Analysis (Edward Elgar, 2016) (with Stephen Bainbridge).cu
- Outsourcing the Board: How Board Service Providers Can Improve Corporate Governance (Cambridge University Press, 2018) (with Stephen Bainbridge).cu
- Federal Securities Laws: Selected Statutes, Rules and Forms (2017-2018 ed.) (Foundation Press, 2017) (with John C. Coffee & Hillary Sale ).cu
- The Trust Revolution: How the Digitization of Trust Will Revolutionize Business and Government (Cambridge University Press, 2019) (with Salen Churi).
- State of Shock (Down & Out Books, 2021).
Books (Editor)
- The Cambridge Handbook of Classical Liberal Thought. (Cambridge University Press, 2018). cu
Journal Articles
- "The Influence of F.A. Hayek on Law: An Empirical Analysis," 1 New York University Journal of Law and Liberty 249 (2005). ssrn cu
- "Judicial Noncompliance with Mandatory Procedural Rules under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act," 44 Journal of Legal Studies S87 (2015) (with William H. J. Hubbard). cu www
- "Insider Trading and CEO Pay," 64 Vanderbilt Law Review 505 (2011). cu
- "Offensive Disclosure: How Voluntary Disclosure Can Increase Returns from Insider Trading," 103 Georgetown Law Journal 1275 (2015) (with Alan Jagolinzer & Karl Muller). cu
- "From Seriatim to Consensus and Back Again: A Theory of Dissent," 2007 Supreme Court Review 283 (2007). cu
- "Information-Dissemination Law: The Regulation of How Market-Moving Information Is Revealed," 101 Cornell Law Review 1373 (2016) (with Kevin S. Haeberle). cu
- "Corporate Philanthropy and the Market for Altruism," 109 Columbia Law Review 571 (2009) (with Anup Malani). ssrn cu
- "Mining Manne's Vein," 12 Journal of Law, Economics and Policy 339 (2016). cu
- "Corporate Heroin: A Defense of Perks, Executive Loans, and Conspicuous Consumption," 93 Georgetown Law Journal 1835 (2004) (with James C. Spindler). ssrn cu
- "Taking Systemic Risk Seriously in Financial Regulation," 92 Indiana Law Journal 1559 (2017) (with James C. Spindler). cu
- "One Hat Too Many - Investment Desegregation in Private Equity," 76 University of Chicago Law Review 45 (2009) (with William A. Birdthistle). ssrn cu
- "Making a Market for Corporate Disclosure," 35 Yale Journal on Regulation 383 (2018) (with Kevin S. Haeberle). cu
- "Predicting Crime," 52 Arizona Law Review 15 (2010) (with Justin Wolfers & Eric Zitzewitz). cu
- "A New Market-Based Approach to Securities Law," 85 University of Chicago Law Review 1313 (2018) (with Kevin S. Haeberle). cu
- "Becoming the Fifth Branch," 99 Cornell Law Review 2013 (2012) (with William A. Birdthistle). cu
- "A Regulatory Classification of Digital Assets: Towards an Operational Howey Test for Cryptocurrencies, ICOs, and Other Digital Assets," 2019 Columbia Business Law Review 443 (2019) (with Max Raskin). www
- "Other People's Money," 60 Stanford Law Review 1309 (2008) (with Douglas G. Baird). ssrn cu
- "Reverse Regulatory Arbitrage: An Auction Approach to Regulatory Assignments," 98 Iowa Law Review 1895 (2013) (with Frederick Tung). cu
- "Outsourcing the Board: A Rebuttal," 74 Business Lawyer 373 (2019). cu
- "Do Accounting Rules Matter? - The Dangerous Allure of Mark to Market," 36 Journal of Corporation Law 513 (2011) (with Richard A. Epstein). cu
- "Self-Regulation for the Mortgage Industry," 2013 University of Chicago Legal Forum 229 (2013). cu
- "Congress's Commissioners," 38 Yale Journal on Regulation 175 (2021) (with Brian D. Feinstein). www
- "Deconstructing Duff and Phelps," 74 University of Chicago Law Review 1739 (2008). ssrn cu
- "Becoming a Fifth Branch," 99 Cornell Law Review 1 (2013) (with William A. Birdthistle). ssrn cu
- "Should There Be Corporate Governance Police?," 1 The University of Chicago Business Law Review 233 (2022). www
- "Justifying Jones," 77 University of Chicago Law Review 1027 (2010). ssrn cu
- "Can Lawyers Stay in the Driver's Seat?," 38 International Review of Law and Economics 17 (2014) (with Daniel G. Currell). cu www
- "Credit Derivatives are Not Insurance," 16 Connecticut Insurance Law Journal 1 (2009). cu
- "Reconceptualizing Corporate Boards," 35 Corporate Board 22 (2014) (with Stephen Bainbridge). cu
- "Paying CEOs in Bankruptcy: Executive Compensation When Agency Costs Are Low," 101 Northwestern University Law Review 1543 (2007). ssrn cu
- "Boards-R-Us: Reconceptualizing Corporate Boards," 66 Stanford Law Review 1051 (2014) (with Stephen Bainbridge). cu
- "Two Visions of Corporate Law," 77 George Washington Law Review 708 (2009). cu
- "The Boundaries of 'Team' Production of Corporate Governance," 38 Seattle University Law Review 365 (2015) (with Anthony J. Casey). cu www
- "The Nanny Corporation," 76 University of Chicago Law Review 1517 (2009). cu
- "Regulation of GSEs, Administrative Law, and Fiduciary Duties," 10 New York University Journal of Law and Business 265 (2014) (with Charles Cooper & Troy Paredes & Mario J. Rizzo). cu www
- "Voice and Exit in Health Care Policy," 17 Pathology Case Reviews 167 (2012). cu
- "Pay for Regulator Performance," 85 University of Southern California Law Review 1003 (2012) (with Frederick Tung). cu
- "The Going Private Phenomenon: Causes and Implications," 76 University of Chicago Law Review 1 (2009) (with Richard A. Epstein). cu
- Response, "The Impotence of Delaware's Taxes: A Response to Barzuza's 'Delaware's Compensation'", 95 Virginia Law Review In Brief 49 (2009). cu
- "Citing Fiction," 11 Green Bag 171 (2008). ssrn cu
- "Prediction Markets for Corporate Governance," 82 University of Notre Dame Law Review 1343 (2007) (with Michael Abramowicz). ssrn cu
Book Sections
- "Applying Coase to Corporate Boards," in Ronald H. Coase (University of Chicago Law School, 2014). cu
- "Firms without Boards: Unleashing the Hayekian Firm," in Research Handbook on Austrian Law and Economics, Todd J. Zywicki & Peter J. Boettke eds. (Edward Elgar, 2017). cu
- "Alexander Hamilton's Legacy: The American Board of Directors," in Hamilton and the Law : Reading Today's Most Contentious Legal Issues Through the Hit Musical, Lisa A. Tucker ed. (Cornell University Press, 2020).
- "The Changing Demand for Insider Trading Regulation," in Research Handbook on Insider Trading, Stephen Bainbridge ed. (Edward Elgar, 2013). cu
- "Insider Trading and Executive Compensation: What We Can Learn from the Experience with Rule 10b5-1," in Research Handbook On Executive Pay, Jennifer G. Hill & Randall S. Thomas eds. (Edward Elgar, 2012). cu
- "Everything Old Is New Again: Lessons from Dodge v. Ford Motor Company," in Corporate Law Stories (Foundation Press, 2009). cu
Other Publications
- "Capitalism 2.0," Forbes Online, March 10, 2008 (with Anup Malani). www
- "Want To Address Climate Change? Look To Business, Not Government," Forbes, December 6, 2017. www
- "Opinion How To Deal With Corporate Wokeism," Newsweek, May 2021. www
- "What Kind of Health-Care Paternalism Do We Want?," Wall Street Journal, June 19, 2009, at p. 14.
- "Making a Market for Corporate Disclosure," CLS Blue Sky Blog, May 23, 2018 (with Kevin S. Haeberle). www
- "Opinion: Doable Reparations for Native Americans," Newsweek, October 2021 (with Jeremy Kidd). www
- "Voluntary Disclosures Regarding Insiders’ Rule 10b5-1 Trading Plans," HLS Forum on Corporate Governance and Financial Regulation, August 26, 2008. www
- "Making a Market for Corporate Disclosure," Yale Journal on Regulation: Notice & Comment, August 23, 2018 (with Kevin S. Haeberle). www
- "Every CEO Should Follow Mark Zuckerberg’s Stock-Trading Example," Wall Street Journal, December 20, 2021. www
- "Reconceptualizing Corporate Boards," Regulation, Fall 2013. www
- "Commentary: How can we stop a rising lake michigan from damaging communities? Sell the excess water at a tidy profit.," Chicago Tribune, February 7, 2020. www
- "Opinion: Free Inquiry Suffers as War Fever Grips Harvard," Wall Street Journal, March 16, 2022. www
- "Voice and Exit in Health Care Policy," Regulation, Spring 2013. www
- www
- "Opinion: Don’t Try to Regulate Google Ads," Wall Street Journal, May 16, 2022. www
- "Boards-R-Us: Reconceptualizing Corporate Boards," HLS Forum on Corporate Governance and Financial Regulation, July 26, 2013. www
- "How Technology Will Revolutionize Public Trust," Wall Street Journal, October 17, 2019, at p. 1 (with Steven N. Kaplan). www
- Regulators Have a Shot at Bringing Competition to Derivatives Market, RealClear Policy. May 24, 2022 (with Geoffrey A. Manne) www
- "Divestment and Financial Illiteracy," Huffington Post, May 21, 2013. www
- "Opinion: What Corporate Law Can Teach Us About Impeachment," The Hill, December 7, 2019. www
- "Opinion: How the Future of Derivatives Markets Can Benefit Farmers," Wall Street Journal, June 15, 2022.
- "Information-Dissemination Law: The Regulation of How Market-Moving Information Is Revealed," CLS Blue Sky Blog, May 19, 2016 (with Kevin S. Haeberle). www
- www
- "The Justice Case for Litigation Finance," Litigation, Fall 2022.
- "Time for a Change," Litigation, January Winter 2016.
- "Opinion: Everyone Benefits From Private Equity's Value Creation," Newsweek, July 2020. www
- "Opinion: The SEC Should Leave Kim Kardashian Alone," Wall Street Journal, October 6, 2022. www
- "A Sneak Peek at Corporate Data—for a Fee," Wall Street Journal, July 24, 2016. www
- "Native American Sovereignty Is No Liberal Triumph," Wall Street Journal, July 12, 2020. www
- "As Government Grows, Divisions Multiply," New York Sun, November 7, 2022. www
- "Why Lawyer Salaries Are Skyrocketing," Forbes, July 6, 2016. www
- "Opinion: The Knowledge Problem in Illinois," Newsweek, August 2020. www
- "Opinion: Twitter’s Lawsuit Against Elon Musk Looks Like a Loser," Wall Street Journal, July 13, 2022 (with J.B. Heaton). www
- "Making a Market for Corporate Disclosure," CLS Blue Sky Blog, March 7, 2017 (with Kevin S. Haeberle). www
- "Opinion: Why It Is Risky to Have a Woke CEO," Newsweek, September 2020. www
- "Index Funds Are Great for Investors, Risky for Corporate Governance," Wall Street Journal, June 23, 2017 (with Dorothy Shapiro Lund). www
- "Court-packing Is Unconstitutional," Newsweek, October 2020. www
- "Here’s What it Means to Obstruct Justice (and Yes, the President Can)," Fortune, December 6, 2017. www
- "Thanksgiving Is Worth Defending," Newsweek, November 2020. www
- "The Real Reason United Won't Be Fined for Dragging David Dao Off That Plane," Fortune, September 13, 2017. www
- "Opinion: Populists Don’t Know Much About Private Equity," Wall Street Journal, June 30, 2020 (with Steven N. Kaplan). www
- "Do Lawyers Make Better CEOs Than MBAs?," Harvard Business School Cases, August 24, 2017. www
- "Opinion: Fixing the Insider Trading Prohibition Act," The Hill, June 3, 2021 (with Lyle Roberts). www
- "Paying Bank Examiners for Performance: Should Regulators Receive Bonuses for Effectively Guarding the Public Interest?," Regulation, April Spring 2012 (with Frederick Tung). ssrn cu
Works in Progress
"Anti-Safe Harbors"
"Bankruptcy for Competitive Advantage" (with Todd Zywicki)
"Capitalism 2.0"
"The Futility of Regulating Insider Trading: The Case of Rule 10b5-1 Trading Plans"
"Governance at Gunpoint: Plaintiffs' Lawyers as Corporate Reformers"
Memberships and Professional Affiliations
- American Law and Economics Association
- Bar admissions, Maryland and the District of Columbia