Biography

Joseph A. Grundfest ’78 is a nationally prominent expert on capital markets, corporate governance, and securities litigation. His scholarship has been published in the Harvard, Yale, and Stanford law reviews, and he has been recognized as one of the most influential attorneys in the United States. Professor Grundfest founded the award-winning Stanford Securities Class Action Clearinghouse, which provides detailed, online information about the prosecution, defense, and settlement of federal class action securities fraud litigation. He also launched Stanford Law School’s executive education programs, and continues to co-direct Directors' College, the nation's leading venue for the continuing professional education of directors of publicly traded corporations. In addition, he co-directs the Arthur and Toni Rembe Rock Center for Corporate Governance, as well as the Stanford Program in Law, Economics, and Business.

Before joining the Stanford Law School faculty in 1990, Professor Grundfest was a commissioner of the Securities and Exchange Commission, served on the staff of the President’s Council of Economic Advisors as counsel and senior economist for legal and regulatory matters, and was an associate at Wilmer, Cutler & Pickering. Early in his career he was a research associate at the Brookings Institution, and an economist and consultant with the RAND Corporation.

Key Works

• Joseph A. Grundfest. With Peter H. Huang, The Unexpected Value of Litigation: A Real Options Perspective, 58 Stanford Law Review 1267 (2006).
• Joseph A. Grundfest, Advice and Consent: An Alternative Mechanism for Shareholder Participation in the Nomination and Election of Corporate Directors, in Shareholder Access to the Corporate Ballot, Lucian Bebchuk, editor. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2005.
• Joseph A. Grundfest and A.C. Pritchard, Statutes with Multiple Personality Disorders: The Value of Ambiguity in Statutory Design and Interpretation, 54 Stanford Law Review 627-736 (2002).
• Joseph A. Grundfest, Disimplying Private Rights of Action Under the Federal Securities Laws: The Commission's Authority, 107 Harvard Law Review 961-1024 (1994).
• Joseph A. Grundfest, Just Vote No: A Minimalist Strategy for Dealing with Barbarians Inside the Gates, 45 Stanford Law Review 857-937 (1993).

In the News

• What Goes Before a Fall? On Wall Street, Reassurance
  The New York Times, September 30, 2008
• For Lawyers, No Shortage of Work Expected in Wake of Tumult
  The Wall Street Journal, September 20, 2008
• Feds Respond To Financial Crisis With Massive Intervention
  San Jose Mercury News, September 19, 2008
• Wall Street’s Fears On Lehman Bros. Batter Markets
  The New York Times, September 10, 2008
• False Bankruptcy Report Shows Risks Of Online News
  Marketwatch, September 09, 2008

Courses & Programs

Courses

• Capital Markets and Securities Regulation
• Venture Capital

Programs

• Arthur and Toni Rembe Rock Center for Corporate Governance, Faculty Director
• John M. Olin Program in Law and Economics, W. A. Franke Professor of Law and Business

Publications & Cases

Recent Publications View All

• Joseph Grundfest and Alan L. Beller, Reinventing the Securities Disclosure Regime: Online Questionnaires as Substitutes for Form-Based Filings, Stanford Law and Economics Olin Working Paper, No. 361 (August 2008).
• Joseph A. Grundfest, Is There an Express Section 10(b) Private Right of Action? A Response to Professor Prentice, Stanford Law and Economics Olin Working Paper, No. 352, December 2007.
• Peter Clapman, Walking the Walk on Corporate Governance, Pensions & Investments, August 6, 2007
• Joseph Grundfest, Scheme Liability: A Question for Congress, Not for the Court, Stanford Law and Economics Olin Working Paper, No. 344 (August 2007).
• Joseph A. Grundfest and Steven E. Bochner, Fixing 404, 105 Michigan Law Review 1643 (2007).
• Joseph A. Grundfest, The Class-Action Market, Wall Street Journal, February 7, 2007, p. A15.
• Joseph Grundfest, Cara Perlas, Juan-Carlos Sanchez, Securities Class Action Case Filings, 2006: A Year in Review, Menlo Park: Cornerstone Research, 2007

• Joseph A. Grundfest, Out of Bounds, New York Times, April 16, 2006, p. 14LI 9.
• Joseph A. Grundfest, The Unexpected Value of Litigation, Stanford Law and Economics Olin Working Paper, no. 292 (2006). (with Peter Huang)
• Joseph A. Grundfest. With Peter H. Huang, The Unexpected Value of Litigation: A Real Options Perspective, 58 Stanford Law Review 1267 (2006).

Affiliations & Honors

Professional Affiliations

• Founder and Director, Financial Engines, Inc.
• Member, Nominating Committee of the NASDAQ Stock Market

Honors and Awards

• Honoree, National Law Journal's "100 Most Influential Lawyers," 2006
• Recipient, John Bingham Hurlbut Award for Excellence in Teaching, Stanford, 1992, 2001
• Elected Member, American Law Institute