Jacob Hale Russell is an expert on financial regulation. His work
focuses on consumer and investor protection, the retirement and pension
industry, and corporate governance. He teaches Business Organizations
and Securities Regulation. Recent work has explored the role of
behavioral economics in regulating consumer finance. He previously
taught at Stanford Law School and joined Rutgers Law School in July
2016.
Professor Russell's research focuses on financial regulation and
consumer protection. His scholarship includes work on the application of
behavioral law and economics to consumer and investor protection;
regulation of the retirement industry and pension plans; corporate
governance of mutual funds and institutional investors; and the
relationship between regulation and financial crises. Recent work has
focused on topics including the role of corporate boards and
directors in preventing cybersecurity breaches; the regulation of payday
loans, including recent Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
regulations of payday lenders; and efforts to improve retirement savings
decisions. He is a faculty affiliate of the Rutgers Center for Corporate Law and Governance.
Prior to joining the Rutgers faculty, Professor Russell was a teaching fellow and
lecturer in law at Stanford Law School, where he oversaw all aspects of
advising, teaching, and admissions for the school's LL.M. program in corporate governance and practice. At Stanford, he taught the Corporate
Governance Colloquium, a seminar on the economic analysis of corporate
law, and Contracts for advanced-degree students. Previously, Professor Russell was
academic fellow at Stanford's Rock Center for Corporate Governance.
Professor Russell received his J.D. from Stanford Law School, his master's degree
in political science from M.I.T., and his bachelor's degree from
Harvard. Prior to law school, he was a staff reporter for the Wall Street Journal in
New York. Following law school, he was an attorney in the financial
services group at Goodwin Procter in Boston. He regularly consults on
legal and business topics to start-ups in the media and technology
industries. He is admitted to practice in New Hampshire and
Massachusetts.
