About the Center on Corporations, Law & Society

The Center on Corporations, Law & Society (CCLS) at Seattle University School of Law was formed in 2003 when issues regarding corporations and their roles as increasingly dominant societal actors were regular front page news, a trend that continues to be as true today as ever. A parade of events, including the 1999 World Trade Organization protests in Seattle; the Enron, WorldCom and other accounting fraud scandals of 2001; sweeping changes in the regulatory landscape to corporate governance standards; significant domestic economic downturns; recalls of unsafe consumer products from China; and dramatic national and international policy responses to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, are among the problems that continue to train the attention of business leaders, public officials, scholars, law practitioners, employees, and citizens on issues regarding the roles and obligations of corporations in an increasingly privatized and interdependent global society.

Understanding how corporate law influences corporate conduct is critical to any informed discussion about what the roles and obligations of corporations are and should be in society. In keeping with Seattle University School of Law’s mission to promote learning in law as the cornerstone of effective democracy, the Center on Corporations, Law & Society strives to contribute to our collective understanding of how corporate law and structure may contribute to, or provide possible solutions to, forms of injustice ranging from large-scale corporate fraud to global warming to poor treatment of workers.

The Center on Corporations, Law & Society conducts and promotes interdisciplinary scholarship and dialogue, and serves as a bridge between and resource to the worlds of academia, business, law, government and activism on the complex and important relationships between corporations and their many stakeholders. We do this through:

• Scholarship. CCLS has contributed significant new scholarship that furthers our understanding of the relationship between corporate law and structure and social justice. Articles written for and proceedings from many of the Center's conferences and symposia have been or will soon be published in the Seattle Journal for Social Justice, the Seattle University Law Review, Business and Society Review, and a volume of the book series Research in Law and Economics. In addition, CCLS faculty and staff publish books, book chapters and articles that further explore these complex issues. Read more about CCLS publications.

• Education. The Center regularly hosts cross-sector, interdisciplinary conferences and symposia, guest speakers, and films that provide opportunities for academics, corporate leaders, public officials, activists, citizens, and students to exchange perspectives and deepen their understanding about the role law plays in maximizing the positive contributions of corporations while protecting societal interests. In addition, the Center’s annual Directors Training Academy is regarded as the premiere corporate director education programs in the Pacific Northwest. CCLS staff and faculty also regularly speak at conferences and conduct trainings for and consult with many stakeholders, including boards, attorneys, policymakers, accountants and activists.

• Law Reform. The Center also plays an increasingly instrumental role in promoting reforms in norms, policy, and law that maximize the positive contributions of business while promoting social, economic, and environmental justice. Center staff and faculty are active participants in Corporation 2020, a multi-stakeholder initiative that seeks to promote corporate design that integrates both social and financial purpose. The Center has also co-led a roundtable project that brings together lawyers and academics to strategize about the most viable strategies for modifying corporate law to protect stakeholder interests, and we have also offered analysis and commentary on proposed legislation in Washington, Hawaii and California seeking to use corporate law to promote the public interest.

We believe that a thorough exploration of the issues related to corporations and society can only be achieved through the active participation of individuals representing a full range of perspectives and interests, and we encourage anyone interested in getting involved with the Center to contact us.