Lunch will be provided
This event is limited to Stanford students

About the event: The Rock Center for Corporate Governance, the SLS Entrepreneurship Club, the Stanford Law & Business Association and the JD/MBA Association host a lunch discussion for students with Vice Chancellor J. Travis Laster, Delaware Court of Chancery, and Richard Gallagher, a securities litigation partner at Ropes & Gray. They will discuss their career paths, the practice of corporate governance in California and Delaware, and the critical role that Delaware law plays in shaping the path of the country’s most innovative companies, from start-ups to established public companies

The Honorable J. Travis Laster was sworn in as Vice Chancellor of the Court of Chancery on October 9, 2009. Prior to his appointment, he was one of the founding partners of Abrams & Laster LLP, a corporate law boutique specializing in high stakes litigation involving Delaware corporations and other business entities, and advising on transactional matters carrying a significant risk of litigation. Before forming Abrams & Laster, he was a director in the Corporate Department of Richards, Layton & Finger P.A. Before joining Richards Layton & Finger, he clerked for the Honorable Jane R. Roth of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.

Vice Chancellor Laster received his A.B. summa cum laude from Princeton University and his J.D. and M.A. from the University of Virginia, where he served on the Virginia Law Review, was a member of the Order of the Coif, and received the Law School Alumni Association Award for Academic Excellence for having the best academic record in his graduating class. He is a member of the American Bar Association, Delaware State Bar Association, and the Rodney Inn of Court.

Richard Gallagher joined Ropes & Gray in 2014 as a partner in the business & securities litigation group. Based in the San Francisco office, Richard’s practice focuses on litigation and pre-litigation advice involving securities and corporate governance issues, including representation of companies, directors and officers involved in class action litigation, derivative actions, internal investigations, shareholder demands, and regulatory investigations and enforcement actions brought under the federal and state securities laws. He also has significant experience advising companies, boards of directors and special committee members in M&A litigation brought under the laws of Delaware, California and other states throughout the country. He has successfully defeated multiple cases seeking to enjoin proposed mergers, acquisitions and other business combinations involving both public and private companies.

Richard has litigated numerous disputes involving founders and investors in start-up companies, as well as matters involving venture capital disputes, executive compensation issues, intellectual property rights, unfair competition, breaches of partnership and shareholder agreements, employment and fraud claims, significant real estate disputes, franchising claims, and fiduciary obligations. He has also advised U.S., Asian and EU companies regarding securities litigation and corporate governance risks arising from cross-border activities.

Richard has first-chair trial and arbitration experience in both civil and criminal matters, including the prosecution of several jury trials with the San Francisco District Attorney’s office.

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