Michael Callahan, former general counsel of LinkedIn and Yahoo!, joined Stanford Law School in May as the new executive director of the Arthur and Toni Rembe Rock Center for Corporate Governance and professor of the practice of law.

“Michael brings to the law school a deep understanding of the practical impact of corporate governance on companies in this global economy,” says M. Elizabeth Magill, Richard E. Lang Professor of Law and Dean at Stanford Law School. “His leadership and experience will be enormous assets to the Rock Center and we are delighted that our students will benefit from his expertise in the classroom.”

“It’s hard to imagine anyone better positioned to lead us in our next phase of growth, as we tackle issues related to the corporation in society, innovation and regulation, and internationalization of global capital markets. He’s a star, and we’re lucky to land him,” says Joseph A. Grundfest, W. A. Franke Professor of Law and Business at Stanford, who is a senior faculty member of the Rock Center and played a key role in its establishment in 2006.

Callahan has more than 20 years of corporate and general counsel experience including as senior vice president and general counsel at LinkedIn, where he had global responsibility for legal, regulatory, and public policy matters, including corporate governance. Before that, he was executive vice president and chief legal officer at Ten-X (auction.com) and executive vice president and general counsel at Yahoo! Inc.

Since its founding, the Rock Center has published critical research and developed tools for the broader understanding of the current state of corporate governance, including the Securities Class Action Clearinghouse, the Corporate Governance Research Initiative, and the Rock Center Working Paper Series. The center hosts important events that examine the critical aspects of corporate boards, regulators, institutional investors, and others involved in the governance process. It also offers an annual workshop for journalists on corporate governance issues. Two of the center’s flagship programs are Directors’ College (now in its 24th year) and Stanford Institutional Investors Forum.