Larry Ribstein of the University of Illinois Law School pens the smart Ideoblog that examines an eclectic combination of issues and subjects relating to corporate and securities law, regulation, business crime, economics, and film, among others. In particular, the blog contributions of Professor Ribstein and UCLA Law Professor Stephen Bainbridge of ProfessorBainbridge.com over the past couple of years have done more for the understanding of corporate and securities law issues for professionals and the general public than any other resource of which I am aware.
In this remarkably creative and insightful post, Professor Ribstein predicts the Delaware Chancellory Court’s decision in the corporate case of the decade — i.e., the civil lawsuit over The Walt Disney Co. board’s decision to pay Michael Ovitz a rather generous severance package for essentially doing nothing during his short stay at Disney (earlier posts on the case are here and here). Regardless of whether Professor Ribstein correctly predicts the outcome, his analysis of the case is masterful and should be required reading for anyone who ever deals with corporate governance issues.
Before the blogosphere, this is the type of analysis that would be found only in a thinly-read professional journal or, at best, perhaps buried deep in the op-ed page of the Wall Street Journal or Financial Times. But now, this type of insight is readily available at all times for a much larger number of people than would read any of the more limited mediums. Just another example of how the blogosphere is redefining the way in which specialized information and wisdom is being delivered to our society and the world.