Great teachers are a popular topic on this blog (see here and here), so I would be remiss if I didn’t note that the University of Illinois College of Law conducted the investiture ceremony earlier this week honoring Clear Thinkers favorite Larry Ribstein as the holder of the Mildred Van Voorhis Jones Chair at the school.
The blawgosphere has undergone such explosive growth over the past several years that we are still too close to it to realize the full extent of the seismic shift that it has caused in the area of legal research and analysis. But make no mistake about it, Professor Ribstein has been at the forefront of this sea change, literally pushing legal scholarship from what had been mostly closed conversations between fellow academics into a hugely valuable resource that is now readily available to millions over the Web. Already the leading expert in the U.S. in the area of unincorporated business associations, Professor Ribstein has become one of the blawgosphere’s most insightful thinkers on corporate governance issues and the effects of regulation on markets and business. His Ideoblog blog has contributed at least as much to the understanding and appreciation of business law issues over the past three years as any Web resource of which I am aware.
The video of Larry’s investiture ceremony is here. Larry’s acceptance speech begins at about the 14 and a half minute mark of the program and is essentially a review of the impact that the study of markets has had on his marvelous career. Having the opportunity to watch a top notch academic at the top of his game is always an enjoyable experience, so pull up a chair and watch Larry’s speech. Besides, unless you watch the video, how else are you going to learn the story of how Larry’s blog is really the result of failed entrepreneurial ventures involving hamsters and an animal cemetery?