New ILE Executive Director

The University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School is pleased to welcome Norman M. Powell as the new Executive Director of the Institute for Law & Economics (ILE).

Norman M. Powell, Executive Director of the ILEPowell is a partner at Young Conaway Stargatt & Taylor, LLP and will assume duties on July 1, 2023, taking the reins from Larry Hamermesh, Professor Emeritus, Widener University Delaware Law School, who is retiring. Powell brings a wealth of experience in business entity law and commercial transactions to further enhance ILE’s programmatic offerings.

In a joint statement, ILE Co-Directors Jill E. Fisch, Saul A. Fox Distinguished Professor of Business Law; Lisa Fairfax, Presidential Professor; and Elizabeth Pollman, Professor of Law, said, “The faculty co-directors are excited about the opportunity to work with Norm, and we expect him to be a great addition to the ILE team. We are especially grateful to Larry Hamermesh for his incredible work and leadership as Executive Director, and we wish him well in retirement.”

Powell previously taught secured transactions as an adjunct professor at the Temple University James E. Beasley School of Law and has served in many leadership roles in the Business Law Section of the American Bar Association. He currently serves as Secretary of the Section and is slated to serve as Chair of the Section in 2025-2026. He was recently President of the American College of Commercial Finance Lawyers and is a member of the TriBar Opinion Committee.

Powell is also an elected member of the American Law Institute and one of its appointees to the Permanent Editorial Board for the Uniform Commercial Code. He has published numerous articles on Delaware business entity legislation, secured transaction practice, and transactional legal opinions. His primary interests include secured transactions, alternative entities, and third-party legal opinions. He makes presentations for bar associations, trade groups, and law firms, and publishes in a variety of law journals and other periodicals.

The ILE is a joint initiative by Penn Carey Law, The Wharton School, and the Department of Economics. ILE conferences, roundtables, and workshops bring together academics, lawyers, judges, business leaders, and policymakers for in-depth discussions about corporate law, governance, business, and finance.

Learn more about the trailblazing work of the ILE.