Robert W. Emerson

Robert W. Emerson

  • Huber Hurst Professor
  • Full Professor

Location

  • Warrington College of Business
  • Management Department
  • Stuzin Hall 201A
CVScholarly Works

Expertise and interest areas

  • Alternative Methods of Dispute Resolution
  • Attorneys
  • Business Litigation
  • Comparative Law
  • Contracts
  • Ethics
  • Franchising

News

Courses taught

  • Individual Study (BUL4905)
  • The Legal Environment of Business (BUL4310)

Education

  • JD, Harvard Law School, 1982
  • BA, University of the South, 1978

PhD students advised

  • Chloe Hutt — 2025 — Current
  • Eileen Dixon — 2024 — Current
  • Kylie Peppelman — 2025 — 2025

Professional service

  • Board of Advisors, Interdisciplinary Section of Academy of Legal Studies in Business — 2022 to Present
  • Editorial Review Board Member, American Business Law Journal — 2017 to Present
  • Mentor of Other Business Law Scholars — 2024 to Present
  • Board of Advisors, International Society of Franchising — 2023 to 2024
  • Book/Textbook Reviewer/Referee, International Society of Franchising — 2024
  • Chairperson, Hurst Seminar — 2023 to 2024
  • External Reviewer of a Business Law Candidate for Promotion, Indiana U. (Kelley School of Business) — 2024
  • Professional Journal Referee, Academy of LEgal Studies in Business — 2024
  • Program Organizer, Huber Hurst Seminar — 2023 to 2024
  • Book/Textbook Reviewer/Referee, International Society of Franchising — 2023
  • Committee Member, Hurst Seminar — 1997 to 2023
  • External Reviewer of a Business Law Candidate for Promotion, Eller College of Management (University of Arizona) — 2023
  • External Reviewer of a Business Law Candidate for Promotion, Indiana U. (Kelley School of Business) — 2023
  • External Reviewer of a Business Law Candidate for Promotion, Oregon State University — 2023
  • Mentor of Other Business Law Scholars — 2021 to 2023
  • Board of Advisors, Interdisciplinary Section of Academy of Legal Studies in Business — 2021 to 2022
  • Conference-Related, Academy of Legal Studies in Business (ALSB) — 2022
  • Conference-Related, International Society of Franchising — 2022
  • Conference-Related, UF — 2022
  • External Reviewer of a Business Law Candidate for Promotion, Babson College — 2022
  • External Reviewer of a Business Law Candidate for Promotion, Indiana U. (Kelley School of Business) — 2022
  • Reviewer, ALSB's Interdisciplinary Section — 2022
  • Editor, 24th Congress of the Union Internationale des Huissiers de Justice — 2021
  • External Reviewer of Candidate for Senior Lecturer and Dean — 2021
  • External Reviewer of two Business Law Candidates for Promotion, Indiana U. (Kelley School of Business) — 2021
  • Mentoring of Other Business Law Scholars — 2019 to 2021
  • President, Interdisciplinary Section of Academy of Legal Studies in Business — 2019 to 2021
  • Conference-Related, U. of Florida — 2020
  • External Reviewer and Committee Member and Advisor, Southeastern Academy of Legal Studies in Business — 2020
  • External Reviewer of Business Law Candidate for Promotion and Tenure, Temple University (Fox School of Business) — 2020
  • External Reviewer of Candidate for Promotion and Tenure, Prairie View A&M University — 2020
  • Judge of Papers for American Business Law Journal Hoeber Award for Best Article of 2019-2020, American Business Law Journal — 2020

Book publications

  • Law, Society and Business
    • Status: Published
    • Published Year: 2025
    • Author: Robert Emerson
  • Business Law, 7th Edition
    • Status: Published
    • Published Year: 2024
    • Author: Robert Emerson
  • Law, Society and Business
    • Status: Published
    • Published Year: 2023
    • Author: Robert Emerson
  • Law and Business – An IP Focus
    • Status: Published
    • Published Year: 2020
    • Author: Robert Emerson
  • Law, Society and Business
    • Status: Published
    • Published Year: 2020
    • Author: Robert Emerson

Book chapter publications

  • Experts and Lawyering: A Comparative Drive Toward Justice
    • Status: Published
    • Published Year: 2024
    • Author: Robert Emerson
  • Statements of Fact, the Judicial Officer, and a U.S. Comparison
    • Status: Published
    • Published Year: 2024
    • Author: Robert Emerson
  • Statements of Facts, Judicial Officers, and the Civil-Common Juridical Traditions
    • Status: Published
    • Published Year: 2024
    • Author: Robert Emerson

Conference proceeding publications

  • Joint Employment and the Development of Vicarious Liability in Franchising
    • Status: Accepted
    • Accepted Year: 2021
    • Authors: Robert Emerson, Madelyn Loellke, Marko Grünhagen
  • Devising a Royalty Structure that Fairly Compensates a Franchisee for its Contribution to Franchise Goodwill
    • Status: Accepted
    • Accepted Year: 2020
    • Authors: Robert Emerson, Charlie Carrington

Instructional material publications

  • Judges as Guardian Angels: The German Practice of Hints and Feedback
    • Status: Published
    • Published Year: 2021
    • Author: Robert Emerson

Journal article publications

  • Franchise Noncompetes: Their Legal Effect, Practical Impact, and Superior Alternatives
    • Status: Published
    • Journal: Journal of Corporation Law
    • Published Year: 2025
    • Author: Robert Emerson
  • The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Franchising Has a Joint Employment and Independent Contracting Problem
    • Status: Published
    • Journal: New York University Journal of Law & Business
    • Published Year: 2024
    • Author: Robert Emerson
  • Sanctions, Nukes and Juche: Franchising in North Korea
    • Status: Published
    • Journal: University of Penn. Journal of International Law
    • Published Year: 2023
    • Author: Robert Emerson
  • Franchisors in a Jam: Vicarious Liability and Spreading the Blame
    • Status: Published
    • Journal: Journal of Corporation Law
    • Published Year: 2022
    • Author: Robert Emerson
  • The Faithless Franchisor: Rethinking Good Faith in Franchising
    • Status: Published
    • Journal: University of Pennsylvania Journal of Business Law
    • Published Year: 2022
    • Author: Robert Emerson
  • Franchisees, Consumers, and Employees: Choice and Arbitration
    • Status: Published
    • Journal: William & Mary Business Law Review
    • Published Year: 2022
    • Authors: Robert Emerson, Zachary Hunt
  • Franchising Lessons in the Age of Incivility: Operations Manuals and Trade Secrets
    • Status: Published
    • Journal: Texas Intellectual Property Law Journal
    • Published Year: 2021
    • Author: Robert Emerson
  • Transparency in Franchising
    • Status: Accepted
    • Journal: Columbia Business Law Review
    • Published Year: 2021
    • Author: Robert Emerson
  • Devising a Royalty Structure that Fairly Compensates a Franchisee for its Contribution to Franchise Goodwill
    • Status: Accepted
    • Journal: Virginia Law and Business Review
    • Published Year: 2020
    • Authors: Robert Emerson, Charlie Carrington
  • The Use and Disuse of the Magna Carta
    • Status: Accepted
    • Journal: North Carolina Journal of International Law
    • Accepted Year: 2020
    • Authors: Robert Emerson, John Hardwicke
  • The U.S. Franchise Regulation as a Paradigm for the European Franchise
    • Status: Accepted
    • Journal: Washington University Global Studies Law Review
    • Accepted Year: 2020
    • Authors: Robert Emerson, Michala Meiselles
  • Lessons about Franchise Risk from Yum Brands and Schlotzsky’s
    • Status: Accepted
    • Journal: Lewis & Clark Law Review
    • Published Year: 2020
    • Authors: Robert Emerson, Lawrence Trautman
  • u0022Franchise Participants as Proper Patent Opponents: Walker Process Claimsu0022
    • Status: Published
    • Journal: Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment & Technology Law
    • Published Year: 2020
    • Author: Robert Emerson