Richard Gordon, J.D. – Associate Professor of Law, Case Western Reserve University

Friday March 20, 2009
12:30-1:30 p.m.
Crawford Hall – Room 9
Inamori Center
Case Western Reserve University

Dear Colleagues,

“Money,” California politician Jesse Unruh once said, “is the mother’s milk of politics.” That observation should not be limited to democratic politics. Many experts on terrorism believe that a key to restraining terrorist organizations is to follow and cut off the money that funds them. But that is much easier said than done.

How can governments share enforcement responsibilities with private sector financial institutions? How can the financial institutions identify suspicious transactions? Does creating a list of terrorists and terrorist organizations to subject to special financial surveillance violate human rights? How can a surveillance system work without overburdening charities and financial institutions? What is the future of international cooperation in stopping terrorism financing?

These are among the questions Professor Richard Gordon studies and teaches about, and questions we can discuss at our Friday Lunch this week. As a staff member of the International Monetary Fund, he was principal author of a report on the role of the IMF and World Bank in countering terrorist finance and international money laundering. In April of 2008, he led the organization of a major international conference on our discussion topic at our School of Law, and he is currently completing a report for the United Nations. I’m very glad he is able to join us.

As usual, we will gather in Room 9 of the Inamori International Center for Ethics and Excellence, on the lower level of Crawford Hall, for free cookies, beverages, and brown bag lunch.

Best regards,
Joe White

About Our Guest

Associate Professor Richard Gordon teaches courses on business associations, corporate governance, financial sector integrity, and international and comparative taxation. Prior to coming to CWRU, Mr. Gordon practiced law at Dewey Ballantine (now Dewey & LeBoeuf) in Washington and taught at the School of Oriental and African Studies of the University of London, where he was a visiting lecturer in the law faculty, and the Harvard Law School, where he was Deputy Director of the International Tax Program. While at Harvard Mr. Gordon completed extensive field work on law and development in both Indonesia and rural India, and advised the government of Indonesia on the reform of tax, company, and securities laws. After leaving Harvard Mr. Gordon joined the staff of the International Monetary Fund where worked on a wide variety of issues, including public international law, governance, sovereign debt restructuring, and taxation. Following the attacks of September 11, 2001 he was appointed to the select IMF Task Force on Terrorism Finance and was a principal author of the report on the role of the IMF and World Bank in countering terrorism finance and money laundering. He is a principal author of the book Tax Law Design and Drafting (Aspen 2001) and the author of numerous scholarly articles and book chapters.

Friday Lunch Upcoming Topics and Speakers:

March 27: Promise and Problems of Alternative Dispute Resolution. Bill Leatherberry, Professor of Law , CWRU.

April 3: Highlights (or Lowlights) of the Financial Meltdown. Peter Ritchken, Kenneth Walter Haber Professor and Chair of the CWRU Department of Banking and Finance.

April 10: Exonerating the Innocent: The Impact of DNA Evidence. Paul Gianelli, Weatherhead Professor of Law, CWRU.

April 17: CWRU Students Report on the Election in El Salvador.

April 24: The Future of the Newspaper Industry. Lauren Rich Fine, retired newspaper industry analyst for Merrill Lynch.

The Friday Lunch discussions are held on the lower (ground) level of Crawford Hall. Visitors with mobility issues may find it easiest to take advantage of special arrangements we have made. On most Fridays, a few parking spaces in the V.I.P. lot in between Crawford Hall and Amasa Stone Chapel are held for participants in the lunch discussion.

Visitors then can avoid walking up the hill to the first floor of Crawford by entering the building on the ground level, through the garage area under the building. The further door on the left in that garage will be left unlocked during the period before the Friday lunch. On occasion, parking will be unavailable because of other university events.

For more information about these and other Center for Policy Studies programs, please see http://policy.case.edu.