James Fanto

James Fanto is the Gerald Baylin Professor of Law at Brooklyn Law School and Co-Director of its Center for the Study of Business Law & Regulation. He teaches courses on banking law, securities regulation, corporate finance, and compliance. A former Davis Polk attorney with experience in Washington, Paris, and New York, he combines legal practice with academic scholarship.

• Education: J.D. (University of Pennsylvania Law School), M.A./Ph.D. (University of Michigan, Comparative Literature), B.A. (University of Notre Dame, English)

His research focuses on compliance frameworks, financial regulation, and corporate governance. He analyzes how legal principles shape organizational behavior and risk management, particularly in broker-dealers and financial institutions. His work spans comparative law, regulatory implementation, and historical legal analysis.

Recent publications emphasize compliance professionalization, dashboard monitoring in finance, and the evolution of self-regulatory organizations. He co-founded the electronic journal Corporate and Financial Law: Interdisciplinary Approaches and contributes to regulatory handbooks.

As an associate reporter for the American Law Institute’s Principles of the Law: Compliance and Enforcement for Organizations, he influences legal standards. He also teaches at the FINRA Institute’s Certified Regulatory and Compliance Professional program.