James Hu

James Hu serves as Adjunct Professor of Law at Cornell Law School and Cornell Tech since 2020, teaching upper-class Mergers & Acquisitions courses and instructing at Cornell Law School's transactional lawyering competition. He concurrently practices as a partner at Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP, advising on strategic M&A transactions across industries including leveraged buyouts, public company mergers, and distressed situations.

His research examines how financial and business dynamics shape M&A legal frameworks, with teaching focused on 'first principles' analysis of transaction structures. He contributes extensively to legal discourse through publications in Law360, Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance, and The Review of Securities & Commodities Regulation, co-authoring the annually updated Lexis Practical Guide article 'Remedies for Unclosed M&A Deals'.

His scholarly impact is evidenced by media citations in Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg Law, and The Deal, alongside speaking engagements at Strafford, Practical Law Institute, and National Asian Pacific American Bar Association conferences.

• Bloomberg Law's 'They've Got Next: The 40 Under 40' (2023)
• Law360 'Life Science Rising Star' (2023)
• The Legal 500 (U.S. M&A: Large Deals)
• IFLR100 recognition
• Super Lawyers designation
• American Bar Foundation Fellowship

Professor Hu actively bridges academic theory and legal practice through transactional competition instruction and industry commentary, maintaining dual expertise in academic instruction and high-stakes corporate transactions without documented grant-funded research or student advisement.