Katharina Pistor

Katharina Pistor is the Edwin B. Parker Professor of Comparative Law and Full-Time Faculty at Columbia Law School, Columbia University. She specializes in comparative corporate law, governance, financial systems, and legal institutionalism. Her work bridges law, economics, and political economy, particularly focusing on how legal frameworks shape wealth creation and inequality.

• Education:
  • J.S.D., University of Munich, 1998
  • M.P.A., Harvard Kennedy School, 1994
  • J.D., University of Freiburg, 1988

Her research explores the intersection of law and finance, including cryptocurrency regulation, global financial systems, and the legal foundations of capitalism. Notable works include The Code of Capital, which examines how law transforms assets into capital. She has held visiting positions at leading institutions like NYU and Oxford, and directs Columbia’s Center on Global Legal Transformation.

Pistor has received prestigious awards, including the Max Planck Research Award (2012) and Allen & Overy Prize (2014). She advises on global legal and financial governance, testifying before Congress on cryptocurrency regulation and serving as a board member for organizations like the European Corporate Governance Institute.

Her courses include 'Law and Development' and 'Corporations.' She is also a Research Associate at the Centre for Economic Policy Research and President of the World Interdisciplinary Network for Institutional Research.