Nicholas Howson

Nicholas Howson is the Pao Li Tsiang Professor of Law at the University of Michigan's Law School. His affiliations include the Lieberthal-Rogel Center for Chinese Studies as an LRCCS Faculty member, and he holds academic visiting roles at Berkeley, Columbia, Cornell, and Harvard law schools. He holds a JD from Columbia University and a BA from Williams College.

His research focuses on Chinese law, including corporate law, securities regulation, legal history, and constitutionalism in Greater China. He has advised international organizations like the Ford Foundation, UNDP, and Asian Development Bank on PRC legal reforms, and participates in US-China arbitration as a foreign arbitrator for major Chinese arbitration commissions. He previously chaired the Asian Affairs Committee of the New York City Bar Association.

Recent scholarly contributions explore securities fraud litigation, judicial autonomy in authoritarian systems, and historical roots of China's legal structures. His work bridges Chinese legal practices with comparative frameworks, emphasizing transnational regulatory dynamics.

Professional activities include serving as a Council on Foreign Relations member, advising on cross-border legal disputes, and contributing to global legal policy dialogues. His teaching spans courses on Chinese corporation law, securities regulation, and comparative legal systems.