معرفی
Sarah Jane Hughes is a Professor and University Scholar in Commercial Law at Indiana University Maurer School of Law. She teaches courses including Sales, Negotiable Instruments, Secured Transactions, and Banking Law, and supervises the semester externship program in Washington, DC.
Professor Hughes earned her A.B. cum laude from Mount Holyoke College in 1971 and her J.D. from the University of Washington in 1974, where she served on the board of editors for the Washington Law Review.
Professor Hughes is a nationally recognized expert in payment systems, including domestic, international, Internet banking, smart cards, wire transfers, checks, embezzlement, and credit cards. Her expertise also extends to public and private methods to deter, detect, and prosecute domestic and international money laundering, as well as consumer protection and financial privacy. She has served as Attorney-Advisor at the Federal Trade Commission Bureau of Consumer Protection (1974-1988) and has been a Reporter for the Standing Committee on Payments Systems, Permanent Editorial Board for the Uniform Commercial Code since 2003. She is an elected member of the American Law Institute (2000-present) and serves on the American Bar Association liaison to the Money Services Act Drafting Committee.
Professor Hughes' recent scholarly work focuses on virtual currencies, blockchain technology, and the evolving regulatory landscape for electronic payments. Her publications demonstrate a consistent trend toward examining the intersection of emerging financial technologies with traditional legal frameworks, particularly in the areas of consumer protection, money laundering prevention, and cybersecurity. She has been particularly active in analyzing regulatory approaches to cryptocurrencies at both state and federal levels, including her work as Reporter for the Uniform Regulation of Virtual Currency Business Act.
Professor Hughes has received several prestigious awards for her teaching excellence:
- Leon Wallace Teaching Award (1993)
- Gavel Award (1996, 1997, 2000)
As Faculty Supervisor and Instructor for the Washington DC Semester Program since Fall 2013, Professor Hughes has mentored numerous law students through externships in the nation's capital. She has provided expert testimony before Congressional committees on consumer protection issues in mobile payments and the present and future impact of virtual currency.
Professor Hughes is actively involved in professional organizations including the American Bar Association's Cyberspace Law Committee, where she co-chairs the Working Group in Electronic Payment Services, and the Business Law, Antitrust and International Law Sections. Her work bridges academic scholarship with practical legal application in the rapidly evolving field of financial technology regulation.
