Michael Simkovic

Leon Benwell Professor of Law, and Professor of Law and Accounting
Last Updated: January 19, 2024

Michael Simkovic’s research focuses on the intersection between law and finance, with a particular emphasis on credit markets, financial regulation, and taxation. His work has been published in leading journals including The University of Chicago Law Review, The Journal of Corporate Finance and the Journal of Legal Studies.

In 2015, he received the American Law Institute’s Young Scholars Medal and became an elected member of the American Law Institute. For four years in a row, he was voted among the most influential in legal education by National Jurist Magazine. He was the recipient of the American College of Consumer Financial Services Lawyers Writing Award in 2012. Simkovic has testified before the U.S. House Judiciary Committee and has served as an expert on consumer and corporate finance issues.

Prior to joining the USC Gould faculty, Simkovic worked as an attorney at Davis Polk & Wardwell in New York and a strategy consultant at McKinsey & Company, specializing in legal, regulatory and business issues affecting financial services companies.

He is a frequent contributor to Brian Leiter’s Law School Reports and has published in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times Dealbook, The Washington Post, and Bloomberg. His work has been cited by federal regulators and in publications such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Bloomberg, The Atlantic, and USA Today. He has appeared on CBS and Marketplace Weekend.

Simkovic has presented his research at the American Law & Economics Association Conference, the Conference on Empirical Legal Studies, the National Tax Association, and at Harvard University, Stanford University, Yale University, New York University, Columbia University, University of Pennsylvania, UC Berkeley, Duke University, Northwestern University, University of Virginia, UCLA, and USC.

Simkovic earned his JD at Harvard Law School, where he was an Olin Fellow in law and economics.