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Michael Harper

Adjunct Instructor at Quinlan School of Business

Professor of Law at Boston University

Schools

  • Quinlan School of Business
  • Boston University

Links

Biography

Quinlan School of Business

About

Michael D. Harper joined Loyola University’s Quinlan School of Business in 2005.

Michael is Managing Director and owner of Oak Circle Asset Management, LLC, a registered investment advisory firm. He is the lead portfolio manager for individual accounts and for Oak Circle Fund, L.P., a private investment hedge fund. 

In addition to teaching at Loyola Michael has also taught finance courses at DePaul University and University of Illinois at Chicago.

Prior to founding Oak Circle Asset Management, Michael was Corporate Treasurer of Velsicol Chemical Corporation. Before Velsicol, he was employed by International Minerals and Chemical Corp. where he was Director of Business Development and Planning and also held various marketing positions.

Degrees

  • MBA, Finance, Cornell University, 1972
  • BS, Mechanical Engineering, Duke University, 1969

Professional & Community Affiliations

 Rotary Club of Wilmette, past president

Courses Taught

  • FINC 301 – Introductory Business Finance 
  • FINC 335 - Investments
  • FINC 345 – Portfolio Management
  • FINC 452 – Investment Management

 

Boston University

Michael Harper is a leading authority in the area of labor, employment, and employment discrimination law. Professor Harper has been engaged by the study of these fields since joining the faculty in 1978. He stresses that the law governing employment is critical to the organization of society and the setting of social priorities. He notes that students are both motivated by the human narratives in litigated employment cases and also challenged by the complex laws and regulations governing the field.

Professor Harper has co-authored several major casebooks, both in Employment Discrimination and Employment Law and in Labor Law. Professor Harper is the author of many law review articles and book chapters on a broad variety of labor and employment law topics, including age discrimination in employment, the scope of bargaining, consumer boycotts, and the allocation of decision making authority between federal and state courts and between the Labor Board and private arbitrators. He has published in a wide array of journals, including the Harvard Law Review, the Yale Law Journal, the Virginia Law Review, the Pennsylvania Law Review, and the Michigan Law Review. One of his major recent articles, “Judicial Control of the National Labor Relations Board’s Lawmaking” was published in the Boston University Law Review.

Professor Harper is now serving as a reporter for the American Law Institute’s Restatement of Employment Law. He is the primary author of a chapter that promises to clarify the boundaries of the employment relationship regulated by federal and state law. Early in his career, Professor Harper clerked for Judge J. Skelly Wright of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit and served as staff attorney and director of the Student Internship Program at the Center for Law and Social Policy in Washington, D.C.

In addition to teaching classes in labor law, employment law and administrative law, Professor Harper offers a popular seminar examining law and sports and is now teaching civil procedure. A life-long connoisseur of American and English literature, he also has an interest in law and literature.

Read about executive education

Cases

The Department of Justice Takes a Stand Against Transgender Rights in the Workplace

October 5, 2017

The Atlantic Michael Harper The Department of Justice has issued a new memo on transgender workplace rights, arguing that a major civil-rights law does not cover discrimination on the basis of gender identity…. Expert quote: “This is all going to the Supreme Court.” View full article

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‘Joint Employment’ Rulings Face Tests in US Supreme Court, DC Circuit

July 17, 2017

National Law Journal quoting Michael Harper, School of Law “As the business community awaits a federal appellate court decision on the National Labor Relations Board’s definition of “joint employer,” another key labor case—one that also looks at the relationships between companies—is moving forward in the U.S. Supreme Court…” View full article. 

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The Supreme Court Turns Its Back On Age Discrimination

July 13, 2017

Forbes quoting Michael Harper, School of Law “Age discrimination is widespread, well documented and, sadly, deeply entrenched in the American workplace…” Expert quote: “You have to amend the statutes and that’s not likely in the current political climate.” View full article. 

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House Republicans Tackle Obama-Era Joint Employer Policy

July 12, 2017

The Daily Caller quoting Michael Harper, School of Law “Congress is examining an Obama-era labor policy that Republicans say is a big threat to small businesses and entrepreneurs…” Expert quote: “Those words have not been interpreted and what they mean will not be clear.” View full article. 

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A Woman Says She Was Fired Over Her Breast Cancer Diagnosis

November 2, 2016

Yahoo News Michael Harper, School of Law A New Jersey woman is suing her former employer after she says they fired her a day after she revealed that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer… Expert quote: This is clearly illegal.” View full article

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Boston Uber drivers among first to get IRA discounts

August 26, 2016

The Boston Globe Michael Harper, School of Law Uber Inc. is helping its drivers in Boston obtain discounted individual retirement accounts, part of an expanding system of perks for the contract labor force at the heart of the ride-hailing company’s business… Expert quote: “We can expect further litigation on the issue, and they’re certainly far […]

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Why Religious Employers Can Fire Trans People, According to a Michigan Court

August 19, 2016

The Atlantic Michael Harper, School of Law It is perfectly legal for a conservative Christian business owner to fire a transgender employee simply because the person wants to “dress as a woman”… Expert quote: This is a new kind of ruling, according to Michael Harper, a professor at Boston University, and one that could have […]

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Why the Courts Can’t Save LGBT Americans From Discrimination

August 6, 2016

The Atlantic Michael Harper, School of Law Some United States judges would like to protect transgender kids from discrimination at school… Expert quote: “You’re treating them differently because of their sexual activity, or the sexual activity in which they want to engage—that’s closer to activities or desires, rather than sexual status.” View full article

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Deflate-Gate

July 14, 2016

WBZ Michael Harper, School of Law View video of expert Michael Harper

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Labor Department Clarifies Employment Guidelines

January 20, 2016

New York Times (subscription required) Michael Harper, School of Law The Labor Department on Wednesday waded deeper into the contentious issue of joint employment, seeking to clarify who is accountable for violations of employment laws when two different entities, like a manufacturer and a staffing agency, both have ties to the same worker… Expert quote: […]

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