Seth Oranburg

Seth C. Oranburg is a Professor of Law at the University of New Hampshire Franklin Pierce School of Law. He studies how technological disruption destabilizes moral norms and social trust, and how legal design can restore integrity to markets and institutions. His work spans corporate and securities regulation, contracts, trade secrets, and digital assets (including crypto and DAOs). Oranburg asks how law builds organizational trust—and how it responds when institutions fail.

At UNH, Professor Oranburg teaches Business Associations, Securities Regulation, and Contracts, earning the university’s Excellence in Teaching / Teacher of the Year award in 2024 for innovative, student-centered pedagogy. He is known for clear doctrinal exposition, practical simulations, and mentoring that connects professional formation to ethical judgment.

Beyond UNH, Oranburg directs the Program on Organizations, Business, and Markets at NYU School of Law’s Classical Liberal Institute, where he convenes scholars across law, economics, and governance. He also serves as Chair of the Law Faculty Division of the Academic Engagement Network, supporting law professors and students nationwide who address antisemitism and discrimination on campus.

His recent articles address blockchain regulation, ESG disclosure, labor in the gig economy, and regulatory democratization. He is the author of A History of Financial Technology: From American Incorporation to Crowdfunding (Cambridge University Press, 2022) and co-author of Contract Law: Rules, Cases, and Problems (Carolina Academic Press, 2023). His public essays and commentary bring legal analysis to wider debates about technology, institutional integrity, campus culture, and moral courage.

Professor Oranburg’s work has been supported by grants from the John Templeton Foundation, the Asness Family Foundation, the Institute for Humane Studies, the Law & Economics Center, and other supporters. Before entering academia, he practiced venture finance and emerging-company law at Fenwick & West LLP in Silicon Valley, and he practiced antitrust law at Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft in Washington, DC—experience that continues to inform his classroom focus on transactions, entrepreneurship, and applied problem-solving.

Professor Oranburg is licensed to practice law in California and New Hampshire. Originally from Boca Raton, Florida, Oranburg earned his B.A., magna cum laude, from the University of Florida and his J.D., with honors, from the University of Chicago Law School.

Teaching and research areas: Business Associations; Securities Regulation; Contracts; Corporate Governance; Trade Secrets; Law and Technology (crypto/DAOs); Institutional Design; Legal Education Innovation.