Spencer Williams
Associate Professor of Law
Phone: 415-442-6651
Email: swilliams@ggu.edu
Professor Williams is an Associate Professor at the Golden Gate University School of Law, where he researches and teaches at the intersection of business law and innovation. Professor Williams writes on topics such as quantitatively modeling contracts using complex systems theory, algorithmic price gouging, predictive contracting using artificial intelligence, and the design of venture capital financing agreements. Prior to teaching at GGU, Professor Williams was a fellow at Stanford Law School in the Program on Corporate Governance and Practice. Earlier in his career, he practiced corporate and securities law at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati in Silicon Valley and served as the General Counsel of a YC-backed technology startup. He received a JD from Stanford Law School and a BS from MIT.
Research Interests & Areas of Specialization
- Artificial Intelligence
- Business Law
- Contract Law
- Law and Technology
- Network Science
- Systems Theory
- Venture Capital and Entrepreneurship
Education
- JD, Stanford Law School
- BS, Economics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Professional & Teaching Experience
- Fellow and Lecturer in Law, Stanford Law School
- Associate, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati (Palo Alto). Practiced corporate and securities law.
Selected Publications
Link to Prof. Williams’ SSRN page.
- Contracts as Systems, 45 Delaware Journal of Corporate Law, 219 (2021)
- Predictive Contracting, 2019 Colum. Bus. L. Rev. 621 (2019).
- Venture Capital Contract Design: An Empirical Analysis of the Connection Between Bargaining Power and Venture Financing Contract Terms, 23 Fordham J. Corp. & Fin. L. 105 (2017).
Professional Associations
- Member, State Bar of California
- Board Member of Sisters of the Good Shepherd Gracenter (San Francisco)