Featuring Keynote Speaker Commissioner Khalil “KC” Mohseni ’12
Khalil “KC” Mohseni is Commissioner of the California Department of Financial Protection & Innovation (DFPI), the State’s financial regulator. Commissioner Mohseni was appointed by Governor Gavin Newsom on February 7, 2025, and has served as DFPI’s Chief Deputy Commissioner since November 2023. He is committed to the Department’s mission to protect consumers and foster trust and innovation in the financial marketplace.
Prior to joining DFPI, Commissioner Mohseni was Chief Operating Officer at the State Controller’s Office; Deputy Director of Administration at the California Department of Housing and Community Development; Project Director for the California Homeless Data Integration System at the Business, Consumer Services, and Housing Agency; and Chief Fiscal Officer at the Board of State and Community Corrections, where he oversaw the implementation of the Financial Information System for California.
California has long shaped the direction of business regulation, governance, and innovation—and UC Davis School of Law’s new Center for Business Law and Society (CBLS) is deepening that influence. Our inaugural symposium, California and the Future of Business Law, brings together leaders to examine how California’s unique legal and policy landscape continues to redefine business law.
Panels will explore incorporating in California, M&A and dealmaking, the influence of the largest and most influential institutional investors in the United States, the evolving role of general counsels, and how California shapes policy through tax law. The symposium will feature Commissioner Khalil “KC” Mohseni ’12 offering a regulator’s perspective, insights from CalPERS and CalSTRS, and discussions with leading practitioners including law firm partners and general counsel in technology companies and beyond. UC Davis’s business law faculty—nationally recognized experts in corporate governance, dealmaking, finance, antitrust, and tax—will contribute their scholarship to these critical conversations.
Situated near California’s capital, CBLS will serve as a hub connecting business law scholarship with the institutions that shape markets and policy. Join us in exploring how California drives the evolution of business law, and its impact on society.
Agenda
11:30 a.m.–12:20 p.m.
Lunch
12:20–12:25 p.m.
Welcome to the Center for Business Law and Society
Dean Jessica Berg, UC Davis School of Law
12:25–12:55 p.m.
California Corporate Law: The Commissioner’s Perspective
Featuring Commissioner Khalil “KC” Mohseni '12, California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation, in conversation with Professor Afra Afsharipour, UC Davis School of Law
1–1:50 p.m.
The Evolving Landscape of California Dealmaking
Featuring:
- Professor Menesh Patel, UC Davis School of Law
- Tina Singh '88, Singh Law Corporation
- David Richardson '07, Partner, DLA Piper
- Sanam Saaber '09, Legal and Business Leader/Investor
Moderated by: Professor Afra Afsharipour, UC Davis School of Law
1:50–2:05 p.m.
Break
2:05–2:30 p.m.
Power, Policy, and Revenue: California Tax Law in Focus
Presented by Professor Darien Shanske, UC Davis School of Law
2:35–3:25 p.m.
California’s Institutional Investors and The California Effect on Corporate Governance
Featuring:
- Drew Hambly, Investment Director, Global Stewardship, CalPERS
- Professor Amelia Miazad, UC Davis School of Law
- Brian Sytsma, Corporate Counsel, CalSTRS
- Professor Ayako Yasuda, UC Davis Graduate School of Management
Moderated by: Professor Menesh Patel, UC Davis School of Law
3:25–3:40 p.m.
Break
3:40–4:30 p.m.
Insights from King Hall GCs
Featuring:
- Jacques Baritot '13, Associate General Counsel, Coinbase
- Cindy Dole '09, Deputy General Counsel & Corporate Secretary, Samsung Catalyst Fund
- Matthew Tolve '09, General Counsel, Altimeter
- Thomas Vigdal '07, General Counsel, Babylist
- Victoria Wong '15, Deputy General Counsel, Sierra
Moderated by: Professor Amelia Miazad, UC Davis School of Law