Matt A. Vega

Education

Matt Vega joined the law school faculty in 2007 as an Associate Professor of Law. He received his B.A., summa cum laude with College Honors, from Freed-Hardeman University ('90) and his J.D. from Yale Law School ('93), where he was Executive Editor of the Yale Journal on Regulation and a member of the Yale Moot Court Board.

After law school, Professor Vega practiced law as an associate with the firm of Sirote & Permutt, P.C. in Birmingham. In 1997, he went in-house with one of the firm's largest clients Bruno's, Inc. to manage their litigation. He then moved to Advantica Restaurant Group, Inc. in Spartanburg, South Carolina to handle all labor and employment law matters for their various restaurant chains nationwide, including Denny's.

In 2000, he and his family returned to his hometown of Memphis where he worked as a trial lawyer in the employment litigation group of the FedEx Legal Department. In 2003, he began working with the FedEx Legal Department's regulatory group and was promoted to Senior Counsel in 2006 specializing in international anti-terrorism and anti-corruption laws.

He is a member of the State Bars of Alabama and Tennessee and the American Bar Association (ABA). He is admitted to and has practiced before numerous federal district and appellate courts throughout the United States and Puerto Rico.

Professor Vega is currently teaching Civil Procedure and International Business Litigation. Other courses he has taught include Business Associations and Pre-Trial Practice. He is also the faculty advisor for Faulkner Law Review. His current research interests include transnational litigation and corporate governance (including compliance with anti-bribery laws) as well as church/church leader liability issues. He has appeared as an invited speaker in several international forums including the World Customs Organization in Brussels, the APEC 2006 Vietnam Summit and various church-affiliated venues.

He and his family attend the University church of Christ in Montgomery, Alabama.

Publications

Beyond Incentives: Making Corporate Whistleblowing Moral in the New Era of Dodd-Frank Act "Bounty Hunting", 45 Conn. L. Rev. (forthcoming).

The First Amendment Lost in Translation: Preventing Foreign Influences in U.S. Elections after Citizens United v. FEC, 44 Loyola L.A. L. Rev. 951 (2011).

Balancing Judicial Cognizance and Caution: Whether Transactional Corporations Are Liable For Foreign Bribery Under the Alien Tort Law, 31 MICH. J. INT'L L. 385 (2010).

Co-author, Security and Trade Facilitation, International Practioner's Desk Series: U.S. Customs - A Practioner's Guide to Principles, Processes and Procedures (ABA, 2009).

Sarbanes-Oxley & The Culture of Bribery: Expanding the Territorial Scope of Private Whistleblower Suits to Overseas Employees, 46 Harv. J. Legis. 425 (2009).

Constructive Legalism: A Legal Analogy of Biblical Hermeneutics, 1 J. of Faith & The Acad. 81 (2008).

Co-author, Small Bribes Buy Big Problems, 25 ACC Docket 102 (2007).

Employer Liability in Sexual Harassment Cases: Two New U.S. Supreme Court Decisions, 60 Ala. Law. 43 (1999).

Co-author, Recent Developments Under the Americans with Disabilities Act, 8 The Corporate Analyst 116 (1996).