My name is Nathan B. Oman. I am the Rita Ann Rollins Professor at William & Mary Law School, where I am also co-director of the law school’s Center for the Study of Law & Markets. My scholarship focuses on two areas. First, I write on the philosophy of private law, particularly contract law. In addition to many law review articles on the subject, I have published The Dignity of Commerce: Markets and the Moral Foundations of Contract Law (Chicago UP, 2016). Second, I work in the area of law and religion, where I have published articles looking at the intersection of law, commerce, and faith, such as the conflicts between religious business owners and anti-discrimination laws or the free-exercise rights of for-profit corporations. I have also published articles on Mormon legal history and Mormon studies. In addition to teaching at William & Mary, I have been a visiting professor at the University of Richmond, Cornell Law School, and Hebrew University in Jerusalem. I have taught courses on contracts, commercial law, business associations, bankruptcy, contemporary private law theory, political economy, and the financial crisis of 2008. I received my J.D. from Harvard Law School and my B.A. from Brigham Young University. Prior to becoming a professor, I worked as a staffer in the U.S. Senate, a law clerk for the Honorable Morris Sheppard Arnold of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, and a litigation attorney in Washington, D.C.
When not geeking out about contracts or law and religion, I enjoy spending time with my family, running, fishing, playing the banjo, and sketching. I live in James City County, Virginia.