Indiana University

Photo of James P. Nehf
James P. Nehf
Associate Dean for Graduate Studies
Professor of Law
Cleon H. Foust Fellow
John S. Grimes Fellow


Indiana University School of Law - Indianapolis
Lawrence W. Inlow Hall, Room 341
530 W. New York Street
Indianapolis, IN 46202-3225

Phone: (317) 274-8077
Fax: (317) 278-3326
E-Mail: jnehf@iupui.edu
Education

B.A., 1979, Knox College
J.D., 1983, University of North Carolina

Courses

Contracts; consumer law, European community law, commercial law

Bio

James P. Nehf has been teaching contracts, consumer law, and commercial law subjects for more than fifteen years. He is an internationally recognized expert in consumer privacy law and serves as an executive board member of the International Consumer Law Association, a society of consumer law scholars based in Toronto. He has won numerous teaching awards and has been a frequent speaker at law conferences, CLE seminars, and law-related lecture series. Professor Nehf was the inaugural director of the law school's European Law Program and has held several university administrative positions, including a term as interim director of the Indiana University Center on Southeast Asia. His publications include an updated and revised edition of Corbin on Contracts - Impossibility, and numerous articles on privacy law, consumer law, commercial transactions and international/comparative law subjects.

Professor Nehf graduated first in his law school class, served as editor-in-chief of the North Carolina Law Review, and was elected to Order of the Coif. After law school, he served as a law clerk for the Honorable Phyllis A. Kravitch of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit and entered private practice with O'Melveny & Myers in Washington, D.C. Before joining the faculty in 1989, he was a partner in the Washington firm of Choate, Filler, & Nehf, specializing in commercial and consumer litigation. In recent years, Professor Nehf has taught as a visiting professor at Wake Forest University and the University of Georgia.

In 2001, Professor Nehf was appointed Associate Dean for Graduate Studies, which oversees administration of the law school’s LLM program and SJD degrees.

Publications

Books and Chapters

Regulation of Security Interests in Consumer Assets, in SECURED TRANSACTIONS UNDER THE UNIFORM COMMERCIAL CODE (J. McDonnell, ed., 2010 rev.) (co-author) (in press)

Financing Manufactured Homes, in SECURED TRANSACTIONS UNDER THE UNIFORM COMMERCIAL CODE, ch. 18A (J. B. McDonnell, ed., 2009)

THE FUTURE OF CONSUMER CREDIT REGULATION: CREATIVE APPROACHES TO EMERGING PROBLEMS (M. Kelly-Louw, J. Nehf, P. Rott, eds., 2008)

Principles of Consumer Protection in the North American Free Trade Agreement, in REGIONAL ECONOMIC INTEGRATION AND CONSUMER PROTECTION (T. Bourgoignie, ed., 2008)

Misleading and Unfair Advertising, in INT'L HANDBOOK OF CONSUMER LAW 2008

Credit Alternatives and Micro-Lending in American Immigrant Communities, in THE FUTURE OF CONSUMER CREDIT REGULATION: CREATIVE APPROACHES TO EMERGING PROBLEMS (M. Kelly-Louw, J. Nehf, P. Rott, eds., 2008)

Second Lien Financing, in SECURED TRANSACTIONS UNDER THE UNIFORM COMMERCIAL CODE, ch. 35 (J. B. McDonnell, ed., 2008)

The Limits of Cost-Benefit Analysis in the Development of Database Privacy Legislation, in RISK AND CHOICE IN CONSUMER SOCIETY 143 (I. Ramsay, et al., eds. 2007); reprinted in DATA PROTECTION AND LAW (N. Sudarshan, ed., 2008)(in press)

Marshaling Assets, in SECURED TRANSACTIONS UNDER THE UNIFORM COMMERCIAL CODE, ch. 7H (J.B. McDonnell, ed. 2007)

Consumer Credit and the Fringe Banking Industry, in SECURED TRANSACTIONS UNDER THE UNIFORM COMMERCIAL CODE, ch. 20A (J.B. McDonnell, ed. 2005)

CORBIN ON CONTRACTS--IMPOSSIBILITY, vol. 14 (Rev. ed. 2001)

Bad Faith Breach of Contract in Consumer Transactions, in GOOD FAITH IN CONTRACT: CONCEPT AND CONTEXT, ch.6 (R. Brownsword, et al., eds. 1999).

Enforcement of Consumer Rights in the U.S. and Canada, in CONSUMER PROTECTION IN THE WTO ERA 85 (S. Rachagan, ed., 1999).


Law Review and Journal Articles

*Shopping for Privacy on the Internet, 41 J. CONS. AFFAIRS 351-65 (2007)

*Shopping for Privacy Online: Consumer Decision Making Strategies and the Emerging Market for Information Privacy, 2005 U. Ill. J. L. TECH. & POL’Y 1-54

Incomparability and the Passive Virtues of Ad-Hoc Privacy Policy, 76 U. COLO. L. REV. 1-56 (2005)

Recognizing the Societal Value in Information Privacy, 78 WASH. L. REV. 1-92 (2003).

*Limiting Identity Theft in an E-Commerce World: Electronic Signature Legislation and the Cyber-Fraud Industry, 8 N.Z. BUS. L. Q. 377-94 (2002).

Consumer Transactions - Movement Toward a More Progressive Approach, 34 IND. L. REV. 599-614 (2001).

Contract Damages As a Substitute for Performance, 32 IND. L. REV. 765-88 (1999).

*Reconsidering the Advertising and Marketing Aspects of the Tobacco Settlement, 7 CONSUMER LAW JOURNAL 281-310 (1999).

Writing Contracts in the Client’s Interest, 51 S.C.L. REV. 153-182 (1999).

*Consumer Policy in Latvia, 18 J. CONS. POL'Y 317-50 (1995).

Textualism in the Lower Courts: Lessons from Judges Interpreting Consumer Legislation, 26 RUTGERS L. J. 1-101 (1994).

Empowering the Russian Consumer in a Market Economy, 14 MICHIGAN J. INT'L L. 739-827 (1993).

Concept Paper: Consumer Protection Laws in Bulgaria, 5 PACE INT'L L. REV. 25-55 (1993) (co-author)

A Legislative Framework for Reducing Fraud in the Credit Repair Industry, 70 N.C.L. REV. 781-821 (1992).

Effective Regulation of Rent-to-Own Contracts, 52 OHIO ST. L. J. 751-845 (1991).

Adverse Marital Testimony in North Carolina Criminal Actions--Can Spousal Testimony Be Compelled?, 60 NORTH CAROLINA LAW REVIEW 874 (1982).

Survey of Developments in North Carolina Law--Criminal Procedure, 60 NORTH CAROLINA LAW REVIEW 1302 (1982) (co-author).


Essays and Reports

EU Consumer Rights Directive: Getting It Right, vol. II: Evidence 182 (House of Lords, European Union Committee 2009)

Direct Marketing, Mobile Phones and Consumer Privacy, 60 Fed. Comm. L. J.F. 53 (2008)

Protecting the Privacy of Consumer Telephone Records, in THE YEARBOOK OF CONSUMER LAW 2008 397 (C. Twigg-Flesner, et al., eds. 2007)

Credit Rating, in ENCYCLOPEDIA OF PRIVACY 138 (William C. Staples, ed. 2007).

Banking and Financial Records, in ENCYCLOPEDIA OF PRIVACY 38 (William C. Staples, ed. 2007).

Fair Credit Reporting Act, in ENCYCLOPEDIA OF PRIVACY 211 (William C. Staples, ed. 2007).

Privacy of Medical Information: Federal Court Quashes Justice Department Subpoena for Hospital Abortion Records, International Association of Consumer Law/Association Internationale de Droit de la Consommation, Newsletter (New Series) 1:2 March 2004

Tail Wagging the Dog: State Privacy Initiatives Push Washington on FCRA Reforms, International Association of Consumer Law/Association Internationale de Droit de la Consommation, Newsletter (New Series) 1:1 October 2003

Who’s the Next Victim? Legislating Privacy in the "Public Interest", 8 CONS. & PERSONAL RIGHTS LITIG. 11 (Summer 2002).

FTC Addresses Telemarketing and Financial Privacy Issues, 8 CONS. L. J. 84 (2000).

FTC Steps Up Efforts to Combat Identity Theft, 8 CONS. L. J. 211 (2000).

National Bank Reform and Consumer Privacy, 7 CONS. L. J. 551 (2000).

Electronic Notices, Records and Signatures, 7 CONS. L. J. 548 (2000)

Payday Lenders Under Attack: The Loophole Tightens, 7 CONS. L.J. 138 (1999).

Federal and State Scrutiny of Credit Repair Identity Scams, 7 CONS. L.J. 138 (1999).

RICO Enhances Consumer Remedies for Insurance Fraud, 7 CONS. L.J. 256 (1999).

States Move to Criminalize "Identity Theft", 7 CONS. L. J. 363 (1999).

Tort Reform Gaining Momentum, 7 CONS. L. J. 363 (1999).

Victories for Tobacco, 6 CONS. L.J. 399 (1998).

TILA Amendment in the Courts, 6 CONS. L.J. 278 (1998).

Consumer Privacy, FTC Charges Against National Credit Bureaus, 6 CONS. L.J. 413 (1998).

The Illegality of Recorded Phone Solicitations, 5 CONS. L.J. CS11 (1997).

Fair Credit Reporting Act Amendments, 5 CONS. L.J. CS31 (1997).

Financial Services and Commercial Credit--Federal Preemption, 4 CONS. L.J. CS59 (1996).

Lawyering in the Baltic Nations: Demonstrators Creating Democracy, IU LAW - INDIANAPOLIS (Fall 1993).

Developing a Commercial Code in the Baltic Republics (Hudson Inst., 1991).


Book Reviews

Modernising and Harmonising Consumer Contract Law, __ EUR. J.L. REFORM __ (2009)(in press)

*Fair Trading Law: The Unfair Commercial Practices Directive, 9 EUR. J. L. REFORM 147 (2007)

*European Fair Trading Law: The Unfair Commercial Practices Directive, 35 INT'L J. LEGAL INFO. 305 (2007)

Borderless Trade and the Consumer Interest: Protecting the Consumer in the Age of E-Commerce, 38 COLUMBIA JOURNAL OF TRANSNATIONAL LAW 457 (1999).

Consumer Protection Law in India: An Eco-Legal Treatise, 24 N.Y.U. JOURNAL OF INT'L LAW & POLICY 1297 (1992).


Other Publications

Drafting the Basic Elements, CONTRACT DRAFTING (Ind. Cont. L. Educ. F., March 2007 and May 2003).

Consumer Transactions, 2001 INDIANA LAW UPDATE, (Ind. Cont. L. Educ. F., September 2001).

Consumer Transactions, 2000 INDIANA LAW UPDATE, (Ind. Cont. L. Educ. F., September 2000).

Limiting Uncertainty in Contract Drafting, CONTRACT DRAFTING: METHOD, MANNER AND FORM (Ind. Cont. L. Educ. F., March 1999).

Full Compensation from the Breaching Party, THE UNBREAKABLE CONTRACT: MYTH AND REALITY (Ind. Cont. L. Educ. F., August 1994).

Emerging Contract Issues Under the UCC, THE UNBREAKABLE CONTRACT: MYTH AND REALITY (Ind. Cont. L. Educ. F., August 1994).

An Academic Perspective on UCC Article 2A, THE EVOLVING COMMERCIAL LAW IN INDIANA ( Ind. Cont. L. Educ. F., February 1992).


Presentations

"Unintended Consequences: How the Weakening of U.S. Consumer Laws Rocked World Financial Markets," International Law Association, Rio de Janeiro, August 2008

“A Consumer Critique of Laws Related to Data Privacy Breaches,” ABA Section of Business Law, Spring Meeting, Dallas, April 2008

General Reporter (NAFTA), Regional Economic Integration and Consumer Protection in the Americas and in Europe, University of Quebec at Montreal, October 2007

"Marketplace Justice for American Immigrants," 11th International Conference of Consumer Law, University of South Africa, April 2007

"Drafting the Basic Elements," ICLEF seminar, Indianapolis, March 2007

"Managing Risk Through Notice and Choice in an RFID World," University of Richmond, March 2007

“Privacy in the Information Age: Databases, Digital Dossiers, and Surveillance,” Santa Clara University School of Law, San Jose, CA, January 2006

“Identity Theft: Risks, Prevention and Cure,” ORALL Annual Conference, Indianapolis, October 2005.

“Shopping for Privacy Online: How Consumer Decision Making Strategies Affect the Market for Information Privacy,” 10th International Consumer Law Conference, Lima, Peru, May 2005

“RFID Technology and Protection of Consumer Privacy,” Harvard Journal of Law and Technology Seminar, Cambridge, MA, April 2005

“Teaching Consumer Law—What Works and What Doesn’t,” University of Houston, Center for Consumer Law, April 2004

“Words Matter: Lessons in Contract Drafting from Landmark Cases,” Mercer University, February 2004

“Consumer Choice and Risk in Cyberspace,” 9th International Consumer Law Conference, Athens, Greece, April 2003

“Consumer Law in a Global Community,” University of Houston, Center for Consumer Law, April 2002

“The Cookie Crumbles: Identifying the Consumer Interest in the Internet Age,” Inaugural Cleon H. Foust Lecture, IU School of Law – Indianapolis, November 2001

“E-Signature Legislation and Identity Fraud,” 8th International Consumer Law Conference, Auckland, New Zealand, April 2001

“The Realities of Globalization,” Great Decisions Program, Indianapolis, February 2001

“The Advertising and Marketing Components of the Attorney General Tobacco Settlement,” 7th International Consumer Law Conference, Helsinki, May 1999

“Negotiating Global Transactions in Latin America,” Indiana Global Business Conference, Eli Lilly Center, Indianapolis, December 1998

Panelist, Federalist Society program on "Freedom, Government Accountability, and the Future of Municipal Regulation," Indianapolis, December 1994

"Expectations for Faculty in U.S. Higher Education: Roles and Rewards,” USIA-sponsored seminar for foreign educators, Indianapolis, January 1994

“Consumer Protection in the Baltic States,” Terra Baltica Conference (Association for the Advancement of Baltic Studies), University of Toronto, Summer 1992

Speaker, Indiana Continuing Legal Education Forum, Indianapolis (numerous CLE presentations on consumer, contract and commercial law subjects), 1992-present

“Commercial Law Reform in Transition Economies,” IBEC conferences in Riga, Latvia, June-July 1991, and Indianapolis, October 1991


Other Activities

Chair, Consumer Law Working Group, ABA Section on Business Law, Cyberspace Committee

Expert Commentator, Lexis-Nexis, Commercial and Consumer Law

Executive Board, International Association of Consumer Law

Editorial Board, Markets and Law Series, Ashgate Publishing

Legal Counsel, Streamlined Sales Tax Governing Board

Lecturer, BarBri Bar Review

Member of the Bar: Indiana, Georgia, District of Columbia


 *Refereed

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