My name is Robert Bird. I am a Professor of Business Law and the Eversource Energy Chair in Business Ethics at the University of Connecticut. I study business ethics, employment law, compliance, and the value of in-house lawyers. One of my most enduring interests is legal strategy, which examines how companies can use legal knowledge as a source of competitive advantage for organizations. My book on the subject was published by Cambridge University Press in 2025.
As a Fulbright scholar, my project focuses on exploring how firms can use principles of legal design to make their legal documents and communications more effective and accessible for both companies and their stakeholders. During this Fulbright experience, I am investigating how principles of legal strategy can integrate with the goals of legal design. Legal design incorporates a human-centered design approach to the world of law in order to enhance engagement, enable desirable outcomes, and prevent problems. The goal is to better understand how innovative contracts and other legal tools can be both equitable and sustainable for societal stakeholders and valuable for organizations.
My journey to the university began when I was invited to give a presentation on legal strategy to faculty and doctoral students in 2023. I found colleagues that shared similar interests and were interested in collaboration. That led me to return to Vaasa in 2024 for another research talk, which culminated in my Fulbright at the university starting in August of 2025.
Participating in academic life at the University of Vaasa has been a rich opportunity to collaborate with others and share knowledge. I have contributed two entries for a forthcoming encyclopedia in legal design, presented to faculty on legal strategy, and collaborated to develop a doctoral path in legal design. I have also given research talks in Finland and beyond. Feedback and engagement has been most beneficial for furthering not only research but also the possibility of future collaborative networks.
I have also immersed myself in culture life. My favorite activities have been enjoying sauna and swimming in a pond, collecting lingonberries in a nearby forest, and cooking sausage over an open fire with my colleagues. I have enjoyed cultural experiences both in Vaasa and Helsinki, and look forward to exploring further Finnish culture and society.
The University of Vaasa should be proud of its faculty and their contributions to research and teaching. I find an impressive intellectual curiosity, engagement, and agility amongst the faculty here. Researchers pursue innovative ideas in an open and vibrant method of inquiry that allows creativity to thrive. This academic environment allows both faculty and students to flourish and reach their highest academic potential.
Living and working at the University of Vaasa has been a unique pleasure and a valuable academic experience. There is so much happening here that is worthwhile. I look forward to maintaining my connections with the university beyond the Fulbright period and building deeper intellectual bonds in the future. I am most grateful to Vesa Annola, Marko Järvenpää, and many others for helping to make this vibrant cultural and academic experience a reality.
