Michael P. Van Alstine, JD
Francis King Carey Professor in Business Law
University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law
Michael Van Alstine is an influential legal scholar working at the intersection of international law and domestic law, with expertise in how domestic courts interpret and apply treaties, especially commercial law treaties.
Professor Van Alstine, who has been a faculty member at Maryland Carey Law since 2002, is known for his outstanding scholarship, record of excellence in teaching and mentorship, and significant service to the law school. Prior to his current role, he was the Piper & Marbury Professor of Law from 2016 to 2018 and served as associate dean for research and faculty development from 2006 to 2010.
Van Alstine has led two law school programs, serving as director of the Business Law Program from 2018 to 2022 and director/co-director of the International and Comparative Law Program from 2003 to 2016.
He chaired the committee that developed Maryland Carey Law collaborations with the University of Maryland, College Park (UMCP) through the University of Maryland Strategic Partnership: MPowering the State agreement between the University of Maryland, Baltimore and UMCP. This included a partnership with the MLAW program, in which law school professors teach in the undergraduate program, and the development of curriculum for a Master of Science in Law program.
Van Alstine teaches International Business Transactions, Contracts, Secured Transactions, and Sales and Sales Financing. For many years, he also taught the first-year student elective Foundations of Business Law.
He was voted Outstanding Faculty Member of the Year in 2008 and 2016 and has received the “Most Engaging in Class” Award from the Scholars Program at UMCP.
Before joining Maryland Carey Law, Van Alstine spent seven years on the faculty of the University of Cincinnati College of Law, where he was a four-time recipient of the Goldman Prize for Excellence in Teaching. Before becoming a professor, he practiced domestic and international commercial and business law at firms in the United States and Germany.
Van Alstine’s scholarship tackles cutting-edge business and commercial law issues in the domestic and international fields. His work critically analyzes ambiguities and trends in the law, and he has an extensive body of work on international treaties.
His work has been published in leading law journals, including the California Law Review, Cornell Law Review, Duke Law Journal, and University of Pennsylvania Law Review. In addition to being widely cited by other scholars, Van Alstine’s work has been cited by the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
Van Alstine is the author or co-author of seven books in English and German, including 14 editions of treatises on international business law as well as one of the leading textbooks in the field, “International Business Transactions: A Problem-Oriented Coursebook.”
He is an elected member of the American Law Institute and a member of the American Society of International Law.
He earned a JD from George Washington University Law School, and Doctor of Laws and Master of Comparative Law degrees from the University of Bonn in Germany.
