Social Enterprise Law

"This well-written and thoughtful work covers fundraising by mission-based companies from birth to death. In doing so, it highlights the unique problems that these enterprises raise, but also suggests that lawyers can play an important role in solving these problems. Given that the solutions to many urgent social and environmental issues may require significant capital, I hope that business lawyers take notice of this book, and use it to spur their thinking."- Rick Alexander, B Lab "This book reveals how the law can help business people give priority to social mission, pursue profit, and get more of both because the public will love them."- Terry Mollner, founder of Calvert Social Funds and architect of Ben & Jerry's mission-protecting sale to Unilever "Brakman Reiser and Dean argue convincingly that the law can be an effective tool for mobilizing capital for social enterprises by building trust between investors and social entrepreneurs. Their proposed innovations of mission-related hybrid organizations, flexible low yield debt instruments and a new tax regime for dual mission enterprises, define the frontier for building a more robust social enterprise sector. The book is clearly and forcefully written and path breaking."- Dennis R. Young, Professor Emeritus, Georgia State University "With the growing importance of making social enterprises effective in fulfilling their mandate, Brakman Reiser and Dean to a marvelous job in making a very complex and important subject accessible. They both take stock and look forward, thus providing a resource for professionals of social enterprise, impact investors, legal experts, and also the increasing number of scholars doing research on social enterprise and/or hybrid organizations."- Johanna Mair, Professor of Organization, Strategy and Leadership, Hertie School of Governance "Professors Brakman Reiser and Dean have done a great service to the social enterprise community by exploring how the law can create the conditions that will protect the dual social and commercial goals of social enterprises and help facilitate their access to capital. Social Enterprise Law provides a very insightful and compelling overview of opportunities and challenges for legal instruments to ensure trust between social entrepreneurs and investors, which will interest practitioners, policy makers and researchers alike."- Julie Battilana, Professor of Business Administration, Harvard Business School, and Gleitsman Professor of Social Innovation, Harvard Kennedy School