James A. Wooten
Professor, Law Library Director,
Vice Dean for Legal Information Services
B.A., Rice University, 1981
J.D., Yale University, 1989
M.A., Yale University, 1993
M.Phil., Yale University, 1993
Ph.D., Yale University, 2003
University at Buffalo Law School
The State University of New York
713 O'Brian
Hall, North Campus
Buffalo, NY 14260-1100
Phone:(716) 645-2318
Faculty Assistant:
Linda Kelly, 410 O'Brian Hall, Phone: (716) 645-2101
Biography:
Jim Wooten grew up in a small steeltown in northeast Texas. After graduating
from Rice University in 1981, Wooten moved to the University of Chicago, where
he spent two years pursuing graduate studies in the Department of Anthropology.
In 1985, Wooten entered a J.D./Ph.D. program at Yale University. After completing
his law degree in 1989, Wooten clerked for Federal District Judge William Wayne
Justice of the Eastern District of Texas. In 1992-93, Wooten was an associate
at Bredhoff & Kaiser, one of the nation's leading firms in the fields of
labor and employee benefit law. Wooten later served as Legal History Fellow
at Yale Law School and as a Golieb Fellow in Legal History at New York University
School of Law before joining the faculty of UB Law School in 1995. Wooten received
his Ph.D. in American Studies from Yale University in 2003.
At UB Law, Wooten teaches courses on Pension and Employee Benefit Law, Federal Income Taxation, and Federal Tax Policy. He has also taught Bankruptcy, Legislative Policymaking, and Law and Economics. Wooten’s research focuses on regulatory and tax policies affecting retirement plans, health plans, and other employee benefit plans. He serves on the Steering Committee of the Tobin Project and chairs its Working Group on Retirement Security. Wooten is also a member of the National Academy of Social Insurance and a Fellow of the Employee Benefit Research Institute.
In April 2000, the editors of the Buffalo Law Review recognized Wooten
for outstanding contributions to the Review. In May 2003, he received
a Young Investigator Award from UB's Exceptional Scholar Program for outstanding
achievements in scholarly activity. In the same month, UB Law School's Class
of 2003 presented Wooten the Faculty Award for outstanding service and dedication.
Selected Publications:
"A Legislative and Political History of ERISA Preemption, Part 3," 15 Journal of Pension Benefits 15-21 (Spring 2008).
"A Legislative and Political History of ERISA Preemption, Part 2," 14 Journal of Pension Benefits 5-10 (Spring 2007).
"A Legislative and Political History of ERISA Preemption, Part I," 14 Journal of Pension Benefits 31-35 (Autumn 2006).
The Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974: A Political History, Berkeley: University of California Press/The Milbank Memorial Fund/Employee Benefit Research Institute (2004).
"The Most Glorious Story of Failure in the Business": The Studebaker-Packard Corporation and the Origins of ERISA, 49 Buffalo Law Review 683-739 (2001).
The "Original Intent" of the Federal Tax Treatment of Private Pension Plans, 85 Tax Notes 1305-1319 (1999).
Law School Rights: The Establishment of New York Law School, 1891-1897, 36 New York Law School Law Review 337-95 (1991).
