Professor Palmer has taught at Albright College since 2006. In addition to courses related to the legal environment in which businesses operate, she teaches in the area of business self-regulation and corporate sustainability, in particular ESG (Environment, Social, Governance). Prior to joining academia, she was a corporate attorney specializing in financial services regulation. Active in campus and community life, Professor Palmer serves as Pre-Law Advisor, as faculty advisor for Albright’s Women’s Rugby Club and Alpha Delta Pi, and as Vice President and on the Board of Directors of The Friends of Chamber Music of Reading, Inc. In faculty governance, she currently serves on the Educational Policy Council, and has served on the Professional Council, Faculty Executive Committee, Undergraduate Research Committee, Information Development Committee, and Athletic Advisory Committee. She is a past recipient of Albright’s United Methodist Award for Exemplary Teaching, a past president of the Mid-Atlantic Academy of Legal Studies in Business, and a graduate of Leadership Berks. Professor Palmer is a member of the Northeast Academy of Pre-Law Advisors and the Academy of Legal Studies in Business, serves as a staff editor for the Atlantic Law Journal, and has served as an article reviewer for the American Business Law Journal and as proceedings reviewer for the Academy of Legal Studies in Business annual conference. Admitted to practice law in Pennsylvania (with her Connecticut license retired), Professor Palmer is a member of the Berks County Bar Association and The Justice William Strong American Inns of Court, and serves on the Legal Academics and Legal Transitions Committees of the Pennsylvania Bar Association.

Contracts, Corporate Sustainability, Unclaimed Property, Student Intellectual Property

Research Areas

• Nonprofit governance
• Unclaimed property
• Textbook publishers
• Industry self-regulation
• Intellectual property in the fashion industry

Student Research Collaborations

• Christopher Dampf, “Attributes of Success of Nonprofit Organizations Supporting K-12 Public Education in Pennsylvania” (2014)
• Michael Schwartz, “eSports and the Future of Content Streaming” (2014)
• Victoria Cvek, “Evolving Markets: The Effects of Digital Distribution on the Recording and Publishing Industries” (2013)
• Lan Chen, “Foreign Banks in China” (2011)
• John Weber, “The Role of the ‘International Version’ of College Textbooks in the Business Models of Textbook Publishers” (2010)
• Yana Faykina, Economics, “The Hiring Process in the Age of Technology: Implications for Privacy and Reputation” (2010)

BUS 250: Business Law I

BUS 351: Business Law II

SYN 318/BUS 380: Business, Government & Society

“Sustainable Practice – ESG and Inns of Court” Author and moderator of team presentation for The Justice William Strong American Inns of Court (Inns of Court) March 2021.

“It’s Not Just Academic: Law Schools, Diversity, and the Legal Profession” Invited Panelist for Pennsylvania Bar Association/Pennsylvania Bar Institute webcast, January 2021.

“Essential Resources for Faculty Advising Pre-Law Students in a Challenging Environment” Moderator and Panelist for the Academy of Legal Studies in Business Annual Conference, Virtual, August 2020.

“The Rules of the Game:  Courts’ Application of Business Ethics in Tortious Interference with Contracts Cases.” Academy of Legal Studies in Business Annual Conference, Montreal, Canada, August 2019

“The Business Law Professor as Pre-Law Advisor” Panelist for the Mid-Atlantic Academy of Legal Studies in Business Conference, Reading PA, March 2019

“Disruption 2.0: The Effect of Technology and Increased Regulation on the Title Insurance Industry.” Academy of Legal Studies in Business Annual Conference, Portland OR, August 2018

“Learning About Contracts in College and Law School” Invited Panelist for the Northeast Association of Pre-Law Advisors Annual Conference, North Haven CT, June 2018

“Copyright Issues in Student Work:  Policy and Risk Management Considerations.” Academy of Legal Studies in Business Annual Conference, Savannah GA, August 2017

“Serving the Underserved: Challenges and Opportunities in Teaching Traditionally Underrepresented Students” Panelist for Academy of Legal Studies in Business Annual Conference, San Juan PR, August 2016

“I Won! (?) – using the Movie ‘Nebraska’ and a Publishers Clearing House Mailing to Illustrate the Elements of Unilateral Contracts and Illegal Gambling.” 2014 Charles M. Hewitt Master Teacher Symposium, Academy of Legal Studies in Business Annual Conference, Seattle WA, August 2014