Ralph Flick, JD, MBA

Professor Flick teaches undergraduate and graduate level courses in business law and ethics at Pacific Lutheran University School of Business.

Licensed to practice law in California since 1995 and in Washington since 2009, Professor Flick has an undergraduate degree in economics from California State University where he was also a graduate of the University Scholars Program, a juris doctor from Loyola Law School, Los Angeles and a Masters of Business Administration with honors from the University of Southern California.  He also received the mediation and dispute resolution training from the Center for Dialog and Resolution (formerly the Pierce County Center for Dispute Resolution).

From 1996 until 2001, Professor Flick served as in-house counsel for a New York Stock Exchange traded mortgage finance company ultimately rising to the level of Senior Counsel responsible for all public company reporting, structured finance and securitization and he also served as the secretary to the Board of Directors.  Professor Flick participated in the drafting and filing of all required disclosures under the Securities Act of 1933 and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 including Forms 10-K, 10-Q, 8-K and the annual proxy statement.  Professor Flick was part of the management team that was involved in the transactions necessary to recapitalize the business following the credit crises of the late 1990s.

From 2001 until 2003, Professor Flick was corporate counsel to a major fashion industry retailer.  In addition to his responsibilities as secretary to the Board of Directors and all public company reporting requirements, Professor Flick played a major role in a trademark financing transaction which was unique at the time.  Professor Flick also was intimately involved in the implementation of the company’s enterprise resource planning system including negotiating the contracts and helping to resolve contractual disputes.  Professor Flick also was part of the team that won a significant victory against a proposed securities class action claim.

From 2003 until 2005, Professor Flick was General Counsel of the capital markets division of the largest subprime mortgage company in the United States.  He was responsible for overseeing the legal affairs associated with $10 billion in warehouse financing and over 15 monthly loan sale and securitization transactions.  Professor Flick played a pivotal role in the establishment of one of the first short term commercial paper financing facilities backed by subprime mortgages.

From 2005 through 2007, Professor Flick was the Chief Operating Officer of a multi-family and commercial mortgage lender responsible for all non-origination operations as well as legal compliance.  He also was primarily responsible for preparing the company for a successful sale to a bank at an attractive sale price considering economic conditions at the time.

Since 2007, Professor Flick has been in private practice both for a large, national law firm working on securitization and structured finance.  Among the transactions on which Professor Flick worked was a unique financing of life settlements.  In his private practice, Professor Flick advises small and medium sized companies as a contract general counsel.  His clients include early stage start-up companies and his largest client has annual revenues of $75 million and over 75 employees.

In addition to his professional experience, Professor Flick has taught graduate and undergraduate courses in law, finance, accounting, dispute resolution and other related topics at local for profit institutions and community colleges.

Throughout his career, Mr. Flick has engaged in significant legal research for clients and now is undertaking scholarly research in areas involving constitutional issues surrounding tax and interstate product distribution.

Professor Flick brings significant business experience to the classroom which allows him to provide students with insight into modern business law problems and ethical issues and believes in the ideals of a Lutheran education.