David Spence is a professor of law, politics & regulation at the University of Texas at Austin’s McCombs School of Business, and a professor of law at the University of Texas School of Law. He earned his Ph.D. in political science from Duke University and his J.D. from The University of North Carolina School of Law. Professor Spence teaches courses on energy regulation, environmental regulation, business-government relations, corporate social responsibility and stakeholder relations. In addition to his work at the University of Texas, Professor Spence has taught at Duke University's Nicholas School of the Environment, Vanderbilt University Law School, Cornell Law School, the University of California at Santa Barbara's Bren School of the Environment, and Harvard Law School. He's a native of Rochester, New York, and has lived in Austin with his wife and two children for the last 13 years.

John R. Allison is the Spence Centennial Professor of Business Administration, and Professor of Intellectual Property in the McCombs School’s Dept. of Business, Government, & Society.  Among other subjects, Professor Allison teaches Intellectual Property Law.  For many years, he's conducted empirical studies of the patent system, patenting behavior, patent infringement litigation, and related matters, publishing the results in some of the top law journals in the country.