After more than a quarter-century of legal practice with a leading international law firm, David has at last fulfilled a long-delayed, if somewhat misguided, dream of returning to the academy to pursue graduate studies in history. Though his attention span is short and his interests wide-ranging — from Homer to Heraclius — the Medieval Studies Department nevertheless cherishes the hope that he will eventually focus on the economic and social history of late antiquity (fourth to sixth century CE). As a doctoral candidate, David’s proposed dissertation addresses the intersection of banking and corruption in law-making in Justinian’s Constantinople, a topic that may or may not have resonance in this post-financial crisis world. Beyond the topic of his dissertation, David’s research interests encompass the use of economic models in historiography, the history of regulation of trade and the economy, Byzantine historiography, the emperor Julian, ancient and medieval laws of warfare, and the so-called “barbarian” law codes. At the risk of drawing the wrath of his committees down upon his head, David welcomes further distractions in the form of proposals for collaborative inter-disciplinary research projects where his experience working with legal sources may be useful.