Linda Barkacs

Associate Professor of Business Law

J.D. University of San Diego
B.A. San Diego State University, Political Science (Cum Laude)
A.A. Irvine Valley College, Accounting

In addition to having earned undergraduate degrees in both accounting and political science, Professor Linda Barkacs received her J.D. from the University of San Diego School of Law and subsequently passed the California Bar Exam. She became an associate at the law firm of Hinchy, Witte, Wood, Anderson & Hodges. During that time, she was involved in a number of high profile trials, including a sexual harassment case against the City of Oceanside that resulted in a $1.2 million verdict.

In 1997, Professor Barkacs and her husband, Professor Craig Barkacs, started their own law firm, Barkacs & Barkacs LLP. The firm specialized in business and civil litigation, as well as employment law. Professor Barkacs handled cases in both federal and state court and was also involved in numerous mediations and arbitrations.

In 1997, Professor Barkacs began teaching at the University of San Diego School of Business. Since then, she has designed and taught numerous courses on negotiation, law, and ethics. Professor Barkacs often teaches in USD's study abroad programs and has traveled extensively throughout Europe, Asia, and South America. She received additional training in negotiation at Harvard's Program on Negotiation, the Kellogg School at Northwestern, and Duke's CIBER program on International Negotiation. As a way of keeping her skills honed and relevant, Professor Barkacs and her husband are principals in The Barkacs Group (www.tbgexecutivetraining.com), a business consulting firm that provides negotiation, teams and ethics training for the private sector.

Professor Barkacs was the university-wide 2008 and 2007 Professor of the Year (as chosen by USD's 2008 and 2007 senior classes). She also received the USD School of Business 2008 Outstanding Undergraduate Educator award. She has twice been voted USD's university-wide Faculty Advisor of the Year (2004 and 2005). In December 2007 the National Order of Omega gave her the Commitment to Excellence Award for outstanding leadership, scholarship, and character. In 2007, she received the Creative and Innovative Teaching Award, presented by the Academy of Educational Leadership. Also in 2007, she was a nominee for USD's 2007 Woman of Impact Award. Professor Barkacs has published extensively in the areas of law, ethics, and negotiation. In addition, she has co-authored three business law textbooks, including Dynamic Business Law (2nd ed.), published in 2012. She and her husband, Professor Craig Barkacs, are currently writing a negotiation book aimed at the business community.