David Blankfein-Tabachnick (born August 6, 1971) is an American legal scholar and law professor. He is Professor of Law and Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs and Intellectual Life at Michigan State University College of Law.
David Blankfein-Tabachnick joined the Michigan State University College of Law faculty in 2014. In 2015-16, he was a Visiting Associate Professor at Washington University in St. Louis School of Law, teaching Criminal Law, Copyright, and Property. He has also been a visiting scholar at the Yale Law School. In 2017, David Blankfein-Tabachnick was appointed Faculty Advisor to the Michigan State Law Review. He was appointed Associate Dean for Research in 2023 and later that year promoted to Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs and Intellectual Life. Blankfein-Tabachnick served as Visiting Professor of Law at the University of Michigan in the spring of 2023, teaching Contracts and Intellectual Property.
Blankfein-TabachnickâÂÂs research focuses on private law, taxation, and intellectual property. His work examines the structure and normative dimensions of bankruptcy, contract, property, tort, and tax law. He and Kevin Kordana have collaborated on an interpretation of John Rawls's theory of justice as it applies to private law. His work on intellectual property appeared in the California Law Review, accompanied by a response from Robert P. Merges. Samuel Freeman has also responded to his collaborative work in the Virginia Law Review.
While at the University of Virginia, he received a university-wide award for excellence in teaching. In 2021, he received the Michigan State University All-University Teacher-Scholar Award.