Dean Polden is a well-known scholar in the areas of employment law and legal education. He has practiced law, principally in the areas of federal antitrust law and employment law, in the federal and state courts. Dean Polden has participated in antitrust cases in the Fifth, Seventh, Eighth, Eleventh Circuit Courts of Appeals and the United States Supreme Court, and has argued cases involving claims of price-fixing, monopolization, and attempts to monopolize before the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals. He is co-author (with U.S. District Court Judge Mark Bennett) of Employment Relationships: Law and Practice, published by Aspen Publishing Company. He also is the author of several law review articles on topics of federal antitrust and securities law and legal education. His 1989 article on standing to sue in private antitrust litigation was cited by the United States Supreme Court.

Previous to being appointed Dean in 2003, Polden served as Dean and Professor of Law at the University of Memphis (1993-2003) where he taught courses in corporate law, antitrust law, federal securities regulation and employment law. In addition, he served as Associate Dean (1991-1993) and Professor of Law (1976-1993) at Drake University School of Law.

At Santa Clara University School of Law, Dean Polden has been instrumental in developing the curriculum for leadership education, a movement that is growing in significance in American legal education. He also serves as chair of the American Bar Association's Standards Review Committee that is charged with revising the accreditation policies for American legal education.

• Corporations Law
• Employment Law
• Antitrust Law
• Securities Regulation