Sargent is dean of the Villanova University School of Law. He was formerly Piper and Marbury Professor of Law, associate dean for Academic Affairs, and director of the Law and Entrepreneurship Program at the University of Maryland School of Law. A graduate of Cornell Law School and Wesleyan University, Professor Sargent has also taught at the law schools of Southern Methodist University, American University, and the University of Baltimore. Prior to teaching law, he practiced corporate and securities law with the Boston firm of Csaplar and Bok. Sargent has published extensively in the areas of corporate law, federal and state securities regulation, and mergers and acquisitions. In addition to writing and teaching in these areas, he has been deeply involved in both legislative drafting and administrative rulemaking, and in legal consulting.