Professor George D. Brown is a specialist in the field of federal-state relations and government ethics. In both areas he draws on his extensive experience in state government. Professor Brown has served as Legislative Assistant to the Governor of Massachusetts and as Assistant Attorney General of Massachusetts. In 1994, Governor William Weld appointed him Chair of the Massachusetts State Ethics Commission.

In the field of federal-state relations, Professor Brown is best known for his articles on the jurisdiction of federal courts and on the federal grant-in-aid system. He has also served as Chair of the Section on Federal Courts of the Association of American Law Schools. In the field of government ethics, Professor Brown has written several articles on current judicial developments. His proposal for the use of state law in mail fraud prosecutions was adopted by the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in a major anti-corruption decision.