UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO LAW SCHOOL

1111 EAST 60TH STREET

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS 60637

Telephone: (773) 702-9494

URL: http://www.law.uchicago.edu

 

The University of Chicago Law School occupies a unique niche among this country's premier law schools. Located on a residential campus in one of America's great cities, Chicago offers a rigorous professional education that blends the study of law with the humanities, the social sciences, and the natural sciences. Students, faculty and staff form a small, tightly‑knit community devoted to the life of the mind. Learning is participatory. Chicago does not seek to impose a single viewpoint or style of thought on its students. Instead, faculty expose students to contrasting views, confident in their abilities to choose their own paths.

 

History of The Law School

 

The University of Chicago, one of the youngest of the major American universities, was granted its charter in 1890 and opened its doors for classes in October 1892. The generosity of its founding donors, led by John D. Rockefeller, enabled the first president of the University, William Rainey Harper, to realize his bold ideas and extraordinary standards in the creation of a new university. Harper insisted that the new institution must be a true university, with a strong emphasis on both education and scholarship.

 

The Law School, part of Harper's original plan but delayed in fulfillment until 1902, was a product of an innovative spirit and a devotion to intellectual inquiry. The objective, in the view of Harper and faculty members associated with him in the project, was to create a new kind of law school, professional in its purpose, but with a broader outlook than was then prevalent in the leading American law schools. The aspirations of the new school were set by Harper's conception of legal education in a university setting: education in law "implies a scientific knowledge of law and of legal and juristic methods. These are the crystallization of ages of human progress. They cannot be understood in their entirety without a clear comprehension of the historic forces of which they are the product, and of the social environment with which they are in living contact. A scientific study of law involves the related sciences of history, economics, philosophy ‑ the whole field of man as social being."

 

This animating philosophy has resulted in the Law School playing a leading role in both legal education and legal scholarship since its founding. Chicago was pivotal in almost all of the innovations made in legal education during the last century: the recognition of administrative law, legislation and comparative law as legitimate fields of legal study; the introduction of other disciplines into the law school curriculum and the appointment of faculty outside the law; the extension of the field of legal research from concern with the rules of the law to empirically oriented investigations of the legal system; and the broadening of the curriculum to include clinical as well as academic offerings.

 

Education at The Law School

 

Chicago aims to train well‑rounded, critical and socially conscious thinkers and doers. The cornerstones that provide the foundation for Chicago's educational mission are: the life of the mind, participatory learning, interdisciplinary inquiry and an education for generalists.

 

What sets Chicago apart from other law schools is its unabashed enthusiasm for the life of the mind ‑ the conviction that ideas matter, that they are worth discussing and that legal education should devote itself to learning for learning's sake.

 

Learning the law at Chicago therefore is a passionate ‑ even intense ‑ venture between and among faculty and students. It begins in the classroom where students share the stage with the professor. The professor does not lecture, but instead engages the group in a dialogue. Known as the Socratic Method, this dialogue presents students with questions about thorny legal concepts and principles. Energized by this dialogue within the classroom, students seek opportunities outside the classroom for further conversation and learning in one of Chicago's clinical programs, with one of Chicago's three student‑edited journals, or in one of Chicago's many extracurricular offerings.

 

Honoring Chicago's history and commitment to interdisciplinary inquiry, faculty draw students' attention to insights from the social sciences, the humanities, and the natural sciences beginning on the first day of class. Chicago's unique first year required course, "Elements of the Law," introduces students to the law as an interdisciplinary field and gives students the tools to continue the interdisciplinary inquiry throughout their legal education.

 

Although it is currently in vogue for law schools to promote "specialties" and Chicago could credibly claim more than 15 areas with a depth of curriculum warranting a "specialty" label, Chicago remains committed to legal education as an education for generalists. Emphasizing the acquisition of broad and basic knowledge of law, an understanding of the functioning of the legal system, and the development of analytic abilities of the highest order, a Chicago legal education prepares students for any professional role they might choose‑legal practice or legal education, entrepreneurial ventures, corporations, government, or non‑profit organizations.

 

Scholarship at The Law School

 

Every professor at Chicago is a distinguished scholar in addition to being a dedicated teacher. Recognized as the most productive and influential faculty of any law school, Chicago's academic faculty is a group of about 40 professors engaged in research and writing on the most important topics of the day. The clinical faculty of about 8‑10 pursue a specialized niche of legal scholarship by engaging in ground‑breaking advocacy efforts. The brief biographies of the faculty below provide an introduction to their individual areas of expertise.

 

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Dean and William B. Graham Professor of Law:

Saul Levmore

Assistant Dean for Admissions:

Ann Perry

Associate Dean for Library and Information Services:

Judith Wright

Associate Dean for Career Services:

Abbie Willard

Assistant Dean for LL.M. Program:

Richard Badger

Dean of Students:

Michele Baker Richardson

Associate Dean for Administration:

Karen Afshari

Associate Dean for Corporate and Legal Affairs:

David Zarfes

Assistant Dean for Communications:

Marsha Ferziger Nagorsky

Associate Dean for External Affairs:

Jonathan S. Stern

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FULL TIME FACULTY

 

SAUL LEVMORE, (Dean and William B. Graham Professor of Law), born 1953; admitted to bar, 1983, Virginia. Education: Columbia College (B.A., 1973); Yale (Ph.D., 1978; J.D., 1980); Chicago‑Kent (LL.D., 1995). COURSES: Commercial Law, Comparative Law, Corporate Tax, Corporations, Public Choice & the Law, Torts. Email: s‑levmore@uchicago.edu

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DANIEL Y. ABEBE, (Assistant Professor of Law), born Normal, Illinois, May 26, 1975. Education: Maryville University of St. Louis (B.A., 1997); University of Chicago (M.A., 2006); Harvard Law School (J.D., 2000). Email: dabebe@uchicago.edu

 

ALBERT W. ALSCHULER, (Julius Kreeger Professor Emeritus of Law), born 1940; admitted to bar, 1965, Illinois. Education: Harvard (A.B., 1962; LL.B., 1965). COURSES: Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure, Jurisprudence. Email: awaa@midway.uchicago.edu

 

DOUGLAS G. BAIRD, (Harry A. Bigelow Distinguished Serv. Professor), born 1953. Education: Yale (B.A., 1975); Stanford (Ll.D., 1994). COURSES: Civil Procedure, Commercial Law, Contracts, Creditor's Rights. Email: douglas_baird@law.uchicago.edu

 

SHYAMKRISHNA BALGANESH, (Bigelow Teaching Fellow and Lecturer in Law), born India, June 16, 1980. Education: National Law School of India (B.A., LL.B (Hons.), 2003); Oxford University (B.C.L., 2004; M.Phil, 2005); Yale University (J.D., 2007).

 

OMRI BEN‑SHAHAR, (Frank and Bernice J. Greenberg Professor of Law), born Tel‑Aviv, Israel. Education: Hebrew University (LL.B., 1989); Harvard University (Ph.D., 1995; S.J.D., 1998). COURSES: Contracts, Sales, Insurance, e‑Commerce, Law and Economics.

 

LISA E. BERNSTEIN, (Wilson‑Dickinson Professor of Law), born 1964; admitted to bar, 1994, New York. Education: University of Chicago (B.A., 1986); Harvard (J.D., 1990). COURSES: Contracts, Corporate Governance, Corporations, Law & Economics. Email: lisa_bernstein@uchicago.law.edu

 

EMILY BUSS, (Professor of Law and Kanter Director of Chicago Policy Initiatives), born 1960; admitted to bar, 1988, Pennsylvania; 1989, Maryland, 1997, Illinois. Education: Yale (B.A., 1982; J.D., 1986). COURSES: Juvenile Law, Civil Procedure, Evidence, Parent, Child, State. Email: ebussdos@midway.uchicago.edu

 

MARY ANNE C. CASE, (Arnold I. Shure Professor of Law), born 1957; admitted to bar, 1986, New York. Education: Yale (B.A., 1979); Harvard (J.D., 1985). COURSES: Comparative Law, Constitutional Law, Employment Law, Family Law (Regulating Family, Sex & Gender), International Transactions, Jurisprudence, Women & the Law. Email: macase@law.uchicago.edu

 

R.H. COASE, (Clifton R. Musser Professor of Economics Emeritus & Senior Fellow in Law & Economics), born 1910. Education: University of London (B. Com., 1932; D. Sc., 1951); University of Cologne (Dr. Rep. Pol. h.c., 1988); Yale (D. So.Sc., 1989); Washington (LL.D., 1990). COURSES: Economic Analysis & Public Policy I, Economic Analysis & Public Policy II, Regulated Industries.

 

HERSCHELLA G. CONYERS, (Clinical Professor), born Chicago; admitted to bar, 1984, Illinois. Education: University of Chicago (B.A., 1972); University of Chicago Law School (J.D., 1983). COURSES: Criminal and Juvenile Justice Project, Pre‑trial Advocacy. Email: herschella_conyers@law.uchicago.edu

 

ADAM COX, (Assistant Professor of Law), born Ann Arbor, Michigan, April 25, 1974; admitted to bar, 2001, New York. Education: Princeton University (B.S.E., 1996); University of Michigan Law School (J.D., 1999). COURSES: Civil Procedure, Immigration Law and the Rights of Non‑Citizens, National Borders and Regulatory Policy, Law and the Political Process. Email: adambcox@law.uchicago.edu

 

KENNETH W. DAM, (Max Pam Professor Emeritus of American & Foreign Law and Senior Lecturer), born 1932; admitted to bar, 1959, New York. Education: Kansas (S.B., 1954); University of Chicago (J.D., 1957). COURSES: Antitrust, Constitutional Law, Financial Institutions, Intellectual Property, International Commercial Arbitration, International Transactions. Email: kenneth_dam@law.uchicago.edu

 

ROSALIND DIXON, (Assistant Professor), born Cape Town, South Africa, April 25, 1979; admitted to bar, 2002, New South Wales, Australia. Education: The University of New South Wales (B.A., 2001; LL.B., 2001); Harvard University (LL.M., 2004; S.J.D., 2008). COURSES: Comparative Constitutional Law, Constitutional Law, Human Rights, Legal Theory.

 

RICHARD A. EPSTEIN, (James Parker Hall Distinguished Serv. Professor of Law & Director, Law & Economics Program), born 1943; admitted to bar, 1969, California. Education: Columbia (A.B., 1964); Oxford University (B.A., 1966); Yale (LL.B., 1968). COURSES: Communications, Contracts, Land Use Planning, Property, Real Estate Transactions, Torts, Constitutional Law, Corporations. Email: repstein@midway.uchicago.edu

 

LEE FENNELL, (Professor of Law), born Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, October 4, 1966; admitted to bar, 1990, California; 1991, U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia; U.S. Claims Court. Education: Baylor University (B.B.A., 1987); Georgetown University (J.D., 1990); University of Virginia (M.F.J., 1998).

 

DANIEL R. FISCHEL, (Lee & Brena Freeman Professor Emeritus of Law & Business), born 1950; admitted to bar, 1977, Illinois. Education: Cornell (B.A., 1972); Brown (M.A., 1974); University of Chicago (J.D., 1977). COURSES: Agency & Partnership, Corporate Finance, Corporations, Current Problems in Corporation Law, Non Profits. Email: daniel_fischel@law.uchicago.edu

 

CRAIG B. FUTTERMAN, (Associate Clinical Professor of Law), born Chicago, Illinois, March 2, 1966; admitted to bar, 1991, Illinois. Education: Northwestern University (B.A., 1988); Stanford Law School (J.D., 1991). COURSES: Civil Rights, Pre‑Trial Practice, Trial Advocacy. Email: futterman@uchicago.edu

 

JACOB GERSEN, (Assistant Professor of Law), born New Sharon, Maine, July 15, 1973. Education: Brown University (A.B., 1996); University of Chicago (M.A., 1998; Ph.D., 2001); The University of Chicago Law School (J.D., 2004). COURSES: Administrative Law, Environmental Law, Torts, Insurance Law, Risk and Risk Regulations, Legislation. Email: jgersen@uchicago.edu

 

TOM GINSBURG, (Professor), born Berkeley, California, February 22, 1967; admitted to bar, 1997, California. Education: University of California Berkeley (B.A., 1989; J.D., 1997; Ph.D., 1999). COURSES: Comparative Law, International Law, East Asia. Email: tginsburg@uchicago.edu

 

GIDON A.G. GOTTLIEB, (Leo Spitz Professor Emeritus of International Law & Dip. Emeritus), born 1932; admitted to bar, 1958, England. Education: London School of Economics (LL.B., 1954); Trinity College of Cambridge (LL.B., 1956); Harvard (LL.M., 1957). COURSES: International Law, International Organizations, Jurisprudence, Negotiation. Email: gottlieb@uchicago.edu

 

BERNARD E. HARCOURT, (Julius Kreeger Professor of Law and Criminology), born New York, New York, January 28, 1963; admitted to bar, 1989, New York; 1990, Washington D.C.; 1991, Alabama; 1996, Massachusetts. Education: Princeton University (A.B., 1984); Harvard University (J.D., 1989; M.A., 1998; Ph.D., 2000). COURSES: Criminal Law. Email: bharcourt@law.uchicago.edu

 

R.H. HELMHOLZ, (Ruth Wyatt Rosenson Distinguished Service Professor of Law), born 1940; admitted to bar, 1965, Missouri. Education: Princeton University (A.B., 1962); Harvard (LL.B., 1965); California, Berkeley (Ph.D., 1966); Trinity College (LL.D., 1992). COURSES: Estates, Legal History, Natural Resources, Oil & Gas, Real Property. Email: dick_helmholz@law.uchicago.edu

 

TODD HENDERSON, (Assistant Professor of Law), born Chattanooga, Tennessee, December 17, 1970; admitted to bar, 1999, Maryland. Education: Princeton University (B.S.E., 1993); University of Chicago Law School (J.D., 1998). COURSES: Business Associations, Securities Regulations, Intellectual Property, Bankruptcy. Email: mhenderson@law.uchicago.edu

 

MARK J. HEYRMAN, (Clinical Professor and Faculty Director of Clinical Programs), born 1949; admitted to bar, 1977, Illinois. Education: Illinois (B.A., 1974); University of Chicago (J.D., 1977). COURSES: Clinical Teaching, Law & Psychiatry, Trial & Appellate Advocacy. Email: mheyrman@midway.uchicago.edu

 

JOSEPH ISENBERGH, (Harold J. and Marion F. Green Professor of Law), born 1945; admitted to bar, 1976, District of Columbia. Education: Columbia (B.A., 1966); University of Rochester (A.M., 1967); Yale (J.D., 1976). COURSES: International Transactions, Taxation, Federal. Email: joseph‑isenbergh@law.uchicago.edu

 

ALISON LACROIX, (Assistant Professor of Law), born Milwaukee, Wisconsin, January 12, 1974; admitted to bar, 2000, New York. Education: Yale University (B.A., 1996); Harvard University (A.M., 2006); Yale Law School (J.D., 1999). COURSES: Legal History, Federalism, Constitutional Law. Email: lacroix@uchicago.edu

 

WILLIAM M. LANDES, (Clifton R. Musser Professor of Law & Economics), born 1939. Education: Columbia (A.B., 1960; Ph.D., 1966). COURSES: Antitrust, Art Law, Economic Analysis of Law, Intellectual Property. Email: william_landes@law.uchicago.edu

 

BRIAN LEITER, (John P. Wilson Professor of Law and Director, Center for Law, Philosophy, and Human Values), born New York, New York, January 14, 1963; admitted to bar, 1988, New York. Education: Princeton University (A.B., 1984); University of Michigan (J.D., 1987; Ph.D., 1995). COURSES: Jurisprudence, Evidence. Email: bleiter@uchicago.edu

 

JEFF LESLIE, (Associate Clinical Professor of Law), born Washington D.C., September 28, 1970; admitted to bar, 1997, Illinois. Education: Yale University (B.A., 1992); Yale Law School (J.D., 1997). COURSES: Housing Issues. Email: jleslie@law.uchicago.edu

 

JO DESHA LUCAS, (Professor Emeritus), born 1921; admitted to bar, 1952, Virginia. Education: Syracuse University (A.B., 1947; M.P.A., 1951); University of Virginia (LL.B., 1951); Columbia (LL.M., 1952). COURSES: Admiralty, Civil Procedure, Local Government, State & Local Taxation, Torts. Email: jo_desha_lucas@law.uchicago.edu

 

ANUP MALANI, (Professor of Law), Education: Georgetown (B.S.F.S, 1992); University of Chicago (M.A., P.h.D., 1997; J.D., 2000). COURSES: Health Law, Bankruptcy Law, Corporate Law.

 

IRINA MANTA, (Bigelow Teaching Fellow and Lecturer in Law), born Bucharest, Romania, August 1, 1980. Education: Yale University (B.A., J.D.).

 

RICHARD MCADAMS, (Professor of Law), born Atlanta, Georgia, August, 15, 1960; admitted to bar, 1987, Pennsylvania. Education: University of North Carolina (B.A., 1982); University of Virginia (J.D., 1985).

 

THOMAS J. MILES, (Assistant Professor of Law), born Cambridge, Massachusetts, July 15, 1968; admitted to bar, Tufts University (B.A., 1990); University of Chicago (Ph.D., 2000): Harvard Law School (J.D., 2003). COURSES: Torts, Criminal Law, Economic Analysis of Law. Email: tmiles@law.uchicago.edu

 

PHIL CALDWELL NEAL, (Harry A. Bigelow Professor Emeritus), born 1919; admitted to bar, 1943, Illinois. Education: Harvard (A.B., 1940; LL.B., 1943). COURSES: Antitrust, Civil Procedure, Conflict of Laws, Constitutional Law.

 

MARTHA NUSSBAUM, (Ernst Freund Distinguished Service Professor of Law & Ethics), born 1947. Education: New York University (B.A., 1969); Harvard (M.A., 1971; Ph.D., 1975). COURSES: Aesthetics, Ancient Greek Philosophy, Feminism, Law & Literature, Moral Philosophy, Political Philosophy. Email: martha_nussbaum@law.uchicago.edu

 

RANDAL C. PICKER, (Paul & Theo Leffmann Professor), born 1959; admitted to bar, 1986, Illinois. Education: University of Chicago (B.A, 1980; M.A., 1982; J.D., 1985). COURSES: Bankruptcy, Commercial Transactions, Corporation Reorganizations, Game Theory & the Law, Regulated Industries, Secured Transactions. Email: r‑picker@uchicago.edu

 

ERIC A. POSNER, (Kirkland & Ellis Professor of Law), born 1965; admitted to bar, 1991, Maryland. Education: Yale (B.A., 1988); Harvard (J.D., 1991). COURSES: Bankruptcy, Commercial Law, Copyright Law. Email: eric_posner@law.uchicago.edu

 

JULIE ROIN, (Seymour Logan Professor of Law), born 1955; admitted to bar, 1981, District of Columbia. Education: Radcliffe College (B.A., 1977); Yale (J.D., 1980). COURSES: Contracts, Federal Taxation, International Taxation, Property, Local Government Law, State and Local Taxation. Email: julie_roin@law.uchicago.edu

 

K. ARDEN ROWELL, (Bigelow Fellow and Lecturer in Law), born Denton, Texas, August 4, 1982; admitted to bar, 2007, Washington. Education: University of Washington (B.A., 2001); University of Chicago Law School (J.D., 2006). COURSES: Administrative Law and Regulatory Theory, Environmental Law, Behavioral Law & Economics, Law & Culture. Email: arden@uchicago.edu

 

ADAM MARCUS SAMAHA, (Assistant Professor of Law), born Colchester, Essex, UK, February 26, 1970; admitted to bar, 1997, Minnesota. Education: Bowdoin College (B.A., 1992); Harvard Law School (J.D., 1996). COURSES: Constitutional Law, First Amendment Law, Civil Procedure. Email: asamaha@uchicago.edu

 

RANDALL D. SCHMIDT, (Clinical Professor), born 1954; admitted to bar, 1979, Illinois. Education: Illinois (B.A., 1976); University of Chicago (J.D., 1979). COURSES: Clinical Teaching, Employment Discrimination, Evidence, Trial Practice, Admiralty. Email: rschmid@midway.uchicago.edu

 

GEOFFREY R. STONE, (Edward H. Levi Distinguished Serv. Professor of Law), born 1946; admitted to bar, 1972, New York. Education: Pennsylvania (B.S., 1968); University of Chicago (J.D., 1971). COURSES: Civil Procedure, Constitutional Law, Criminal Procedure. Email: g‑stone@uchicago.edu

 

RANDOLPH N. STONE, (Clinical Professor), born 1946; admitted to bar, 1975, District of Columbia; 1975, Wisconsin; 1977, Illinois. Education: Wisconsin‑Milwaukee (B.A., 1972); Wisconsin (J.D., 1975). COURSES: Clinical Teaching, Evidence, Legal Profession, Trial Advocacy, Criminal Law, Race & Criminal Justice. Email: snar@midway.uchicago.edu

 

LIOR STRAHILEVITZ, (Professor of Law), born St. Louis, Missouri, December 3, 1973; admitted to bar, 2000, Washington. Education: University of California, Berkeley (B.A., 1996); Yale Law School (J.D., 1999). COURSES: Property, Privacy. Email: lior@uchicago.edu

 

DAVID A. STRAUSS, (Harry N. Wyatt Professor), born 1952; admitted to bar, 1980, District of Columbia. Education: Harvard (A.B., 1973; J.D., 1978); Oxford (B.Phil., 1975). COURSES: Administrative Law, Civil Procedure, Constitutional Law, Federal Jurisdiction, Torts. Email: david_strauss@law.uchicago.edu

 

DAVID A. WEISBACH, (The Walter J. Blum Professor of Law and Director, Law & Economics Program), born 1963; admitted to bar, 1989, Illinois; 1990, District of Columbia. Education: Michigan (B.S., 1985); Harvard (J.D., 1989). COURSES: Tax, Corporate Finance. Email: d‑weisbach@uchicago.edu

 

JUDITH MARGARET WRIGHT, (Associate Dean for Library & Information Services and Lecturer in Law), born 1944; admitted to bar, 1980, Illinois. Education: Memphis State (B.S., 1966); University of Chicago (M.A., 1971, Grad. Lib. Sch.); De Paul (J.D., 1980). Email: jmwr@midway.uchicago.edu