Brian Leiter’s Law School Reports

News and views about law school and law

  • I’m moving from Twitter/X to Bluesky

    If you use X or similar social media to follow the blog, please follow me there.  Thank you. ADDENDUM:  Here's why you should move too:   Musk is manipulating the algorithms on his platform in service of Trump and the Republicans. ANOTHER:  Join the exodus to Bluesky: The platform formerly regarded [by ignoramuses-ed.] as a utopian…

    Read more

  • 15 most cited Law & Economics faculty in the U.S., 2019-2023 (CORRECTED)

    Based on the latest Sisk data, here are the fifteen most-cited law faculty in law & economics (including behavioral law & economics) in the U.S. for the period 2019-2023 (inclusive) (remember that the data was collected in late May/early June of 2024, and that the pre-2024 database did expand a bit since then).  Numbers are…

    Read more

  • 10 most-cited Election Law faculty in the U.S., 2019-2023 (CORRECTED)

    Based on the latest Sisk data, here are the ten most-cited election law faculty in the U.S. for the period 2019-2023 (inclusive) (remember that the data was collected in late May/early June of 2024, and that the pre-2024 database did expand a bit since then).  Numbers are rounded to the nearest ten.    Faculty for whom…

    Read more

  • The study of philosophy in law schools, and JD/PhDs in philosophy, 2024 edition

    For those who might be interested.

    Read more

  • AALS Faculty Study

    Coming soon.  I'll be participating in an online webinar on November 20 with BU Dean Onwuachi-Willig, AALS President and Dean Melanie Wilson, and LSAC CEO Kellye Testy about the report.  Research Katie Kempner will also present an overview of the study findings.  

    Read more

  • $45 million estate bequest to University of Washington’s law school

    A substantial gift, although fairly narrowly targetted in its purpose. (Thanks to Rob Grant for the pointer.)

    Read more

  • UC San Francisco (formerly Hastings) sees huge increase in applications…

    …thanks, it appears, to its most famous alumna.  Now I wonder whether Trump had a similar effect on Wharton applications?

    Read more

  • “Law and Historical Materialism”

    An interesting symposium at Jack Balkin's blog on a recent paper by legal historian Jeremy Kessler.  I found the contributions by Benkler and Syed most interesting, albeit misguided, and I thought Professor Kessler's responses were judicious and sensible.  Professor Kessler has done a real service in debunking the CLS critique of Marx, which was never taken…

    Read more

  • 10 most-cited Labor & Employment Law faculty in the U.S., 2019-2023

    Based on the latest Sisk data, here are the ten most-cited labor and/or employment law faculty in the U.S. for the period 2019-2023 (inclusive) (remember that the data was collected in late May/early June of 2024, and that the pre-2024 database did expand a bit since then).  Numbers are rounded to the nearest ten.    Faculty…

    Read more

  • Trends in lateral hiring, 2019-2024

    Lawprof Derek Muller analyzes data from this blog.  It would be interesting to see how the lateral numbers compare to faculty size.  Bear in mind, too, that a school like Harvard, which had "zero" lateral moves from Harvard to another school in the last five years, did have many retirements, and sometimes lateral hires are…

    Read more

  • 10 most cited Family Law faculty in the U.S., 2019-2023 (CORRECTED AGAIN)

    Based on the latest Sisk data, here are the ten most-cited family law faculty in the U.S. for the period 2019-2023 (inclusive) (remember that the data was collected in late May/early June of 2024, and that the pre-2024 database did expand a bit since then).  Numbers are rounded to the nearest ten.    Faculty for whom…

    Read more

  • 18% surge in registration for the LSAT

    A good sign for law schools, but also for those seeking law teaching jobs going forward.

    Read more

  • NY law firm drops client, Columbia lawprof Katherine Franke, when her views attract public criticism…

    …and the partner who was representing Professor Franke quits the firm, while Profesor Frank has filed an ethics complaint with the NY Bar.  Pretty slimy way to treat a client!

    Read more

  • 10 most-cited Legal History faculty in U.S. law schools, 2019-2023 (2nd CORRECTION)

    Based on the latest Sisk data, here are the ten most-cited U.S. law faculty writing on legal history for the period 2019-2023 (inclusive) (remember that the data was collected in late May/early June of 2024, and that the pre-2024 database did expand a bit since then).  Numbers are rounded to the nearest ten.    Faculty for…

    Read more

  • JD/PhDs by PhD field

    Andrew Granato, a JD/PhD student at Yale, has compiled data from PrawfsBlog about all PhDs hired in law schools over the last 15 years, more or less.   This includes folks hired into non-US law schools. Here's the breakdown by PhD discipline: Political Science (71) Economics (65) History (59) Philosophy (48) Sociology (32) STEM fields (19)…

    Read more

  • 10 most cited Legislation (incl. statutory interpretation & legislative process) law faculty in the U.S., 2019-2023 (CORRECTED–ONE ADDITION)

    Based on the latest Sisk data, here are the ten most-cited U.S. law faculty writing on legislation (including statutory interpretation and legislative process). for the period 2019-2023 (inclusive) (remember that the data was collected in late May/early June of 2024, and that the pre-2024 database did expand a bit since then).  Numbers are rounded to…

    Read more

  • More on the ABA’s proposed revisions to its former “diversity” standard

    Following up on last week's post, Dan Rodriguez, the former Dean at Northwestern, offers some thoughts of his own, and sheds interesting light on how the ABA "diversity" standard worked in practice.

    Read more

  • “The Law and Philosophy of Academic Freedom”

    Providence College has made available a video of a public lecture I gave last week, which may be of iterest to some readers.

    Read more

  • Opposition to ABA’s proposal to revamp its “diversity and inclusion” standards in the wake of SCOTUS decision in SFFA

    As Karen Sloan reports for Reuters: The proposed new standard—renamed the “access to legal education and the profession” standard—eliminates references to race, ethnicity and gender and instead requires law schools to provide access to “persons including those with identities that historically have been disadvantaged or excluded from the legal profession.” A letter from 44 Deans…

    Read more

  • 20 most cited Corporate Law & Securities Regulation faculty in the U.S., 2019-2023

    The Blog Emperor has the details.  Those are some big numbers!  Their Dean Ken Randall is experienced and savvy (he oversaw Alabama's rise to distinction in the early 2000s), but will have his work cut out for him. Based on the latest Sisk data, here are the twenty most-cited law corporate law & securities faculty…

    Read more

  • The new timetable of the law school hiring market

    Because I've been working with Chicago alums and fellows on the teaching market since 2008 (and doing the same at UT Austin before that), I've been witness to the changing timetable since the pandemic killed the "meat market" in Washington, DC (thank goodness!) and Zoom took over.  Here's my perception, but I've opened comments for…

    Read more

  • Academic freedom abolished at Penn

    The University of Pennsylvania has sanctioned Amy Wax for her offensive extramural speech, even though it is clearly protected under the applicable AAUP standards governing extramural speech (earlier coverage).  (The sanction does not involve revocation of tenure, but rather a substantial financial penalty.  I assume Professor Wax will sue for breach of contract.)   As the…

    Read more

  • 10 most cited Tax Law faculty in the U.S., 2019-2023

    Based on the latest Sisk data, here are the ten most-cited law tax law faculty in the U.S. for the period 2019-2023 (inclusive) (remember that the data was collected in late May/early June of 2024, and that the pre-2024 database did expand a bit since then).  Numbers are rounded to the nearest ten.    Faculty for…

    Read more

  • 10 most cited Law & Philosophy faculty in the U.S., 2019-2023

    Based on the latest Sisk data, here are the ten most-cited law faculty in law & philosophy in the U.S. for the period 2019-2023 (inclusive) (remember that the data was collected in late May/early June of 2024, and that the pre-2024 database did expand a bit since then).  Numbers are rounded to the nearest ten.   …

    Read more

  • More controversy at Berkeley Law

    Students are protesting a class on "anti-semitism and law" by leading corporate law expert Steven Davidoff Solomon, primarily because of an op-ed he wrote encouraging employers not to hire his "anti-semitic" students.  Let me comment on this purely from the standpoint of the academic freedom rights of faculty:  (1) Davidoff's op-ed was inappropriate:  as we…

    Read more

  • 15 most cited Law & Social Science faculty in the U.S., 2019-2023

    Based on the latest Sisk data, here are the fifteen most-cited law faculty in "law & social science" (excluding economics; including "law & society," "empirical legal studies," sociology, political science, psychology, anthropology) in the U.S. for the period 2019-2023 (inclusive) (remember that the data was collected in late May/early June of 2024, and that the…

    Read more

  • Michigan Law wins summary judgment in discrimination lawsuit brought by faculty member

    We noted the case two years ago, and it has now been resolved in favor of the University of Michigan Law School and its former Dean Mark West.  The court describes emails from Dean West to Professor Beny "as immature, awkward, and unprofessional, but likely not harassing," but also held that, "The undisputed facts in…

    Read more

  • Interesting initiative to increase legal services in rural areas…

    …from the University of Georgia. Other flagships in states with under-served rural communities may want to take a look at this.

    Read more

  • Citation lists going forward (IMPORTANT UPDATE)

    Going forward, I won't produce any "most cited" ordinal lists in specialty areas when the citation total for the five-year period is below 300.  Partly this is for reasons of time, but partly it is that I'm skeptical that as the citation numbers get smaller, ordinal differences are very meaningful.   That means for some of…

    Read more

  • Curricular areas of interest to hiring committees, 24-25

    Northwestern's Professor Lawsky has collected some very interesting information.  It's too bad we don't have data for earlier years, so I can only report my anecdotal sense.  This is a good year for "business law," but every year is a good year for the business law subjects.   It seems like a comparatively good year for…

    Read more

  • 20 most cited Administrative and/or Environmental Law faculty in the U.S., 2019-2023 (CORRECTED)

    Based on the latest Sisk data, here are the twenty most-cited law faculty in administrative and/or environmental law in the U.S. for the period 2019-2023 (inclusive) (remember that the data was collected in late May/early June of 2024, and that the pre-2024 database did expand a bit since then).  Numbers are rounded to the nearest…

    Read more

  • Books

    Forgive the navel-gazing here, but perhaps some readers will be interested in some of the three books of mine that have appeared this year. (1)  Marx, co-authored with Jaime Edwards, has just appeared.   Here's what the political philosopher Allen Buchanan (emeritus, Duke University; Laureate Professor, University of Arizona; author of Marx and Justice:  The Radical…

    Read more

  • In Memoriam: Frederick Schauer (1946-2024)

    I was shocked to learn from David Law on Facebook that Professor Schauer has died (yesterday according to his Virginia colleague Larry Solum).   He started his academic career at West Virginia University, moved to the College of William & Mary, then to the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor (where I was fortunate to have him),…

    Read more

  • Chicago Alumni & Fellows on the law teaching market, 2024-25

    MOVING TO FRONT, ORIGINALLY POSTED AUGUST 12 This post is strictly for schools that expect to do hiring this year. In order to protect the privacy of our candidates, please e-mail me to get a copy of the narrative profiles of our candidates who are on the entry-level market this year and participating in the…

    Read more

  • 10 most cited Law & Technology faculty in the U.S., 2019-2023 (CORRECTED)

    Based on the latest Sisk data, here are the ten most-cited law faculty in law & technology (including Internet law, informational privacy, cybersecurity, AI/robotocs) in the U.S. for the period 2019-2023 (inclusive) (remember that the data was collected in late May/early June of 2024, and that the pre-2024 database did expand a bit since then). …

    Read more

  • 20 most cited Constitutional Law faculty in the U.S., 2019-2023

    Based on the latest Sisk data, here are the twenty most-cited law faculty in constitutional law in the U.S. for the period 2019-2023 (inclusive) (remember that the data was collected in late May/early June of 2024, and that the pre-2024 database did expand a bit since then).  Numbers are rounded to the nearest ten.    Faculty…

    Read more

  • First FAR distribution for 24-25

    Professor Lawksy reports there are 352 candidates, roughly the same as last year.

    Read more

  • Fellowships for Aspiring Law Teachers, 24-25 edition

    The Blog Emperor has updated his invaluable list.

    Read more

  • Ten most cited law faculty in the U.S., 2019-2023

    Based on the latest Sisk data, here are the ten most-cited active law professors in the U.S. for the period 2016-2020 (inclusive) (remember that the data was collected in late May/early June of 2024, and that the pre-2024 database did expand a bit since then).  Numbers are rounded to the nearest ten.  (Law professors not…

    Read more

  • Top 50 U.S. law faculties in scholarly impact, 2024

    Professor Greg Sisk & colleagues at the University of St. Thomas have updated their scholarly impact rankings (last edition), looking at mean and median citations to tenured faculty scholarship for the years 2019-2023 inclusive, using fall 2024 faculty rosters as the benchmark (so, e.g., faculty on indefinite leave in government service are not counted).  (Sisk…

    Read more

Subscribe via email

RSS Feed

Instagram

Tumblr

Categories

Archive

Designed with WordPress