18th Annual Clifford Symposium

A Celebration of the Thought of Marc Galanter

Professor Marc Galanter has, since the 1960s, been one of the most insightful and influential analysts of America's civil justice system. Harnessing the power of social science tools, he has cast new light on a wide range of topics. He has debunked the "litigation explosion" myth, explored the nuances of access to justice, charted the shifting tides of development in civil legal practice, weighed the import of the "vanishing trial," and repeatedly cast a scholarly eye on the shibboleths surrounding our legal system. In more than half a dozen books and literally hundreds of speeches and articles, he has analyzed and dissected our adjudicatory processes and what we say about them. He has made us laugh at lawyer jokes and shown us the heart of darkness where the "haves" almost always come out ahead. Marc also has been our guide to legal India. He is a towering scholar with a twinkle in his eye.

Marc has long been a friend of the Clifford Symposium. He was there virtually from the start as an advisor, has contributed numerous articles and spoken at more than a dozen programs. It is with the greatest pleasure that we seek to honor our dear friend, mentor and colleague at the 2012 Clifford Symposium on Tort Law and Social Policy.

Schedule

Download the schedule here.

Registration

The Clifford Symposium is free and open to the public. Due to space limitations, however, those interested in attending are encouraged to register in advance. Registrants will be given preference with regard to attendance, luncheon and distribution of materials. Registration must be completed no later than Monday, April 23, 2012. Walk-ins are welcome, but space is not guaranteed.

DePaul University College of Law is an accredited Illinois MCLE provider. This program has been approved for up to 7 hours of CLE credit.

April 26 & 27, 2012
DePaul Center, Room 8005
1 E. Jackson Blvd.
Chicago, IL 60604

The Clifford Symposium on Tort Law and Social Policy

In 1994, Robert A. Clifford ('76) endowed a faculty chair in tort law and social policy. The chair gives meaningful expression to his belief that the civil justice system serves a number of vital interests in American society. The Clifford Chair at DePaul provides a vehicle for exploration of the civil justice system in an intellectually rigorous fashion. Professor Stephan Landsman currently holds the chair.

In addition to providing support for faculty research and teaching, the endowment makes possible an annual symposium addressing a timely issue in the civil justice area. The purpose of the symposium is to bring the latest scholarship and advances in legal practice to lawyers and scholars who specialize in tort law, civil justice and related fields.

Symposium Faculty & Papers

Richard Abel, University of California Los Angeles School of Law

Tom Baker, University of Pennsylvania Law School
The Preference for Arbitration in Reinsurance Disputing

Anne Bloom, University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law
The Radiating Effects of Torts

Paul Carrington, Duke University School of Law
The War on Poverty and Guaranteed Student Loans: The Impact on the Profession

Shari Diamond, Northwestern University School of Law and American Bar Foundation
Do Criminal Trial Rates Influence the Vanishing Civil Trial?

Theodore Eisenberg, Cornell Law School
Litigation Rates and Economic Development

David Engel, University at Buffalo Law School
Interpretive Practices at the Threshold of Tort Law

Eric Feldman, University of Pennsylvania Law School
Fukushima: Catastrophe, Compensation and Justice in Japan

Lawrence Friedman, Stanford Law School
Through a Glass Darkly: Law, Culture and the Media

Marc Galanter, University of Wisconsin Law School

Michele Goodwin, University of Minnesota Law School
When Institutions Fail and the Rule of Law Is Undermined: The Case of Underage Marriage in India

Robert Gordon, Stanford Law School
How the 'Haves' Stay Ahead: The Legal System’s Protection of Oligarchy

Valerie Hans, Cornell Law School
Jury Jokes

Herbert Kritzer, University of Minnesota Law School
So What Is It That We Understand to Be a Trial?

Stephan Landsman, DePaul University College of Law

Sida Liu, University of Wisconsin Department of Sociology
The Tournament of Lawyers and Firms: How Large Law Firms Expand in China

Gowri Ramachandran, Southwestern Law School
Law Panic: Lawyers as "The Great Social Evil"

Ann Southworth, University of California Irvine School of Law
What Is Public Interest Law? Empirical Perspectives on an Old Question

Shauhin Talesh, University of California Irvine School of Law
How the 'Haves' Come Out Ahead in the Twenty-first Century: Understanding the Relationship Between Law, Organizations and Dispute Resolution Systems

Brian Tamanaha, Washington University School of Law
Another Look at Dispute Resolution Mechanisms