Loyola hosts Saul Levmore as Order of the Coif Distinguished Visitor

Loyola Law School was chosen to host Saul Levmore, William B. Graham Distinguished Service Professor of Law and former Dean of the University of Chicago Law School, as the 2011 Order of the Coif Distinguished Visitor. Professor Levmore is one of the world's leading legal academics, with diverse interests in torts, corporations, non-profit organizations, comparative law, public choice, corporate tax, commercial law, insurance, and contracts and copyright law. He will be Loyola's campus on Monday, March 14 and Tuesday, March 15.

The highlight of Professor Levmore's visit will be a campus-wide lecture on Tuesday, March 15 from 12-1 p.m. in Robinson Courtroom. The topic of the talk is Precedent and Convergence. The abstract is below:

Lawmakers often seem inconsistent when their views are aggregated through legislative votes or dueling judicial opinions. To different degrees they are bound by precedent, so that law is "path dependent." It is therefore puzzling that different legal systems so often end up with the same rules, as is true for comparative negligence, contract damages, and many other familiar doctrines. An exploration of this puzzle illuminates such things as the role of judges and even the ways in which associates are promoted within law firms. There emerges a new and improved understanding of the different tasks assigned courts and legislatures.