The Legal Theory Workshop brings leading scholars from around the country to discuss their works in progress with law students , graduate students in philosophy, and interested faculty. All the papers will address legal issues from a theoretically informed perspective. The line-up of speakers and topics is quite diverse. This year's program is still being formed but past years have featured speakers on freedom of speech, intellectual property, art and the law, the formal structure of law, the relationship of law to morality, constitutional law, distributive justice (domestic and international), tax, contract, tort, theoretical topics in criminal law, the nature of political authority, equality and discrimination, charitable donations and distributive justice (a joint session with the Tax Policy Colloquium), legitimacy and political equality, and the treatment of state intentions in constitutional law.
The seminar will involve biweekly discussions with leading scholars, with intervening preparatory weeks for students to gain background in the relevant topic. Students will be expected to attend all sessions, participate regularly, and to write a handful of short reaction papers (1-2 pages) and one longer analytical paper involving little research (12-15 pages) at the end of the term about one of the subjects covered in class. Students who wish SAW credit may elect to write a somewhat longer paper.
No prerequisites or prior background is necessary, but students should be open to in-depth investigation of theoretical arguments about legal issues and legal structure. All law students are welcome and have the relevant preparation. Background will be supplied in the weeks in between speaker visits. The course is particularly well-suited to those students who want to explore more theoretical perspectives on law and their use in legal arguments. It may be helpful to those who plan to write notes, to consider an academic career in law, or who plan to clerk, although none of these intentions are necessary to take, enjoy, or succeed in the course. The course also provides a nice opportunity to interact with faculty at UCLA in a congenial atmosphere and to meet faculty from other institutions.