To a growing degree, the sophisticated practice of law requires a familiarity with quantitative methods and an understanding of how judges apply these methods in hearing and deciding cases. This seminar aims to provide a solid foundation of skills and applications for these methods. Each week we will study a specific method and examine how that method helped resolve a specific case or legal transaction. Methods we study will include inferential statistics, Chi-square analysis, regression analysis, and descriptive statistics. Applications will include examples from torts, constitutional law, employment discrimination, criminal law, business law, and environmental law.
It's recommended that students in this class have taken an undergraduate course in statistics, but motivated students who have not taken such a class (and even math-phobes) are welcome provided they are willing to do some remedial work at the beginning of the semester. Seminar requirements include periodic homework assignments, class discussion of assigned materials, two 5-7 page papers and a final exam. Students can satisfy the school's advanced writing requirement with the seminar by doing some modest additional writing. For more information, please contact the professor.