July 31, 2019 | Jeanne Leblanc - School of Law

Professor Alexandra Lahav Elected to American Law Institute

UConn Law Professor Alexandra D. Lahav, an expert in the civil justice system and tort law, has been elected to the American Law Institute, a national, independent organization of judges, lawyers and legal scholars working to improve the law. Lahav’s research in litigation and civil justice draws on perspectives from legal analysis, history, political theory, […]

The American Law Institute logo

The American Law Institute

UConn Law Professor Alexandra D. Lahav, an expert in the civil justice system and tort law, has been elected to the American Law Institute, a national, independent organization of judges, lawyers and legal scholars working to improve the law.

UConn Law professor Alexandra Lahav.
UConn Law professor Alexandra Lahav.

Lahav’s research in litigation and civil justice draws on perspectives from legal analysis, history, political theory, and economics. Her 2017 book, “In Praise of Litigation,” makes the case that litigation is a social good that promotes democratic values. The book has received several prizes, including an Honorable Mention in the ABA Silver Gavel Award

Her other recent work includes a study of the changing win rate patterns in the federal courts, the effects of incentives on judicial decision-making, and the optimal design of procedural systems. She is currently spearheading a project on evaluating litigation risk.

“Professor Lahav is not only a distinguished scholar who has made important contributions to the study of our civil justice system, she is a gifted teacher who was recently recognized by our students with a teaching award,” said Leslie C. Levin, associate dean for research and faculty development. “She is also a terrific colleague. She richly deserves this honor.

Lahav teaches civil procedure, torts, complex litigation, professional responsibility, and related subjects. She received her BA in history from Brown University and graduated magna cum laude from Harvard Law School, clerked for Justice Alan Handler of the New Jersey Supreme Court, and practiced with a boutique civil rights firm in New York City. She was a teaching fellow at Stanford Law School before joining the UConn faculty in 2004 and has also taught at Columbia, Harvard and Yale Law Schools. In 2019-2020, she will be a Radcliffe fellow working on a project on the future of causation in tort law.

The American Law Institute limits its elected membership to 3,000 lawyers, judges, and law professors. Lahav joins 10 current and retired UConn Law faculty members on the institute’s roster. They are: Bethany Berger, Philip Blumberg, Sara Bronin, Anne Dailey, Timothy Fisher, Mark Janis, Peter Kochenburger, Lewis Kurlantzick, Stephen Utz and Carol Weisbrod.