American Bar Foundation
Encyclopedia
Established in 1952, the American Bar Foundation (ABF) is an independent, nonprofit national research institute
located in Chicago, Illinois committed to objective empirical
research on law
and legal institutions. This program of sociolegal research is conducted by an interdisciplinary staff of Research Fellows trained in such diverse fields as law
, sociology
, psychology
, political science
, economics
, history
, and anthropology
.
The ABF was initially located in Hyde Park, on the University of Chicago campus. It subsequently moved to the American Bar Association building in downtown Chicago, and remained there after the ABA departed; the ABF now shares that building with portions of the Northwestern University downtown professional schools. The most recent five directors (beginning in the 1970s) of the ABF were Spencer L. Kimball (also a Professor of Law at the University of Chicago
and a former dean of the University of Wisconsin Law School
). Kimball was succeeded by John P. Heinz (Professor at Northwestern University School of Law
), William Felstiner (Bill Felstiner
), Bryant Garth (now Dean of Southwestern Law School), and the current Director, Robert Nelson (also a Professor in the Department of Sociology, Northwestern University and MacCrate Research Chair in the Legal Professions at the ABF).
The American Bar Foundation Research Faculty produces Law and Social Inquiry (LSI), a peer-reviewed academic journal that publishes empirical research about law, legal institutions, and legal processes. LSI currently is published by Wiley-Blackwell.
The American Bar Foundation is a resource for lawyers, scholars, and policy makers who seek analyses of the theory and functioning of law, legal institutions, and the legal profession. The Foundation's work is supported by the American Bar Endowment, by The Fellows of the American Bar Foundation, and by grants for particular research projects from private foundations and government agencies.
Research institute
A research institute is an establishment endowed for doing research. Research institutes may specialize in basic research or may be oriented to applied research...
located in Chicago, Illinois committed to objective empirical
Empirical
The word empirical denotes information gained by means of observation or experimentation. Empirical data are data produced by an experiment or observation....
research on law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
and legal institutions. This program of sociolegal research is conducted by an interdisciplinary staff of Research Fellows trained in such diverse fields as law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
, sociology
Sociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
, psychology
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
, political science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
, economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
, history
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
, and anthropology
Anthropology
Anthropology is the study of humanity. It has origins in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The term "anthropology" is from the Greek anthrōpos , "man", understood to mean mankind or humanity, and -logia , "discourse" or "study", and was first used in 1501 by German...
.
The ABF was initially located in Hyde Park, on the University of Chicago campus. It subsequently moved to the American Bar Association building in downtown Chicago, and remained there after the ABA departed; the ABF now shares that building with portions of the Northwestern University downtown professional schools. The most recent five directors (beginning in the 1970s) of the ABF were Spencer L. Kimball (also a Professor of Law at the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
and a former dean of the University of Wisconsin Law School
University of Wisconsin Law School
The University of Wisconsin Law School is the professional school for the study of law at the University of Wisconsin–Madison in Madison, Wisconsin. The law school was founded in 1868.-Facilities:...
). Kimball was succeeded by John P. Heinz (Professor at Northwestern University School of Law
Northwestern University School of Law
The Northwestern University School of Law is a private American law school in Chicago, Illinois. The law school was founded in 1859 as the Union College of Law of the Old University of Chicago. The first law school established in Chicago, it became jointly controlled by Northwestern University in...
), William Felstiner (Bill Felstiner
Bill Felstiner
William L.F. Felstiner , usually known as Bill Felstiner, is an internationally renowned socio-legal scholar. With his wife Gray he has two sons.-Education and early career:...
), Bryant Garth (now Dean of Southwestern Law School), and the current Director, Robert Nelson (also a Professor in the Department of Sociology, Northwestern University and MacCrate Research Chair in the Legal Professions at the ABF).
The American Bar Foundation Research Faculty produces Law and Social Inquiry (LSI), a peer-reviewed academic journal that publishes empirical research about law, legal institutions, and legal processes. LSI currently is published by Wiley-Blackwell.
The American Bar Foundation is a resource for lawyers, scholars, and policy makers who seek analyses of the theory and functioning of law, legal institutions, and the legal profession. The Foundation's work is supported by the American Bar Endowment, by The Fellows of the American Bar Foundation, and by grants for particular research projects from private foundations and government agencies.
See also
- New legal realismNew legal realismNew Legal Realism [NLR] is an emerging school of thought in U.S. legal philosophy.Although it draws on the older Legal Realism from the first half of the twentieth century, New Legal Realism differs in important ways. Notably, it moves beyond the older field’s emphasis on judges, courts, and...
- James HeckmanJames HeckmanJames Joseph Heckman is an American economist and Nobel laureate. He is the Henry Schultz Distinguished Service Professor of Economics at the University of Chicago, Professor of Science and Society at University College Dublin and a Senior Research Fellow at the American Bar Foundation.Heckman...
- Bonnie HonigBonnie HonigBonnie Honig is a political and legal theorist specialized in democratic and feminist theory. She is Sarah Rebecca Roland Professor of Political Science at Northwestern University and Senior Research Professor at the American Bar Foundation...
- John ComaroffJohn ComaroffJohn L. Comaroff is a Harold H. Swift Distinguished Service professor of Anthropology and Social Sciences at the University of Chicago. He is also Research Professor at the American Bar Foundation....
- LawLawLaw is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
- Law and Society AssociationLaw and Society AssociationThe Law and Society Association is an association founded in 1964. Its members come from many fields and countries and are interested in "the place of law in social, political, economic and cultural life". The association publishes the academic journal Law & Society Review.The LSA's executive...
- Austan GoolsbeeAustan GoolsbeeAustan Dean Goolsbee is an American economist, formerly serving as the Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers and the youngest member of the cabinet of President Barack Obama. Goolsbee is from the University of Chicago where he is the Robert P...