Conference will debate the impact of legal services on the American economy
AUSTIN, Texas — The University of Texas School of Law's new
Center on Lawyers, Civil Justice, and the Media was awarded a grant from the
Texas Bar Foundation to fund the Center's first major conference.
The conference, What We Know and Don't Know About Lawyers, Civil Justice, and
the Impact of Legal Services on the American Economy and Polity, will be held
February 1-2 at the UT School of Law. Produced in cooperation with the Texas
Law Review, the conference's more than 20 pre-eminent speakers will address
a variety of important topics, including client recruitment and referral practices
of trial lawyers in Texas; the impact of fee arrangements on lawyer effort;
trends in punitive and compensatory damages; and the connection between law
and economic growth.
The Center on Lawyers, Civil Justice, and the Media was founded
by Professors Charles Silver, the Cecil D. Redford Professor in Law and Robert
W. Calvert Faculty Fellow in Law, and Professor Lynn Baker, the Thomas Watt
Gregory Professor in Law. Both are nationally respected experts in professional
responsibility and have distinguished themselves with cutting-edge work with
complex group lawsuits and with mass torts, respectively. The Center's mission
is to examine and distribute statistically valid studies regarding the impact
of the law on aspects of the economy and the functioning of the government.
"We were delighted the Center received such a grant from the Texas Bar
Foundation. It is a recognition of the value the Center brings to the debate
over the dramatic impact lawyers make on society. We are grateful for the
Texas Bar Foundation's support, and for Charlie and Lynn's role in securing
the grant," UT Law Dean Bill Powers said.
The Center on Lawyers, Civil Justice, and the Media and the Texas Law Review
invite all interested people to attend the conference For details, please
contact the administrative offices of the Texas Law Review at (512) 232-1287.