The American Law and Economics Association is dedicated to the advancement of economic understanding of law and related areas of public policy and regulation. Founded in 1991, the membership includes academic and practicing lawyers and economists. The Association holds an annual two-day meeting in May at which members present papers dealing with a wide variety of topics concerning the interrelation of law and economics. Since 1999, the Association has published the American Law and Economics Review, a refereed journal.
The American Law and Economics Association is committed to our promise to be inclusive, and to promoting a culture of diversity and equity within our membership. We encourage people from groups that have been historically marginalized in the field of law and economics to join ALEA, to attend our annual meeting, and to submit papers for presentation at our annual meeting. This includes, but is not limited to, BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color), LGBTQIA+, people with disabilities, and women. We also welcome junior scholars, assistant professors and those soon entering the job market.
2022: Kathryn Zeiler
2021: W. Bentley MacLeod
2020: Aaron S. Edlin
2019: Saul Levmore
2018: Jennifer Arlen
2017: Keith N. Hylton
2016: Ian Ayres
2015: Kathryn Spier
2014: Robert Scott
2013: Douglas Baird
2012: Jennifer Reinganum
2011: John Donohue
2010: Louis Kaplow
2009: Orley Ashenfelter
2008: Michelle White
2007: Lucian Bebchuk
2006: Oliver Hart
2005: Daniel Rubinfeld
2004: Henry Hansmann
2003: Frank Easterbrook
2002: Michael J. Trebilcock
2001: Steven Shavell
2000: Robert C. Ellickson
1999: Lewis Kornhauser
1998: Roberta Romano
1997: Oliver Williamson
1996: Alan Schwartz
1995: Richard A. Posner
1994: Robert D. Cooter
1993: A. Mitchell Polinsky
1992: William M. Landes
1991: George L. Priest
As the community of law and economics scholars grew, the need to establish a national association to
promote and encourage research in the field became apparent. In January, 1990, Henry Manne, who was Dean
of George Mason University Law School, convened a meeting to discuss the organization of an association.
Dean Manne also secured initial funding for the development of an association from the John M. Olin
Foundation. The meeting occurred at George Mason and was attended by Robert Cooter (Berkeley), Charles
Goetz (Virginia), Victor Goldberg (Columbia), A. Mitchell Polinsky (Stanford), George Priest (Yale),
Steven Shavell (Harvard), Michael Trebilcock (Toronto), Thomas Ulen (Illinois), and Richard Zerbe
(Washington).
After the George Mason meeting, George Priest, A. Mitchell Polinsky, and Steven Shavell formally
incorporated the American Law and Economics Association and sent a letter to prospective members in
February, 1991, announcing plans for the first annual meeting of the Association.
The first annual meeting of the Association was held on May 24-25, 1991, at the University of Illinois
in Champaign-Urbana, and was attended by 200 scholars. The meeting included a plenary session honoring
founders of the field: Guido Calabresi (Yale), Ronald Coase (Chicago), Henry Manne (George Mason), and
Richard Posner (Chicago), each of whom was in attendance.
At this first annual meeting, a Board of Directors and Officers of the Association were elected by
attending members. The initial Board consisted of representatives of major schools: Jennifer Arlen
(Emory), Robert Cooter (Berkeley), Richard Craswell (U.S.C.), Patricia Danzon (Pennsylvania), Victor
Goldberg (Columbia), Mark Grady (Northwestern), Lewis Kornhauser (N.Y.U.), Judith Lachman (M.I.T.),
Henry Manne (George Mason), Warren Schwartz (Georgetown), Robert Scott, (Virginia), Steven Shavell
(Harvard), Thomas Ulen (Illinois), Michelle White (Michigan), and Richard Zerbe (Washington). The first
Officers were George Priest (Yale), President; William Landes (Chicago), Vice President/President-Elect;
and A. Mitchell Polinsky (Stanford), Secretary-Treasurer. The first Executive Director of the
Association was Karen Crocco. The John M. Olin Foundation generously agreed to sustain the Association
in its early years.