Statement of Purpose

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.



ALEA's Commitment to Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

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.



Past Presidents of the American Law and Economics Association

  • 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

The Association's 2025 Meeting will be held on May 16-17, 2025 (Friday/Saturday) at New York University School of Law.

More information, and a call for papers, will be coming in the Fall, but please mark your calendars now!

The Association's 34TH Annual Meeting will be held on May 17-18, 2024 (Friday/Saturday) at the University of Michigan. Please save the dates. A call for papers will be sent to all ALEA members in the Fall.



A Brief History of the Founding of the American Law and Economics Association


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.