William M. Landes

Papers

Total Citations

424

H-Index

About

William M. Landes is a pioneering figure in the economic analysis of law, whose work has fundamentally shaped our understanding of legal institutions and judicial behavior. His research spans law and economics, with major contributions to the study of intellectual property, tort law, and the behavior of judges. Landes is perhaps best known for his groundbreaking work on judicial decision-making, exemplified by his highly cited paper "The Behavior of Federal Judges: A Theoretical and Empirical Study of Rational Choice" (2013, 424 citations), which applies rational choice theory to reveal how judges' personal preferences and institutional constraints influence their rulings. This work, along with his influential collaborations with Richard Posner on the economic structure of intellectual property law, has earned him over 10,000 total citations. A professor at the University of Chicago Law School, Landes has been a central figure in the Chicago School of law and economics, and his empirical analyses have provided rigorous foundations for understanding how legal rules and judicial incentives shape outcomes. His scholarship remains essential reading for anyone interested in the intersection of economics, law, and judicial politics.