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Ward Farnsworth

Professor of Law and author

Ward Farnsworth is a prominent legal scholar and Professor of Law at the University of Texas School of Law, where he holds the W. Page Keeton Chair. He served as the Dean of the law school from 2012 to 2022. Farnsworth has an extensive academic background, having previously taught for 15 years at Boston University School of Law, where he also held the position of Associate Dean for Academic Affairs.2

Education and Early Career

Farnsworth graduated from Wesleyan University in 1989 and earned his Juris Doctor with high honors from the University of Chicago Law School in 1994. Following his graduation, he clerked for Judge Richard A. Posner on the Seventh Circuit and Justice Anthony M. Kennedy of the United States Supreme Court. He also worked as a Legal Adviser to the Iran-United States Claims Tribunal in The Hague.12

Scholarly Contributions

Farnsworth is recognized for his contributions to various fields, including tort law, remedies, and jurisprudence. He has authored several influential books, such as:

  • Restitution: Civil Liability for Unjust Enrichment (2014)
  • The Legal Analyst: A Toolkit for Thinking About the Law (2007)
  • Farnsworth's Classical English Rhetoric (2010) and its sequels on metaphor and style.

His recent work includes Farnsworth’s Classical English Argument, which explores techniques of argumentation from historical figures.24

Teaching and Research

In addition to his administrative roles, Farnsworth teaches courses on torts, contracts, civil procedure, admiralty, and rhetoric. He has published numerous articles in leading law reviews and is known for his interdisciplinary approach to legal education, incorporating insights from cognitive psychology and philosophy into his teaching and writing.123

Farnsworth's work has garnered significant recognition, and he continues to influence both legal scholarship and education through his innovative teaching methods and comprehensive publications.45

Highlights

‘Farnsworth’s Classical English Argument’ Review: How Debates Used to Work - The Wall Street Journal
‘The Socratic Method’ Review: Let Us Reason Together - The Wall Street Journal
Feb 25 · lawdragon.com
Lawyer Limelight: Dean Ward Farnsworth, University of Texas ...
Lawyer Limelight: Dean Ward Farnsworth, University of Texas ...

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Location

Austin, Texas, United States