For years very few people in the legal academy engaged in empirical scholarship, gathering and studying data about the actual functioning of the law. In recent years the empirical approach has emerged as a major force in the nations law schools, challenging the traditional preoccupation with abstract legal theory. The Joint Conference on Commercial Realities provides an opportunity for commercial-law scholars who have been in teaching less than ten years to gather and offer papers in small-group setting, with the help of senior scholars. The emphasis is on constructive criticism and technical help. The meeting in Austin in March, 2009, will be the fifth annual session.
The University of Texas at Austin Law School expresses its special appreciation to Evelyn Biery, Fulbright and Jaworski and to the following firms: (Other firm names are pending).