Robert G. Bone

Professor Robert Bone is a leading scholar in the fields of civil procedure, complex litigation and intellectual property, known especially for his theoretical and interdisciplinary work. Before joining the University of Texas Law School faculty, he was Professor of Law and Robert Kent Chair in Civil Procedure at Boston University School of Law.

Professor Bone has published numerous articles in leading law journals and essays in books, and has given many lectures and talks in the United States and other countries. One of his areas of specialty is the application of economic analysis to procedural issues. He has published a book entitled "The Economics of Civil Procedure," which was translated into Japanese, and major articles analyzing procedural issues from an economic as well as historical and jurisprudential perspective, including topics in the law of class actions, innovative case aggregation techniques, pleading, preclusion law, court rulemaking, party rulemaking, and the nature of procedural rules. He has also co-authored (with Professors Elizabeth Burch and Patrick Woolley) the third edition of an advanced procedure casebook, "The Law of Class Actions and Other Aggregate Litigation." His most recent civil procedure publications include an article on cy-pres-only class actions, a book chapter on the economic analysis of class actions, and an article on the proper role of the judge in regulating and promoting settlements.

In addition to his work in procedure, Professor Bone is also well known for his scholarship in the field of intellectual property, especially in the areas of trademark and trade secret law.  His most recent IP publications include an article on the relationship between trademark and unfair competition, a chapter on the likelihood-of-confusion test for trademark liability, and an article on how intellectual property law should handle IP that is not used.

Following law school, Professor Bone clerked for United States District Judge W. Arthur Garrity, Jr. and served as an associate at the Boston law firm of Hill & Barlow. He has visited at Harvard and Columbia and began his teaching career at the University of Southern California. Professor Bone was selected to give the 2000-2001 Boston University Lecture in honor of his scholarly achievements, and he received Boston University’s highest teaching award, the Metcalf Award for Excellence in Teaching, in 1991. He was also voted UT Law Professor of the Year for 2012-2013. Professor Bone is a member of the American Law Institute.