Engaging in sustained study of the conceptual, normative, and doctrinal foundations of private law.
The building blocks of private law—torts, contract, and property—do more than merely distribute resources and opportunities, a role typically associated with public law. They also shape the predistribution of powers and entitlements that construct interpersonal relationships. In so doing, private law structures the terms of our interactions in the market, the workplace, the neighborhood, on the road, across online platforms, within families, and beyond.
Our Community of Scholars
At Texas Law, the study of private law has a rich history. Today that legacy is carried forward by the Private Law Theory Program, which sponsors an array of courses, colloquia, and other intellectual pursuits with a theoretical focus. Led by academic director Professor Avihay Dorfman, the program’s affiliated faculty also include Professors Oren Bracha, Erik Encarnacion, John Golden, Larry Sager, Elizabeth Sepper, Heather Way, and Sean Williams.
Upcoming Events
Upcoming events affiliated with the Private Law Theory Program include:
- The Normative Foundations of the Market
- The Inaugural Berkeley/Texas/Toronto/Yale Private Law Junior Faculty Forum (BETTY)
Call for Papers: Submission deadline is December 10, 2025.
Related Courses
- Torts Policy (Dorfman)
- The Public/Private Distinction: Doctrinal and Theoretical Foundations (Dorfman)
- Resilience in Law (Encarnacion)
- Intellectual Property, Science, & Technology (Golden)
- Law & Philosophy Workshop (Sager, Deigh)
- Family Law (Williams)
Selected Recent Scholarship
- Relational Justice: A Theory of Private Law (Oxford University Press, 2024) (by Hanoch Dagan & Avihay Dorfman)
- It’s (Not All) Personal: Civil Litigation and the Values of Rights of Action (work in progress) (by Hanoch Dagan, Avihay Dorfman, & Issi Rosen-Zvi)