April 17–18, 2026
Berkeley/Texas/Toronto/Yale Private Law Junior Faculty Forum
The University of Texas at Austin School of Law
The BETTY Conference is a platform dedicated to fostering in-depth exchange of ideas on the conceptual and normative foundations of private law. It aims to build an engaged community of private law scholars, with a particular emphasis on strengthening connections between junior and senior professors.
Co-organizers: Hanoch Dagan, Avihay Dorfman, Larissa Katz, Daniel Markovits
BETTY Conference Program
April 17
Location: JON 6.206
9:30: Gather and light breakfast
9:45: Opening remarks
10:00-11:15: Andew Jennings (Emory), Everyday Veil Piercing with comments by Henry T. C. Hu (UT)
11:15-11:30: Break
11:30-12:45: Jared Mayer (Cardozo), The Modern Corporation and the Ghost of Partnerships Past with comments by Mira Ganor (UT)
12:45-2:00: Lunch
2:00-3:15: Emily Stolzenberg (Villanova), Toward a Private Law of Intimates’ Obligations with comments by Sean Williams (UT)
3:15-3:30 Break
3:30-4:45 Michael Pressman (Utah), Measuring Privileged Harm with comments by Mark Gergen (Berkeley)
5:00: Break/stroll/drinks
6:00: Dinner (TBA)
April 18
Location: TNH 3.129
8:30: Light breakfast
9:00-10:15: James Toomey (Iowa), Privately-Crafted Obligations with Comments by Erik Encarnacion (UT) 10:15-10:35: Break
10:35 – 11:55: Haim Abraham (UCL), A Rights-Based Understanding of Deterrence with comments by Avihay Dorfman (UT) [or TBA]
11:55-12:20: Closing remarks
12:20-1:20: Lunch