Owen L. Coon/James A. Rahl Senior Research Program
The Owen L. Coon/James A. Rahl Senior Research Program gives third-year Northwestern Law students the opportunity to work closely with our renowned faculty exploring answers to challenging questions of doctrine and policy. Due to the generosity of the Owen L. Coon Foundation and other donors, there is a fund to support empirical research expenses of projects. Students are placed with supervising professors, experts in their field, to conduct research on the most pertinent current and historical legal issues.
For example, past projects include: a study of cases and codes of ethics and professional responsibility with Robert Burns, coauthor of the leading texts on professional responsibility and trial advocacy; a look at legal issues businesses face when expanding internationally through the Internet with Clinton Francis, a specialist in property, e-commerce, commercial law and bankruptcy; and an analysis of race, class, abortion, and crime in Chicago at the turn of the 20th century with Dorothy Roberts, a frequent speaker and prolific scholar on issues related to race, gender, and the law. In some cases the student-faculty collaboration on senior research projects has led to further study and publication of a significant body of work.
