Empirical Scholarship Workshop

Conducting Empirical Legal Scholarship Workshop
May 24-26, 2010
Presented by Northwestern University School of Law and Washington University

The Conducting Empirical Legal Scholarship workshop is for law school faculty interested in learning about empirical research. Leading empirical scholars Lee Epstein and Andrew Martin will teach the workshop, which provides the formal training necessary to design, conduct, and assess empirical studies, and to use statistical software (Stata) to analyze and manage data. Participants need no background or knowledge of statistics to enroll in the workshop.

Conference Faculty
Lee Epstein, the Henry Wade Rogers Professor at Northwestern University, is a leading empirical legal scholar and a Fellow of the American Academy of Political and Social Science and American Academy of Arts and Science. She has co-organized and co-led this annual empirical scholarship workshop for the past six years. Professor Epstein has received 10 grants from the National Science Foundation for her work on judicial politics and has also authored, co-authored, or edited more than 100 articles and essays, as well as 14 books. Her empirical research focuses on U.S. Supreme Court, as well as constitutional courts abroad.

Andrew D. Martin, Professor of Law and Political Science, and Director of the Center for Empirical Research in the Law at Washington University, specializes in political methodology and has written widely on American political institutions, including the Supreme Court and the Courts of Appeals. He has co-organized and co-taught the empirical scholarship workshop with Professor Epstein for the last seven years. Professor Martin has received grants from the National Science Foundation for his work on the U.S. Supreme Court, and his research has appeared in a number of outlets, including the Journal of Legal Studies; Journal of Law, Economics, and Organization; California Law Review; Columbia Law Review; North Carolina Law Review; and other law reviews as well as leading social science and applied statistics journals.

Registration
Tuition for the Empirical Scholarship Workshop is $850, which includes all session materials, temporary access to statistical software (STATA), two lunches, three continental breakfasts, and one evening reception. You will need a laptop for this workshop. A check for $850 made payable to Northwestern University School of Law must be included with the registration form. Registration and payment should be received by May 7, 2010.

If you wish to pay by credit card please contact Michael Cooper at (312) 503-1570.

Cancellation Policy
Full refunds for cancellation of attendance to the Empirical Scholarship Workshop will be made for all written cancellation received before 5:00 p.m. on Friday, May 14. No refunds will be given for any cancellations received after Monday, May 17.

Accommodations
Special hotel rates for workshop participants are available at the Affinia Hotel in Downtown Chicago, 166 East Superior Street, a short walk form the Law School. We have reserved a block of rooms at a rate of $149 plus tax per night. Contact the Affinia Hotel at (312) 787-6000 to make reservations. To obtain the workshop rates, identify yourself as a participant at the Northwestern University School of Law Empirical Workshop. In order to receive this special rate you must book your room by April 26, 2010.

If you chose to book your room online please visit:
www.affinia.com and use the promo group code EMPIRI

Schedule
All sessions, meals, and the reception will be held at Northwestern University School of Law, 375 East Chicago Avenue, Chicago. Class will end at 12 p.m. on May 26 to allow participants times to head to the airport.

Monday, May 24
Group Discussion
Sunstein, Schkade & Ellman, Ideological Voting on Federal Courts of Appeals: A Preliminary Investigation

Lecture Topics

Research Design
Theory to Observable Implications
Collecting Data
Sampling Issues
Measurement
Database Management
Statistical Software (Stata)

Homework
Coding exercise

A cocktail reception will take place following class.

Tuesday, May 25
Group Discussion
Coding exercise

Lecture Topics

Data Analysis
Sampling
Statistical Inference
Descriptive Statistics
Cross-Tabulations
Hypothesis Testing

Small Group Exercises

Basic Database Manipulation
Generating Descriptive Statistics
Significance Testing

Wednesday, May 26
Lecture Topics

Simple Linear Regressions
Inference from Linear Regression
Statistical Control

Small Group Exercises
Bivariate Regression Analysis

Lecture Topics

Multiple Regressions
Logit/Probit
Displaying Data
Miscellaneous Statistical Topics (based on student interest)

Question and Answer Session