James A. Rahl/Owen L. Coon Senior Research Program
The James A. Rahl/Owen L. Coon 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.
Senior Research Rules (pdf)
Current Projects
Supervising Faculty | Student | Project Topic |
---|---|---|
Allen, Ronald | Piazza, Paul | The Common Law as a Complex Adaptive System |
Barsa, Michael | Urig, Maddy | Superfund Natural Resource Remediation and the Public Trust Doctrine |
Buth, Annalise | Bakhiet, Zeinab | Transformative Justice in Sudan: Navigating the Complex Path toward Peace and Collective Healing in the World's 'Forgotten War' |
Clopton, Zachary | Seiler, Jenna | Deciding on Discovery: When Discovery Raises Questions of Foreign Law, How do U.S. Courts Answer? |
Clopton, Zachary | Pierce, Clark | State Taxpayer Standing |
Francis, Clinton | Johnston, Mattison | Claims Trading: Externalities and Transparency (TBC) |
Francis, Clinton | Han, Sang Yup | Information Asymmetry in Corporate Restructuring: Financial Complexities from Initial Distress to Restructuring Resolutions |
Francis, Clinton | Taub, Avi | The Original Purposes of the Bankruptcy Code: Have we Drifted Away From it? |
Gandert, Daniel | Fable, Alessandra | Navigating the Ever-Changing NCAA NIL Policies: The Legal History, Varied Laws, Ethics, and Best Practices |
Hoeflich, Adam | Hwang, Yeju | Uninjured and Excluded: Keeping Class Actions Honest |
Horwich, Allan | Patrick, Sarah | Congressional Insider Trading and the Bipartisan Restoring Faith in Government Act |
Horwich, Allan | O'Sullivan, Ryan | Accountability Redefined: Evaluating the Implications of the SEC’s Clawback Rule |
Jones, Joshua | Coppola, Keegan | Limiting Instructions in Joint Criminal Trials |
Kang, Michael | Selzer, Eric | Criminal Campaign Finance |
Lawsky, Sarah | Richardson, Sebastian | On Legal Understanding |
Linna, Daniel | Shekman, David | Applying Quantitative Methods to Legal Financing Agreements |
Litvak, Katherine | Warren, John | Cross-Listing Pair Premia and the 2000 U.S. Technology Bubble |
Lupo, James | Donahue, Kaitlan | Redress or Regulation? Remedial Purpose and Private Attorney General Causes of Action |
McGinnis, John | Soh, Leo Jaehyun | Unsound Discretion: The Agency Declaratory Order’s Unfulfilled Rule-of-Law Promise |
Mehrotra, Ajay | Suh, Daniel | Title TBD |
Morgan, Jamelia | Burton-Martin, Jasmeene | Legal "Diagnosis" of Intelletual Disability: How and Why States Risk Violating Capital Defendants' Eighth Amendment Rights |
Muchman, Wendy | Harkin, Riley | The Legal Ethics of "Deep Fakes" |
Muchman, Wendy | Norise, Sarah | The Vocal Disdain for Rule Model Rule 8.4(g). What is the Real Problem? The Rule or a Desire to Protect the Ability to Discriminate? |
Pfander, James | Zakowski, Mary | From Writs of Scire Facias to National Injunctions |
Redish, Martin | Bryski, Sasha | Personal Jurisdiction as Constitutional Law |
Reed, Stephen | Ukpaby, Nneka | So, You Want To Be An Influencer? Now What? : A Practical Guide On The Legal & Business Issues Of Social Media Influencers |
Speta, James | Eisley, Addison | Criminal Law in Legislative Courts |
Speta, James | Shcherbakova, Elizaveta | The Current Federal Legal Landscape in Data Privacy and Cybersecurity |
Tuerkheimer, Deborah | Gottschalk, Anne | Title TBD |
Weinstock, Robert | Rackley, Victoria | The Future of Mitigation Banking: Wetland Protection in the Wake of Sackett v. EPA |
Weisenhaus, Doreen | Hixson, Jesse | The Tennessee Open Records Act in Practice: Grading Tennessee's Compliance with its Government Transparency Goals |