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"Is There a Correlation Between Scholarly Productivity and Teaching Effectiveness in American Law Schools"

Benjamin H. Barton

Director of Clinical Programs and Associate Professor of Law
B.A., 1991, Haverford College
J.D., 1996, University of Michigan

Prof. Barton teaches Advocacy Clinic and Torts.

Barton@libra.law.utk.edu

Professor Barton came to the UT College of Law in 2001 after teaching in the clinic at Arizona State University for two years. After receiving a J.D. degree from the University of Michigan in 1996, Professor Barton clerked for the Hon. Diana Gribbon Motz of the 4th Circuit of Appeals in Baltimore, Md., and then became an associate with the firm of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius in Princeton, N.J. Professor Barton had two notes published in the Michigan Law Review while in law school and received the Jason L. Honigman Award for his dedication to the Michigan Law Review. He graduated magna cum laude and was a member of the Order of the Coif at Michigan. Since arriving at the UT College of Law, Professor Barton has been named the Outstanding Faculty Advisor for UT Pro Bono twice and has received the Marilyn V. Yarbrough Faculty Award for Writing Excellence for his article in the Georgia Law Review.

Publications

       Articles:

Is There a Correlation Between Law Professor Publication Counts, Law Review Citation Counts, and Teaching Evaluations? An Empirical Study, 5 J. Empirical L. Stud. __ (forthcoming September, 2008).

A Tale of Two Case Methods, 75 Tenn. L. Rev. ___ (forthcoming 2008). As featured in the Wall Street Journal Law Blog.

Do Judges Systematically Favor the Interests of the Legal Profession?, 59 Ala. L. Rev. ___ (forthcoming 2007). As featured in the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal Law Blog.

Tort Reform, Innovation, and Playground Design, 57 Fla. L. Rev. 265 (2006).

Harry Potter and the Half-Crazed Bureaucracy, 104 Mich. L. Rev. 1523 (2006). (Reviewing J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince [2005]). To be reprinted in HARRY POTTER AND THE LAW (Jeffrey E. Thomas, ed., forthcoming Carolina Press 2006). As featured in the 2007 Time Magazine Person of the Year Issue. 

The ABA, the Rules, and Professionalism: The Mechanics of Self-Defeat and a Call for a Return to the Ethical, Moral, and Practical Approach of the Canons, 83 N.C. L. REV. 411 (2005).

The Emperor of Ocean Park: The Quintessence of Legal Academia, 92 Calif. L. Rev. 585 (2004). (Reviewing Stephen L. Carter, The Emperor of Ocean Park [2002]).

An Institutional Analysis of Lawyer Regulation – Who Should Control Lawyer Regulation, Courts, Legislatures, or the Market?, 37 Ga. L. Rev. 1167 (2003).

Why Do We Regulate Lawyers? An Economic Analysis of the Justifications for Entry and Conduct Regulation, 33 Ariz. St. L. J. 429 (2001).

Book Notice, 94 Mich. L. Rev. 1993 (reviewing The National Research Council, Measuring Poverty: A New Approach) (1995).

Religion-Based Peremptory Challenges After Batson v. Kentucky and J.E.B. v. Alabama: An Equal Protection and First Amendment Analysis, 94 Mich. L. Rev. 191 (1995).

Recent Professional Presentations and Service

“Empirical Research Projects,” Moderator and Presenter, Southeastern Association of Law Schools (SEALS) Annual Meeting, July 2006.

“Is There a Correlation Between Scholarly Productivity and Teaching Effectiveness in American Law Schools - An Empirical Study,” Invited Faculty Presenter, Villanova School of Law, April 2006 and Cumberland School of Law, March 2006.

"What do the Harry Potter Novels Teach Us About the Structure and Value of Government, Bureacracy, and Law and its Legitimacy and Enforcement?,” Presenter, The Power of Stories: Intersections of Law, Culture, & Literature, Gloucester, England, July 2005.

“Roundtable - Multiple Teaching Methodologies,” Presenter, Law and Society Association Annual Meeting, Las Vegas, NV, June 2005.

“Tort Reform, Products Liability, Innovation, the ‘Y2K Effect,’ and Playground Design,” Presenter, AALS Conference, Chicago, IL, May 2005.

“Debate on Gay Marriage,” Moderator, The University of Tennessee College of Law, October, 2004.

"Workshop for the Future: Ethics, Professionalism, Reform," panelist, AALS Workshop on Clinical Education, San Diego, 2004.

"A Multi-Disciplinary Approach to the Problems of Legal Ethics: Lawyer Self-Regulation, Hamartia, and the Tragic Impulse for Self-Destruction," presenter, SEALS Annual Meeting, 2003.

"The Challenges of Working with Social Workers and Other Professionals in the Clinic," Panelist, AALS Workshop on Clinical Legal Education, Vancouver, Can., 2003.

"What I Learned from the MPRE? A Critique of Multiple Choice Ethics," Presenter, AALS Workshop on Clinical Legal Education, Vancouver, Can., 2003.

Pro Bono and Public Interest Work

Tennessee Justice Center, Board Member, 2001-present.

UT College of Law Homeless Assistance Project, Faculty Supervisor/volunteer attorney, 2001-present.

UT College of Law LAMBDA, Faculty Advisor, 2002-present.

Volunteer Attorney - Represented indigent clients in Knox County Juvenile, Criminal, and Chancery Courts.

January 14, 2008