Consumers often rely on lawyers to make complicated legal decisions, though in many cases the lawyer�s financial interests are at odds with those of the client. We consider this general problem in the context of consumers filing for bankruptcy. Lawyers advise debtors on whether to file the cheaper Chapter 7 filing or the more expensive Chapter 13 filing. Bankruptcy courts that allow lawye…

We analyze when and why trials can emerge in equilibrium when a defendant may face future plaintiffs. An initial trial serves as an experiment that the defendant can run to induce subsequent potential plaintiffs to learn about their chances of winning. The initial case may go to trial when a favorable trial outcome for the defense can deter potential future plaintiffs from filing lawsuits. Poss…

Pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) potentially lower costs associated with prescription drugs through increased bargaining power with manufacturers. PBMs engage in selective contracting with pharmacies which has the potential to reduce retail competition, leading to increased prices. Proponents of �Any Willing Provider (AWP)� and �Freedom of Choice (FOC)� laws limiting this s…

The paper offers a formal model of analogical legal reasoning and takes the model to data. Under the model, the outcome of a newcase is aweighted average of the outcomes of prior cases. Theweights capture precedential influence and depend on fact similarity (distance in fact space) and precedential authority (position in the judicial hierarchy). The empirical analysis suggests that the model is…

This paper assesses and decomposes gender disparities in federal criminal cases. It finds large unexplained gaps favoring women throughout the sentence length distribution, conditional on arrest offense, criminal history, and other pre-charge observables. Decompositions show that most of the unexplained disparity appears to emerge during charging, plea-bargaining, and sentencing fact-finding. …

This paper quantitatively assesses media influence on civil case adjudication in U.S. state courts. It shows that media influence substantially mitigates disparity in damage awards across political orientation of districts. That is, in areas with frequent newspaper coverage of courts, there is little difference in damage awards between conservative and liberal districts. In contrast, in areas …

Tahun Terbit

2011

Tahun Terbit

2011

Tahun Terbit

2011

Tahun Terbit

2011