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Academic Faculty
Full Time Teaching Faculty
Senior Administrators
Thomas J. Miles
Dean, Clifton R. Musser Professor of Law and EconomicsBiography
Thomas J. Miles is the Dean and Clifton R. Musser Professor of Law and Economics at the University of Chicago Law School.
As its 14th Dean, Miles has deepened the Law School’s distinctive commitment to path-breaking scholarship and transformative education since 2015. Under his leadership, the Law School recruited more than a dozen academic and clinical faculty members and inaugurated the category of professor from practice. The scholarly ideas of the faculty have been supported and shared more widely through the launch of three new centers: the Center on Law and Finance, the Constitutional Law Institute, and the Malyi Center for the Study of Institutional and Legal Integrity. The clinical program expanded with the addition of three new clinics: the Innovation Clinic, the Jenner & Block Supreme Court and Appellate Clinic, and the Immigrants’ Rights Clinic. During Miles’s deanship, the Law School recruited highly talented and diverse cohorts of students. He steered the Law School through the COVID-19 pandemic. The Law School undertook the first significant revision to the 1L curriculum since 1977 and introduced the accelerated JD/MBA program. The Law School’s vibrant student life was enhanced with new programs in the areas of freedom of expression and diversity and inclusion, including the introduction of a pre-orientation program. The placement of graduates into clerkships nearly doubled. These activities have been supported by generous philanthropy, including a completion of the Inquiry & Impact Campaign with a record amount for the Law School and the highest participation rate within the University. Six new named professorships, including the first named clinical professorship, have been deployed, and financial aid for students reached a new high.
As a scholar, Miles makes creative use of the methods of law and economics to investigate legal questions not conventionally thought to fall within that field. For example, he has written on judicial behavior and immigration enforcement.
Miles has taught a wide variety of courses at the Law School, including securities regulation, torts, first-year criminal law, economic analysis of law, and federal criminal law. In 2009, he received the Graduating Students Award for Outstanding Teaching.
Miles received a PhD in economics from the University of Chicago, a JD from Harvard Law School, and a BA from Tufts University. He clerked for the Hon. Jay S. Bybee of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, and from 2005 to 2013, he was a Co-Editor of the Journal of Legal Studies.
Education
Harvard Law School
JD, cum laude, 2003
- John M. Olin Fellowship in Law and Economics
- Irving Oberman Memorial Award for Written Work on Corporate Governance
- John M. Olin Prize for Written Work in Law and Economics
The University of Chicago
PhD, Department of Economics, 2000
- Dissertation: "Three Empirical Essays in the Economics of Crime"
- Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation Fellowship
- University of Chicago Century Scholarship
- Illinois Economics Association Prize for Outstanding Graduate Student Paper
Tufts University
BA, summa cum laude in political science and economics, 1990
- Phi Beta Kappa
- James Vance Elliott Political Science Prize
- Marion Ricker Houston Prize Scholarship in Economics
Experience
The University of Chicago Law School
Dean, 2015-present
Clifton R. Musser Professor of Law and Economics, 2013-present
Walter Mander Research Scholar, 2012-2015
Professor of Law, 2010-2012
Assistant Professor of Law, 2005-2010
Olin Fellow in Law and Economics 2004-2005
Faculty Affiliate, University of Chicago Crime Lab, 2009-present
Columbia Law School
James S. Carpentier Visiting Professor of Law, Autumn 2009
The Honorable Jay S. Bybee, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
Law Clerk, San Francisco, CA, 2003-2004
Ropes & Gray LLP
Summer Associate, Chicago, IL, 2002
American Bar Foundation
Doctoral Dissertation Fellow in residence, Chicago, IL, 1998-2000
Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, Research Department
Research Assistant and Associate to Director of Research, 1990-1993
Publications
Books (Editor)
- Economics of Criminal Law. (Edward Elgar, 2008) (edited with Steven Levitt). cu
Journal Articles
- "Introduction," 50 Journal of Legal Studies S1 (2021).
- "Do Attorney Surveys Measure Judicial Performance or Respondent Ideology? Evidence from Online Evaluations," 44 Journal of Legal Studies S231 (2015). cu www
- "Introduction: Rational Choice Approach to Judicial Behavior," 44 Journal of Legal Studies S1 (2015) (with Omri Ben-Shahar). cu www
- "Does Immigration Enforcement Reduce Crime? Evidence from Secure Communities," 57 Journal of Law and Economics 937 (2014) (with Adam B. Cox). cu
- "Does the “Community Prosecution” Strategy Reduce Crime? A Test of Chicago's Experience," 16 American Law and Economics Review 117 (2014). cu www
- "The Role of Skill Versus Luck in Poker: Evidence from the World Series of Poker," 15 Journal of Sports Economics 31 (2014) (with Steven Levitt). cu
- "The Teaching/Research Tradeoff in Law: Data from the Right Tail," 39 Evaluation Review 46 (2014) (with Tom Ginsburg). ssrn cu
- "Is Texas Hold 'Em A Game Of Chance? A Legal and Economic Analysis," 101 Georgetown Law Journal 581 (2013) (with Steven Levitt & Andrew M. Rosenfield). cu
- "Policing Immigration," 80 University of Chicago Law Review 87 (2013) (with Adam B. Cox). ssrn cu
- "Racial Disparities in Wiretap Applications before Federal Judges," 41 Journal of Legal Studies 419 (2012). cu
- "The Law’s Delay: A Test of the Mechanisms of Judicial Peer Effects," 4 301 (2012). cu
- "Empiricism and the Rising Incidence of Coauthorship in Law," 2011 University of Illinois Law Review 1785 (2011) (with Tom Ginsburg). ssrn cu
- "Dupes and Losers in Mail Fraud," 77 University of Chicago Law Review 1111 (2010). cu
- "Depoliticizing Administrative Law," 58 Duke Law Journal 2193 (2009) (with Cass R. Sunstein). cu
- "Judicial Ideology and the Transformation of Voting Rights Jurisprudence," 76 University of Chicago Law Review 1493 (2008) (with Adam B. Cox). ssrn cu
- "An Empirical Analysis of the FBI's Ten Most Wanted," 5 Journal of Empirical Legal Studies 275 (2008). cu
- "Documenting Discrimination?," 108 Columbia Law Review Sidebar 31 (2008) (with Adam B. Cox). ssrn cu
- "The Real World of Arbitrariness Review," 75 University of Chicago Law Review 761 (2008) (with Cass R. Sunstein). ssrn cu
- "Judging the Voting Rights Act," 108 Columbia Law Review 1 (2008) (with Adam B. Cox). ssrn cu
- "The New Legal Realism," 75 University of Chicago Law Review 831 (2008) (with Cass R. Sunstein). ssrn cu
- "The Silence of the Lambdas: Deterring Incapacitation Research," 23 Journal of Quantitative Criminology 287 (2007) (with Jens Ludwig). cu
- "Posner on Economic Loss in Tort: EVRA Corp v. Swiss Bank," 74 University of Chicago Law Review 1813 (2007). cu
- "Economic Contributions to the Understanding of Crime," 2 Annual Review of Law and Social Science 147 (2006) (with Steven Levitt). ssrn cu
- "Do Judges Make Regulatory Policy? - An Empirical Investigation of Chevron," 73 University of Chicago Law Review 823 (2006) (with Cass R. Sunstein). ssrn cu
- "Estimating the Effect of America's Most Wanted: A Duration Analysis of Wanted Fugitives," 48 Journal of Law and Economics 281 (2005). cu
- "Judging the Tournament," 32 Florida State University Law Review 1055 (2005) (with Jay S. Bybee). cu
- "Empirical Economics and the Study of Punishment and Crime," 2005 University of Chicago Legal Forum 237 (2005). cu
- "Felon Disenfranchisement and Voter Turnout," 33 Journal of Legal Studies 85 (2004). cu
- "Common Law Exceptions to Employment at Will and U.S. Labor Markets," 16 Journal of Law, Economics and Organization 74 (2000). ssrn cu
Book Sections
- "Depoliticizing Administrative Law," in Ideology, Psychology, and Law, Jon S. Hanson ed. (Oxford University Press, 2012) (with Cass R. Sunstein). cu
- "Criminal Procedure: Empirical Analysis," in The Encyclopedia of law and Economics., Chris W. Sanchirico ed. 2011). cu
- "For General Deterrence (Comment on Chapter 5, Paul H. Robinson, 'The Difficulties of Deterrence as a Distributive Principle')," in Criminal Law Conversations, Kimberly Ferzan, Stephen Garvey & Paul H. Robinson eds. (Oxford University Press, 2009) (with Jonathan S. Masur & Richard H. McAdams ). cu
- "Economic Analyses of Deterrence: Empirical," in The New Palgrave Dictionary of Economics., Lawrence Blume & Steven Durlauf eds. 2008) (with Steven Levitt). cu
- "The Empirical Study of Criminal Punishment," in The Handbook of Law and Economics, A. M. Polinsky & Steven M. Shavell eds. (Elsevier, 2007) (with Steven Levitt). cu
Working Papers
- "Legitimacy and Cooperation: Will Immigrants Cooperate with Local Police Who Enforce Federal Immigration Law?," Coase-Sandor Working Paper Series in Law and Economics, No. 734 (2015) (with Adam B. Cox). ssrn cu
- "Legitimacy and Cooperation: Will Immigrants Cooperate with Local Police Who Enforce Federal Immigration Law?," , No. 15-17 (2015) (with Adam B. Cox). ssrn
- "Legitimacy and Cooperation: Will Immigrants Cooperate with Local Police Who Enforce Federal Immigration Law?," University of Chicago Public Law & Legal Theory Paper Series, No. 543 (2015) (with Adam B. Cox). ssrn cu
- "Legitimacy and Cooperation: Will Immigrants Cooperate with Local Police Who Enforce Federal Immigration Law?," , No. 15-43 (2015) (with Adam B. Cox). ssrn
Other Publications
- "Robust Debate Encourages Healthy Communication," Chicago Daily Law Bulletin, April 25, 2023.
- "Can Changing How Prosecutors Do Their Work Improve Public Safety?," OUP Blog, August 18, 2014. www
- "The Supremes," Los Angeles Times, October 22, 2007, at p. A21 (with Cass R. Sunstein). www
- "The Real Judicial Activists," American Prospect, January 2007 (with Cass R. Sunstein). www
Works in Progress
"Does Immigration Enforcement Reduce Crime? Evidence from 'Secure Communities'," working paper with Adam B. Cox, June 2014
"Substitutes in Criminal Procedure: Defendant Cooperation and Electronic Surveillance," working paper, May 2014
"The Mechanisms of “Community Prosecutions”: A Test from Chicago," working paper, March 2014
"Do Attorney Surveys Measure Judicial Performance? Evidence from Online Evaluations," working paper, February 2014
"Which States Enter into Treaties and Why?," working paper with Eric A. Posner, January 2012
"Markets for Stolen Property: Pawnshops and Crime," unpublished dissertation chapter, November 2007
Service
- Co-chair, Appointments Committee (2014-2015)
- Chair, Accreditation Review Committee (2012-2013)
Editorial Work
- Co-editor, Journal of Legal Studies (2005-2013)
- Referee, Academia Sinica Law Journal, American Economic Review, American Journal of Political Science, American Law & Economics Review, American Political Science Review, Berkeley Electronic Journal of Economic Analysis & Policy, Canadian Journal of Criminology and Criminal Justice, Economic Inquiry, International Review of Law & Economics, Journal of European Economic Association, Journal of Labor Economics, Journal of Law & Economics, Journal of Legal Studies, Journal of Political Economy, Journal of Quantitative Criminology, Justice Quarterly, Labour Economics, Law & Social Inquiry, Political Science Quarterly, Quarterly Journal of Economics, Review of Economics & Statistics, Review of Financial Studies, Social Science Quarterly, Supreme Court Economic Review
- Referee, National Science Foundation – Law and Social Science Research Press, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada Press, University of Chicago Press, University of Chicago Arete Foundation for Advancing the Study of Wisdom, Yale University Press
Other Activities
- Advisor, National Opinion Research Center on behalf of U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics