David S. Abrams
Education
Ph.D., economics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; M.S., physics, Stanford University; A.B., physics (magna cum laude), Harvard University
Summary of Experience
Professor Abrams is a leading economist working in empirical law and economics, and an expert in the areas of intellectual property and criminal justice. His work covers a range of topics, united by the goal of understanding and measuring how individuals respond to incentives in various legal contexts. In intellectual property, he has explored the effects of NPEs on innovation, investigated the determinants of patent value, researched the expected impact of the America Invents Act, and examined the effect of patent duration on innovation. In the area of criminal justice, Professor Abrams has investigated a variety of questions, including whether longer sentences deter crime, how defendant race impacts judicial decisions, to what extent attorney skill affects case outcomes, and how much individuals value freedom. Professor Abrams has additional interests in law and health economics, labor economics, and corporate finance. His research has appeared in a number of top peer-reviewed journals and law reviews, including the Stanford Law Review, The University of Chicago Law Review, the University of Pennsylvania Law Review, American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, and The Journal of Legal Studies. He is past president and current board member of the Society for Empirical Legal Studies as well as past chair of the Law and Economics section of the American Association of Law Schools.