Ronald J. Allen

Northwestern University Law School

John Henry Wigmore Professor of Law

375 E. Chicago Ave

Chicago, IL 60611

United States

  • Northwestern University Law School

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    • Tel: 312-503-8372
    • Fax: 312-503-2035
SCHOLARLY PAPERS

50

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58

Scholarly Papers (50)

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1.

Naturalized Epistemology and the Law of Evidence

Number of pages: 73 Posted: 11 Dec 2001
Ronald J. Allen and Brian Leiter
Northwestern University Law School and University of Chicago
Downloads 1,064 (23,689)
Citation 3

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2.

Juridical Proof and the Best Explanation

Law and Philosophy, Forthcoming, U of Alabama Public Law Research Paper No. 1003421
Number of pages: 47 Posted: 29 Jul 2007 Last Revised: 09 Nov 2007
Michael S. Pardo and Ronald J. Allen
Georgetown University Law Center and Northwestern University Law School
Downloads 884 (31,002)
Citation 5

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evidence, proof, abduction, inference to the best explanation, probability, burdens of proof, probative value

3.

Evidence, Probability, and the Burden of Proof

Arizona Law Review, Vol. 55, 2013, pp. 557-602, Cardozo Legal Studies Faculty Research Paper No. 388, Northwestern Law & Econ Research Paper No. 13-11, Northwestern Public Law Research Paper No. 13-07
Number of pages: 47 Posted: 05 Apr 2013 Last Revised: 08 Nov 2013
Ronald J. Allen and Alex Stein
Northwestern University Law School and Israel Supreme Court
Downloads 831 (33,711)
Citation 2

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evidence, probability, burden of proof, paradoxes, conjunction, gatecrasher, evidence thresholds, relative plausibility, inference to the best explanation

4.

Deadly Dilemmas

U of Texas Law, Public Law Research Paper No. 141
Number of pages: 31 Posted: 24 Jun 2008 Last Revised: 30 Sep 2017
Ronald J. Allen and Larry Laudan
Northwestern University Law School and University of Texas School of Law
Downloads 517 (62,983)
Citation 7

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5.

Relative Plausibility and its Critics

U of Alabama Legal Studies Research Paper No. 3179601, Northwestern Public Law Research Paper No. 18-16
Number of pages: 71 Posted: 17 May 2018 Last Revised: 24 Sep 2018
Ronald J. Allen and Michael S. Pardo
Northwestern University Law School and Georgetown University Law Center
Downloads 499 (65,829)
Citation 8

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evidence, juridical proof, probability, plausibility, explanations, standards of proof, inference to the best explanation, conjunction problem

6.

The Myth of the Law-Fact Distinction

Northwestern University Law Review, Vol. 97, 2003, U of Alabama Legal Studies Research Paper No. 2925903
Number of pages: 41 Posted: 02 Mar 2017
Ronald J. Allen and Michael S. Pardo
Northwestern University Law School and Georgetown University Law Center
Downloads 462 (72,429)

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questions of law, questions of fact, punitive damaages, constitutional facts, Seventh Amendment, First Amendment, contracts, torts, patents, appellate review, juries, judicial notice, criminal procedure

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evidence, procedure, comparative law, Tanzania

8.

Standards of Proof and the Limits of Legal Analysis

Los estándares de prueba y los límites del análisis jurídico, in Carmen Vázquez (ed.), Prueba científica y estándares de prueba, Marcial Pons, Madrid-Barcelona-Buenos Aires-Sao Paolo, 2012, Forthcoming.
Number of pages: 20 Posted: 04 May 2011 Last Revised: 05 Oct 2012
Ronald J. Allen
Northwestern University Law School
Downloads 409 (83,672)

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evidence, standards of proof, burdens of proof, burden of persuasion, standards of science, epistemology, rationality

9.

The Devastating Impact of Prior Crimes Evidence – And Other Myths of the Criminal Justice Process

U of Texas Law, Public Law Research Paper No. 183, Northwestern Public Law Research Paper No. 10-74
Number of pages: 40 Posted: 06 Sep 2010 Last Revised: 25 Oct 2010
Ronald J. Allen and Larry Laudan
Northwestern University Law School and University of Texas School of Law
Downloads 407 (84,177)
Citation 1

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prior convictions, exclusionary rules, silence, Rule 403, Rule 404, jury instructions, conviction rates, NCSC, defendant testimony

10.

Burdens of Proof

Journal of Law, Probability and Risk, Forthcoming, Northwestern Law & Econ Research Paper 12-17, Northwestern Public Law Research Paper 12-25
Number of pages: 47 Posted: 14 Sep 2012 Last Revised: 29 Apr 2014
Ronald J. Allen
Northwestern University Law School
Downloads 402 (85,392)

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evidence, epsteimology, burdens of proof, persuasion, production, trials, probability theory, inference to the best explanation, relative plausibility

11.

Bayes Wars Redivivus - An Exchange

International Commentary on Evidence, Vol. 8, No. 1, November 2010, The Pennsylvania State University Legal Studies Research Paper No. 36-2010
Number of pages: 41 Posted: 19 Nov 2010 Last Revised: 14 Nov 2012
Roger C. Park, Peter Tillers, Frederick Crawford Moss, D. Michael Risinger, David H. Kaye, Ronald J. Allen, Samuel R. Gross, Bruce L. Hay, Michael S. Pardo and Paul F. Kirgis
UC Hastings Law, Yeshiva University - Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, affiliation not provided to SSRN, Seton Hall University School of Law, PSU - Penn State Law (University Park), Northwestern University Law School, University of Michigan Law School, Harvard Law School, Georgetown University Law Center and St. John's University School of Law
Downloads 402 (85,392)

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evidence, relevance, probative value, inference, Bayes' rule, likelihood ratio

12.

The Self-Incrimination Clause Explained and its Future Predicted

Number of pages: 58 Posted: 26 Dec 2003
Ronald J. Allen and M. Kristin Mace
Northwestern University Law School and Independent
Downloads 368 (94,581)
Citation 1

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Evidence, criminal law and procedure, constitutional law, jurisprudence, legal theory

13.

The Juridical Management of Factual Uncertainty

Number of pages: 31 Posted: 26 Aug 2003
Ronald J. Allen and Craig R. Callen
Northwestern University Law School and Michigan State University-DCL College of Law (Deceased)
Downloads 307 (115,678)
Citation 1

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evidence, criminal law and procedure, constitutional law, jurisprudence, legal theory

15.

Deadly Dilemmas II: Bail and Crime

Northwestern Public Law Research Paper No. 08-44
Number of pages: 17 Posted: 14 Dec 2008 Last Revised: 09 Apr 2012
Ronald J. Allen and Larry Laudan
Northwestern University Law School and University of Texas School of Law
Downloads 293 (121,549)

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bail, preventive detention, prior convictions, violent crimes, serial felons

16.

The Nature of Juridical Proof: Probability as a Tool in Plausible Reasoning

21 Int. J. of Evidence and Proof, 133–142 (2017), Northwestern Public Law Research Paper No. 17-19
Number of pages: 11 Posted: 08 Jun 2017 Last Revised: 18 Oct 2017
Ronald J. Allen
Northwestern University Law School
Downloads 263 (136,160)
Citation 3

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Plausibility, Probability, Bayes Theory, Juridical Proof, Forensic Science

17.

Legal Phenomena, Knowledge, and Theory: A Cautionary Tale of Hedgehogs and Foxes

Number of pages: 88 Posted: 06 Mar 2002
Ronald J. Allen and Ross M. Rosenberg
Northwestern University Law School and Sullivan & Cromwell - New York Headquarters
Downloads 261 (137,232)

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18.

Laudan, Stein, and the Limits of Theorizing About Juridical Proof

Law and Philosophy, Vol. 29, No. 2, p. 195, 2010
Number of pages: 32 Posted: 02 Feb 2010
Ronald J. Allen
Northwestern University Law School
Downloads 256 (139,927)
Citation 1

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evidence, procedure, criminal law, jurisprudence, economics, game theory, litigation

19.

Taming Complexity: Rationality, the Law of Evidence, and the Nature of the Legal System

Thirteenth International Conference on Artificial Intelligence and Law Workshop on AI & Evidential Inference Pittsburgh, June 10, 2011, 12 Law, Probability & Risk, No. 1, Forthcoming, Northwestern Public Law Research Paper No. 11-52
Number of pages: 18 Posted: 20 May 2011 Last Revised: 05 Oct 2012
Ronald J. Allen
Northwestern University Law School
Downloads 254 (140,997)
Citation 2

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evidence, procedure, epistemology, rationality, artificial intelligence

20.

Rationality and the Taming of Complexity

62 Alabama Law Review 1047 (2011), Northwestern Public Law Research Paper No. 11-51
Number of pages: 24 Posted: 13 Apr 2011 Last Revised: 05 Oct 2012
Ronald J. Allen
Northwestern University Law School
Downloads 233 (153,324)

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evidence, rationality, complexity, rules, discretion, standards

21.

Deadly Dilemmas III: Some Kind Words for Preventive Detention

101 Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology 781 (2011), Northwestern Public Law Research Paper No. 11-24, U of Texas Law, Public Law Research Paper No. 187
Number of pages: 25 Posted: 05 Feb 2011 Last Revised: 05 Oct 2012
Larry Laudan and Ronald J. Allen
University of Texas School of Law and Northwestern University Law School
Downloads 230 (155,233)

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preventive detention, inchoate crimes, possession crimes, dangerousness, criminal law

22.

Proposed Final Draft: Tanzania Evidence Act 2014

Boston University International Law Journal, Forthcoming, Northwestern Public Law Research Paper No. 15-25
Number of pages: 117 Posted: 01 Apr 2015 Last Revised: 26 Apr 2015
Ronald J. Allen
Northwestern University Law School
Downloads 220 (162,045)

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evidence, procedure, comparative law, foreign law, reforming the law of evidence, law reform, Tanzania

23.

Further Reflections on the Guillotine

Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology, Vol. 95, p. 625, 2005
Number of pages: 12 Posted: 20 Apr 2005 Last Revised: 28 Nov 2007
Ronald J. Allen and Amy Shavell
Northwestern University Law School and Independent
Downloads 217 (164,107)

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24.

The Problematic Value of Mathematical Models of Evidence

Journal of Legal Studies, Vol. 36, January 2007, Northwestern Public Law Research Paper No. 900910, U of Alabama Public Law Research Paper No. 900910
Number of pages: 34 Posted: 16 May 2006 Last Revised: 26 Feb 2015
Ronald J. Allen and Michael S. Pardo
Northwestern University Law School and Georgetown University Law Center
Downloads 210 (169,243)
Citation 2

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Evidence, Statistical Evidence, Probative Value

25.

No Plausible Alternative to a Plausible Story of Guilt as the Rule of Decision in Criminal Cases

PROOF AND STANDARDS OF PROOF IN THE LAW, Juan Cruz, Larry Laudan, eds., 2010, Northwestern Public Law Research Paper No. 10-27
Number of pages: 14 Posted: 28 May 2010 Last Revised: 03 Jul 2010
Ronald J. Allen
Northwestern University Law School
Downloads 200 (177,200)

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evidence, proof, plausibility, probability, burdens of persuasion, burdens of proof, epistemology

26.

Complexity, the Generation of Legal Knowledge, and the Future of Litigation

UCLA Law Review, Forthcoming, Northwestern Public Law Research Paper No. 13-11, Northwestern Law & Econ Research Paper No. 13-16
Number of pages: 33 Posted: 28 Apr 2013 Last Revised: 01 May 2013
Ronald J. Allen
Northwestern University Law School
Downloads 189 (186,477)

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27.

The Conceptual Challenge of Expert Evidence

Derecho Probatorio Contemporáneo: Prueba Científica y Ténicas Forenses (Contemporary Law of Evidence: Scientific Proof and Forensic Techniques) 215 (2012), republished in English at Discusiones Filosóficas. Año 14 Nº 23, julio – diciembre, 2013., Northwestern Law & Econ Research Paper No. 12-15
Number of pages: 28 Posted: 05 Sep 2012 Last Revised: 08 Apr 2014
Ronald J. Allen
Northwestern University Law School
Downloads 189 (186,477)

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evidence, expert testimony, scientific evidence, epistemology, trials, education, deference

28.

The Judicial Treatment of Non-Economic Compensatory Damages in the Nineteenth Century

Journal of Empirical Legal Studies, Vol. 4, No. 2, pp. 365-399, July 2007, 1st Annual Conference on Empirical Legal Studies Paper
Number of pages: 36 Posted: 02 Jul 2006
Ronald J. Allen and Alexia Brunet Marks
Northwestern University Law School and University of Colorado Law School
Downloads 181 (193,808)

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Tort Law, Non-Economic Compensatory Damages, Historical

29.

Conley as a Special Case of Twombly and Iqbal: Exploring the Intersection of Evidence and Procedure and the Nature of Rules

Penn State Law Review, Forthcoming
Number of pages: 56 Posted: 14 Apr 2010
Ronald J. Allen and Alan E. Guy
Northwestern University Law School and affiliation not provided to SSRN
Downloads 172 (202,608)

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evidence, procedure, jurisprudence, rules

30.

Ignoring Issues of Morality or Convicting the Innocent, Is Capital Punishment a Good Idea or a Bad Idea?

Texas Tech. L. Rev., Forthcoming, Northwestern Public Law Research Paper No. 14-31
Number of pages: 11 Posted: 07 Jun 2014 Last Revised: 06 Jul 2014
Ronald J. Allen
Northwestern University Law School
Downloads 168 (206,799)

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capital punishment, convicting the innocent, deadly dilemmas

31.

The Misguided Defenses of Miranda v. Arizona

Ohio State Journal of Criminal Law, Vol. 5, p. 205, 2007
Number of pages: 10 Posted: 22 Oct 2007
Ronald J. Allen
Northwestern University Law School
Downloads 167 (207,836)

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Miranda, coercion, compulsion, self-incrimination, incrimination, Warren court, constitutional criminal procedure, constitutional interpretation

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evidence, reform of evidence, international law, comparative law, Tanzania, code of evidence

33.

The Perils of Comparative Law Research

Northwestern Public Law Research Paper No. 15-22
Number of pages: 19 Posted: 04 Mar 2015 Last Revised: 26 Apr 2015
Ronald J. Allen
Northwestern University Law School
Downloads 140 (240,472)
Citation 1

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Comparative law and procedure, legal practice, legal systems, litigation, courts, evidence, truth, fact-finding

34.

Reforming the Law of Evidence (Part Three): The Foundations of the Law of Evidence and Their Implications for Developing Countries

Boston University International Law Journal, Forthcoming , Northwestern Public Law Research Paper No. 15-24
Number of pages: 12 Posted: 26 Mar 2015 Last Revised: 26 Apr 2015
Ronald J. Allen
Northwestern University Law School
Downloads 131 (253,412)
Citation 1

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evidence, procedure, comparative law, reform of evidence, law reform

35.

Clarifying Relative Plausibility: A Rejoinder

U of Alabama Legal Studies Research Paper No. 3338080 (2019)
Number of pages: 18 Posted: 21 Feb 2019
Ronald J. Allen and Michael S. Pardo
Northwestern University Law School and Georgetown University Law Center
Downloads 104 (299,218)
Citation 2

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evidence, proof, epistemology, probability, plausibility, inference to the best explanation

36.

The Hearsay Rule as a Rule of Admission Revisited

Fordham Law Review, Forthcoming
Number of pages: 11 Posted: 24 Nov 2015 Last Revised: 09 Feb 2016
Ronald J. Allen
Northwestern University Law School
Downloads 102 (303,166)
Citation 3

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evidence, hearsay, hearsay rule

37.

The Declining Utility of Analyzing Burdens of Persuasion

Number of pages: 24 Posted: 02 Oct 2017 Last Revised: 06 May 2018
Ronald J. Allen
Northwestern University Law School
Downloads 94 (319,622)

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evidence, burden of proof, relative plausibility, fuzzy sets, fuzzy logic, juridical proof

38.

Fiddling While Rome Burns: The Story of the Federal Rules and Experts

Symposium on Forensic Expert Testimony, Daubert and Rule 702 (October 1, 2017), Northwestern Public Law Research Paper No. 17-29
Number of pages: 6 Posted: 05 Dec 2017 Last Revised: 17 Jan 2018
Ronald J. Allen
Northwestern University Law School
Downloads 93 (321,846)

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evidence, federal rules of evidence, experts, forensics

39.

Legal Probabilism—A Qualified Rejection: A Response to Hedden and Colyvan

Number of pages: 11 Posted: 26 Mar 2019
Ronald J. Allen
Northwestern University Law School
Downloads 90 (328,617)
Citation 2

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evidence, proof, probability, epistemology, relative plausibility, bayes theorem

40.

A Note to My Philosophical Friends About Expertise and Legal Systems

Humana-Mente - Journal of Philosophical Studies, Forthcoming, Northwestern Public Law Research Paper No. 15-27
Number of pages: 12 Posted: 23 Apr 2015 Last Revised: 05 May 2015
Ronald J. Allen
Northwestern University Law School
Downloads 71 (377,621)

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evidence, procedure, testimony, expert testimony, knowledge, belief, justified belief, justified true belief

41.

To Tow or Not to Tow: The Deterrence Effect of a Municipal Ordinance

Criminal Law Bulletin, Forthcoming 2011
Number of pages: 28 Posted: 16 May 2008 Last Revised: 31 May 2010
Ronald J. Allen and Alexia Brunet Marks
Northwestern University Law School and University of Colorado Law School
Downloads 71 (377,621)

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Deterrence, Municipal Law

42.

The Gravitational Pull of Miranda’s Blackhole: The Curious Case of J.D.B. v. North Carolina

46 Texas Tech. L. Rev. 143 (2014), Northwestern Public Law Research Paper No. 14-30
Number of pages: 14 Posted: 07 Jun 2014 Last Revised: 06 Jul 2014
Ronald J. Allen
Northwestern University Law School
Downloads 67 (389,606)

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Miranda, juvenile justice, Miranda's blackhole

43.

Probability, Explanation, and Inference: A Reply

11 International Journal of Evidence & Proof 307 (2007), U of Alabama Legal Studies Research Paper No. 2925866
Number of pages: 12 Posted: 02 Mar 2017
Ronald J. Allen and Michael S. Pardo
Northwestern University Law School and Georgetown University Law Center
Downloads 66 (392,689)

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probability, statistical evidence, inference, relevance, probative value, standards of proof, explanations, reference classes, beyond a reasonable doubt

44.

Inference to the Best Explanation, Relative Plausibility, and Probability

Philosophical Foundations of Evidence Law (Oxford University Press, 2021, Christian Dahlman, Alex Stein & Giovanni Tuzet eds.), Forthcoming
Number of pages: 26 Posted: 13 Oct 2020
Ronald J. Allen and Michael S. Pardo
Northwestern University Law School and Georgetown University Law Center
Downloads 62 (405,408)
Citation 1

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evidence, legal proof, abduction, inference to the best explanation, probability

45.

Explanations and the Preponderance Standard: Still Kicking Rocks with Dr. Johnson

48 Seton Hall Law Review, Forthcoming, U of Alabama Legal Studies Research Paper No. 3220019
Number of pages: 12 Posted: 02 Aug 2018
Michael S. Pardo and Ronald J. Allen
Georgetown University Law Center and Northwestern University Law School
Downloads 59 (415,486)

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evidence, juridical proof, probability, plausibility, explanations, standards of proof, preponderance of the evidence, summary judgment, judgment as a matter of law

46.

Naturalized Epistemology and the Law of Evidence Revisited

Number of pages: 37 Posted: 03 Jun 2020 Last Revised: 12 Jun 2020
Ronald J. Allen
Northwestern University Law School
Downloads 52 (440,433)
Citation 2

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Naturalized Epistemology, Juridical Proof, Jurisprudence, Evidence, Knowledge, Probability, Relative Plausibility

47.

Generalizations and Reference Classes

Philosophical Foundations of Evidence Law (Oxford University Press, Christian Dahlman, Alex Stein & Giovanni Tuzet eds.), Forthcoming
Number of pages: 22 Posted: 13 Oct 2020
Michael S. Pardo and Ronald J. Allen
Georgetown University Law Center and Northwestern University Law School
Downloads 50 (447,881)
Citation 1

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evidence, statistical evidence, probative value, likelihood ratio, reference-class problem

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evidence, procedure, complex adaptive systems, complexity theory, human flourishing, common law, markets, elections

49.

A Positive Theory of the Attorney-Client Privilege and the Work Product Doctrine

Journal of Legal Studies, Vol. 19, No. 359, 1990
Number of pages: 41 Posted: 30 Mar 2017
Ronald J. Allen, Mark F. Grady, Daniel D. Polsby and Michael Yashko
Northwestern University Law School, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) - School of Law, George Mason University - Antonin Scalia Law School, Faculty and Independent
Downloads 25 (568,608)
Citation 1

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confidentiality, attorney-client privilege, ethics

50.

The Error of Expected Loss Minimization

Law, Probability and Risk, Vol. 2, pp. 1-7, 2003
Posted: 29 Feb 2008
Ronald J. Allen
Northwestern University Law School

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burden of persuasion, decision theory, expected utility, errors in litigation, equality, jury trials, algorithms, formalisms, formal reasoning