Come celebrate Professor Robin Feldman’s new book, The Role of Science in Law, recently released by the Oxford University Press.

Hear four distinguished science and law scholars share their thoughts about the book and its implications.

Stephen Morse
Hubbell Professor of Law; Professor of Psychology and Law in Psychiatry
University of Pennsylvania

Malcolm Feeley
Clare Sanders Clements Dean’s Chair Professor of Law
UC Berkeley School of Law

Robin Feldman
Professor of Law; Director, Law and Bioscience Project
UC Hastings Law

David Faigman (moderator)
Digardi Distinguished Professor of Law; Director, UCSF-Hastings Consortium
UC Hastings Law

Below is a description of this important new book:

The allure of science has always captivated members of the legal profession. Its siren's song offers a tune of perfection and the promise of endowing law with the respect and deference from society that lawyers crave. Both the bench and the bar continually look to science to rescue them from the discomfort of difficult legal decisions, and are frequently disappointed with the results.

While most authors frame problems at the intersection of law and science in terms of how rapidly scientific information changes and how frequently the legal system distorts science, this book argues that problems at the intersection of law and science flow not from the changing nature of science, but from the changing nature of law. With this in mind, the book uses examples from doctrines related to abortion, gene patenting, copyright, environmental regulation, antitrust law, the insanity defense, and other doctrines to explore the nature of law and to suggest approaches for making science work more effectively within the domain of law.

Please join us in celebrating Professor Feldman’s latest contribution to the literature!