Institute for Legal Studies

The Institute for Legal Studies (ILS) was established at the University of Wisconsin Law School in 1985 under the leadership of David Trubek, who was succeeded first by Marc Galanter and then by Howard Erlanger. In establishing the ILS, the Law School sought to expand and institutionalize its long-standing “law in action” approach, which dates back to the early part of the twentieth century and remains vital to its mission. The ILS was created to foster the interdisciplinary study and teaching of law, not only by providing support for its own faculty, but also by explicitly connecting to other departments on campus and by cultivating a network of scholars with similar interests worldwide.

The Institute acts as a catalyst and facilitator for scholarly work on sociolegal ...