Janice Nadler
Nathaniel L. Nathanson Professor of Law
Janice Nadler is a pioneering scholar at the intersection of law and psychology who holds appointments at both Northwestern Pritzker School of Law and the American Bar Foundation. She earned a Ph.D. in psychology from the University of Illinois and a J.D. from UC Berkeley, giving her a rare dual expertise. Her research on social norms, perceptions of injustice, and how law influences behavior apart from its sanctions has appeared in leading law and psychology journals. She has been on the Northwestern faculty since 2000.
Teaching Style
Professor Nadler brings a unique social science perspective to legal education, drawing on her Ph.D. in psychology to illuminate how people actually think about law, justice, and compliance. She uses the Socratic method with an empirical twist, frequently presenting research findings that challenge students' assumptions about how legal rules affect behavior. Her Criminal Law classes integrate psychological insights about blame, punishment, and moral judgment.
Cold Call Tips
- 1Be prepared to discuss empirical research on how people perceive criminal responsibility and punishment
- 2Think about how social norms and psychological biases affect legal outcomes
- 3For Negotiation, review the assigned materials on bargaining theory and prepare to participate in simulations
- 4Consider the gap between how law is supposed to work in theory and how people actually respond to legal rules
Areas of Expertise
Education
- J.D., University of California, Berkeley (Boalt Hall)
- Ph.D. in Psychology, University of Illinois
- M.A. in Psychology, University of Illinois
- B.A., Cornell University
Notable Publications
- Blaming as a Social Process: The Influence of Character and Moral Emotion on Blame
- Flouting the Law (Texas Law Review)