Ward Farnsworth
W. Page Keeton Chair in Tort Law, Professor of Law
Ward Farnsworth holds the W. Page Keeton Chair in Tort Law at the University of Texas School of Law, where he previously served as Dean from 2012 to 2022. He is the Reporter for the American Law Institute's Restatement (Third) of Torts: Liability for Economic Harm and an acclaimed author of books on legal reasoning and rhetoric. Before joining academia, he clerked for Justice Anthony M. Kennedy of the U.S. Supreme Court and Chief Judge Richard A. Posner of the Seventh Circuit, and served as Legal Adviser to the Iran-United States Claims Tribunal in The Hague.
Teaching Style
Professor Farnsworth is a masterful Socratic questioner known for his precise, carefully constructed hypotheticals that build on each other to reveal deeper principles. He emphasizes clarity of thought and elegant reasoning, and his classes have a conversational but rigorous quality. Students describe his teaching as intellectually demanding but fair, with cold calls that probe understanding rather than intimidate.
Cold Call Tips
- 1Focus on understanding the underlying principles and policy rationales behind rules, not just the rules themselves
- 2Be prepared to engage with economic analysis of legal doctrines and think about incentive structures
- 3Practice articulating concise, well-structured arguments since Professor Farnsworth values clarity and precision
- 4Review hypothetical variations of assigned cases and think through how changing facts alter the analysis
Areas of Expertise
Education
- J.D., with high honors, University of Chicago Law School
- B.A., Wesleyan University
Notable Publications
- Restatement (Third) of Torts: Liability for Economic Harm (Reporter, American Law Institute)
- Restitution: Civil Liability for Unjust Enrichment
- The Legal Analyst: A Toolkit for Thinking About the Law
Research Interests
More Professors at University of Texas School of Law
Constitutional Law, National Security Law, Cybersecurity Law and Policy, Evidence
Federal Civil Procedure, Remedies, Bankruptcy
Federal Courts, Constitutional Law, Civil Procedure, Statutory Interpretation
Federal Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure, Evidence
Patent Law, Administrative Law, Contracts, Intellectual Property