Briefly
Professors/Yale Law School

Ian Ayres

Oscar M. Ruebhausen Professor of Law

ContractsAntitrustPropertyLaw and Economics

Ian Ayres is the Oscar M. Ruebhausen Professor of Law at Yale Law School, with joint appointments at Yale's School of Management and School of Public Health. A lawyer and economist, he has published 11 books -- including the New York Times bestseller Super Crunchers -- and over 100 articles on topics ranging from antitrust to civil rights to contract law. He was elected a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2006. He holds degrees from Yale (B.A. and J.D.) and MIT (Ph.D. in Economics).

Teaching Style

Professor Ayres is known for his energetic, data-driven teaching style that brings quantitative rigor to legal analysis. He cold-calls frequently and expects students to engage with economic models and empirical evidence alongside legal doctrine. His classes are intellectually playful but demanding, often incorporating real-world experiments and data sets to illustrate legal principles.

Cold Call Tips

  1. 1Brush up on basic economics and statistics -- Ayres integrates quantitative reasoning into class discussions
  2. 2Be prepared to analyze contract default rules from both efficiency and fairness perspectives
  3. 3Understand the economic theory behind the legal doctrines covered in class
  4. 4Read assigned empirical studies carefully and be ready to discuss their methodology and implications

Areas of Expertise

Law and economicsEmpirical legal studiesAntitrust lawDiscrimination in marketsQuantitative methods in law

Education

  • B.A., Yale University (summa cum laude)
  • J.D., Yale Law School
  • Ph.D., MIT (Economics)

Notable Publications

  • Super Crunchers: Why Thinking-by-Numbers Is the New Way to Be Smart
  • Filling Gaps in Incomplete Contracts: An Economic Theory of Default Rules (Yale Law Journal)

Research Interests

Empirical analysis of discriminationContract default rulesPrediction markets and data analyticsConsumer protection and market regulationLaw and behavioral economics

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