Keith N. Hylton
William Fairfield Warren Distinguished Professor
Keith N. Hylton is the William Fairfield Warren Distinguished Professor at Boston University School of Law, where he is one of the most cited legal scholars in the country. He holds both a J.D. from Harvard and a Ph.D. in Economics from MIT, and his scholarship spans antitrust law, tort law, and law and economics. He served as President of the American Law and Economics Association and is Editor in Chief of the Review of Law and Economics. He has published six books and more than 100 articles, and his work is widely cited in courts and academic literature.
Teaching Style
Professor Hylton approaches torts and antitrust through a rigorous economic lens, using the Socratic method to guide students through cost-benefit analyses and efficiency arguments underlying legal rules. His cold calls are precise and analytical, often asking students to apply economic reasoning to tort and competition scenarios. As a former President of the American Law and Economics Association, he brings deep scholarly authority to the classroom and expects students to engage with both doctrinal rules and their economic justifications.
Cold Call Tips
- 1Be prepared to analyze tort and antitrust cases through an economic efficiency framework, including concepts like marginal cost and optimal deterrence
- 2Understand the basic economic models underlying negligence, strict liability, and antitrust rules
- 3Review the facts and economic reasoning in assigned cases, not just the legal holdings
- 4Be ready to discuss how economic incentives shape behavior and how law can be designed to produce efficient outcomes
Areas of Expertise
Education
- J.D., Harvard Law School
- Ph.D. in Economics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- B.A., Harvard University
Notable Publications
- Antitrust Law: Economic Theory and Common Law Evolution (Cambridge University Press)
- Tort Law: A Modern Perspective
- Laws of Creation: Property Rights in the World of Ideas (co-authored with Ron Cass)