Factors Affecting Student Performance in Law School Economics Courses.

Because of the increasing importance of economics in legal proceedings, many law schools have recently introduced economics courses into their curricula. The purpose of such courses is not to train lawyers as economists or even to "make students into better citizens" but rather to acquaint law students with the relation of concepts of efficiency to policy issues and to equip them to consult with, learn from, and examine and cross-examine economics experts. The courses vary in content, but Posner (1977), the single textbook in the field, serves as a unifying force.' To fulfill the purposes described above, Vanderbilt Law School offers Economic Analysis of Law. It consists of an intensive fouror five-week study of principles of microeconomics followed by nine to ten weeks of applications of economics to contracts, property, torts, family law, crime, and legal procedure. There are three examinations, one each after the principles short course, the applications section on contracts, property, and family law, and the section on torts, crime, and legal procedure.