Lawrence M. Friedman
Lawrence M. Friedman
- Marion Rice Kirkwood Professor of Law
- Room N359, Neukom Building
Expertise
- Law & Society
- Legal History
Biography
Professor (by courtesy) of History and Professor (by courtesy) of Political Science
An internationally renowned, prize-winning legal historian, Lawrence M. Friedman has for a generation been the leading expositor of the history of American law to a global audience of lawyers and lay people alike—and a leading figure in the law and society movement. He is particularly well known for treating legal history as a branch of general social history. From his award-winning History of American Law, first published in 1973, to his American Law in the 20th Century, published in 2003, his canonical works have become classic textbooks in legal and undergraduate education.
Professor Friedman is a prolific author on crime and punishment, and his numerous books have been translated into multiple languages. He is the recipient of six honorary law degrees and is a fellow in the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Before joining the Stanford Law School faculty in 1968, he was a professor of law at the University of Wisconsin Law School and at Saint Louis University School of Law.
Professor Friedman has an appointment (by courtesy) with the Stanford University Department of History and the Department of Political Science.
Education
- BA University of Chicago 1948
- JD University of Chicago Law School 1951; LLM 1953
Related Organizations
Courses
Affiliations & Honors
- Past President, American Society for Legal History
- Past President, Research Committee, Sociology of Law, International Sociological Association
- Past President, Law and Society Association
- Honorary LLD, University of Puget Sound, 1977; John Jay C., City University of New York, 1989; University of Lund, 1993; John Marshall Law School, 1995; University of Macerata (Italy), 1997
- Honorary D.Juris, University of Milan (Italy), 2006
- Fellow, American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Society of American Historians
- Recipient, Triennial Book Award of the Order of the Coif, 1976
- Recipient, John Bingham Hurlbut Award for Excellence in Teaching, Stanford, 1976
- Recipient, James Willard Hurst Prize, Law and Society Association, 1982
- Recipient, Harry Kalven Prize, for Distinguished Research on Law and Society, Law and Society Association, 1992
- Recipient, Silver Gavel Award of the American Bar Association, 1994
- Recipient, American Bar Foundation Research Award, 2001
Policy Practicum: Endstage Decisions: Health Directives in Law and Practice
Medical decisions toward the end of life can be crucial and difficult for patients, doctors, and the families of patients. Law and medicine have been struggling to find ways to strike a balance between what the patients might want (or say they want), and what makes medical, economic, and ethical sense. People have been encouraged to fill out “Advanced Health Care Directives,” which give guidance to doctors and surrogates (usually a family member) on what to do when faced with end-of-life dilemmas. Another form, adopted in just over half the states (including California) is the POLST form (Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment). The two types are supposed to complement each other, but they are different in important ways.
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John Henry Merryman: Art Law Pioneer And Much-Loved Colleague
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The late Professor John Henry Merryman, who passed away on August 3, 2015, is remembered by his colleagues in this SLS News article. It’s often said that the faculty makes a school. In the case of John Henry Merryman, one individual’s influence on Stanford went well beyond the classroom and…
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