Professor of Law, Southwestern Law School

The Democratic Virtues of the Civil Jury

Thursday, April 16, 2026

12:00 - 1:15 p.m.

In-Person and Online

DePaul Conference Center

1 E. Jackson Blvd, Room 8005

Chicago, Illinois

Commentator: Shari Seidman Diamond

Howard J. Trienens Professor of Law and Professor of Psychology

Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law

The Democratic Virtues of the Civil Jury

The United States is in a period of democratic decline, marked by waning commitment to self-governance and declining trust in public institutions. In this moment, the civil jury offers an often-overlooked avenue for democratic renewal. By welcoming laypeople into the courthouse and deputizing them as constitutional actors, civil juries express faith in representative governance and can generate sociopolitical and administrative benefits that extend well beyond dispute resolution.

Professor Richard Lorren Jolly will present his ongoing project examining the jury as a site of democratic participation at a time when other institutions are faltering. In an age of polarization and declining trust, the jury remains one of the few places where ordinary citizens are brought together across lines of politics, race, class, and religion to deliberate face-to-face and effectuate outcomes. As Tocqueville observed, “[juries] make all men feel that they have duties toward society and that they take a share in its government.” That insight is, if anything, more urgent today: the jury teaches democratic habits of listening, persuasion, and compromise at a time when such habits are eroding.

His talk will consider what it would mean to take the civil jury seriously as a democratic institution, and what reforms might be necessary to preserve and strengthen lay participation in civil adjudication for the future.

Biography

Richard Lorren Jolly is a professor of law at Southwestern Law School, where he teaches Torts and Evidence. His scholarship focuses on questions of civil justice, with particular attention to the socio-political and structural role of lay participation in judicial decision-making, especially through juries. In this work, he engages questions of access to justice, the role of Article III courts and the democratic development of the common law, with attention to courts’ procedural and substantive legitimacy. His writing has appeared in the Michigan Law Review, Vanderbilt Law Review, Boston University Law Review, Boston College Law Review, Georgia Law Review, Washington Law Review, Pepperdine Law Review and DePaul Law Review, among others. His forthcoming book, The Law of the American Jury, is under contract with Carolina Academic Press.

Before joining Southwestern, Professor Jolly was a research fellow with the Civil Jury Project at NYU School of Law and with the Civil Justice Research Initiative at UC Berkeley School of Law. Before entering academia, he practiced as a litigation associate at Susman Godfrey and clerked for Judge Deborah Cook of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. Professor Jolly holds degrees from the University of Michigan Law School, the London School of Economics and the University of California, Berkeley.

The Clifford Scholar-in-Residence Program

The Clifford Scholar-in-Residence Program annually recognizes a talented rising star in the field of civil justice and complements the annual Clifford Symposium on Tort Law & Social Policy, which, for over 30 years, has brought together civil justice scholars to exchange ideas and publish their work. The program not only builds upon this tradition but also provides a unique platform for emerging scholars to contribute fresh insights to the field.

The Clifford Scholar-in-Residence Program advances Robert A. Clifford's (JD '76) vision by fostering dialogue of civil justice issues that impact all Americans. A cornerstone of the program is a presentation to the entire legal community by a rising civil justice scholar, as well as a response from a senior commentator.

Registration

Registration must be completed no later than April 15, 2026.

There is a room cap of 100 in-person attendees, and online participants will receive a link to view the presentation just ahead of the event.

In-person attendees may be asked to present an ID while on campus. Thank you for your patience and cooperation. CLICK to register.

DePaul College of Law is an accredited Illinois MCLE provider. This presentation is worth 1.25 hours of general CLE credit.

DePaul University College of Law CLE credit is reported for Illinois attorneys only. Attorneys seeking out-of-state CLE credit must self-report and apply independently to their jurisdiction. Check the jurisdiction's requirements for credit approval.​

View on site | Email this event

View on site | Email this event

Rooted in the Vincentian values of dignity, justice, and education.

View on site | Email this event

2026 Student Service Supervisor of the Year: To Be Announced

2026 Pro Bono Alumni Award: To Be Announced

Appetizers and Beverages will be served.

The program will begin at 4:45pm.

Please reach out to Elizabeth Boe, Director of PBCSI, at eboe@depaul.edu with any questions.

View on site | Email this event

View on site | Email this event

Broken by Design: Refuge and Responsibility is a full day symposium examining how law, policy, and practice shape access to refuge and protection. The event brings together legal advocates, practitioners, scholars, artists, and people with lived experience to explore the systems, stories, and barriers that define migration today.

Attendees can choose between keynote sessions, interactive panels, and breakout conversations on the rule of law, supporting those forcibly displaced, and community led activism. Speakers will share strategies for reform, community based solutions, and practical insights for legal professionals and advocates.

The program is open to students, practitioners, researchers, cultural workers, community members and anyone interested in human rights and immigration. Both in person and online participation options will be available. MCLE details, accessibility accommodations, and a full agenda will be provided in the next coming months.

Register on Eventbrite

View on site | Email this event

Participants are provided a business simulation/case study about a timely business ethics issue, and then required to give a presentation of their resolution. No prior preparation required.

Winning teams receive a monetary prize of $200 per winning team.

The team competition is open to all DePaul students, undergraduate and graduate. No prior business ethics knowledge or DECA experience required to participate.

Attire: Business Casual ( business casual guide; University Career Closet)

Contact Summer Brown for more information: sbrown15@depaul.edu

View on site | Email this event

CIVIL JUSTICE AND THE CHALLENGE OF CLIMATE CHANGE

May 28, 2026

In-Person and Online

DePaul Conference Center 1 East Jackson Boulevard, 8th Floor Chicago, Illinois

CIVIL JUSTICE AND THE CHALLENGE OF CLIMATE CHANGE

Recent political and social turmoil has, to a significant degree, distracted us from perhaps the most profound challenge the human race has ever faced—our planet's rapidly changing climate, driven by the relentless heating of the earth's atmosphere through human activity. While the salvaging of democracy and rejection of armed violence seem immensely important, they pale in comparison to the need to respond to the harm caused by global warming.

Of course, America's courts cannot, by themselves, resolve the challenge of climate change. But they can help us begin to respond by addressing some of its most serious consequences. This year's Clifford Symposium gathers more than 25 scholars who propose a variety of ways to use our legal system as a part of the process of responding to climate dangers.

We begin with a focus on the use of litigation to address the "existential risk" of global warming in all its "polycentric" and "extraterritorial" complexity. As with most issues of civil litigation in America, the question of insurance coverage is of singular importance. The Symposium will bring together some of this country's leading insurance law experts to consider what insurance can and cannot do when faced with the climate crisis.

That discussion will be followed by consideration of the need to recognize and redress the unequal impact of the harm caused by global warming. Some of the difficulties we face present problems not simply for discrete individuals or groups but the whole of impacted communities. We find ourselves in a place where we may need to rethink how suffering communities ought to be helped and by whom. That help may, sometimes, have to come not from courts but through regulatory action or legislative mandate.

The task our Clifford scholars will attempt to address is monumental. In these seemingly dark days, their faith in law and legal action signal hope that our civil justice system can offer an effective response to the naysayers and Know-Nothings.

AGENDA

THURSDAY, MAY 28, 2026

9:00 REGISTRATION AND CONTINENTAL BREAKFAST

10:00 OPENING REMARKS

Geoffrey Rapp Dean & Professor, DePaul Law

Stephan Landsman Director, Clifford Symposium & Emeritus Professor, DePaul Law

10:15 SESSION I: CLIMATE CHANGE AND LITIGATION

Tort Law and Existential Risk

Mark Geistfeld, New York University

Ketan Ramakrishnan, Yale University

Beyond Climate Dangers

Alexandra Klass, University of Michigan

Revisiting Fuller's Theory of Polycentric Disputes as Applied to Climate Change Litigation

Alexandra Lahav, Cornell University

Extraterritoriality in Climate Change Litigation

Catherine Sharkey, New York University

Discussant: Nora Engstrom, Stanford University

12:15 LUNCH

1:15 SESSION II: INSURANCE

Five Sober Prescriptions for Homeowners Insurance

Kenneth Abraham, University of Virginia

Tom Baker, University of Pennsylvania

Subrogation as Climate Regulation

Aisha Saad, Georgetown University

Collective Coverage: How Group Homeowners' Insurance Could Foster Climate Risk Anticipation and Resilience

Daniel Schwarcz, University of Minnesota

Discussant: Max Helveston, DePaul University

3:00 BREAK

3:15 SESSION III: CLIMATE CHANGE DISCRIMINATION

Climate Reparations After the IJC Advisory Opinion

Maxine Burkett, University of Hawaii

The Takings Clause as Equal Protection and Climate Change Adaptation

David Dana, Northwestern University

From Disparate Impact to Cumulative Impacts: The Methodological and Legal Evolution of Environmental and Climate Justice

Sheila Foster, Columbia University

Environmental Trauma and the Law of Collective Injury

Stephanie Safdi, Yale University

Discussant: Myriam Gilles, Northwestern University

5:15 CONCLUSION OF DAY I

SYMPOSIUM FACULTY

Kenneth Abraham, University of Virginia

Tom Baker, University of Pennsylvania

Maxine Burkett, University of Hawaii

Madison Condon, Boston University

David Dana, Northwestern University

Nora Engstrom, Stanford University

Dan Farber, University of California, Berkeley

Sheila Foster, Columbia University

Mark Geistfeld, New York University

Myriam Gilles, Northwestern University

Matteo Godi, University of Southern California

Max Helveston, DePaul University

Alexandra Klass, University of Michigan

Douglas Kysar, Yale University

Susan Kuo, University of South Carolina

Alexandra Lahav, Cornell University

Stephan Landsman, DePaul University

Timothy Lytton, Georgia State University

Robert Rabin, Stanford University

Ketan Ramakrisnan, Yale University

Jim Rossi, Vanderbilt University

Aisha Saad, Georgetown University

Stephanie Safdi, Yale University

Daniel Schwarcz, University of Minnesota

Catherine Sharkey, New York University

Shelly Welton, University of Pennsylvania

Leehi Yona, Cornell University

REGISTRATION AND CLE

Please register by May 27 at 2026Clifford.eventbrite.com.

DePaul University College of Law is an accredited Illinois MCLE provider. This free CLE program is worth up to 9.75 hours of general credit.

· Day 1: up to 5.75 credits

There is a room cap of 100 in-person attendees, and online participants will receive a link to view the presentation just ahead of the event.

You may be asked to show your ID while on campus. We know your time is valuable, and we appreciate your patience and cooperation.

DePaul University College of Law CLE credit is reported for Illinois attorneys only. Attorneys seeking out-of-state CLE credit must self-report and apply independently to their jurisdiction. Check the jurisdiction's requirements for credit approval.​

This symposium will be photographed and videotaped.

View on site | Email this event

CIVIL JUSTICE AND THE CHALLENGE OF CLIMATE CHANGE

May 29, 2026

In-Person and Online

DePaul Conference Center 1 East Jackson Boulevard, 8th Floor Chicago, Illinois

CIVIL JUSTICE AND THE CHALLENGE OF CLIMATE CHANGE

Recent political and social turmoil has, to a significant degree, distracted us from perhaps the most profound challenge the human race has ever faced—our planet's rapidly changing climate, driven by the relentless heating of the earth's atmosphere through human activity. While the salvaging of democracy and rejection of armed violence seem immensely important, they pale in comparison to the need to respond to the harm caused by global warming.

Of course, America's courts cannot, by themselves, resolve the challenge of climate change. But they can help us begin to respond by addressing some of its most serious consequences. This year's Clifford Symposium gathers more than 25 scholars who propose a variety of ways to use our legal system as a part of the process of responding to climate dangers.

We begin with a focus on the use of litigation to address the "existential risk" of global warming in all its "polycentric" and "extraterritorial" complexity. As with most issues of civil litigation in America, the question of insurance coverage is of singular importance. The Symposium will bring together some of this country's leading insurance law experts to consider what insurance can and cannot do when faced with the climate crisis.

That discussion will be followed by consideration of the need to recognize and redress the unequal impact of the harm caused by global warming. Some of the difficulties we face present problems not simply for discrete individuals or groups but the whole of impacted communities. We find ourselves in a place where we may need to rethink how suffering communities ought to be helped and by whom. That help may, sometimes, have to come not from courts but through regulatory action or legislative mandate.

The task our Clifford scholars will attempt to address is monumental. In these seemingly dark days, their faith in law and legal action signal hope that our civil justice system can offer an effective response to the naysayers and Know-Nothings.

AGENDA

8:00 REGISTRATION AND CONTINENTAL BREAKFAST

9:00 SESSION IV: LEGAL RESPONSES TO NATURAL DISASTER

Liability for Failure to Forecast

Madison Condon, Boston University

Rethinking the Federal Role in Disaster Relief

Dan Farber, University of California, Berkeley

Disaster Governance by Waiver: How Emergency Legal Suspensions Reallocate Risk to the Vulnerable

Susan Kuo, University of South Carolina

Discussant: Stephan Landsman, DePaul University

10:45 BREAK

11:00 SESSION V: REGULATORY AND LEGISLATIVE RESPONSES

State Consumer Protection Law and Climate Governance

Timothy Lytton, Georgia State University

Climate Change and Statutory Torts

Matteo Godi, University of Southern California

Why Utility Regulation Needs Climate Adaptation Torts

Jim Rossi, Vanderbilt University

Climate Change and the Law of Energy Affordability

Shelly Welton, University of Pennsylvania

Leveraging Narratives for Climate Law and Policy

Leehi Yona, Cornell University

Discussant: Douglas Kysar, Yale University

1:15 CONCLUDING REMARKS

SYMPOSIUM FACULTY

Kenneth Abraham, University of Virginia

Tom Baker, University of Pennsylvania

Maxine Burkett, University of Hawaii

Madison Condon, Boston University

David Dana, Northwestern University

Nora Engstrom, Stanford University

Dan Farber, University of California, Berkeley

Sheila Foster, Columbia University

Mark Geistfeld, New York University

Myriam Gilles, Northwestern University

Matteo Godi, University of Southern California

Max Helveston, DePaul University

Alexandra Klass, University of Michigan

Douglas Kysar, Yale University

Susan Kuo, University of South Carolina

Alexandra Lahav, Cornell University

Stephan Landsman, DePaul University

Timothy Lytton, Georgia State University

Robert Rabin, Stanford University

Ketan Ramakrisnan, Yale University

Jim Rossi, Vanderbilt University

Aisha Saad, Georgetown University

Stephanie Safdi, Yale University

Daniel Schwarcz, University of Minnesota

Catherine Sharkey, New York University

Shelly Welton, University of Pennsylvania

Leehi Yona, Cornell University

REGISTRATION AND CLE

Please register by May 27 at 2026Clifford.eventbrite.com.

DePaul University College of Law is an accredited Illinois MCLE provider. This free CLE program is worth up to 9.75 hours of general credit.

· Day 2: up to 4.00 credits

There is a room cap of 100 in-person attendees, and online participants will receive a link to view the presentation just ahead of the event.

You may be asked to show your ID while on campus. We know your time is valuable, and we appreciate your patience and cooperation.

DePaul University College of Law CLE credit is reported for Illinois attorneys only. Attorneys seeking out-of-state CLE credit must self-report and apply independently to their jurisdiction. Check the jurisdiction's requirements for credit approval.​

This symposium will be photographed and videotaped.

View on site | Email this event

View on site | Email this event