The Law & Society Association has recognized Prof. Tom Baker for his “continuing and most distinguished theoretical-empirical contributions to the advancement of law and society research.”
William Maul Measey Professor of Law Tom Baker has been awarded the 2024 Harry J. Kalven, Jr. Prize from the Law & Society Association (LSA).
“With unmatched pleasure and pride, we award to Tom Baker the 2024 Harry J. Kalven, Jr. Prize for his continuing and most distinguished theoretical-empirical contributions to the advancement of law and society research,” the LSA statement reads. “Given how broadly insurance affects our economic structure, investment, and industrial innovation, and as or more importantly the security of ordinary daily life, Tom’s scholarship and insights have proven to be transformative,”
Since 1983, the award is given annually in recognition of a body of empirical scholarly work, including some portion of recently completed work, that has contributed most effectively to the research in law and society.
Baker, a leading scholar of insurance law and policy, is being recognized not only for his impact on long-standing law and society sub-fields but developing insurance law as an entirely new field of law and society scholarship.
LSA lauded Baker’s “unique ability to explore the many complex facets of the industry and to distill his findings and observations into cogent and actionable scholarship,” ranging from topics including personal injury and securities litigation, health insurance reform, insurance underwriting and claims management, the historical development of insurance institutions, insurance company restructuring, and most recently the widely cited COVID Coverage Litigation Tracker he created.
Baker was nominated by former LSA President and UC Berkeley School of Law Professor Emeritus Malcolm Feeley, Law & Society Review General Editor and UC Irvine Professor of Law Shauhin Talesh, and Allison Hoffman, Professor of Law and Deputy Dean at Penn Carey Law. The award selection committee included former LSA President and MIT Anthropology Professor Susan Silbey, and University of Minnesota Professor of Sociology Joachim Savelsberg.