Publication of the 2021 Sisk, et al., study of law faculty scholarly impact, Brian Leiter has been compiling lists of the most cited law faculty by subject areas for the period 2016-2020, as well as an overall list of the most cited law faculty.
Leiter’s tabulations are based upon the same data as the Sisk study, which looked at citation counts in articles contained in the Westlaw journals database (as of June of this year) for the 2016-2020 period. Search results were checked for over-counting and rounded.
Here are the lists of most cited faculty by subject area. Note that one reason to list citation counts by subject area is that there is a tremendous disparity in citation counts across fields, reflecting a variety of factors (including what law review editors like to publish). I will update this list as additional subject areas are posted.
- Commercial Law
- Constitutional Law (Conspirators Eugene Volokh, Randy Barnett and William Baude are 7, 10, and 18 respectively.)
- Corporate & Securities Law
- Criminal Law & Procedure (Conspirator Orin Kerr tops this list!)
- Intellectual Property
- International Law & Security
- Law & Economics
- Law & Philosophy
- Law & Social Science
- Law & Technology
- Property (including Wills & Estates)
- Tax Law
In addition to the above posts on Brian Leiter’s Law School Reports blog, the Legal Planet environmental law blog has posted a list of the most cited Environmental and Energy Law scholars. Note that this list includes some folks (including myself) who work in multiple areas, which may affect citation counts.
Founded in 1968, Reason is the magazine of free minds and free markets. We produce hard-hitting independent journalism on civil liberties, politics, technology, culture, policy, and commerce. Reason exists outside of the left/right echo chamber. Our goal is to deliver fresh, unbiased information and insights to our readers, viewers, and listeners every day. Visit https://reason.com