The 2026 annual Robert A. Clifford Scholar-in-Residence program will feature Professor Richard Loren Jolly of Southwestern Law School, who will discuss “The Democratic Virtues of the Civil Jury” on April 16, 2026.
Jolly will present his ongoing project examining the jury as a site of democratic participation at a time when other institutions are faltering.
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.
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. 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. He has written for many law reviews.
Shari Seidman Diamond, Howard J. Trienens Professor of Law and Professor of Psychology, Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law, will serve as commentator for the program.
The hybrid program will be held from noon to 1:15 p.m. Thursday, April 16, at the DePaul Conference Center, Room 8005, 1 E. Jackson Blvd., Chicago. The presentation offers 1.25 hours of CLE credit.
Registration is free and is required by April 15th. Lunch will be served to in-person guests starting at 11:30 a.m. To register, click here.
The Clifford Scholar-in-Residence Program annually recognizes a talented rising star in the field of civil justice. The Clifford Scholar-in-Residence Program advances Robert A. Clifford‘s (JD ’76) vision by fostering dialogue on 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, followed by a response from a senior commentator.