Laura E. Little

James G. Schmidt Professor of Law

Professor Laura E. Little serves as the James G. Schmidt Chair in Law. She specializes in federal courts, conflict of laws, and constitutional law. She teaches, lectures, and consults internationally on these subjects and is routinely engaged for training judges as well as for speeches at academic and judicial conferences. She is the author of numerous books and articles, including a sole-authored casebook, Conflict of Laws  (2d ed. Aspen Wolters Kluwer 2018), two treatises: Federal Courts and First Amendment, both in Aspen Wolter Kluwer Publishing’s Examples and Explanations series, and Guilty Pleasures: Law and Comedy in America (Oxford 2019). Among her many awards for teaching and scholarship are several law school awards, a University-wide Lindback award, and Temple’s highest award for teaching, the University Great Teacher Award. The American Law Institute appointed Professor Little in 2014 to serve as Associate Reporter, Restatement (Third) of Conflict of Laws.

Before entering academia, Professor Little practiced law in Philadelphia, litigating commercial cases and representing the print media in First Amendment cases. Prior to her law practice, Professor Little served as a law clerk to Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist, Supreme Court of the United States (October Term 1986) and Judge James Hunter III of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit (1985-1986).

Professor Little has several times taught in Temple’s programs in Tokyo, Japan and Rome, Italy. She has served as a visiting professor at University of Sydney (Australia), and University College of Cork (Ireland). She has also lectured frequently throughout China.

Professor Little’s scholarship has strong interdisciplinary character, integrating law, social science and humanities. She has travelled internationally lecturing on law and humor, and has written several studies on how legal doctrines regulate various forms of comedy. A sample of her writings is available on her publications page.


Education

J.D. (summa cum laude), Temple University Beasley School of Law
B.A. (magna cum laude), University of Pennsylvania

Research & Teaching Areas

Areas of Expertise

Selected Publications

Publications and Media Appearances

Awards and Recognition

  • Temple Law Review Alumni Award of Merit (2015)
  • Temple Alumni Law Faculty Prize (2005) awarded for contributions to the Law School
  • Temple University Great Teacher Award (2004)
  • Lindback Award for Distinguished Teaching (2000)
  • George P. Williams, III, Memorial Award for the Outstanding Professor of the Year (1993, 1997, 2001)
All Awards and Recognition