At the tail end of earning her doctorate in philosophy, Courtney Cox, ’14, had a perfect day. She taught a class in the morning, then watched someone present their work that afternoon, then she presented her own work on a panel in the evening. “I had this moment where I felt like I wanted to do this all the time,” Cox said.

Now, she just had to decide whether she’d follow this academic path in law or philosophy. She had fallen in love with the law while on her high school mock trial team and had been planning to go to law school—to become a lawyer—but had also fallen down the philosophy rabbit hole, pursuing graduate work in philosophy.

A chance email set her course. Cox messaged Brian Leiter, professor and director of the Center for Law, Philosophy, and Human Values at UChicago Law, whose blog she had been reading for advice. One post seemed to be missing, one about whether going to law school was a good idea for those with a philosophy PhD, so Cox emailed Leiter. Their correspondence led to her realizing that coming to the Law School would be her next step.

At the Law School, with Cox knowing she wanted to become a law professor, she used her time to seed research projects. She started research she would later build upon for use in going onto the academic job market. Her interest in normative uncertainty also started while Cox was a student.

After graduation, Cox clerked for Chief Judge Sandra L. Lynch of the US Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, which later helped inform her scholarship. Cox enjoyed practice, too—she was even recognized at the Law School with the Edwin F. Mandel Award for her pro bono work—but knew that she’d love the intellectual freedom of professorship.

Cox eventually landed in her role at Fordham School of Law. She is a legal philosopher, following two strands of research—one on deception, another on uncertainty and decision making. Recently, she’s been studying the law’s complex response to lying, which is growing into a body of work on manipulation. She also teaches copyright, and a seminar on legal philosophy.

The practice of law and its philosophical backbone drew Cox’s interest early and still drives her research. While practicing attorneys aren’t trying to make problems more difficult in their arguments, academics must acknowledge and run toward difficulty. “It’s a different posture,” she said.

Cox's Advice to Aspiring Academics:

"While you’re a student, get to know the faculty. They are incredible mentors and generous interlocutors who will push you to sharpen your work. They’ll also have insight into the job market, and the unwritten rules of the profession."

This story is part of a series about Law School alumni in academia. View the full series here.