UChicago Law students recently had the opportunity to participate for the first time in the Law School’s long-running Works-in-Progress (WIP) tradition in which faculty members workshop their unpublished scholarly works, typically with each other.

WIPs are a cornerstone of UChicago Law’s intellectual life. When then-Dean Geoffrey R. Stone, '71, pioneered WIPs at UChicago Law in the late 1980s, no other Law School in the country had such a program.

“The idea seemed well-suited for our Law School because of our tradition of intensive intellectual interaction among faculty,” Stone recalled. 

Before each weekly WIP session, a draft paper authored or coauthored by the presenting professor(s) is circulated to colleagues, who arrive prepared for rigorous discussion. The result is a vigorous exchange of ideas that sharpens arguments and strengthens scholarship.

“I’m pleased to say that WIPs have become a central element of the intellectual life of our Law School and has helped enable our faculty to produce ever-more original, insightful, and creative scholarship,” Stone said. “In short, we learn from one another!”

This fall, that tradition expanded to include students. In a classroom filled to capacity on Wednesday, October 1, Professors Will Baude and Sam Bray presented their paper-in-progress, When the Executive Has Unclean Hands, which examines the equitable doctrine of “unclean hands”—a principle that bars individuals who have acted inequitably from seeking equitable relief—and its application to the executive branch of government. Students had the chance to engage directly with the work, offering critiques and raising questions that tested Baude’s and Bray’s ideas.

“The student WIP was fantastic,” said Baude. “The students had great questions—some theoretical, some practical, some doctrinal—that really tested and stimulated our thinking.”

Baude added that involving students more deeply in the University’s core mission—the production of research and the advancement of knowledge—“is a great idea that enhances both the teaching and learning experience.”

The student-facing WIP series is a new initiative developed by Dean Adam Chilton and implemented by the Dean of Students Office. The series will continue throughout the academic year, providing additional opportunities for students to experience and contribute to one of UChicago Law’s most distinctive traditions.

“The ‘WIP for Students’ series is a testament to both Dean Chilton and our faculty’s dedication to the intellectual life of the student body,” said Dean of Students Brandi Welch. “Our students have valuable contributions to make to the scholarly conversation; it was exciting to see that interplay of ideas in action at the inaugural WIP.”

Dean Chilton observed that regular, full, and lively workshops where new research is debated are distinctive aspects of the University of Chicago’s culture.

“I was excited to bring students that experience and invite them to engage with our faculty’s research in this way,” he said. “I knew our students would enjoy the experience, but I still wasn’t expecting a standing-room-only crowd. I love what that level of interest says about our students and our community.”

Stone shares Chilton’s excitement. “Not only will this give students the opportunity to review, question and challenge faculty research, but it will benefit faculty as well as students," he said. "It's a great idea!"