David Horton

David Horton is the Martin Luther King Jr. Professor of Law at UC Davis School of Law. His research focuses on arbitration law, contracts, and wills/trusts. He holds a J.D. from UCLA School of Law (2004) and a B.A. in American Studies from Carleton College (1997). Before academia, he practiced at Morrison & Foerster and clerked for Judge Ronald M. Whyte of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. Horton has authored influential texts like *Cases, Problems, and Materials on Contracts* and *Wills, Trusts, and Estates: The Essentials*.

His work critiques forced arbitration practices and explores estate planning formalisms. Key awards include the AALS Scholarly Paper Competition and Mangano Dispute Resolution Achievement Award. He has presented widely at conferences like the AALS Annual Meeting and the Vanderbilt Law Review Symposium. Current research examines arbitration’s impact on consumer rights and probate lending dynamics.

• Education:
• B.A., American Studies, Carleton College, 1997
• J.D., UCLA School of Law, 2004 (Order of the Coif)

Research interests span contractual interpretation, testamentary capacity standards, and arbitration’s role in modern legal systems. His empirical studies on consumer arbitration and probate lending have shaped policy debates nationally.