Seana Shiffrin

Seana Shiffrin is a Professor at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) School of Law. She is a leading scholar in moral philosophy, political philosophy, and the philosophy of law, with expertise in distributive justice, promising, freedom of speech, intellectual property, constitutional law, contracts, remedies, and bioethics. Her work bridges legal theory and ethical reasoning, focusing on the moral implications of legal frameworks.

• B.A., University of California, Berkeley
• B.Phil., Oxford University, 1990
• D.Phil., Oxford University, 1993
• J.D., Harvard University, 1996

Shiffrin’s research explores the moral foundations of legal obligations, particularly in the contexts of contracts, constitutional law, and intellectual property. She investigates the ethical dimensions of government speech, compelled association, and strict liability, emphasizing the importance of autonomy and moral responsibility in legal systems. Her scholarship often critiques conventional legal doctrines through a philosophical lens.

Her publications include influential works on deceptive advertising, negligence, and the moral significance of harm, as well as analyses of freedom of speech and the role of remedies in private law. Shiffrin’s articles frequently address the intersection of law and morality, challenging assumptions about the relationship between legal and ethical norms.

Shiffrin is affiliated with the Law and Philosophy Program at UCLA, which supports interdisciplinary research and education for graduate and law students. She participates in academic workshops and lectures on topics such as democratic law, incentives, and moral deliberation, contributing to ongoing dialogues in legal theory and philosophy.