The Law Student's Secret Weapon: Understanding How the ALI's Restatements Can Streamline Your Legal Research
Mon Jan 19 2026
Common law can feel like a chaotic patchwork of 50 different jurisdictions. But for the last century, the American Law Institute (ALI) has worked to distill that chaos into clear, persuasive principles. We sit down with Mark Hall, the lead reporter for the Restatement of the Law Third, Torts: Medical Malpractice, to discuss how these influential texts are written and why they often carry more weight than a standard law review article.
In this episode, we cover:
The "Goldilocks" Standard: How the ALI synthesizes the "best" version of the law from conflicting state approaches.Medical Malpractice Deep Dive: Defining the "Standard of Care" and navigating the controversial Loss of Chance doctrine.A "Secondary" Source with Primary Power: Why judges often rely on Restatements to settle issues of first impression.The Laboratory of the States: Why a little legal variation across the country is actually a good thing for the profession.
(00:00) - Introduction: The Chaos of Common Law and the Role of the ALI
(03:24) - What is a Restatement? Harmonizing 50 States into One Principle
(04:36) - The Legacy of Torts: How the ALI Created Products Liability Law
(07:17) - Defining the Standard of Care: "Competent" vs. "Average"
(09:55) - The "Loss of Chance" Doctrine: Can You Sue for a Reduced Probability of Survival?
(12:14) - Study Tips: Using Restatements to Outline for Finals and Understand Nuance
(16:24) - Litigation Strategy: Making Arguments When the Law is Unsettled
(20:00) - The "Laboratory of the States": Why Legal Variation is Beneficial
(24:32) - Curriculum Design: Will Professors Teach from the Restatement?
(27:38) - Host Debrief: How to Use Restatements as a Research Shortcut for Briefs
(34:40) - Evidence vs. Torts: Why Codified Rules Feel Easier to Learn
(42:02) - Networking Hacks: Using the ALI Member List to Find Mentors
Click here to view the episode transcript.
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Common law can feel like a chaotic patchwork of 50 different jurisdictions. But for the last century, the American Law Institute (ALI) has worked to distill that chaos into clear, persuasive principles. We sit down with Mark Hall, the lead reporter for the Restatement of the Law Third, Torts: Medical Malpractice, to discuss how these influential texts are written and why they often carry more weight than a standard law review article. In this episode, we cover: The "Goldilocks" Standard: How the ALI synthesizes the "best" version of the law from conflicting state approaches.Medical Malpractice Deep Dive: Defining the "Standard of Care" and navigating the controversial Loss of Chance doctrine.A "Secondary" Source with Primary Power: Why judges often rely on Restatements to settle issues of first impression.The Laboratory of the States: Why a little legal variation across the country is actually a good thing for the profession. (00:00) - Introduction: The Chaos of Common Law and the Role of the ALI (03:24) - What is a Restatement? Harmonizing 50 States into One Principle (04:36) - The Legacy of Torts: How the ALI Created Products Liability Law (07:17) - Defining the Standard of Care: "Competent" vs. "Average" (09:55) - The "Loss of Chance" Doctrine: Can You Sue for a Reduced Probability of Survival? (12:14) - Study Tips: Using Restatements to Outline for Finals and Understand Nuance (16:24) - Litigation Strategy: Making Arguments When the Law is Unsettled (20:00) - The "Laboratory of the States": Why Legal Variation is Beneficial (24:32) - Curriculum Design: Will Professors Teach from the Restatement? (27:38) - Host Debrief: How to Use Restatements as a Research Shortcut for Briefs (34:40) - Evidence vs. Torts: Why Codified Rules Feel Easier to Learn (42:02) - Networking Hacks: Using the ALI Member List to Find Mentors Click here to view the episode transcript.