Main content

American Law Institute Council records, 1924-2003 (inclusive)

Extent:

21 linear feet

Abstract:

The American Law Institute (ALI) was founded in 1923 in response to a perceived uncertainty and complexity in American law. Former Penn Law Dean William Draper Lewis was the Institute's first director, running the organization's operations out of his campus office. The ALI was conceived as a representative gathering of the American Bar (including Judges, Lawyers, and Law Professors) for the stated mission "to promote the clarification and simplification of the law and its better adaptation to social needs, to secure the better administration of justice and to encourage and carry on scholarly and scientific legal work." The collection, 1924-2003, includes minutes, correspondence, reports, and related records regarding the activity of the American Law Institute Council.

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Biddle Law Library [Contact Us]

Main content

American Law Institute Third Restatement of the Law records, 1973-2003 (inclusive)

Extent:

16 linear feet

Abstract:

The American Law Institute (ALI) was founded in 1923 in response to a perceived uncertainty and complexity in American law. Former Penn Law Dean William Draper Lewis was the Institute's first director, running the organization's operations out of his campus office. The ALI was conceived as a representative gathering of the American Bar (including Judges, Lawyers, and Law Professors) for the stated mission "to promote the clarification and simplification of the law and its better adaptation to social needs, to secure the better administration of justice and to encourage and carry on scholarly and scientific legal work." The Third Restatement of the Law covered subjects including Foreign Relations Law and the Law Governing Lawyers. The collection, 1973-2003, includes drafts, comments, correspondence, and other materials related to the Third Restatement of the Law, which sought to improve and expand upon the first and second codification projects by the American Law Institute.

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Biddle Law Library [Contact Us]

Main content

American Law Institute Uniform Commercial Code records, 1935-2003 (inclusive)

Extent:

55 linear feet (55 boxes)

Abstract:

The Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) was the result of a joint project between the American Law Institute (ALI) and the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Law (NCCUSL). Work on the UCC began in 1945 in response to a perceived need by members of both ALI and NCCUSL to consolidate a number of uniform laws, previously enacted by NCCUSL, related to commercial transactions. NCCUSL was established in 1891 for the purpose of codifying state law by creating uniform laws and model acts. ALI was founded in 1923 in response to a perceived uncertainty and complexity in American Law. The Institute had previously developed a codification of particular areas of the law, known as the Restatement of the Law. Thus, cooperation between ALI and NCCUSL on the UCC presented a likely partnership. The first version of the UCC was approved in 1951. Over the next few years, the states responded to, analyzed, and amended the UCC. In 1961, the Permanent Editorial Board was established to review...(see more)

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Biddle Law Library [Contact Us]

Main content

American Law Institute Model Penal Code records, 1935-1987 (inclusive)

Extent:

11 linear feet

Abstract:

The Model Penal Code, first completed in 1962 and revised and expanded over the next 20 years, played a role in the revision and codification of criminal law. The Chief Reporter on the project was Herbert Wechsler. A Criminal Law Advisory Committee was established to provide the reportorial staff with guidance in the drafting of the Code. A Proposed Official Draft was published in 1962. This version generated wide response among legislatures and courts, prompting a revision and expansion of the code's commentaries that began in 1976. A final version of the Model Penal Code, with revised commentaries, was published in 1985. The Code influenced the areas of jurisdiction, double jeopardy, responsibility, criminal attempts, theft, abortion, obscenity, sentencing, and capital punishment. The collection, 1942-1985, includes correspondence, meeting materials, proceedings, drafts, reports, reference materials, published versions, citations, and related records regarding the drafting of the...(see more)

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Biddle Law Library [Contact Us]

Main content

Federal Income Tax Project records, 1974-1999 (inclusive)

Extent:

8 linear feet

Abstract:

In 1974, the American Law Institute began a new series of studies of federal income tax problems. The Federal Income Tax Project comprised a number of studies, including those of Subchapter C, Subchapter K, and Subchapter J of the Internal Revenue Code; a study of international taxation; and a study of generation-skipping transfers. The collection, 1974-1999, includes correspondence, meeting minutes, drafts, memoranda, commentary, and related materials concerning various tax-related projects conducted by the ALI from 1974 to present.

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Biddle Law Library [Contact Us]

Main content

American Law Institute Paths to a Better Way Study records, 1986-1988 (inclusive)

Extent:

1 linear_foot

Abstract:

In 1986, the American Law Institute (ALI) began a study, at the suggestion of Chief Justice Warren Burger, to examine the cost, volume, and delay caused by civil litigation in order to provide alternative paths to conflict resolution. Work on the project continued through 1988, generating a number of reports and working papers. The collection, 1986-1988, includes administrative materials, reports, letters, and other records related to the project, which studied ways other than litigation of resolving civil disputes.

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Biddle Law Library [Contact Us]

Main content

American Law Institute Administration of the Criminal Law drafts, 1930-1935 (inclusive)

Extent:

7 items

Abstract:

In December 1930, the American Law Institute (ALI) began work on drafting an Act on Double Jeopardy, later known as the Administration of the Criminal Law project. William E. Mikell of the University of Pennsylvania Law School served as Reporter. The project culminated in the creation of an Official Draft, adopted by the ALI, with amendments, on August 15, 1935. The collection, 1930-1935, includes preliminary drafts, tentative drafts, a proposed final draft, and an official draft related to the subject of double jeopardy as outlined in the Administration of the Criminal Law project.

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Biddle Law Library [Contact Us]

Main content

Uniform Contribution Among Tortfeasors Act records, 1937-1941 (inclusive)

Extent:

14 items

Abstract:

In 1936, The American Law Institute and the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Law jointly undertook a project to draft a statute that established a common policy for dealing with contributions among people who have been found guilty of committing a wrong. The statute, promulgated in 1939, was called the Uniform Contribution Among Tortfeasors Act. The collection, 1937-1941, includes drafts and correspondence related to the joint ALI-NCCUSL project to draft a model statute concerned with contributions among tortfeasors.

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Biddle Law Library [Contact Us]

Main content

Code of Criminal Procedure records, circa 1925-1959 (inclusive)

Extent:

150 items

Abstract:

In March 1925, the American Law Institute (ALI) started the Code of Criminal Procedure project. The resulting volume attempted to provide a framework for effective administration of criminal law while maintaining protection for the rights of the accused. The collection, circa 1925-1959, includes drafts, correspondence, minutes, and other materials related to the drafting of the code, which outlined procedures for carrying out criminal law and defined the rights of the accused in areas such as arrest, bail, and execution.

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Biddle Law Library [Contact Us]

Main content

Records of the Principles of the Law of Family Dissolution: Analysis and Recommendations, 1985-2000 (inclusive)

Extent:

2.3 linear feet

Abstract:

The "Principles of the Law of Family Dissolution: Analysis and Recommendations" was the American Law Institute's first comprehensive work in the field of family law. The project as a whole comprises six principal parts: Child Custody; Child Support; Division of Property at Dissolution; Compensatory Payments (formerly known as alimony); Domestic Partners; and Agreements. The collection includes correspondence, meeting materials, drafts, grant material, project proposal material, and other records related to the Principles of the Law of Family Dissolution project, published in 2002. This collection spans the years 1985 to 2000.

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Biddle Law Library [Contact Us]