Symposium
Last updated on Feb 25, 2024
On December 24, 2011, our dear colleague, Larry Ribstein, passed away. The intellectual life of everyone who knew him, of this blog, and of the legal academy at large is deeply diminished for his passing.
For many, Larry was an important influence, not only intellectually but personally, as well. Larry was the godfather of this blog, which got its start when a few of us, including Bill Sjostrom, Geoffrey Manne, Josh Wright, Thom Lambert, Henry Manne, Keith Sharfman, Kate Litvak and an anonymous colleague pinch hit for Larry at Ideoblog in November 2005. It took eight of us to fill his shoes, and still his traffic went down. He was a friend, mentor and intellectual touchstone to so many of us who now mourn him and, of course, a husband, father and son to those who will miss him most of all.
The outpouring in the blogosphere from Larry’s friends, admirers, colleagues, and the like is moving, and serves as a testament to his tremendous influence.
Likely everyone who knew him well shares Todd Henderson’s sentiment, as we do:
I will miss him beyond words. I will consider it a life well lived if when I die there is at least one person left behind who feels as I do about Larry.
Remembrances from others:
- Jonathan Adler
- Atlas Society
- Stephen Bainbridge
- David Bernstein
- Matt Bodie
- Don Boudreaux
- Champaign News-Gazette (with quotes from Andy Morriss, Nuno Garoupa, Henry Butler and Bruce Smith)
- Donald Clarke
- Federalist Society
- Joshua Fershee
- Ted Frank
- Erik Gerding
- Dave Hoffman
- Christine Hurt
- Daniel Martin Katz
- Tom Kirkendall
- Renee Newman Knake
- Kim Krawiec
- Jeff Lipshaw
- Peter Mahler
- Walter Olson
- Edith Orenstein
- Stefan Padfield
- C.E. Petit
- Francis Pileggi
- Ellen Podgor
- Nancy Rapoport
- Usha Rodrigues
- Bruce Smith
- Gordon Smith
- Larry Solum
- Ilya Somin
- Washington Legal Foundation
- Pejman Yousefzadeh
In This Symposium
Larry Ribstein, RIP
This morning our dear colleague, Larry Ribstein, passed away. The intellectual life of everyone who knew him, of this blog, and of the legal academy at large is deeply diminished for his passing. For me, as for many others, Larry was an important influence, not only intellectually but personally, as well. Larry was the godfather ... Larry Ribstein, RIP
Larry Ribstein, RIP
Our great friend and colleague Larry Ribstein passed away this morning. Larry will be greatly missed. As Geoff mentioned, Larry was not only the godfather of Truth on the Market, but he was also an important intellectual and personal influence for many of us — and certainly for me. I called upon Larry for career ... Larry Ribstein, RIP
Goodbye my friend
It is impossible to put into words the loss I feel today. Larry was a beloved mentor and friend, he was the first person I turned to shoot down my random musings, and he always surprised me with the facility of his mind and the passion he had for ideas. Larry was an iconoclast, and ... Goodbye my friend
We will miss you Larry
The world will be a different place without Larry Ribstein. I and many others know how generous he was with his time in mentoring students and junior scholars, a generosity that is precious for someone as prolific as Larry. When he shared feedback, he always insisted that a scholar give their best, as he did ... We will miss you Larry
Larry Ribstein, In Memoriam
I knew Larry from attending many conferences together for many years and from reading and profiting from his work. I always enjoyed seeing him and considered him a friend. This news is devastating. I had recently discussed his work on movies, and tried to induce him to edit a special issue for Managerial and Decision ... Larry Ribstein, In Memoriam
Farewell, Larry
Larry was a brilliant, prolific, and provocative scholar who will be sorely missed. His articles, blog posts, comments on my work, etc. sharpened my thinking and writing immeasurably. Rest in peace Larry. Your friend, Bill.
Remembering Larry Ribstein
Like everyone else, I am shaken by Larry’s untimely passing. He was a fine scholar and a truly nice person. His *generosity* is what I remember most about him, especially as relates to younger scholars. As Geoff has mentioned, an obvious example of Larry’s generosity to the young was his willingness to put his ... Remembering Larry Ribstein
Remembering Larry
It is hard to imagine a world without Larry. I had the privilege of being his colleague at Illinois for four years and getting to interact with Larry regularly was among the best things about that time. My office was between his office and the coffee machine and he’d regularly stop in, casually toss of ... Remembering Larry
Remembering Larry: My Friend, Mentee and a Great Intellect
In 1986, when I set out to develop a Law and Economics-oriented law school at George Mason University, I knew that I had a “secret weapon”, the list of about 450 law professors who had by then attended the Law and Economics Center’s Economics Institutes for Law Professors. I did not have a large budget, ... Remembering Larry: My Friend, Mentee and a Great Intellect
Memorial Reception for Larry Ribstein
There will be a memorial reception for Larry on Wednesday, January 4, at 4:00 PM at George Mason University School of Law, 3301 Fairfax Drive, Arlington, VA 22201. If you plan to attend, please first email Henry Butler at hnbutler-at-gmu-dot-edu.
Larry Ribstein’s Top Posts of 2011
Happy New Year TOTM readers. I’ve had a very difficult time returning to blogging. Monday mornings I would normally wake up to a string of four or five of Larry’s posts already up and attracting comments. He had a way of making one feel incredibly inefficient and unproductive by comparison! Of course, there was never ... Larry Ribstein’s Top Posts of 2011
Larry Ribstein, Philosopher
Everyone who knew Larry Ribstein realized that he was very smart, very tough, and very hard working. Less well appreciated was his absolutely uncompromising commitment to the pursuit of the truth. Surprisingly, perhaps, this is a very rare quality among legal academics. It is the mark of a philosopher, by which I emphatically do not ... Larry Ribstein, Philosopher
Remembering Larry Ribstein
I was terribly saddened and, quite frankly, dumbfounded when I heard that Larry Ribstein had passed away. I had seen Larry approximately three weeks before when he gave a workshop at Yale and the last thought that would have crossed my mind would have been that I would be receiving such horrible news. At the ... Remembering Larry Ribstein
Larry Ribstein, an unforgotten mentor in my lifetime
I’ve been deeply saddened since I heard of the heartbreaking news about Larry. I had the privilege to be advised by Larry along my intellectual journey when studying in the US. Larry has set an example of what it means to be a passionate researcher and an enthusiastic educator, which will always remind me of ... Larry Ribstein, an unforgotten mentor in my lifetime
Usha Rodrigues on Larry Ribstein
Usha Rodrigues has a characteristically delightful and poignant remembrance of Larry up over at Conglomerate: Finally, the section is done. And it’s stronger and richer than it was just 24 hours ago. I send my last email at 4:07. It reads: “You’re hilarious. And a treasure. Thanks again, U” On a Saturday afternoon. For a ... Usha Rodrigues on Larry Ribstein