“In the movie The Matrix, the main character is given a choice: swallow a blue pill and live his life as before, or swallow a red pill and see the invisible matrix that underlies apparent reality. Learning law is a little like swallowing the red pill. A matrix of social relations flows around each person, each object, each act. The law attempts, imperfectly, to define the limits and obligations of our social relations; in doing so, it gives us a glimpse of the social matrix.”
Education
J.D., magna cum laude, University of Wisconsin Law School, 1998
Experience
William Mitchell College of Law: professor of law, 2012- ; associate professor of law, 2007-2012.
Professional Focus
I am interested in the complex interaction of law and social relations. The focus of my research and writing has been on:
- Behavior that is formally illegal but socially acceptable, particularly with regard to property rights
- Dispossession and restitution, primarily in Central and Eastern Europe
- Social science and the law
Leadership & Service
Professor Edwards was voted Professor of the Year for 2007-2008 and 2010-2011 by the William Mitchell student body. He is a contributing editor to PropertyProf Blog.
Research & Scholarship
Projects currently in draft form (for published projects please see Bibliography):
- Unworthiness, Time & Responsibility: Overcoming the Paradoxes of Restitution
- Minds the Gaps: Predictable Impediments in the Path of the Law
wmitchell.edu