Method or Madness?: The Leflar Approach to Choice of Law as Practiced in Five States

Abstract

In 1966, Professor Robert Leflar published two articles that recast the debate on choice of law in America. Leflar proposed a five factor framework for courts to apply in multi-state actions. The proposal met with mixed reviews in the courts and academia. But missing from the debate about the Leflar method has been a comprehensive study of how the method actually works when applied by the courts. This article offers the most thorough analysis to date of how the five states that have adopted the Leflar method actually apply it.