In Memoriam

David Lieberman

David Lieberman (1953-2022) was a globally-renowned scholar, gifted teacher, model colleague, and a mentor who combined wisdom and generosity in awe-inspiring measures. David was born in Ohio, and raised in Rockville Center, New York. He finished high school in England, while his parents were there on a sabbatical leave, and then stayed to complete undergraduate and graduate degrees at Cambridge University. He earned his PhD at University College, London. He was a Fellow and Director of Studies in History at Christ’s College, Cambridge University for two years before joining the law faculty at U.C. Berkeley in 1984. At Berkeley, he played a foundational role for the fledgling Jurisprudence and Social Policy Program, and later chaired it for several years. His good judgment and thoughtfulness made him an ideal choice for a number of administrative positions. His collegiality made him accept those posts. He retired from U.C. Berkely as the Coffroth Professor of Jurisprudence. Throughout his career he was an active member of the American Society for Legal History.

David was a leading historian of eighteenth-century British legal thought. His prize-winning book, The Province of Legislation Determined: Legal Theory in Eighteenth-Century Britain (Cambridge, 1990), reissued in paperback in 2002)) was welcomed as a tour de force and a lucid revision of received understandings of Bentham’ intellectual relationship to the English Common Law. David wrote extensively on the legal thought of Jeremy Bentham, but his research ranged much further. He published articles on the history of property law, commercial law, as well as criminal law.

David was a legendary teacher. His graduate seminars on the history of legal and social thought were mainstays of Berkeley’s graduate program, drawing students from across a range of campus departments. His courses on the history of punishment helped form the research agenda for successive generations of sociologists of law and legal historians. David had global reach as a teacher and researcher. Throughout his career, he held visiting appointments or research fellowships at a number of universities including the University of Chicago and Princeton University, as well as at universities in Australia, China, Israel, Japan, and Korea.

As a mentor, David was peerless. His profound kindness was matched by his wisdom. He was astoundingly selfless, as everyone who was fortunate to come within his orbit can attest. It was impossible to be around David for very long without catching his infectious, cheerful smile. He wore his breath-taking learning with modesty. He was quick to listen and slow to advise, but his wisdom always cleared away the fog to show the way. He was that rare thing: a truly good man.

Above any of his professional accomplishments, David was devoted to his family. He spoke of them often and with great devotion. He is survived by his wife, Carol, as well as his three children: George, Hannah, and Aaron. David will be sorely missed.

(Karl Shoemaker)