Ian Ayres
Oscar M. Ruebhausen Professor of Law
(on leave, fall 2022)
Ian Ayres is a lawyer and an economist. They are the Oscar M. Ruebhausen Professor at Yale Law School and a Professor at Yale’s School of Management.
FULL BIOGRAPHY
Contact Information
- Room 254
- 203-432-7101
- ian.ayres@yale.edu
Faculty Assistant
Darcy Smith
- 220
- 203-432-6769
- darcy.smith@yale.edu
Education & Curriculum Vitae
Ph.D. (Economics), Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 1988
J.D., Yale Law School, 1986
B.A., Yale University, 1981
Courses Taught
- Antitrust
- Civil Rights
- Commercial Law
- Contracts
- Corporations
- Corporate Finance
- Intellectual Property
- Law and Economics
- LGBT Litigation Seminar
- Property
- Quantitative Corporate Finance
- Quantitative Methods
Ian Ayres is a lawyer and an economist. They are the Oscar M. Ruebhausen Professor at Yale Law School and a Professor at Yale’s School of Management.
Professor Ayres has been a columnist for Forbes magazine, a commentator on public radio’s Marketplace, and a contributor to the New York Times’ Freakonomics Blog. Their research has been featured on PrimeTime Live, Oprah and Good Morning America and in Time and Vogue magazines. Ayres is a co-founder of stickK.com, a web site that helps you stick to your goals. In an Illinois post-conviction proceeding, Ayres helped convince a court to vacate their client’s death sentence.
In 2020, Harvard University Press published Ayres’s twelfth book, Weapon of Choice: Fighting Gun Violence While Respecting Gun Rights (with Fredrick Vars). Ayres has also published over 100 articles on a wide range of topics including several empirical studies.
In 2006, they were elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Ayres's book with Greg Klass, Insincere Promises: The Law of Misrepresented Intent, won the 2006 Scribes book award “for the best work of legal scholarship published during the previous year.” Ayres has been ranked as one of the most prolific and most-cited law professors of their generation. (See James Lindgren & Daniel Seltzer, The Most Prolific Law Professors and Faculties, 71 CHI.-KENT L. REV. 781 (1996); Fred R. Shapiro, The Most-Cited Legal Scholars, 29 J. LEGAL STUD. 409 (2000).) The Chronicle of Higher Education referred to Ayres as “a law-and-economics guru.”
Ayres was born and raised in Kansas City, Missouri, received their B.A. (majoring in Russian studies and economics) and J.D. from Yale and their Ph.D in economics from M.I.T. Ayres clerked for the Honorable James K. Logan of the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals. They have previously taught at Harvard, Illinois, Northwestern, Stanford and Virginia law schools and has been a research fellow of the American Bar Foundation and Columbia. From 2002 to 2009, Ayres was the editor of the Journal of Law, Economics and Organization.
Their two most cited law review articles are Fair Driving: Gender and Race Discrimination in Retail Car Negotiations, 104 Harvard Law Review 817 (1991) and Filling Gaps in Incomplete Contracts: An Economic Theory of Default Rules, 99 Yale Law Journal 87 (1989) (with Robert Gertner).
Excerpts of their publications as well as audio and video clips can be found at ianayres.com.
Tuesday, November 22, 2022
We’re Taking an Ostrich Approach to Enforcing Gun Laws — With Deadly Results — A Commentary by Ian Ayres ’86 and Frederick Vars ’99
The Hill
Ian Ayres ’86 is the Oscar M. Ruebhausen Professor at Yale Law School and a Professor at the Yale School of Management.
Saturday, October 15, 2022
A Secret Weapon to Defeat Putin: A Path to U.S. Citizenship for Russian Deserters — A Commentary by Ian Ayres ’86
New York Daily News
Ian Ayres ’86 is the Oscar M. Ruebhausen Professor at Yale Law School and a Professor at Yale’s School of Management.
Saturday, October 8, 2022
Here's a Different Way to Think About Stock Diversification — A Commentary by Ian Ayres ’86 and Barry Nalebuff
The Wall Street Journal
Ian Ayres ’86 is the Oscar M. Ruebhausen Professor at Yale Law School and a Professor at the Yale School of Management.
Thursday, August 11, 2022
What Can Cities Do When Bad Gun Laws Are Hurting the Economy — A Commentary by Ian Ayres ’86 and Fredrick Vars ’99
Los Angeles Times
Ian Ayres ’86 is the Oscar M. Ruebhausen Professor at Yale Law School and a Professor at Yale’s School of Management.
Thursday, July 28, 2022
Here’s How States Can Empower Citizens to Help Combat Gun Violence — A Commentary by Ian Ayres ’86 and Fredrick Vars ’99
The Washington Post
Ian Ayres ’86 is the Oscar M. Ruebhausen Professor at Yale Law School and a Professor at Yale’s School of Management.
Tuesday, July 5, 2022
How Can States Limit Guns? By Protecting The Right to Peaceably Assemble — A Commentary by Ian Ayres ’86
Los Angeles Times
Ian Ayres ’86 is the Oscar M. Ruebhausen Professor at Yale Law School and a Professor at Yale’s School of Management.
Thursday, June 30, 2022
Is Your Dishwasher Repairman Packing Heat? The Case For ‘No Carry’ Gun Defaults On Private Property — A Commentary by Ian Ayres ’86 and Spurthi Jonnalagadda ’22
The Hill
Ian Ayres ’86 is the Oscar M. Ruebhausen Professor at Yale Law School and a Professor at Yale’s School of Management.
Tuesday, June 14, 2022
The Case for Mandatory Gun-Liability Insurance — A Commentary by Ian Ayres ’86 and Jason Abaluck
The Washington Post
Ian Ayres ’86 is Deputy Dean and Oscar M. Ruebhausen Professor of Law at Yale Law School. Jason Abaluck is a Professor of Economics at Yale School of Management.
Thursday, June 9, 2022
Faculty Research Puts Gun Violence in Focus
Professors Ian Ayres, Abbe R. Gluck, and Tracey L. Meares discuss their research on gun violence as calls for solutions intensify following the mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas.
Tuesday, May 24, 2022
New York’s Red-Flag Law Failed in Buffalo. Here’s How to Fix It. — A Commentary by Ian Ayres ’86 and Fredrick Vars ’99
The Washington Post
Ian Ayres ’86 is Deputy Dean and Oscar M. Ruebhausen Professor of Law at Yale Law School. Frederick Vars ’99 is Ira Drayton Pruitt, Sr. Professor of Law at the University of Alabama School of Law.
Tuesday, April 26, 2022
Connecticut’s Automotive Dealers Should Examine Their Own Behavior
The Connecticut Mirror
Research by Deputy Dean and the Oscar M. Ruebhausen Professor Professor Ian Ayres ’86 is cited in a commentary on whether buyers should be able to purchase electric vehicles directly from manufacturers.
Friday, February 25, 2022
SCOTUS Echoes Faculty Paper: Badly Chosen Funds May Fail Duty to Retirement Investors
A 2015 article by Professor Ian Ayres ’86 and Quinn Curtis ’09 gained new relevance thanks to a recent Supreme Court decision.
Wednesday, October 27, 2021
Americans Paying 25% More Towards Car Loans than 10 Years Ago
The Guardian
Deputy Dean and Oscar M. Ruebhausen Professor of Law Ian Ayres ’86 comments on car loan interest rate trends in America.
Thursday, September 16, 2021
Until I’m Told Otherwise, I Prefer To Call You ‘They’ — A Commentary by Ian Ayres ’86
The Washington Post
Ian Ayres ’86 is Deputy Dean and the Oscar M. Ruebhausen Professor at Yale Law School and a Professor at the Yale School of Management.
Tuesday, August 10, 2021
Race and the Law Course Highlights Emerging Scholarship
A new class offered the chance for students to engage with emerging scholarship while addressing a broad range of issues related to race, racism, and inequality.
Thursday, April 8, 2021
Solomon Center Hosts Book Talk with Professor Ian Ayres ’86
The Solomon Center for Health Law and Policy hosted Professor Ian Ayres ’86 for a talk on their book “Weapon of Choice: Fighting Gun Violence While Respecting Gun Rights.”
Monday, January 25, 2021
Why the Capitol riot could speed up D.C.’s path to statehood — A Commentary by Ian Ayres ’86
The Los Angeles Times
Ian Ayres is Deputy Dean and Oscar M. Ruebhausen Professor of Law at Yale Law School.
Monday, January 25, 2021
Innovative Gun Violence Course Generates Novel Journal Issue
The Solomon Center for Health Law & Policy and the Justice Collaboratory have teamed up to publish a groundbreaking special issue of The Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics (JLME) devoted to the gun violence epidemic.
Monday, December 14, 2020
Eight Years Later, Newtown Activists Still Pushing For Local Gun Control Laws
WNPR
William K. Townsend Professor of Law Ian Ayres ’86 is quoted by WNPR about Connecticut communities and local gun control laws.
Wednesday, November 11, 2020
A new tool to reduce veteran suicide — A Commentary by Ian Ayres ’86 and Frederick Vars ’99
The Hill
Ian Ayres ’86 is Deputy Dean and the William K. Townsend Professor at Yale Law School. Frederick Vars ’99 is Ira Drayton Pruitt, Sr. Professor of Law at the University of Alabama School of Law.
Wednesday, October 28, 2020
Peaceful assembly can’t happen without the option of gun-free events — A Commentary by Ian Ayres ’86 and Frederick Vars ’99
The Washington Post
Ian Ayres ’86 is Deputy Dean and the William K. Townsend Professor at Yale Law School. Frederick Vars ’99 is Ira Drayton Pruitt, Sr. Professor of Law at the University of Alabama School of Law.
Wednesday, October 28, 2020
Two Law Professors Seek to Have Those with Mental Issues Voluntarily Waive Their Second Amendment Rights
Newsweek
Scholarship by Deputy Dean and William K. Townsend Professor of Law Ian Ayres ’86 is cited in Newsweek about the idea that people should be able to voluntarily waive their Second Amendment rights to prevent them from buying a gun.
Monday, October 26, 2020
New Book by Professor Ayres Seeks a New Way Forward on Gun Control to Save Lives
A new book by William K. Townsend Professor of Law Ian Ayres ’86 and coauthor Frederick E. Vars ’99 looks for a new way forward on gun control.
Friday, October 16, 2020
New Law School Workshop Explores Impact of COVID Across All Aspects of Law and Policy
The Solomon Center for Health Law and Policy has convened a weekly interdisciplinary workshop with leading experts from law, policy, economics, health, and governance to address issues related to all aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Wednesday, October 14, 2020
Suicide Accounts for Most Gun Deaths. A Libertarian Approach Could Help. — A Commentary by Ian Ayres ’86 and Frederick Vars ’99
The Wall Street Journal
Ian Ayres ’86 is Deputy Dean and the William K. Townsend Professor at Yale Law School. Frederick Vars ’99 is Ira Drayton Pruitt, Sr. Professor of Law at the University of Alabama School of Law.
Thursday, July 9, 2020
U.S. Profs Offer 'Independent Study' Classes to Prevent Student Deportations
Newsweek
Dean Heather Gerken is quoted, and deputy dean Ian Ayres ’86 mentioned, in a Newsweek article that highlights Yale Law School’s statement of support for international students following a new federal policy that threatens to deport students who are not receiving in-person instruction this fall.
Wednesday, May 20, 2020
The sticker price of college can mislead students. Covid-19 might make it worse. — A Commentary by Ian Ayres ’86 and Martin Skladany ’06
The Washington Post
Ian Ayres ’86 is the William K. Townsend Professor & Anne Urowsky Professorial Fellow in Law at Yale Law School. Martin Skladany ’06 is an associate professor at Penn State Dickinson Law.
Sunday, October 6, 2019
Temporary restraining orders in Connecticut don’t always take effect; that needs to change — A Commentary by Ian Ayres ’86 and Brandon Costello ’19
Hartford Courant
Ian Ayres ’86 is the William K. Townsend Professor & Anne Urowsky Professorial Fellow in Law at Yale Law School. Brendan Costello is a 2019 graduate of Yale Law School.
Friday, June 14, 2019
How We Learned to Love the Toll — A Commentary by Ian Ayres '86, Steven Berry, Kenneth Gillingham, and Barry Nalebuff
Hartford Courant
Ian Ayres ’86 is the William K. Townsend Professor of Law.
Monday, November 12, 2018
Save a grandma. Get your flu shot—A Commentary by Ian Ayres ’86
Los Angeles Times
Ian Ayres ’86 is the William K. Townsend Professor at Yale Law School.
Tuesday, September 11, 2018
Drug users keep accidentally poisoning themselves. Here’s an idea to stop them. — A Commentary by Ian Ayres ’86
The Washington Post
Ian Ayres ’86 is the William K. Townsend Professor at Yale Law School.
Friday, July 27, 2018
Democrats need a Plan B for the Supreme Court. Here’s one option.—A Commentary by Ian Ayres ’86 and John Fabian Witt ’99
The Washington Post
Ian Ayres ’86 is the William K. Townsend Professor and John Fabian Witt ’99 is Allen H. Duffy Class of 1960 Professor of Law at Yale Law School.
Friday, July 20, 2018
Yale Scholars Tackle Opioid Crisis in Groundbreaking Journal Issue
More than two dozen Yale professors, doctors, and students have published a series of groundbreaking articles on the opioid crisis in the Journal of Law, Medicine and Ethics.
Monday, June 18, 2018
Yale Law Journal-Stanford Law Review Publish #MeToo Symposium
The Yale Law Journal and the Stanford Law Review have collaborated to publish a special companion symposium titled, “#MeToo and the Future of Sexual Harassment Law.”
Monday, March 12, 2018
A new way to reduce gun suicides, and maybe mass shootings too—A Commentary by Ian Ayres ’86 and Fredrick Vars ’99
Los Angeles Times
Ian Ayres ’86 is the William K. Townsend Professor at Yale Law School and Fredrick Vars ’99 is a law professor at the University of Alabama.
Tuesday, January 16, 2018
Students Decide the Case in Innovative Arbitration Clinic
In the Law School’s innovative Arbitration Project Clinic, students hear real cases and award damages in disputes over things such as the New Car Lemon Law Program.
Tuesday, October 17, 2017
After the Weinstein scandal, a new app aims to help victims come forward sooner
Sacramento Bee
William K. Townsend Professor Ian Ayres ’86 is quoted in an article about a software he helped develop that allows individuals to file encrypted, confidential complaints of sexual harassment and assault.
Friday, March 10, 2017
Yale Law Students Decide the Cases in the Arbitration Project Clinic
When students from the Arbitration Project clinic step into a conference room in Hartford for a hearing, they are not representing a client on one side of the table.
Friday, August 19, 2016
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Announces New Advisory Board And Council Members
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau announced that William K. Townsend Professor of Law Ian Ayres ’86 has been appointed to its academic research council.
Monday, January 18, 2016
Lower-Ranked Law Schools Should Be Thanking U.S. News—A Commentary by Ian Ayres ’86
Forbes.com
Ian Ayres ’86 is the William K. Townsend Professor of Law at Yale Law School.
Thursday, December 10, 2015
Where Justice Scalia got the idea that African Americans might be better off at 'slower-track' universities
The Washington Post
William K. Townsend Professor of Law Ian Ayres ’86 and adjunct professor Richard Brooks are mentioned in an article about Fisher v. University of Texas, a challenge to race-conscious admissions policy currently before the Supreme Court.
Tuesday, November 17, 2015
Ian Ayres Teaches On-demand MOOC
A year after launching its Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC) on Coursera, Yale is offering a new set of “on-demand” MOOCs. Ian Ayres ’86, William K. Townsend Professor of Law, is teaching one of the courses, titled “A Law Student’s Toolkit.”
Thursday, November 5, 2015
Democracy Dollars’ Can Give Every Voter a Real Voice in American Politics—A Commentary by Bruce Ackerman ’67 and Ian Ayres ’86
Washington Post
Bruce Ackerman ’67 is Sterling Professor of Law and Political Science at Yale Law School and Ian Ayres ’86 is the William K. Townsend Professor of Law at Yale Law School.
Monday, October 19, 2015
Is Wall Street Eating Your 401(k) Nest Egg?
WNPR/Morning Edition
William K. Townsend Professor of Law Ian Ayres ’86 is quoted in a story about institutional fees charged on retirement accounts.
Monday, September 28, 2015
Fix VW's polluting diesels, and fix the recall system too—A Commentary by Ian Ayres
Los Angeles Times
Ian Ayres ’86 is the William K. Townsend Professor of Law at Yale Law School.
Thursday, August 27, 2015
Boeing Case Is Latest Targeting 401(k) Plans With Excessive Fees
National Public Radio/All Things Considered
William K. Townsend Professor of Law Ian Ayres ’86 was a guest to discuss 401k fees.
Friday, May 29, 2015
In Supreme Court redistricting case, it's the ‘whole number of persons’—A Commentary by Bruce Ackerman ’67 and Ian Ayres ’86
Los Angeles Times
Bruce Ackerman ’67 is Sterling Professor of Law and Political Science at Yale Law School and Ian Ayres ’86 is the William K. Townsend Professor of Law at Yale Law School.
Thursday, May 7, 2015
John Roberts's Roadmap for Campaign-Finance Reform—A Commentary by Bruce Ackerman ’67 and Ian Ayres ’86
The Atlantic
Bruce Ackerman ’67 is Sterling Professor of Law and Political Science at Yale Law School and Ian Ayres ’86 is the William K. Townsend Professor of Law at Yale Law School.
Thursday, May 7, 2015
John Roberts: Behavioral Economist?—A Commentary by Ian Ayres ’86
Forbes
Ian Ayres ’86 is the William K. Townsend Professor of Law at Yale Law School.
Monday, April 27, 2015
Discrimination Without Clear Intent: Statistical Methods Can Demonstrate Racial Disparity—A Commentary by Ian Ayres ’86
The New York Times
Ian Ayres ’86 is the William K. Townsend Professor of Law at Yale Law School.
Thursday, February 26, 2015
University suppressed study into racism on buses and 'victimised' its co-author
The Guardian
William K. Townsend Professor of Law Ian Ayres ’86 is mentioned in an article about the author of a study that explored racism on Brisbane city buses.
Tuesday, February 24, 2015
A Duty to Disgorge?—A Commentary by Ian Ayres ’86
Forbes
Ian Ayres ’86 is the William K. Townsend Professor of Law at Yale Law School.
Tuesday, February 24, 2015
When Whites Get a Free Pass: Research Shows White Privilege is Real—A Commentary by Ian Ayres ’86
The New York Times
Ian Ayres ’86 is the William K. Townsend Professor of Law at Yale Law School.
Wednesday, January 21, 2015
A New Meaning of the Light Bulb—A Commentary by Ian Ayres ’86 and Amy Kapczynski ’03
Forbes
Ian Ayres ’86 is the William K. Townsend Professor of Law at Yale Law School and Amy Kapczynski ’03 is an Associate Professor of Law at Yale Law School and director of the Global Health Justice Partnership.
Monday, January 12, 2015
Necessity’s Child—A Commentary by Ian Ayres ’86 and Amy Kapczynski ’03
Forbes
Ian Ayres ’86 is the William K. Townsend Professor of Law at Yale Law School and Amy Kapczynski ’03 is an Associate Professor of Law at Yale Law School and director of the Global Health Justice Partnership.
Monday, December 29, 2014
Ending excessive police force starts with new rules of engagement—A Commentary by Ian Ayres ’86 and Daniel Markovits ’00
The Washington Post
Ian Ayres ’86 is the William K. Townsend Professor of Law at Yale Law School and Daniel Markovits ’00 is the Guido Calabresi Professor of Law at Yale Law School.
Monday, December 22, 2014
Obama, the Least Lame President?—A Commentary by Ian Ayres ’86 and John Fabian Witt ’99
The New York Times
Ian Ayres ’86 is the William K. Townsend Professor of Law at Yale Law School and John Fabian Witt ’99 is the Allen H. Duffy Class of 1960 Professor of Law at Yale Law School.
Sunday, December 26, 2010
YLS Professor Ian Ayres: Put Your Money Where Your New Year’s Diet Resolution Is
YLS professor Ian Ayres ’86 offers “The $500 Diet,” a new way to lose weight based on his book, Carrots and Sticks.
Friday, September 10, 2010
YLS Professor Ian Ayres ’86 To Discuss His New Book, Carrots and Sticks, Sept. 21
YLS Professor Ian Ayres ’86 will discuss his new book, Carrots and Sticks, Sept. 21 at Yale Law School.
Wednesday, April 27, 2005
Books Fall like Rain for Prof. Ian Ayres
On May 11, 2005, Ian Ayres's new book, Insincere Promises will be released--an exciting moment for any author. Less than three weeks later, his next new book, Straightforward, will come out, relegating Insincere Promises to the heap where his five other old books sit. Then, after only a month, yet another Ayres tome, Optional Law, will make its debut, bumping its two siblings down. "It's an amazing time for me," says Ayres.