Christopher Leslie
Our Faculty
Full-Time Faculty
Christopher Leslie
Profile
Christopher Leslie
Chancellor’s Professor of Law
Expertise:
Antitrust Law, Intellectual Property, Class Action Settlements, Sexual Orientation and the Law
Background:
Professor Leslie received his J.D. from the University of California, Berkeley School of Law, his Master’s in Public Policy from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, and his B.A. in Economics and Political Science from UCLA.
After graduating from law school and being elected to the Order of the Coif, Professor Leslie clerked for Judge Diarmuid O’Scannlain on the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, and he practiced antitrust law and complex business litigation in San Francisco at Pillsbury Madison & Sutro, and at Heller Erhman.
Prior to becoming a member of the inaugural faculty at U.C. Irvine School of Law, he was a Professor of Law at Chicago-Kent College of Law and a Visiting Professor of Law at Stanford Law School, the University of Texas School of Law and N.Y.U. School of Law. Professor Leslie is the past Chair of the Antitrust Law Section of the Association of American Law Schools (AALS) and is a Senior Editor for the Antitrust Law Journal.
Professor Leslie is the author of the casebook Antitrust Law and Intellectual Property Rights (Oxford University Press, 2011). He is a co-author of the major treatise in that field, IP and Antitrust: An Analysis of Antitrust Principles Applied to Intellectual Property Law (3d edition 2016 and annual supplements, with Hovenkamp, Janis, Lemley and Carrier). He is also a co-author of a leading casebook on antitrust law more broadly, Antitrust Law, Policy and Procedure (9th edition 2024) (with Thomas Sullivan, Herbert Hovenkamp, and Howard Shelanski).
Professor Leslie is among the Top Five Most-Cited Antitrust Professors in the country. He has published over 50 law review articles. His scholarship has been published in the
Columbia Law Review, University of Pennsylvania Law Review, California Law Review
New York University Law Review
Georgetown Law Journal, Cornell Law Review, Northwestern University Law Review, Vanderbilt Law Review, Duke Law Journal
Texas Law Review
UCLA Law Review
Minnesota Law Review
Iowa Law Review
William & Mary Law Review
Boston College Law Review, Wisconsin Law Review
North Carolina Law Review
UC Davis Law Review
Ohio State Law Journal
Florida Law Review
and
Harvard Civil Rights-Civil Liberties Law Review
, among others, as well as several invited symposia and specialty journals.
His scholarship focuses on antitrust law, the intersection of antitrust law and intellectual property rights, sexual orientation discrimination, arbitration, and class action settlements.
(Log in to view full course descriptions in the
UCI Law Course Catalog
Recent Publications
Christopher R. Leslie,
Antitrust’s Interdependence Paradox
, 111
Virginia Law Review
__ (2025)
Christopher R. Leslie,
Standing’s Double Standard
72 UCLA Law Review
__ (forthcoming 2025)
Christopher R. Leslie,
False Analogies to Predatory Pricing,
172 University of Pennsylvania Law Review
__ (2024)
Christopher R. Leslie,
Predatory Pricing Algorithms
98 New York University Law Review 49
(2023)
Christopher R. Leslie,
Banking Deserts, Structural Racism, and Merger Law
108 Minnesota Law Review 695
(2023)
Christopher R. Leslie,
The Factor/Element Distinction in Antitrust Litigation
64 William & Mary Law Review 585
(2023)
Joseph Harrington, Jr. & Christopher R. Leslie,
Horizontal Price Exchanges
44 Cardozo Law Review 2301
(2023)
Christopher R. Leslie,
Respect for Marriage in U.S. Territories
96 Southern California Law Review Postscript 193
(2023)
Christopher R. Leslie,
The America Without Marriage Equality
122 Columbia Law Review 176
9 (2022)
Christopher R. Leslie,
Food Deserts, Racism, and Antitrust Law
110 California Law Review 1717
(2022)
Christopher R. Leslie,
High Prices and Low-Level Conspirators
, 100 Texas Law Review 839 (2022)
Christopher R. Leslie,
Disapproval of Quick-Look Approval: Antitrust After
NCAA v. Alston,
100 Washington University Law Review 1
(2022)
Christopher R. Leslie,
The Gay Perjury Trap
71 Duke Law Journal 1
(2021)
Christopher R. Leslie,
The Probative Synergy of Plus Factors in Price-Fixing Litigation
115 Northwestern University Law Review 1581
(2021)
Christopher R. Leslie,
How to Hide a Price-Fixing Conspiracy
2021 University of Illinois Law Review 1199
(2021)
Christopher R. Leslie,
The Decline and Fall of Circumstantial Evidence in Antitrust Law
69 American University Law Review 1713
(2020).
Christopher R. Leslie,
The DOJ’s Defense of Deception: Antitrust Law’s Role in Protecting the Standard-Setting Process
98 Oregon Law Review 379
(2020).
Christopher R. Leslie,
Hindsight Bias in Antitrust Law
71 Vanderbilt Law Review 1527
(2018).
Christopher R. Leslie,
Balancing the Conspiracy’s Books: Inter-Competitor Sales and Price-Fixing Cartels
96 Washington University Law Review 1
(2018).
Christopher R. Leslie,
Conspiracy to Arbitrate
96 North Carolina Law Review 381
(2018).
Christopher R. Leslie,
Foreign Price-Fixing Conspiracies
67 Duke Law Journal 557
(2017).
Christopher R. Leslie,
The Geography of Equal Protection
101 Minnesota Law Review 1579
(2017).
Christopher R. Leslie,
Dissenting from History: The False Narratives of the
Obergefell
Dissents
, 92
Indiana Law Journal 1007
(2017).
Christopher R. Leslie,
The Arbitration Bootstrap
, 94
Tex. L. Rev
. 265 (2015).
Mark A. Lemley & Christopher R. Leslie,
Antitrust Arbitration and Merger Approval
, 110
Nw. U. L. Rev
. 1 (2015).
Christopher R. Leslie,
Monopolization Through Patent Theft
, 103
Geo. L
.J. (2014).
Christopher R. Leslie,
Justice Alito’s Dissent in
Loving v. Virginia
, 55
B.C. L. Rev.
(2014).
Christopher R. Leslie,
Embracing Loving: Trait-Specific Marriage Laws and Heightened Scrutiny
, 99
Cornell L. Rev.
(2014).
Christoperh R. Leslie,
Predatory Pricing and Recoupment
, 113
Colum. L. Rev.
1695 (2013).
Christopher R. Leslie,
Antitrust Law as Public Interest Law
, 2
UC Irvine L. Rev.
885 (2012).
Herbert Hovenkamp & Christopher R. Leslie,
The Firm as Cartel Manager
, 64
Vand. L. Rev.
813 (2011).
Christopher R. Leslie,
Rationality Analysis in Antitrust
, 158
U. Pa. L. Rev.
261 (2010).
Christopher R. Leslie,
Judgment-Sharing Agreements
, 58
Duke L.J.
747 (2009).
Prof. Leslie's Scholarly Papers on SSRN
Recent and Upcoming Events
September 2025
➭ Presenter, “Rebate Walls: Anticompetitive Manipulation of Pharmaceutical Formularies;” Antitrust Law and Healthcare Conference; Competition, Antitrust Law, and Innovation Forum (CALIF)
➭ Discussant, “Antitrust Law and Food Systems: Protecting Competition for Farmers, Workers, and Consumers,” Lunch & Learn Webinar, Berkeley Food Institute
Recent Honors
Prof. Christopher Leslie
received two awards at the American Antitrust Institute’s Jerry S. Cohen Awards for Antitrust Scholarship, including Best Antitrust Publication of 2024 on Burdens of Proof for his article,
False Analogies to Predatory Pricing,” and Best Antitrust Publication of 2024 on Non-Price Effects for his article,
Pharmacy Deserts and Antitrust Law.”
In the Media
UC Irvine Law Rings in 2026 with National Leadership Roles in Law, Policy and Academia
UC Irvine Law Faculty Excel in National Scholarly Impact Rankings
HeinOnline Ranks UC Irvine Law Faculty Among Nation’s Most-Cited Scholars
Faculty Roundup | October 2025
Faculty Roundup | September 2025
Faculty Roundup | July 2025
UC Irvine Law Professor Christopher Leslie Recognized with Dual Honors at 2025 Cohen Awards for Antitrust Scholarship
UC Irvine Law Rings in 2025 with National Leadership Roles in Law, Policy and Academia
Intellectual Life Workshop Schedule 2023-24
CNET: Amazon Downplays Its Retail Might With This One Number, on Repeat
The New York Times:
Prof. Leslie quoted in article, "California Files Antitrust Lawsuit Against Amazon"
Brian Leiter’s Law School Reports:
Prof. Leslie ranked No. 5 most-cited antitrust scholar in the U.S.
Our Curious Amalgam Podcast:
LISTEN: Prof. Leslie discusses Ida Tarbell and how her work is relevant today in the antitrust debates over Facebook, Google, and other tech giants
The Guardian:
Prof. Leslie quoted on FTC Chair Lina Khan’s antitrust enforcement leadership and scholarship
FundFire:
Prof. Leslie comments on Aon and Willis Towers Watson scrapped merger
CNET:
Prof. Leslie quoted on newly appointed FTC Chair Lina Khan
Forbes:
Prof. Leslie Q&A on recent attention to antitrust enforcement efforts
The Hollywood Reporter:
Prof. Leslie comments on Disney-Fox merger, antitrust issues
Los Angeles Times:
Prof. Leslie quoted on Department of Justice antitrust lawsuit against DIRECTV
Brian Leiter’s Law School Reports:
Prof. Leslie ranks 6th on list of Most-Cited Antitrust Faculty
Los Angeles Times:
Prof. Leslie comments on business getting fair hearing in face of potential class-action suit
The Stranger:
Prof. Leslie on antitrust issues in SF newspaper war
Brian Leiter's Law School Reports:
"The 'Regional' Law Schools With an Unusually Good Eye for Faculty Talent"
Contact Information
401 East Peltason Drive
Law 4500-G
Irvine, CA 92697-8000
949-824-5556
cleslie@law.uci.edu
Faculty Support
Maria Gonzalez De Toro
mgonzalez@law.uci.edu
Related Links
Professor Leslie’s Scholarship on SSRN
Curriculum Vitae
Christopher Leslie's CV
Education
University of California, Berkeley, J.D.
Harvard University, Kennedy School of Government, Masters in Public Policy
University of California, Los Angeles, B.A., Economics and Political Science