Dr. David Hoffman

Biography

David Hoffman is a widely cited scholar focusing his research and teaching on contract law. His work is typically interdisciplinary, built through collaboration with co-authors across a variety of fields. Hoffman writes about aspects of contracting theory and practice, informed by empirical evidence. Over the years, his work has included the application of generative AI in contract interpretation, and papers examining contracts such as those used by consumers and residential tenants, exploring the relationship between rising transaction costs and the proliferation of complex written agreements. His scholarship on leases has led to further work on evictions and sparked projects involving multiple Penn Carey Law students, including a model lease for Philadelphia. Hoffman has conducted in-depth analyses of the technical legal aspects of transactions occurring on blockchains and has researched COVID-linked effects on how courts consider contracts’ third-party interests. Additionally, he has written about nondisclosure clauses in employment contracts and their implications for public policy. Before joining the legal academy, Hoffman worked as a litigation associate at Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP in New York City and as a law clerk for the Honorable Norma L. Shapiro in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. He earned his JD from Harvard Law School and a BA in archaeology and history from Yale University. Hoffman has been with the Penn Carey Law faculty since 2017, previously teaching for 12 years at Temple Law School. He has received several teaching awards, including the Harvey Levin Teaching Award in 2018 and the George P. Williams Memorial Award for Outstanding Professor of the Year in 2013. Raised in the Philadelphia area, he currently resides there with his wife and children. Active on Twitter, he frequently comments, consults, and testifies on contract law and was appointed Special Master for the National Football League Players’ Concussion Injury Litigation in 2020. Recently, he was appointed to an Arbitration Panel for the National Opioid Settlements in 2023.

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