The American Law and Economics Association (ALEA), a United States organization founded in 1991, is focused on the advancement of economic understanding of law, and related areas of public policy and regulation. It promotes research in law and economics. The association was co-founded by George Priest, A. Mitchell Polinsky, and Steven Shavell. The growing acceptance of legal and economic perspectives by judges, practitioners, and policy-makers is evident by the creation of parallel associations in Australia, Europe, Latin America, and Canada. The organization's official journal is the American Law and Economics Review, established in 1999.
Robert Cooter is one of the ALEA's founders and served as its president from 1994 to 1995. The current president is Michelle White, from the University of California, San Diego.