The Faculty Lounge

New England Law Seeks Dean

New England Law School in Boston is seeking a new dean.  A full position description gives all the details. 

Margaret Sova McCabe Stepping Down as Dean of University of Arkansas School of Law

Margaret Sova McCabe, who has served as Dean of Arkansas School of Law since 2018, will step down at the end of the academic year and return to teaching as a member of the faculty.  An interim dean will be named for the 2022-23 academic year.  Details regarding the dean search will be announced in the coming months.

UC Irvine Law Seeks Dean

This just in:

The University of California, Irvine (UCI) seeks a thoughtful and creative leader to serve as the next dean of its School of Law. UCI is noted as one of the most innovative American institutions of higher education. The New York Times named UCI No. 1 among U.S. universities “doing the most for the American dream.” UCI consistently ranks among the top 10 public universities in the nation, with a nearly 40% rise in applications over the last five years.

In 2008, the University of California, Irvine School of Law (UCI Law) was established by visionaries who wanted to reimagine legal education and respond to the opportunities presented by the practice of law in the 21st Century. The School built its reputation on a distinctive egalitarian composition and culture among faculty and staff, an unparalleled education that features interdisciplinary study and strategic problem solving, and a commitment to enrich communities through public service. In just a few years, UCI Law gained recognition as a top law school. U.S. News & World Report ranks UCI Law 19th in academic peer reputation. The leading Sisk et al. study consistently ranks its faculty among the top 15 in the nation for legal scholarly impact. It boasts top 10 programs in clinical training, tax law, and legal writing. The School’s prominence is enhanced by a deep commitment to public service, social justice, research excellence, and experiential learning. Its next dean will be a strategic and collaborative leader with a distinguished scholarly record who will guide the School through its next chapter of growth in prominence and impact.

Founded 13 years ago, UCI Law operates an annual budget of approximately $66 million. It has grown to serve nearly 500 students and employ 53 full-time faculty and over 100 additional faculty and staff. The faculty are highly regarded for their scholarly impact and expertise in skills training and clinical education. UCI Law hosts 18 centers, institutes, and projects that encourage collaboration, contribute in-depth research, and advance policy in specific areas of law. A recent addition, the Artificial Intelligence Public Policy Institute, offers research opportunities for students and faculty to examine the spectrum of ethical and legal challenges at the intersection of law, technology, and artificial intelligence.

In addition to the J.D. program, UCI Law offers a Master of Laws (LL.M.), a first-rate legal education to lawyers, judges, government officials, and others who wish to understand the legal system and practice of law in the United States. Additionally, a new Graduate Tax Program offers a one-of-a-kind LL.M. curriculum that gives students the doctrinal depth and practical skills they need to practice tax law at the highest levels, in the United States or abroad.

UCI Law’s next dean, the third in its history, has an opportunity to further advance the School’s reputation as an eminent and cutting-edge learning community, and to build upon its ethos and mission as a force for good. They will preserve and enhance the School’s established commitment to public service and social justice. And they will work with a thriving community that seeks to reform, reflect upon, and recommit to the role of law and lawyers in surfacing and abating historical and structural inequities in our region, nation, and world.

Washington and Lee Law Seeks Dean

This just in:

Washington and Lee University (W&L) seeks a dynamic and distinguished academic leader with a track record of notable contributions to the field of law to serve as its next Dean of the School of Law. Founded in 1850, the Washington and Lee University School of Law (W&L Law) is a student-centered school that has trained lawyers for more than a century and a half. Ranked 35th in the most recent U.S. News & World Report, W&L Law offers a highly personalized approach to legal education, emphasizing small classes and experiential education. With a relentless focus on positive student outcomes, W&L Law prides itself on the rigor of its academic program, its high employment and bar passage rates for graduates, and—most importantly—its supportive and close-knit community.

W&L Law is committed to training transformative lawyers, and its alumni are among the School’s greatest assets. W&L Law’s graduates sit on federal and state benches throughout the nation, practice law in large corporate firms and small family practices, prosecute and defend criminal cases, represent the government at the national, state and local levels, lead businesses, advise corporations, advocate on behalf of public interest groups and serve in a myriad of ways advancing society and the nation in the practice of law and various leadership roles. It counts among its alumni many distinguished practitioners, judges, and entrepreneurs, including two U.S. Supreme Court Justices and the third highest number of American Bar Association presidents produced by any single school.

W&L Law’s small size, along with the faculty’s historical focus on teaching and culture of mentorship, have fostered an intimate and supportive learning environment. W&L Law’s history is rooted in a culture of student-centeredness, emphasis on teaching, practice-experienced faculty, and student mentoring. W&L Law draws its students from a broad geographic reach; current students represent 37 states, the District of Columbia, and several foreign countries. Similarly, its alumni practice law throughout the country; on average, W&L Law graduates take the bar exam and start their legal careers in 25 different states each year. Each year, approximately 50% of each graduating class are employed in law firms (of all sizes), 25% in judicial clerkships, and the remaining 25% in government, public interest, and business sectors.

W&L Law seeks a Dean with the creativity, passion, drive, and stature to build on the Law School’s success to date. The Dean will possess a real commitment to diversity and inclusion and a genuine understanding and appreciation of the unique mission of W&L Law. The Dean will prioritize enhancing academic success and connecting with alumni and friends to further support W&L Law. Candidates must have a JD and the scholarly achievements necessary to satisfy the requirements of a tenured law professor at W&L Law.

New Mexico Law Announces Four Dean Finalists

UNM Law announced that their four dean finalists are Jason Czarnezki (Pace), Norman Bay (Wilkie Farr & Gallagher), S. David Mitchell (Mizzou), and Camille Carey (New Mexico.)

Patricia Bennett Stepping Down as Dean of Mississippi College Law

Dean Patricia Bennett, who has served as the dean of Mississippi College School of Law since 2016, will step down on June 30, 2022. Dean Bennett served as President of the Mississippi Bar in 2018 while the full time dean at MC Law. The school will begin a national dean search.

Trevor Morrison Stepping Down as Dean of NYU Law

Trevor Morrison, who has served as dean of NYU Law since 2013, will step down at the end of the 2021-2022 academic year.  Details regarding the dean search will be forthcoming from the University. 

Chapman University Names Matt Parlow Named Executive VP & Advancement Chief

Chapman Law Dean Matt Parlow has been named Chapman University's new Executive Vice President and Chief Advancement Officer.  He has served as dean of the law school since 2016.  Parlow takes over December 1.  An interim dean will be named shortly. 

Seattle Law Seeks Dean

Seattle Law is seeking a new dean.  A full position specification gives all the details.  

 

CUNY Law Seeks Dean

This just in:

The City University of New York (CUNY) seeks an engaged and highly collaborative leader for the position of Dean of its School of Law. Reporting to the Chancellor, the Dean will have an extraordinary opportunity to lead a school that is a national and international leader in experiential legal education and recognized as one of the premier public interest law schools in the nation. CUNY School of Law is the nation's #1 public interest law school, its dual mission to educate lawyers in the service of human needs, and to transform the teaching, learning, and practice of law to include those historically excluded, marginalized, and oppressed make it a singular institution. As the only publicly funded law school in New York City, CUNY Law increases access to excellent legal training by pursuing its mission. The Law School's access mission is further served by its four year part-time evening program, launched in 2015.

CUNY Law is built on a tradition of radical lawyering: movements for social change are built with leadership and collaboration from the people and communities who have experienced injustice. The law school’s #1 ranking in diversity of the faculty and student body is an example of how its mission is realized through intentional recruitment and its status as a top-three clinical education program is a manifestation of CUNY Law’s commitment to partnering with local and grassroots organizations in the field. The CUNY Law community is one of activists, organizers, scholars, and advocates that stand united in the belief that only when the world can see the full range of human experience reflected and represented in the law will we have justice for all. This is an exciting opportunity to join the nation’s leading urban public university, led by a strong executive team and a highly cohesive group of leaders of all CUNY institutions, allowing for a plethora of unique collaborative opportunities.

Donald Tobin Stepping Down as Dean of Maryland Law

Donald Tobin, who has served as dean of Maryland Law since 2014, will step down at the end of the 2021-2022 academic year and return to full-time teaching as a member of the faculty.  The school will begin a dean search in the coming weeks.

Mandell Named Temple's Interim Provost; Rebouche is Interim Law Dean

Temple University has named the law school's dean, Gregory Mandell, as the new interim provost, following the departure of JoAnne Epps (herself the former dean of Temple Law.)  Rachel Rebouche, who has been at Temple since 2013, was named interim dean.  She holds a JD from Harvard.

Oren Griffin Named Dean of Tulsa Law

The University of Tulsa announced that Oren Griffin, a faculty member and associate dean at Mercer Law, will become its new dean.  Griffin, who holds a JD from Washington & Lee, and a Ph.D from Iowa, will take over on January 1.

Dean Search: Loyola University (Chicago) School of Law

From an email message that I received today:

Loyola University Chicago, a private, coeducational, Catholic, Jesuit university, seeks a Dean of the School of Law with intellectual vision, energy, ambition, and the ability to lead the School of Law community to even greater distinction. Inspired by the Jesuit traditions of academic excellence, intellectual openness, social justice, and service to others, the School of Law is revered for its student-centered approach and dedication to educating lawyers, scholars, and leaders for an increasingly complex and diverse world. The School of Law recently adopted a new and powerful mission statement that gives meaning and currency to its Jesuit social justice tradition and reinforces a commitment to equity, justice, and anti-racism. Building upon the school’s strengths and potential, the incoming Dean will have a profound influence on the future of a school where faculty, staff, and students are mutually and deeply committed to creating an impact on Chicago, the legal community, and the world.  

Founded in 1870, Loyola University Chicago is one of 27 Jesuit universities and one of the largest Catholic universities in the United States. The School of Law has been educating aspiring attorneys in the theory, practice, and ethics of lawyering for more than 100 years. The School of Law boasts a number of world-renowned scholars capable of guiding students to the frontier of legal knowledge in pursuit of a greater social justice. While the School of Law trains excellent lawyers in all practice areas, many students take advantage of the highly regarded program in healthcare law, which is ranked #3 in the country by U.S. News and World Report. With a variety of different degree and programmatic offerings, as well as opportunities for students to gain practical experience, the School of Law is a place for all students to learn together in the pursuit of a more inclusive and just world. 

In 2019, as part of its Mission Priority Examen, Loyola completed a self-study of how the University advances its Jesuit educational mission. The study served as part of the foundation for the new strategic plan. Building on that work, in the Summer of 2020, the Loyola University Chicago School of Law community, including faculty, staff, students, and alumni, came together to examine the mission statement and ensure that it was clearly aligned with the goals of the institution and the aspirations of the community. The new mission statement, adopted in July of 2020, declares:  

Loyola University Chicago School of Law is a student-focused law center inspired by the Jesuit tradition of academic excellence, intellectual openness, and service to others. Our mission is: 

• to educate students to be responsible and compassionate lawyers, judges, and law-related leaders in an increasingly diverse and interdependent world;
• to prepare graduates who will be ethical advocates for justice and equity, who will lead efforts to dismantle the legal, economic, political, and social structures that generate and sustain racism and all forms of oppression, and who will advance a rule of law that promotes social justice; and
• to contribute to a deeper understanding of law, legal institutions, and systems of oppression through a commitment to transformation, intersectionality, and anti-subordination in our teaching, research, scholarship, and public service.

In accordance with this revised mission statement, School of Law stakeholders identified 8 key strategic goals with relevant objectives to guide the future direction of the school. For more information about these strategic goals, visit https://www.luc.edu/law/about/mission/index.cfm.

Cathy Cox Named Finalist in Georgia College President Search

Mercer Law dean Cathy Cox has been named as a the sole finalist in George College and State University's search for a new president.  Don't know the school?  Flannery O'Connor is an alum (back when it was Georgia State College for Women.)  Cox has been the dean of Mercer since 2017.  

Scott Brown Steps Down as Dean of New England Law

Add this one to the mix.  Former Massachusetts U.S. Senator, Scott Brown, who served as dean of New England Law School starting last January, has stepped down because, he says, his vision for the law school conflicted with the school's Board.  Allison Dussias (JD Georgetown) and Lisa Freudenheim (JD NYU) are the new acting co-deans.

Law Deans Stepping Down at Seattle, Texas, Wash U

This has been a hectic time preparing for law school dean transitions.  Three well-established deans have announced they are stepping down. 

Annette Clark has announced that, at the end of the school year,  she will step down as dean of Seattle University Law.  She has been in the position since 2013.   Ward Farnsworth has announced he will step down as the dean of Texas Law  at the end of the academic year as well.  He has been the dean since 2012.  Finally, Nancy Staudt will be leaving her post as dean of Washington University in St. Louis Law, effective October 1.  She took the helm in 2014.  Staudt will take on a leadership position at RAND.  

Lot's of big searches in the coming year!

 

Betsy McCormick Named Interim Dean of Tulsa Law

As anticipated, Lyn Entzeroth stepped down as the dean of Tulsa Law as of August 1.  She has been replaced by Interim Dean Elizabeth McCormick.  McCormick has been on the University of Tulsa law faculty since 2005 and most recently served as associate dean for academic affairs.  She holds a JD from Georgetown.  

Dean Search: University of Tennessee College of Law

Our friends at the University of Tennessee invite applications and nominations for the position of law school dean.  The announcement is available here.

Ngai Pindell Named Dean of UBC Law

I'm a bit behind on announcements.  UNLV Law Professor Ngai Pindell has been named the new dean of the law school at the University of British Columbia.  Pindell, who has served in several leadership roles at UNLV, holds a JD from Harvard.  He will take over "no later than" November 1.