Brian Leiter's Law School Reports

In Memoriam: Thomas Holdych

The sad week continues.  Professor Thomas Holdych a faculty member at Seattle University School of Law - and a founding faculty member of that school's predecessor institution, the University of Puget Sound - passed away last Sunday from ALS.  He was 66. 

Berman Named New GW Dean

Paul Berman, who has served as dean at Arizona State's Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law since August of 2008, will be heading back east.  George Washington University School of Law announced that Berman will be its new dean, taking over July 1.  Berman was previously on the faculty of the University of Connecticut School of Law.

Clark Named Dean at Saint Louis

Saint Louis University School of Law has announced the appointment of Annette Clark as its new dean.  She will take over on July 1.  Clark is an Associate Professor at Seattle University School of Law, and formerly served as interim dean, vice dean, and associate dean there.

In Memoriam: Craig Callen

Professor Craig Callen, the Judge John D. O’Hair Professor of Evidence and Procedure at Michigan State University College of Law, passed away this past weekend.  He was 60.  Callen had been a member of the MSU Law faculty since 2002.  He previously taught at Mississippi College of Law and Oklahoma City University School of Law.

In Memoriam: Keith Aoki

The very sad news has just come in that Keith Aoki, Professor of Law at U.C. Davis School of Law, passed away this morning.  Professor Aoki previously taught at the University of Oregon School of Law and was a prolific scholar in areas relating to critical theory.  He was also an avid cartoonist.  He was 55. 

Update: Jamie Boyle at Duke is heading up efforts to build a trust fund for Professor Aoki's nine year old daughters.

Michael Young, Former GW Law Dean, Named President of University of Washington

Michael Young, a former member of the Columbia Law faculty and dean of the George Washington Law School, has been named the new president of the University of Washington.  Young currently serves as president of the University of Utah.  He is a graduate of Harvard and clerked for Justice Rehnquist.  He also served briefly in the George H.W. Bush administration.

Four Law Professors Named Guggenheim Fellows

The John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation has announced its 2011 Fellows.  Four law professors are among this year's Guggenheim Fellows, including Katherine Franke (Columbia), Catherine Sharkey (NYU), Stephen Gardbaum (UCLA), and Richard Leo (USF).  Karen Alter (Northwestern Political Science) and Seyla Benhabib (Yale Political Science & Philosophy) - both working in the area of international law - were also named Fellows.

Lazarus from Georgetown to Harvard

Richard Lazarus (environmental law) at Georgetown University has accepted a senior offer from Harvard Law School.

Dean Search Updates

It appears that Fordham law school dean search is down to three finalists, GW to two, and Brooklyn to, well, none.  The skinny is here.

Lawrence Mitchell Named Dean at Case

Lawrence Mitchell, the Theodore Rinehart Professor of Business Law, and Executive Director of the Center for Law, Economics & Finance at George Washington University School of Law, has been named the new dean of Case Western Reserve School of Law.  He has been at GW since 1991 and previously taught at Albany Law.