Dear Colleagues and Members of the University of Miami School of Law Community:
As students return for the fall semester, I am delighted to announce that former Notre Dame Law Dean Nell Jessup Newton will join us as interim dean and visiting professor at the University of Miami School of Law on September 1. Professor Newton, whose impressive academic and administrative accomplishments have made her a national leader in legal education for more than 20 years, will steer Miami Law through the coming year during the search for our next law dean.
A tenured member of the faculty at Notre Dame Law School, Professor Newton served as its 10th dean from 2009 to 2019. Prior to Notre Dame, Professor Newton served as the dean at UC Hastings, and the law schools of the University of Connecticut and the University of Denver. During her decade as dean at Notre Dame, the school built curricular strengths in business and international law as well as intellectual property.
Under her leadership, Notre Dame launched new clinical programs to assist the underserved, new specialized courses of study in law and policy, as well as dual degree and interdisciplinary programs. During her tenure, the school also doubled its externship offerings, expanded LLM programs to include foreign lawyers wishing to study both in the U.S. and the U.K., and grew its international curriculum to include a program in global law and exchange programs with half a dozen universities across Europe, Asia, and Latin America.
Beyond her accomplishments as dean, Professor Newton is a renowned scholar of Indian Law and the editor in chief of the only treatise on the subject, Cohen’s Handbook of Federal Indian Law. She has served as a member and chair of the Board of Trustees of NALP’s Foundation for Law Career Research and Education, and on several committees examining legal education issues for the American Bar Association, the Association of American Law Schools, and the Law School Admission Council. The breadth of her experience and expertise will allow her to seamlessly engage with students, faculty, staff, and alumni, as we build on a legacy of scholarship, service, and social justice to strengthen our law school for the future.
We are grateful to Acting Dean and Professor Stephen Schnably for his steady hand and selfless service while we identified the best candidate to lead Miami Law through this important transition. I also appreciate the many faculty members, alumni, students, and trustees who have shared their perspectives and sage advice in making this appointment.
Please join me in thanking all of them and giving our new colleague, Interim Law Dean and Visiting Professor Nell Jessup Newton, a warm Miami welcome. |
