Press Release
Contact:
Jim Greif
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(202) 296-1593
“The Association of American Law Schools has been a voice for quality legal education for over 118 years and I’m proud and honored to take on the role of president of this outstanding organization,” said Dean Perdue. “As lawyers and legal educators, we bring a skill set that is particularly valuable in a world of political polarization: Lawyers are, after all, in the dispute resolution process. I look forward to working with our member schools to find new and creative ways we can share those bridge-building skills – respectful negotiation, navigating disagreement, empathetic understanding – with our communities.”
Dean Perdue takes over from 2017 AALS President Paul Marcus, Haynes Professor of Law at William & Mary Law School, who has transitioned to Immediate Past President on the AALS Executive Committee.
The AALS House of Representatives also voted today to accept the nomination of Vicki C. Jackson, Thurgood Marshall Professor of Constitutional Law at Harvard Law School, to serve as 2018 President-Elect. The delegates also approved the nominations of Mark C. Alexander, Dean, Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law, and Gillian Lester, Dean, Columbia Law School, to serve three-year terms on the AALS Executive Committee.
“I am grateful for the opportunity to work with AALS colleagues and member schools to strengthen legal education and the roles of higher education and law in U.S. constitutional democracy,” said Professor Jackson.
“The law is a noble profession, one in which we lawyers dedicate our lives to serving others,” remarked Dean Alexander. “It is an honor to join the AALS Executive Committee, giving back to the profession I hold so dear and helping to shape the future of legal education in the U.S.”
“I am delighted to join with colleagues in working with the AALS to address the most important issues in legal education,” Dean Lester said. “American law schools have a vital role to play in preparing the next generation not only to carry on the excellence of the profession but also to guide our society in designing sound institutions and upholding the rule of law.”
About the AALS
The Association of American Law Schools (AALS), founded in 1900, is a nonprofit association of 179 law schools. Its members enroll most of the nation’s law students and produce the majority of the country’s lawyers and judges, as well as many of its lawmakers. The mission of AALS is to uphold and advance excellence in legal education. In support of this mission, AALS promotes the core values of excellence in teaching and scholarship, academic freedom, and diversity, including diversity of backgrounds and viewpoints, while seeking to improve the legal profession, to foster justice, and to serve our many communities–local, national and international.
