Press Release
Contact:
Jim Greif
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(202) 296-1593

 
San Francisco (January 6, 2017) – Paul Marcus, Haynes Professor of Law at William & Mary Law School, was inducted as president of the Association of American Law Schools (AALS) after delivering his inaugural address to the AALS House of Representatives.
 
“It is my honor and privilege to be serving as the President of the Association of American Law schools for 2017,” Professor Marcus said. “I will be continuing in the footsteps of some remarkable individuals who have served our Association with tremendous distinction. Over the course of the coming year, I plan to encourage all of us in legal education to promote the notion of equal access to justice. I intend to tell the story of our efforts to our colleagues, our students, and to judges, lawyers and the broader community.”
 
Professor Marcus takes over from 2016 AALS President and Dean, University of Washington School of Law, Kellye Y. Testy, 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 Wendy Collins Perdue, Dean, University of Richmond School of Law, to serve as 2017 President-Elect. The delegates also approved the nominations of Erwin Chemerinsky, Dean, University of California, Irvine School of Law, and Camille Nelson, Dean, American University Washington College of Law, to serve three-year terms on the AALS Executive Committee.
 
“I look forward to working with my colleagues at the AALS as together we work to further strengthen legal education and the foundations of our system of justice,” said Dean Perdue.
 
“At this critical time for American law schools, the AALS is more important than ever,” said Dean Chemerinsky. “I am very honored to have been elected to the AALS Executive Committee and look forward to doing all I can do to assist its work.”
 
“The AALS remains a leading and vital voice in the role of legal education, and indeed the rule of law, in a rapidly changing professional landscape,” Dean Nelson said. “It is humbling, and a true honor, to have been elected to serve on the AALS executive committee. I am energized by the recent focus and commitment of the organization, and look forward to supporting the work of law schools in educating the next generation of legal leaders.”

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.