Levmore, as law dean, to stress ‘tradition,’ ‘ambition’

Saul Levmore

Saul Levmore, the William B. Graham Professor in the Law School, will bring high expectations for both himself and the Law School when he becomes the school’s 12th dean on July 1. “I hope to make the school more ambitious in terms of all the ways we can bring legal theory into the real world,” Levmore said. “The Law School has a wonderful history, but there are a lot of things we could do better.” Levmore is one of the most respected teachers on the faculty and a noted scholar in numerous areas of business law.

“I am honored and excited to accept the Deanship of the University Law School,” Levmore said. “I hope to build on its tradition of intellectual intensity, excellence and openness, while improving yet further the educational experiences that we offer, the diversity of viewpoints that is our real hallmark and the opportunities for a real partnership between the Law School and its supporters.

“I know the university community, our past, present and future students, and the new friends we hope to make will join with us in bringing about a future even more remarkable than the Law School’s great past.”

Levmore succeeds Richard Epstein, who has served as Interim Dean since February after the resignation of former Dean Daniel Fischel. President Randel appointed Levmore following a three-month search led by Cass Sunstein, the Karl N. Llewellyn Distinguished Service Professor in the Law School.

“The exceptional academic standards of the University’s Law School demand a dean of great academic distinction as well as one who can work effectively with the school’s many constituencies,” Randel said. “In Saul Levmore we are fortunate to have found just such a dean. I look forward to working with him to ensure that the school continues to define the highest standards in the study and teaching of the law.”

Levmore, who joined the Chicago faculty in 1998, is currently the William B. Graham Professor in the Law School. He holds a B.A. from Columbia University and both a Ph.D. in Economics and a J.D. from Yale University. In 1993, Levmore was a Visiting Professor in the Law School, and he has been a visiting professor at Yale, Harvard, Toronto, Michigan, and Northwestern universities, as well.

“We’re completely thrilled by this appointment,” said Sunstein. “Saul is an exceptionally distinguished scholar, a terrific colleague and a fantastic teacher. He combines an understanding of the Law School’s best traditions with fresh ideas and charisma. He will be an excellent dean.”

Levmore was previously the Brokaw professor and the Albert Clark Tate Jr. research professor at the University of Virginia. His research and teaching are in the areas of torts, corporations, corporate law, comparative law, not-for-profit organizations and public choice.

He is the author of more than 50 scholarly articles in law reviews and other publications. In 2000, he was one of seven University scholars elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Levmore and his wife, Julie Roin, who is a Professor in the Law School, reside in Hyde Park and have two sons, Nathaniel and Eliot, both of whom attend the Laboratory Schools.