According to a press release, the School of Law at the University of Texas at Austin has named a new dean. The new dean is Ward Farnsworth, who previously served as the dean for academic affairs at Boston University School of Law. The appointment takes effect on June 1 and it fills the position, which is being held right now by Interim Dean Stefanie Lindquist.
“As a teacher, a scholar and a leader, Ward Farnsworth is just what UT Law needs,” said President Bill Powers. “I’m confident he’ll not only continue the tradition of first-class legal education and service to society at The University of Texas, but take the law school to even greater heights.”
Farnsworth was a member of the faculty at Boston University since 1997 and taught courses in torts, civil procedure, rhetoric and contracts.
“I am thrilled to be coming to The University of Texas at Austin and to be working with such a world-class faculty and body of law students,” said Farnsworth. “I look forward to leading and building on the foundation of excellence and service that is already in place.”
The law school has over 1,200 students and 23,500 living alumni who work in government, corporations, public-service organizations and law firms across Texas, the country and the world. On the current faculty there are 24 members of the American Law Institute.
“The strength of leadership at the Law School is essential to the strength of the university as a whole as it pursues excellence,” said Executive Vice President and Provost Steven Leslie. “We have recruited a scholar of national prominence who has proved to be a stellar administrator. We are very fortunate to have Ward Farnsworth as our new dean.”
Farnsworth graduated from Wesleyan University in 1989 with a bachelor’s degree and then from the University of Chicago in 1994 with a law degree. Farnsworth was employed with Richard A. Posner as a law clerk. Posner was the chief judge for the United States Court of Appeals in the Seventh Circuit. He also served as a law clerk to Anthony M. Kennedy, who is the associate justice of the United States Supreme Court. Farnsworth also served as a legal adviser in the Iran-United States Claims Tribunal in The Hague.