The National Jurist’s list of the Most Influential People in Legal Education will include four new names when it is unveiled in its entirety in January, the publication announced.
Paul Caron, Professor at Pepperdine University, Eric Janus, Dean at William Mitchell School of Law, Michael Hunter Schwartz, Dean at University of Arkansas at Little Rock and Maureen A. O’Rourke, Dean at Boston University School of Law all made the list for the first time.
Philip J. Weiser, Dean at University of Colorado Law School will return to the list after a one-year absence.
Janus made news late last year as the dean of the first school to get ABA approval for a distance-learning program for J.D. students. Michael Hunter Schwartz and Maureen A. O’Rourke have each spearheaded legal education reforms at their schools.
“We are beginning to see influence grow for people who are behind innovative initiatives,” said Jack Crittenden, Editor In Chief of The National Jurist. “We had thought we might see more innovators, but few of last year’s honorees saw their influence wane.”
The National Jurist seeks nominations from every law school and then narrows the list down to 50 nominees. Law school deans, the magazine’s editors and other influencers in legal education then vote.
Caron, who is new to the list, is an editor of a popular blog that covers legal education in addition to tax law issues.
Twenty honorees return to the list. They are listed below in alphabetical order:
Paul Campos, Professor of Law, University of Colorado Law School
Catherine Carpenter, Professor of Law, Southwestern Law School
Erwin Chemerinsky, Dean, University of California Irvine School of Law
JoAnne Epps, Dean, Temple University — James E. Beasley School of Law
Bryant Garth, Professor of Law, University of California Irvine School of Law
Claudio Grossman, Dean, American University Washington College of Law
Phoebe Haddon, Former Dean, University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law
William Henderson, Professor of Law, Indiana University Maurer School of Law — Bloomington
Martin J. Katz, Dean, University of Denver Sturm College of Law
Brian Leiter, Professor of Law, The University of Chicago Law School
Kyle McEntee, Co-Founder, Law School Transparency
Blake Morant, Dean, George Washington University (former dean at Wake Forest University)
Randall T. Shepard, Visiting Professor of Law, Indiana University McKinney School of Law
Michael Simkovic, Professor of Law, Seton Hall University School of Law
Sophie Sparrow, Professor of Law, University of New Hampshire School of Law
Brian Tamanaha, Professor of Law, Washington University School of Law
Susan Westerberg Prager, Dean, Southwestern Law School
Patricia White, Dean, University of Miami School of Law
Frank H. Wu, Chancellor and Dean, University of California, Hastings College of Law
David Yellen, Dean, Loyola University Chicago School of Law