Law Faculty Show Passion for Issues, Determination to Tell 'Story of the Law'
April 17, 2012
Contact: University Relations
Phone: 410.837.5739
A brief look at recent publications by faculty members in the University of Baltimore School of Law reveals not only a sense of dedication to a particular area of the law in which they are experts—but also a determination to explore and critique those issues to which the term "settled law" should never apply. In the past year alone, more than a dozen books, journal articles and book chapters have been written or edited by law faculty, many of whom are also teaching full course loads, volunteering for legal advocacy groups or assisting policymakers in the public and private sectors. In part, UB's 2011-12 academic year will be remembered as a time of extraordinary contributions by the institution’s scholars and teachers.
"Professors in the UB School of Law have a long-standing tradition of never being satisfied with simply teaching the law as it is generally known and accepted," said Interim Dean Michael Higginbotham, who also serves as the school's Wilson H. Elkins Professor of Law. "I think it's true that for every law that exists, there are issues, cases and different contexts that require us to, in essence, stay on top of things. That's what I see our faculty doing every day, whether they are teaching in the classroom, attending a conference with their peers from across the country, or digging deep into casebooks and files that may not have seen the light of day in decades. They're not only telling the story of the law, they're making all of us think harder about what the law must do for us, as citizens, parents, children, employees—people from all walks of life in every country on earth. I'm proud of them for taking on that role. It is absolutely vital, and they fulfill it with joy, compassion and intellect."
Here is a list, by no means comprehensive, of recent or ongoing work by UB law professors:
Books:
John Bessler, associate professor: Cruel and Unusual: The American Death Penalty and the Founders' Eighth Amendment (Northeastern University Press)
Wendy Gerzog, professor: Federal Taxes on Gratuitous Transfers: Law and Planning (with Joseph Dodge and Bridget Crawford) (Aspen Press)
Leigh Goodmark, associate professor, director of clinical education, director of the Family Law Clinic and co-director of the Center on Applied Feminism: A Troubled Marriage: Domestic Violence and the Legal System (New York University Press)
Michael Higginbotham, interim dean and Wilson H. Elkins Professor of Law: Ghosts of Jim Crow: Uncovering Racism in “Post-Racial" America (New York University Press; forthcoming early 2013)
Christopher J. Peters, professor: A Matter of Dispute: Morality, Democracy, and Law (Oxford University Press)
Michael Meyerson, professor, Piper & Marbury Faculty Fellow and director of the Baltimore Scholars Program: Endowed by Our Creator: The Birth of Religious Freedom in America (Yale University Press)
James Maxeiner, associate professor and associate director of the Center for International and Comparative Law: Failures of American Civil Justice in International Perspective (with Gyooho Lee and Armin Weber) (Cambridge University Press)
Jane C. Murphy, professor: Family Feuds: From Adversary Justice to Problem Solving Courts (with Jana Singer) (New York University Press; forthcoming in 2013)
Arnold Rochvarg, professor: Principles and Practice of Maryland Administrative Law (Carolina Academic Press)
Mortimer Sellers, University System of Maryland Regents Professor and director of the Center for International & Comparative Law: Parochialism, Cosmopolitanism, and Foundations of International Law (editor) (Cambridge University Press)
Angela Vallario, associate professor: Fundamentals of Estate Planning (Carolina Academic Press)
Journal articles:
Fred Brown, associate professor and director of the Graduate Tax Program: "An Equity-Based Multilateral Approach to Sourcing Income Among Nations," Florida Tax Review
Wendy Gerzog, professor: "The New Super-Charged PAT (Power of Appointment Trust)," Houston Law Review
David Jaros, assistant professor: "The Criminal Class Action" (with Adam S. Zimmerman), University of Pennsylvania Law Review
Audrey McFarlane, professor: "The Properties of Instability: Markets, Predation, Racialized Geography, and Property Law," Wisconsin Law Review
The University of Baltimore is a member of the University System of Maryland and comprises the School of Law, the Yale Gordon College of Arts and Sciences, the College of Public Affairs and the Merrick School of Business.