Exclusive: Former SMU Law Dean Attanasio Gives First Interview

John Attanasio sat in his nearly empty office Friday evening in his final hours as dean of Southern Methodist University’s Dedman School of Law trying to avoid discussing details of his ouster and trying to shift focus to the law school’s successes during his 15-year tenure.

In minutes, he covered the highlights, as if he’s still trying to recruit a student or conduct fundraising: a significant jump in recent law school rankings; reopening of the evening program; nearly tripling the book value of the law school’s endowment; dramatic increases in the GPAs and LSAT scores of students being admitted; the best job placement numbers of any Texas law school; hosting five Supreme Court summits; 21 new full-time faculty members and three new clinics.