© 2013 The Texas Lawbook.
By Brooks Igo
Staff Writer for The Texas Lawbook
Southern Methodist University announced Friday that Dedman School of Law professor Julie Patterson Forrester will serve as the interim dean of the school starting June 1, replacing John Attanasio who is being ousted after 15 years.
SMU Provost Paul Ludden also announced the official creation of an 18-member law dean search committee, which includes DFI Management, Ltd CEO Robert H. Dedman, Jr., AT&T General Counsel Wayne Watts, former Texas Supreme Court Justice Deborah Hankinson, Akin Gump partner Alan Feld and Haynes and Boone founder Mike Boone, who also serves as chair-elect of the SMU Board of Trustees.
Several law school faculty members and even a law student has agreed to serve on the committee, which will be chaired by Cox Business School Dean Albert W. Niemi, Jr.
Ludden informed Attanasio in December that he would not be offered a contract extension when his current deal expires May 31. The decision caused a significant backlash against university officials from many high-profile law school alumni.
Forrester, who joined the SMU Dedman faculty in 1990, was a real estate lawyer at Thompson & Knight and is a past recipient of the John Minor Wisdom Award for Academic Excellence for being one of the first legal scholars to write about the problem of predatory lending in the subprime mortgage market. She served as the law school’s associate dean of academic affairs in 1995 and 1996.
Ludden also announced that the search committee will be assisted by Ilene Nagel and Mirah Horowitz of the executive search firm Russell Reynolds Associates.
“We are fortunate to have Professor Forrester in place to serve in this important role,” Ludden said in a written statement issued Friday. “She is an outstanding legal scholar who also has an impressive record of community service and engagement. She will work well with the University community and with the broader legal community as we look forward to a bright future for the Dedman School of Law.”
SMU spokesperson Kent Best told The Texas Lawbook in January that “SMU does not comment on personnel matters,” after requests were made for interviews with Ludden and SMU President R. Gerald Turner about the decision to not renew Attanasio’s contract.
Other members of the search committee include Fluor Corporation senior director of corporate compliance Rosario E. Heppe; Karen Sargent, assistant dean for career services at the law school; law professors Cheryl Nelson Butler, Bill Dorsaneo, Xuan-Thao Nguyen, Joshua Tate and Jeffrey Kahn; second-year Dedman School of Law student Jessie Williams Greenwald; and professor Rita Kirk of the Department of Communication Studies and director of the Maguire Center for Ethics and Public Responsibility.
Photo: Hillsman S. Jackson / SMU
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