A Popular Institution Makes A Major Move

What's motivating this move?

For almost a decade, the Forum on Law, Culture & Society has hosted fascinating conversations about legal issues with such luminaries as President Bill Clinton and Justice Sonia Sotomayor. I’ve had the pleasure of attending several Forum events over the years, such as a riveting panel discussion about the Casey Anthony case and screenings of legally themed movies at the Forum Film Festival.

For years, the Forum has made its home at Fordham Law School. But now the Forum is moving. Where is it going, and why?

The Forum is taking its talent — consisting mainly of its founder and director, Thane Rosenbaum, the well-known law professor, novelist, critic, and all-around public intellectual — and going south. This fall, the Forum will become a Center at NYU School of Law.

What’s behind the move? Does Fordham letting the Forum move to NYU say something about the schools’ respective commitments to holistic legal education, going beyond the casebooks to look at broader social and cultural issues? NYU’s relatively new dean, Trevor Morrison — himself a transplant from one New York law school to another, having moved from Columbia to NYU — had this praise for the Forum:

I am very pleased to welcome the Forum on Law, Culture & Societ. Our curriculum emphasizes the interdisciplinary nature of law, and Thane’s programs, with their rich array of people and topics, will amplify that theme, both for members of the NYU Law community and for the public.

For its part, Fordham Law School seems to have no hard feelings. Here’s what Dean Michael M. Martin told us when we asked him for comment on the Forum leaving Fordham:

Sponsored

We are thankful for Thane Rosenbaum’s service to Fordham Law. In addition to his work as Director of the Forum on Law, Culture & Society, he has been both a member of the adjunct faculty and the John Whelan Distinguished Lecturer in Law, bringing his knowledge and expertise as a writer of fiction, articles, essays, and reviews into the classroom. We wish Thane and the Forum the best of luck as they transition to their new home at NYU this fall.

Congratulations to NYU on its latest acquisition — less controversial than its lavish real estate purchases, thankfully — and congratulations to the Forum and to Thane Rosenbaum on their new home.

P.S. Mark your calendars for September 10, when the Forum will host what should be a great event: a panel featuring Jordan Belfort, the real-life inspiration for “The Wolf of Wall Street”; former federal prosecutor Daniel Alonso, who worked on the Belfort case; and CNBC’s “Closing Bell” co-anchor Kelly Evans.

Forum on Law, Culture & Society Moving to NYU School of Law [Forum on Law, Culture & Society]
Trials & Error is Proud to Present: “The Wolf of Wall Street,” with Kelly Evans [Forum on Law, Culture & Society]

Sponsored