Law Dean Calls Other Law Dean A 'Prick,' Prick Alumni Lose Their Minds

Reader poll: Who is the real prick here?

Reader poll time! Let’s play a game of “Who Is The Biggest Prick?” We’ve got a case of infighting amongst law school deans, so there will be a lot of contestants. Who wants to play?

Here’s the set up: Lucy McGough, dean of something called “Appalachian School of Law,” wanted to hire a visiting professor. I’ll call that professor “House,” because there was some controversy about whether the potential hire played nicely with others. The faculty was apparently reluctant to hire this House character, but Dean McGough did some due diligence and was satisfied that House would be a good addition to the school. She tried to explain her process to some faculty members over email. Here are the pertinent parts of that message:

I talked to the Dean at North Texas about [House]… He said he had a delegation of students with a petition for the school to entice [House] to stay next year – super enthusiastic about him. Diligent – He teaches here every weekend meeting with students. He is utterly focused on teaching. One could perceive him as not very collegial. Seems shy, though went at social events, he blooms. He has had no administrative problems with him…

I also talked to… the Associate Dean in charge of the academic program. She said he’s not at all difficult – He’s super helpful, very eager. This is their first year of operation and everything is lock-step – but he’s done everything required and is really into metrics, multiple assessments… She also said that he’s had several offers.

I’m satisfied. Actually Alan [Allen K. Easley, former dean at Laverne College of Law] – who complained that he was not a team player and made him sound so childish – is a bit of a prick. I urge you to vote to let me contact him with an offer of a visitorship.

This seems like a perfectly fine email to me. McGough is advocating for her guy, and called the guy who didn’t like her guy a prick. I call people who disagree with me far worse. Then I get drunk and pee on their desks (get back soon, Joe).

Somehow, Dean McGough’s email got into the hands of some very concerned alumni of Appalachia Hillpeople Ingot of Law. They didn’t like Professor House at all, I guess. Or Dean McGough. And so they emailed Dean Easley to let him know that McGough called him a “prick.”

Dear Dean Easley:

As an alumnus of the Appalachian School of Law in [Somewheres], Virginia, I am embarrassed to forward the following email to you. It was authored by our Dean, Lucy McGough, on March 25, 2015, and emailed to a number of faculty members. Several of those faculty members forwarded the email to a number of ASL alumni.

The context was that, apparently, Dean McGough had contacted you for a reference for a visiting professor candidate named [House]. Dean McGough wanted to hire [House] despite the fact that several of his own references were extremely negative, noting that he had anger management issues, for example. The Faculty Appointments Committee objected to his hiring on that basis, yet Dean McGough continued to push to hire him.

Apparently in her zeal to hire [House], she tried to minimize your criticism of him by claiming, in writing, that you were “a bit of a prick.”

The alumni are collectively embarrassed that our Dean would refer to another Dean in such vulgar terms, and we apologize for her doing so. Sadly, under Dean McGough’s leadership this type of behavior has become all too common at ASL. She is an embarrassment to our school and, frankly, to herself.

We will be circulating Dean McGough’s email to the various law blogs, and wanted to alert you in advance so that you can anticipate the fallout.

Sincerely,

An ASL Alumnus

Message to various law blogs, received.

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I used to hate this crap when it happened in high school. “You know, Mary, I thought it was really mean when Jillian called you a rancid cum-dumpster. The nerve! Jillian’s boyfriend and I think it would be better if Jillian just went away.”

It’s the passive-aggressiveness that pisses me off, but maybe that’s just me. What do you guys think? Who is the real prick here?

Who is the real prick here?

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Earlier: Prior ATL coverage of Appalachian School of Law

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