Dean Resigns After Abysmal Bar Passage Numbers

Dear Students,

After five years of serving as dean of the Maurice A. Deane School of Law at Hofstra University, I have decided to step down. My last day will be December 31, 2016. The President has appointed Judge A. Gail Prudenti as interim dean.

When I was hired in 1976 by then Dean Monroe Freedman, I was given one directive — make a difference. I am incredibly fortunate to work for a Law School and a University that have long supported my efforts to make a difference through my teaching, scholarship and public service.

As dean, my goal has been to continue this mission, not just by preparing our students to become effective lawyers, but by supporting them, along with our faculty, administration and alumni, in their efforts to make a positive impact in the legal community and beyond.

And my eyes have been opened by the wonderful and impactful work in which so many of the members of the faculty are engaged in their efforts to improve the American legal system; by the many fascinating things our alumni have accomplished and by their desire to help the Law School; and by the richness of our students and your commitment to access to justice for those who struggle to obtain it.

But, a dean’s work is more than these efforts. My deanship started at a time when law schools were beginning to feel the effects of the Great Recession. Both the legal job market and the law school applicant pool were declining, and this created great challenges for Hofstra Law.

Reducing the class size, updating the curriculum and getting students jobs became my top priorities. I am pleased to be leaving my position with job numbers that have improved to a rank of sixth-best among law schools in New York state, a fresh and innovative curriculum that balances experiential learning with doctrinal training, and a significantly reduced student body that allows us more opportunities to provide more individualized advising and support.

I want to thank all of you for your support in these efforts. I also offer a special thanks and my greatest respect to our faculty, administrators and staff. I also give thanks — sadly, posthumously — to my beloved friend, colleague and staunch advisor Alan Resnick.

Finally, I thank President Stuart Rabinowitz, my friend, former colleague and former dean. We have not always agreed on particular strategies, but we have always shared the same goal: to make Hofstra Law the best institution it can be.

While we have made many great strides, there is still much to be done, including increasing our bar passage rate. Here I think we have created a foundation for success with our recent changes to how we prepare students for the bar exam. But many of the market issues still confront us and will require fresh ideas and longer-term solutions.

This is why I have decided to leave now, earlier than the end of my contract, to allow us to choose a new dean with a longer-term decanal commitment.

I strongly support the President’s appointment of Judge Prudenti as interim dean. As chief administrative judge for the State of New York, she righted a listing court system, battered by difficult times, through her leadership and administrative skills.

As my special advisor, and now as dean for operations, Judge Prudenti has truly impressed me with her quick grasp of the workings of the Law School and the problems we confront. Her ideas for new approaches to these problems, as well as her marketing skills, familiarity with the regional job market, and fundraising abilities, will serve Hofstra Law extremely well. I am confident that she will excel in this new role. You can read the President’s announcement here.

Leaving the deanship will not end my longstanding commitment to Hofstra Law. I will remain an active faculty member and plan to do all I can to help my successor, and all of us, make tomorrow’s lawyers and our legal system the best they can be.

In short, I will continue serving our mission of making a difference.

My best,

Eric Lane
Dean and Eric J. Schmertz Distinguished Professor
of Public Law and Public Service