Stewart J. Schwab reappointed Allan R. Tessler Dean of the Law School

Stewart J. Schwab, professor of law at Cornell Law School and a specialist in labor and employment law, has been reappointed the Allan R. Tessler Dean of the Law School. The reappointment was unanimously approved by the Cornell Board of Trustees on May 23, following the recommendations of President David J. Skorton and Provost Biddy Martin. Schwab's renewed five-year appointment as the law school's 15th dean begins Jan. 1, 2009.

"Dean Schwab received the strong support of a great many faculty, staff and alumni," said Martin, who chaired the original search committee that appointed Schwab in 2004. "I am confident that the school will be well served by his leadership for another term."

Schwab, who joined the Cornell faculty in 1983, earned an M.A. in labor economics and industrial organization (1978), a J.D. (magna cum laude, 1980) and a Ph.D. in economics (1981) from the University of Michigan, then clerked for the Hon. J. Dickson Phillips of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit and for U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Sandra Day O'Connor before joining the Law School faculty.

"I am grateful for the support my colleagues, students and alumni have shown me," said Schwab. "Cornell Law School is a great place to study law -- combining inspiring teaching and cutting-edge scholarship in a supportive community. There is work still to be done in recruiting and retaining faculty, expanding our building, completing our capital campaign, and achieving our strategic initiatives. I look forward to these challenges."

Under his leadership, the Law School is creating the position of vice dean to be filled by Barbara Holden-Smith, current associate dean for academic affairs and professor of law. Stephen P. Garvey, professor of law, will replace Holden-Smith.

The new vice dean will oversee day-to-day operations of the Law School allowing Schwab to focus on "strategic initiatives, faculty recruitment, the capital campaign and also building expansion," he said.

As a scholar, Schwab has examined issues in labor and employment law through empirical analysis, as well as from comparative and law and economics perspectives. He is the co-author, with Samuel Estreicher, of "Foundations of Labor and Employment Law" (Foundation Press, 2000). Among his casebook publications are "Employment Law: Cases and Materials" (Matthew Bender & Co., fourth edition, 2007), with Steven L. Willborn and John F. Burton Jr. Schwab has written about employment discrimination, workplace accommodations for people with disabilities, sexual harassment in the workplace, constitutional tort litigation, labor law reform and economic analysis of law. He has contributed numerous chapters to books on employment law.

In March 2008 he was named one of the 50 most powerful employment attorneys in America by Human Resource Executive, the leading independent magazine for human resources executives.

As a professor, Schwab has taught courses on comparative labor law, contracts in a global society, corporations, empirical studies of the legal system, torts, employment and labor law, and law and economics.

Schwab has consulted for the World Bank on reform of labor and employment laws in parts of the former Soviet Union and the former Yugoslavia. He continues to serve as reporter on the Restatement of Employment Law, an ongoing project for the American Law Institute.

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