Focus on Faculty

New Faculty

A sense of place - Associate Professor Irus Braverman explores the nexus of law, geography and anthropology
These days, Irus Braverman is learning her way around Buffalo, having moved here in early June. But knowing east from west is proving to be somewhat difficult. It is, she says, mostly a question of acquired geography: "I grew up in Jerusalem and am used to having mountains around to keep me oriented. Here I mostly get lost." [more...]

Thinking local - Associate Professor Rick Su focuses on immigration and local government law
Rick Su knows how to make a summer internship pay off. In the summer after his first year at Harvard Law School he worked as a research assistant for Professors David Barron and Gerald E. Frug. The end result was a book that he co-authored with Professors Barron and Frug, called Dispelling the Myth of Home Rule. Although Su was initially considering a career in litigation, this experience changed his mind. Su discovered that he had found his niche. [more...]

Behind the legal culture - Associate Professor Mateo Taussig-Rubbo brings the tools of anthropology to UB Law
UB Law School's reputation as a place where the law and the social sciences mix it up took a step forward last fall when Mateo Taussig-Rubbo joined the faculty. [more...]

Building a new Kenya - Professor Makau Mutua works to develop the next generation of 'civil society'
As the world watches the struggles of newly democratic Iraq, another nascent democracy is working through its own growing pains – and a UB Law professor is wielding his considerable influence in that process. [more...]

SUNY Distinguished Professor Makau W. Mutua named interim dean of the Law School
Makau W. Mutua, SUNY Distinguished Professor in the University at Buffalo Law School, has been named interim dean of the Law School, effective Dec. 17. Mutua replaces Nils Olsen, who announced last spring that he would step down in December as dean to attend to personal and family health issues. [more...]

A former dean moves on - Professor Filvaroff, civil rights advocate, transitions to retirement
Before joining UB Law School in 1988 as its 15th dean, David B. Filvaroff already had a broad career in the law. He had been in private practice, was a law clerk at the U.S. Supreme Court, served as a high-ranking adviser in the U.S. Department of Justice and had been on the law school faculties at the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Texas. [more...]

Corporate law as theater - 'Mysterious' social structure of the corporation brought to light in new book
It is not unusual for a law professor to write a book about corporate law, but it is unusual that such a book would be so well received by social scientists and legal scholars alike. This is the case with Between Citizen and State: An Introduction to the Corporation (Paradigm Publishers, 2007) by David A. Westbrook, the Floyd H. and Hilda L. Hurst Faculty Scholar and Professor of Law at UB Law. [more...]

Making the case – better - Gardner's revised textbook emphasizes storytelling and professionalism
To paraphrase Rod Stewart, every legal case tells a story. UB Law Professor and Vice Dean James A. Gardner wants to help lawyers-in-training communicate better. That means thinking more clearly, constructing logical arguments, and making their case precisely and vividly – that is, telling the story. [more...]

Podcasts look at law and society - Law School's unique project brings legal scholarship to broader audience
As a conversation starter, legal research may seem too esoteric of a topic. But add to the discussion a little atmosphere – lunch at an Italian café, the chattering of fellow diners, a touch of jazz music in the background – and now you have the makings of an Internet talk show. [more...]

Milles Receives Prestigious Award
James G. Milles, vice dean for legal information services, director of the Charles B. Sears Law Library and professor of law at UB Law School, has been selected as the 2007 recipient of the Kenneth J. Hirsh Distinguished Service Award of the Computer Science Special Interest Section of the American Association of Law Libraries (CS-SIS). Milles was nominated by a group of CS-SIS current and past chairs.The award is presented to a member who has made outstanding contributions to the organization and who is well regarded for their service to the profession. [more...]

Fond goodbyes - Amid music, UB Law memorializes former Dean Hyman
With tenderness and words of appreciation, flute interludes and intervals of laughter, the UB Law School community gathered to pay tribute to a man whose work influenced the school for more than half a century. [more...]

Karen Cowart, Vice Dean for Records and Registration, retires
Karen Cowart, Vice Dean for Records and Registration, retired from the Law School on Jan. 1. A Law School administrator since 1989, she has provided exceptional, professional service to the Law School community during times of significant change and challenge, according to Dean Nils Olsen. [more...]