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      Southwestern Law School [Platform Upgrade]
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      Urban Oasis We Are Diversity Student Organizations / Student Life A Student's Story Get to Know Dean Dickerson

      Law School that Fits You!

      Options for Days Concentrations Clinic Gold Meet Criminal Law Professor Catherine Carpenter Honors Programs & Journals SCALE

      Start with WHY!

      What Sets Us Apart We Want You! Faculty Highlights Clinics Why Give?

      We Got You

      Preparing You for Success Commencement and Beyond The Biederman Institute Career Services Office
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      Get to Know Dean Dickerson

      Dean Darby Dickerson joined Southwestern as its 12th Dean and second female dean in July 2021. Dean Dickerson has extensive experience in leadership, teaching, scholarship, community service, and philanthropy. 

      Executive/Legal Education Experience:
      As one of the longest-serving deans in the United States, Dean Dickerson has served as the inaugural dean at the University of Illinois Chicago School of Law, as Dean/CEO of The John Marshall Law (which she helped to merge into the University of Illinois Chicago), as Dean and the W. Frank Newton Professor of Law at Texas Tech University School of Law, and as Interim Dean then Dean and Vice President of Stetson University College of Law.

      She started her full-time academic career at Stetson, joining the faculty in 1995. At Stetson, she also served in a wide variety of other administrative roles, including Vice Dean, Associate Dean, Director of Legal Research & Writing, Moot Court Board Director, and Law Review Advisor.

      Over the years, she has taught Legal Research and Writing, Contract Drafting and Review, Torts, ADR, Arbitration, and Election Law. She has supervised various externships, including creating a full-time Regional Externship Program at Texas Tech, and served as the faculty advisor or coach for law reviews and moot court boards and teams.

      Her scholarship, which includes two books, several book chapters, and dozens of articles, focuses on legal writing, drafting, and editing; legal education; higher education; and pretrial civil litigation practice.

      So many things appeal to me about leading a school like Southwestern. First and foremost is the people. The students are simply amazing. They're passionate. They're committed to social justice. They have grit and resilience, and they're going to be amazing lawyers and leaders.

      The faculty is incredible. They're doing so much cutting-edge work in their different fields. They love working with our students. And then the administration is amazing. All of the staff members really care about the students as complete people. Really they're part of our family for their entire lives and careers once they come here.

      Dean Dickerson is an incredibly seasoned executive and Dean. Her experience in legal education is just unparalleled, and her leadership and what she's done at a number of other law schools made her the ideal candidate for Southwestern. Being the Dean at Southwestern is just not an Academic Dean. It's being the President and CEO.

      There's just no substitute for the experience of actually leading not just one law school, but multiple law schools over many years through many different types of challenges. Dean Dickerson brings a fresh set of eyes to the school. She really cares about listening to students concerns and our needs and what we'd like to make better about the school. She's very proactive. She's not afraid to make changes.

      I've just been blown away having worked with her for nearly a year. By her-- Not only her energy, her phenomenal intelligence, work ethic, and administrative skill. She is a really solid decision-maker. She gives a level of confidence to those around her in that regard. It's her ability to look at competing interests and make the right decision has been very impressive.

      Dean Dickerson really understands the mission of the school and is committed to that mission. To support students in terms of financial need this is a critical need for the school, for the students, and she's on it. Another of Dean Dickerson strategic priorities is retaining and recruiting our exceptional faculty. We have exceptional faculty. I was a student here, I can attest to that. We want to keep them.

      We got to meet and hang out kind of just one on one, discussing our common goals as me being the Student Bar Association President and she being essentially the President of our entire institution. She has a strong commitment to diversity, not only to actually attracting diversity students into the fold at the law school but figuring out ways to retain them.

      Another of Dean Dickerson's strategic priorities is a holistic approach to student education and wellness... Taking care of the students not just in terms of their educational needs, but the mental-emotional well-being so we were incredibly happy that she was joining us.

       

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      We Are Diversity

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      Get to Know Dean Dickerson

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