Faculty appointments expand Law School’s global presence

BUFFALO, N.Y. – Two University at Buffalo Law School professors are taking on expanded roles as the school works to extend its presence, not just regionally and nationally, but worldwide.

Dean Makau W. Mutua, a well-known scholar in the area of international law, has announced that Professor David A. “Bert” Westbrook will serve as director of the law school’s global strategic initiatives and Associate Professor Meredith Lewis will direct the Canada-U.S. Legal Studies Centre. The appointments became effective Feb. 1.

In his new administrative role, Westbrook will be responsible for exploring the development of a wide range of global strategic initiatives for the law school. These include initiatives in curriculum, international student recruitment, student study-abroad and exchange programs and faculty involvement, including faculty exchanges with peer schools abroad. Also under consideration is a possible expansion of the school’s presence in international ventures in New York City and Washington, D.C.

Westbrook also will oversee the UB Law School’s master of laws program, which draws practicing attorneys from throughout the world to pursue specialized study at the law school, and will chair the Committee on Graduate and International Programs.  Mutua noted that Westbrook’s work will dovetail with the university-wide UB 2020 strategic planning initiative.

Westbrook, the Floyd H. and Hilda Hurst Faculty Scholar at the UB Law School, teaches on business and international topics, including basic courses in corporations, contracts and international law. His most recent scholarly book is “Deploying Ourselves: Islamist Violence and the Responsible Projection of U.S. Force” (Paradigm Publishers). A graduate of Harvard Law School, he joined the UB Law School faculty in 1998.

Founded in 1989, the Canada-U.S. Legal Studies Centre integrates Canadian legal issues into the UB Law School by coordinating its activities with those of research groups, faculty initiatives and student organizations. As director, Lewis will be responsible for refocusing and expanding the center’s mandate to align it with emerging law school planning and scholarly priorities.

“UB’s location on the border creates inviting opportunities to create synergies with colleagues in UB and across the border in a variety of initiatives, including international trade law,” Mutua said. “Meredith brings a wealth of experience to this position, having co-founded, and served as associate director of, the New Zealand Centre for International Economic Law at the Victoria University of Wellington Law School.

Lewis, whose law degree is from Georgetown University Law Center, joined the UB law faculty in 2012. She teaches and writes in the area of international trade law.

Since its founding in 1887, University at Buffalo Law School – the State University of New York system’s only law school – has established an excellent reputation and is widely regarded as a leader in legal education. Its cutting-edge curriculum provides both a strong theoretical foundation and the practical tools graduates need to succeed in a competitive marketplace, wherever they choose to practice. A special emphasis on interdisciplinary studies, public service and opportunities for hands-on clinical education makes UB Law unique among the nation’s premier public law schools.