Joseph Landau, associate dean for academic affairs and Fordham Law’s incoming dean, has announced the appointment of his senior leadership team, effective July 1.
Landau named Professor Pamela Bookman as associate dean for academic affairs, Professor Bennett Capers as associate dean for research, Professor Norrinda Brown as associate dean of experiential education, and Professor Ron Lazebnik as associate dean of administration. Professor Ben Zipursky will serve as interim associate dean for research while Capers is on sabbatical during fall 2024.
“This remarkable group brings a tremendous depth and range of experience, promising an exciting era of excellence and innovation for our Law School,” said Landau. “Each member of this phenomenal team embodies our Law School’s commitment to excellence and will individually and collectively shape the future of Fordham Law School. Their wisdom and broad perspectives will enrich our academic community and drive us to new heights of achievement.”
Professor Pamela Bookman will be the new associate dean for academic affairs, a position held by Landau since 2021. Since joining Fordham Law in 2019, Bookman has been a leader on the faculty, chairing the appointments committee and currently chairing the search committee for a new assistant dean of career services. She is an expert in civil procedure, contracts, international litigation and arbitration, and conflict of laws. Prior to academia, she was counsel at Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale & Dorr LLP, representing clients in complex commercial business disputes and maintaining an active pro bono practice.
Professor Bennett Capers, the Stanley D. and Nikki Waxberg Chair and director of the Center on Race, Law and Justice, will assume the role of associate dean for research. Capers is a prolific scholar whose work falls at the intersection of race, gender, technology, and criminal justice. He spent nearly 10 years as an assistant U.S. attorney in the Southern District of New York and also practiced with the firms of Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen & Hamilton LLP and Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP. He succeeds Professor Youngjae Lee, who has been associate dean for research since 2019.
Professor Ben Zipursky, the James H. Quinn ’49 Chair in Legal Ethics, will serve as interim associate dean for research during the fall of 2024 while Capers is on sabbatical. A leader and leading voice of the Fordham faculty since 1995, Zipursky is a nationally and world-renowned scholar in torts, jurisprudence, and legal ethics. He served as associate dean for research from 2010 to 2013 and associate dean for academic affairs from 2001 to 2003.
Professor Norrinda Brown will become the associate dean for experiential education and director of Lincoln Square Legal Services. She succeeds Professor Michael W. Martin, who has served in these roles since 2016 and 2019, respectively. Since joining Fordham in 2021, Brown has been a prolific scholar and currently serves as director of the Right to Housing and Civil Rights Litigation Clinic. Her scholarship addresses race, gender, and access to housing and law. Prior to academia, she served as a trial attorney in the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice, advocating for victims of housing discrimination.
Landau is also creating a new leadership position, associate dean for administration, to be held by Professor Ron Lazebnik. This role focuses on operations, including budget, finance, and technology, to optimize resource management and enhance the experience for our students, faculty, and staff. Since joining Fordham in 2009, Lazebnik has directed the Samuelson-Glushko Intellectual Property and Information Law and Law and Technology Clinics and established himself as a leading administrator within the clinic, serving as faculty director of externships and other critical roles. Before Fordham Law, he was an associate at Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP, representing clients in various matters including patents, copyrights, trademarks, trade secrets, and general commercial litigation.