Five esteemed faculty members—Professors Helen Bender, Brian Glick, Leah Hill, Russell Pearce, and Steve Thel—will be retiring from Fordham this year after many years of dedicated service. Together, their contributions to the Law School’s mission of excellence in teaching, scholarship, and leadership have been profound and lasting.
“As educators and scholars, these five extraordinary individuals have made invaluable contributions to our students through their teaching and mentorship, to the legal profession through their scholarship and leadership, and to the broader community through their service and engagement,” said Fordham Law Dean Joseph Landau. “Their work exemplifies the highest ideals of our institution and the vital role of legal education in shaping society.”
Helen Bender
Associate Professor of Law
Professor Helen Bender graduated from Fordham Law in 1978 and has spent nearly her entire career at the Law School. She has taught subjects related to contracts and commercial transactions, as well as remedies and legal processes. Before joining Fordham Law, she was an associate at Sullivan & Cromwell. She is also the co-author of the book Cases and Problems on Contracts, now in its eighth edition. In 2023, Bender was honored with the Dean’s Medal of Recognition, presented annually to a person has shown outstanding commitment to the ideals of the Law School through their service to its community across their career.
Brian Glick
Clinical Associate Professor of Law
In 2000, Professor Brian Glick founded Fordham Law’s Community Economic Development Clinic, and has led the clinic as its director ever since. The Clinic represents community organizations that fight for social justice, including health clinics and worker co-ops. Glick previously worked for 15 years as a legal services lawyer representing underserved communities in Brooklyn. He is the author of several books, including The Jailhouse Lawyer’s Manual (1973), and War at Home: Covert Action Against U.S. Activists and What We Can Do About It (1989). In 2019, he was presented with the Public Interest Faculty Member of the Year Award, in recognition of his contributions to teaching and public interest advocacy.
Leah Hill
Ann Moynihan Distinguished Clinical Scholar, Professor of Law
Professor Leah Hill is an expert on family law, poverty law, and clinical education. She directed the Family Advocacy Clinic at Fordham Law, and previously served as Fordham Law’s associate dean for experiential education. She has served on the New York City Mayor’s Children’s Cabinet Advisory Board and was appointed to the New York Governor’s Blue Ribbon Commission on Forensic Custody Evaluations. Before joining Fordham Law, Hill spent a decade serving marginalized communities, including as an attorney at Brooklyn Legal Services and the New York Legal Aid Society’s law reform unit.
Russell Pearce
Professor of Law; Edward and Marilyn Bellet Chair in Legal Ethics, Morality, and Religion
Professor Russell Pearce has been a member of the Fordham Law Faculty for 35 years. He served as the faculty moderator for the Institute for Religion, Law & Lawyer’s Work and co-director of the Louis Stein Center for Law & Ethics. Before coming to Fordham, he served as general counsel to the New York City Commission on Human Rights and as a staff attorney for the The Legal Aid Society. Pearce is the recipient of the Sanford D. Levy Memorial Award from the New York State Bar Association for his contribution to the field of professional ethics.
Steve Thel
I. Maurice Wormser Professor of Law
Professor Steve Thel is an expert in contracts, corporate law, securities regulation, and investment management. He previously taught at Columbia Law School and Cornell Law School, among other institutions, and his legal scholarship has appeared in publications such as the Yale Law Journal, Stanford Law Journal, and the Journal of Corporation Law. He is the co-author of two books, Contract Enforcement: Specific Enforcement and Injunctions (2011) and Investment Management Law and Regulation (2004).
