CHICAGO, Aug. 20, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The John Marshall Law School in Chicago has named Associate Professor Anthony Niedwiecki as associate dean for Academic Affairs.
The appointment comes as Niedwiecki, a leader in the legal writing community, has been named chair of the American Bar Association's Publications Committee. The committee oversees the ABA's book publishing arm, under the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar.
Niedwiecki joined the John Marshall faculty in 2010 as an associate professor. He has taught Lawyering Skills, Employment Discrimination, and Law and Sexual Orientation. Niedwiecki was promoted in 2013 to associate dean for Skills, Experiential Learning and Assessment. In that role, Niedwiecki directed John Marshall's nationally ranked lawyering skills program and oversaw the implementation of a new experiential learning requirement.
"John Marshall has a motto of ensuring that our students graduate law school 'practice-ready,'" Niedwiecki said. "In this new position, I will work even closer with our students, staff and faculty to make sure we are giving our students every tool they need to succeed when they enter the job market."
Under Niedwiecki's direction, John Marshall instituted one of the strictest experiential learning mandates in the country. John Marshall students must complete a minimum of 168 hours of practical experience – through an externship, internship or clinical experience – before they graduate. The requirement has helped garner John Marshall accolades for its real-world training, with National Jurist Magazine calling the law school among the country's best in practical training.
Niedwiecki's leadership also has helped shape John Marshall's legal writing program into one of the best in the country. For the last several years, John Marshall consistently has been ranked in the top five for legal writing by U.S. News & World Report's America's Best Graduate Schools.
Under the position of Associate Dean for Academic Affairs Niedwiecki will oversee John Marshall's curriculum, accreditation process, bar preparation program, distance education, experiential learning program and more.
"Anthony is one of the best practical legal educators in the country. He has done excellent work with our lawyering skills and experiential learning programs," Dean John E. Corkery said. "It's critical that we continue improving upon these programs, as well as distance education and bar preparation, and I can't think of a better person to lead this effort ."
In addition to his work at John Marshall, Niedwiecki is the Immediate-Past President of the Association of Legal Writing Directors and is a longtime member of the Society of American Law Teachers and the Legal Writing Institute. He is also vice president of Fight OUT Loud, a national organization dedicated to providing immediate resources, support, education, and assistance for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender individuals facing discrimination.
Niedwiecki has a bachelor's degree from Wayne State University, a J.D. from Tulane University Law School and an LL.M. from Temple University Beasley School of Law. Before teaching, he was a commercial litigation attorney at Mayer Brown's Houston office and a labor and employment attorney with Gardere & Wynne in Dallas.
For more information about Anthony Niedwiecki or any of the programs at The John Marshall Law School, please contact Christine Kraly at ckraly@jmls.edu.