University President Fr. John Jenkins appointed G. Marcus Cole as the new dean of the Law School, the University announced in a press release Thursday. Cole will assume his new position July 1, succeeding Nell Jessup Newton, who announced her departure in August.
A professor of law at Stanford since 1997, Cole served as associate dean for curriculum and academic affairs for five years and held two endowed chairs, the release said. His scholarly work includes the study of empirical law and the economics of commerce and finance.
Cole earned his bachelor’s degree in applied economics from Cornell and his juris doctorate at Northwestern. Prior to his work at Stanford, Cole was an associate with the international law firm Mayer Brown in Chicago and clerked for Judge Morris Sheppard Arnold in the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
“Professor Cole brings to Notre Dame scholarly accomplishment, experience in academic leadership, an impressive set of international appointments and a concern for social inequities and the human impact of law,” Jenkins said in the release. “We warmly welcome Professor Cole as the new dean of our Law School.”
“Professor Cole is an extraordinary person, teacher, scholar and leader who brings to this role a deep commitment to our Law School’s mission, vision and values,” University provost Thomas Burish said in the release.
Cole is a fellow at the University of Amsterdam Center for Law and Economics, has previously served as a fellow at the Hoover Institution and has been a visiting professor at various other international universities. He is also a member of the editorial board of the Cato Supreme Court Review and holds seats on the advisory boards of the Independent Institute’s Center on Culture and Civil Society and of Bar-Bri.
“To me, law is the noblest profession in the world,” Cole said in the release. “Lawyers save lives, protect rights and grease the wheels of the economy. It has been the great honor of my life to train lawyers, and I am humbled and honored to have the opportunity to help do so at one of the most important law schools in the world. As the needs of our society call for ethically and morally guided lawyers and leaders, Notre Dame will continue to answer that call.”
