BARRISTER Alumni Newspaper Fall 1999 Volume LII Number 2 Dennis O. Lynch Is Law School’s New Dean ezuela, a program officer with the Ford Foundation in Colombia, and a con- sultant for the U.S. Agency for International Development on con- stitutional reform in Colombia, legal reform in Nicaragua, and the admin- istration of criminal justice in Central America. In 1973–1977, he held an International Legal Center Research Grant to study the Colombian legal profession. Lynch’s teaching specialties are civil procedure, employment law, and labor law. A well-known lecturer on current is- sues in labor arbitration, he also has been a consultant to the Federal Trade Commission on labor antitrust issues and a member of the boards of directors of the International Third World Legal Studies Association and the Inter- American Legal Services Association. A 1965 graduate of the University of Oregon, Lynch holds a JD degree from ennis O. Lynch, professor and dean D Harvard Law School and J.S.D. and emeritus at the University of Denver LL.M. degrees from Yale Law School. College of Law and prominent expert He was admitted to the bar in the Dis- on Latin American law, is the new dean trict of Columbia in 1969. of the University of Miami School of Law Library’s Everglades Law. His selection to head the University of Miami School of Law was the culmi- He succeeds Mary Doyle, who had nation of an intensive nationwide been interim dean since the May 1998 search. The search committee, headed Collection Is Rare, resignation of Samuel C. Thompson, Jr. by Bernard Fogel, dean emeritus of the Doyle, who also served as dean in 1986– University of Miami School of Medi- 1994, rejoined the faculty as professor cine, and co-chaired by Robert Valuable Resource of law. Waters, professor of law, included four By Alberto Montero-Valdes “Dennis L ynch has had a close asso- other law professors, Law School ciation with this law school since 1974. alumni and student representatives, Curator, Everglades Litigation Collection He loves this institution, and he will and a professor from the UM Depart- he Everglades litigation collection ern District of Florida following a bid- bring his considerable talent and expe- ment of Management. T rience to bear as dean,” she pointed out. housed in the School of Law Library’s ding process that included Florida “I look forward to this opportunity “Our school will be in very good hands.” Special Collections and Archives De- International University and Florida to work with the University of partment is the largest collection Atlantic University. Lynch, who joined the Miami faculty Miami’s talented faculty, students, assembled anywhere of legal docu- Based primarily on documents pro- in 1974 and served as associate dean in and administration,” Lynch said. “I ments and multimedia materials duced from years of complex litigation 1983–86, moved to Colorado in 1990 am especially eager to meet with the regarding the Everglades. over water quality degradation and to become dean of the University of Law School’s alumni, to become re- The collection was awarded to the water quantity disruption in the Ever- Denver’s law school. acquainted with many of my former Law Library in 1994 by the United glades, the collection includes a Fluent in Spanish, he has been a students and learn first hand about States Attorney’s Office for the South- (Continued on page 4) Fulbright Scholar in economics in Ven- their professional careers.” Law School Reflects City’s ‘Gateway to Americas’ Role The University of Miami School of Hispanic-Americans and students from Law—located in Coral Gables, just 10 foreign countries enrolled in its minutes from downtown Miami—has three-year JD program. capitalized on its “Gateway to the At the graduate level, approximately Americas” location by developing one 25 Hispanic-Americans and students of the most extensive arrays of interna- from Spanish-speaking countries are tional expertise and course offerings to enrolled in the Law School’s seven be found in any of the nation’s law LL.M. programs, the majority of them schools. in the International Law program. The international (especially His- Among them are many lawyers who panic) focus is evident in the make-up have received degrees from foreign law of the student body. Over the last two schools. years, UM Law has conferred 133 JD In spring 1999, the Law School added degrees on Hispanic students—the most a course based on the Spanish civil code of any U.S. law school outside of Pu- and taught entirely in Spanish. It was one of the first courses to be taught in erto Rico. This year, the School has 241 Members of UM Law’s Hispanic Law Students Association. (Continued on page 5) www.law.miami.edu. 1 BARRISTER Alumni Newspaper Fall 1999 Volume LII Number 2 Loyalty, Challenge, Former UM Law Dean Mary Doyle Accepts Potential Bring Interior Department Post New Dean to UM Law the vital issues and mission of the De- partment of the Interior . Mary has In early August, soon after he officially participating with moot court activi- shown this high level of dedication to became UM Law’s dean, Dennis Lynch ties, and helping students find jobs. We talked with The Barrister about his de- need to take even more advantage of the environment for many decades and cision to accept the position and about their eagerness to be involved in those has made a sizeable contribution throughout her distinguished career.” his expectations for the Law School. ways. Also, we need our alumni to have Most recently, Doyle has specialized Barrister: Why did you decide to in research on the legal, political and confidence in our educational mission. accept the University of Miami scientific issues surrounding the resto- School of Law’s offer to return as It is important that they understand ration of the Everglades ecosystem in dean? how much our faculty cares about edu- cating students. Alumni should take South Florida. Following her initial ser vice as dean of the School of Law, Lynch: There were a number of pride in the quality of our faculty and she took a leave of absence to be dean- reasons. their commitment to teaching. On a personal level, the University in-residence at the Association of Alumni have strong views. They American Law Schools in Washington, of Miami is the school that gave me care about the school, and we must lis- the opportunity to be a legal scholar D.C. for one year . Her expertise in- ten to them and to the rest of the legal volved legal education and the and educator. It was very good to me community and take their suggestions and gave me plenty of support, both development of an environmental law to heart. What our alumni have to say curriculum in Russia and the Ukraine. professional and personal. It is an in- is very important. The fact that our During the 1980s, Doyle served as a stitution for which I have a lot of alumni population is so large—ap- professional loyalty, so the opportu- WASHINGTON, D.C.–Secretary of professor of law at the University of proximately 14,000 altogether—and the Interior Bruce Babbitt has an- nity to come back and lead the school Arizona College of Law, specializing in successful is a real asset for us. nounced the appointment of UM Law is very gratifying. water, land use, local government and Professor Mary Doyle as Counselor to Moreover, it’s exciting to lead a Barrister: What do you think are property law and subsequently served as other strong assets of UM Law? the Secretary, a position recently va- school with such potential. We have both a professor of law and the associ- cated by David Hayes, who is now ate dean for academic affairs. one of the most pro ductive and Lynch: The most obvious is our fac- Acting Deputy Secretary of the Interior. scholarly law faculties in the coun- ulty. We have one of the top faculties From 1979 until 1981, she served as Doyle, who is on leave from her posi- try, and we’re located in the most in the country, as measured by the vol- an attorney at the Department of En- tion as tenured professor of law, was dean dynamic, international city in the ergy, as associate general counsel, then ume of their publishing and the of the Law School in 1986–94 and U.S. The faculty, the city, a strong frequency with which their articles and deputy general counsel at the U.S. En- served as interim dean in 1998–99. legal community, a carefully se- books are cited by others. The faculty vironmental Protection Agency. lected and culturally diverse student has an incredible range of interests and “I am delighted that someone with the Doyle is a graduate of Radcliffe Col- bo dy, a superb library—they’re all expertise, and they are especially talent and legal stature of Mary Doyle lege and attended Boston Law School here. The potential has never been strong in the areas of international law has agreed to serve in the important and Columbia Law School, where she fully realized, which presents us and social justice. Moreover, they are position of Counselor to the Secretary,” received her law degree. While attend- with a wonderful opportunity. an excellent teaching faculty. Secretary Babbitt said. ing Boston College Law School, she was “It requires a person with a proven Barrister: How do you think that Our distinctiveness is a major asset, elected to the Boston College Law track record and great commitment to potential can be realized? particularly in regard to our multicul- Review.