Seattle University professor to lead Saint Louis University law school

Seattle University law professor Annette Clark will be Saint Louis University’s next law school dean.

Clark will begin her new job July 1, according to the law school’s announcement.

“Professor Clark truly understands the challenges and opportunities facing law schools today and has a clear vision for how our School of Law will thrive and grow well into the future,” Saint Louis University President Lawrence Biondi said in a statement.

“Having taught at a Jesuit law school, she also knows the critical role our mission plays in educating our students and serving our community.”

Clark, who earned a medical degree from the University of Washington in 1985, has been a faculty member at Seattle University School of Law since she graduated from there in 1989. She was interim dean from 2009 until 2010, after she served 10 years as associate dean and two years as vice dean.

She teaches, writes and consults about medical liability and bioethics, and lectures on bioethics-related topics. Clark’s research is focused on health care, health policy and law, with an emphasis on end-of-life issues. She also teaches civil procedure, remedies and an advanced civil litigation seminar.

“The Saint Louis University School of Law‘s reputation among practicing attorneys, judges and other law schools is very strong,”  Clark said. “And with a nationally ranked health law program, a new center for legal advocacy, great breadth of faculty expertise, a vibrant student body and terrific alumni support, its future is very bright.”

Clark has served on several law school committees, including those for strategic planning, faculty appointments and hiring. She has been the faculty chairwoman of the school’s health law focus area since 2000 and is the faculty adviser to its Health Law Society.

Missouri Lawyers Media reported on April 1 that Stephen W. Mazza, the only other candidate recommended by the Dean Search Committee, dropped out of the running when he accepted the deanship at the University of Kansas School of Law. Mazza had been serving as interim dean there.