Sad news. Richard Merrill who was Virginia's dean when I was in law school has passed.
Reflecting on his accomplishments as dean in 2007 as he was retiring, Merrill said he was proud of the faculty hired during his deanship, including Kenneth Abraham, Pamela Karlan (now at Stanford Law School), Saul Levmore (who became dean at the University of Chicago Law School), Mildred Robinson and Alex Johnson. The school also made dramatic gains in fundraising as state support was shrinking.
Former Dean John C. Jeffries, Jr. said Merrill “was a gentle leader — meticulously observant of the sensibilities of those around him, unfailingly respectful of their views and contributions, and never in such a rush to the right outcome that he stepped on anyone to get there.”
