Professor Myriam Gilles has been appointed vice dean of Cardozo School of Law for a one-year term effective August 29, 2016. Professor Gilles is a beloved member of the Cardozo faculty who has taught Torts, Products Liability, Class Actions and Civil Procedure to hundreds of students. She is a highly respected legal scholar whose work on complex litigation and mass torts has appeared in top law reviews, including those of the University of Chicago, Columbia, Michigan and Pennsylvania. Professor Gilles is routinely called as an expert on these issues in the media and before Congress. A graduate of Harvard University, she received her J.D. from Yale Law School in 1996. She was a visiting professor at the University of Virginia Law School in 2004 and a fellow in the Program of Law and Public Affairs at Princeton University from 2005 to 2006.
“Professor Gilles understands the Cardozo community and is dedicated to our students and faculty,” said Dean Melanie Leslie. “I have worked closely with her for 20 years, and value her brilliance, tenacity and talent for strategic thinking. I am thrilled that she has agreed to serve the law school in this capacity.”
Professor Gilles will replace Vice Dean Richard Bierschbach, whose term ended July 1. Professor Bierschbach has returned to the faculty, where, after taking his sabbatical, he will teach his very popular classes in Corporations, Administrative Law and Criminal Law. Professor Bierschbach played a key role this year in developing the five-year strategic plan for the future of Cardozo.
“I am enormously grateful for Professor Bierschbach’s service,” said Dean Leslie. “His contributions to Cardozo are quite literally written into our blueprint for the future.”
Since July 1, Professor Michael Burstein has been serving as interim vice dean, and he will continue to serve until August 29, when Professor Gilles’ appointment becomes effective. This summer, Professor Burstein is working with Dean Leslie on a variety of strategic initiatives.
“I am very grateful for Professor Burstein’s service – already, his talents for management and strategic planning have resulted in a number of exciting changes that have improved the law school,” said Dean Leslie.