UNLV plucks new law dean from University of Illinois

By Paul Takahashi

Thursday, March 21, 2013 | 12:17 p.m.

UNLV has hired a new dean for its law school.

Daniel Hamilton, an associate dean and professor at the University of Illinois College of Law, will become the third dean of the William Boyd School of Law on July 1.

UNLV President Neal Smatresk announced Hamilton’s hiring Thursday morning.

Outgoing Dean John Valery White, who became UNLV's executive vice president and provost last year, put his support behind the hire.

“Dan Hamilton will bring with him his sterling record as a scholar, his exceptional experience as a teacher, and his experience in working with faculty, students and alumni," White said in a statement.

As a legal history scholar, Hamilton has been elected to the board of directors for the American Society for Legal History and is a former chairman of the Legal History Section of the Association of American Law Schools. Hamilton was a legal history fellow at the New York University School of Law and a visiting scholar at the American Bar Foundation.

The primary focus of Hamilton's research is on American property ideology and constitutional issues during the Civil War. Hamilton has written articles on American legal history in various law reviews. He is also author of "The Limits of Sovereignty: Property Confiscation in the Union and Confederacy during the Civil War."

Hamilton has a Ph.D in American legal history from Harvard University, a law degree from George Washington University and a bachelor's degree from Oberlin College.

“I am extremely proud to become the third dean of the William S. Boyd School of Law, and I’m looking forward to continuing Boyd Law’s tradition of excellent teaching, outstanding scholarship and active engagement with the academy and the community,” Hamilton said in a statement.

Nancy Rapoport, Gordon Silver professor of law at UNLV, served as interim dean during the search.

The Boyd School of Law has been among U.S. News & World Report’s top 100 law schools in the nation for seven consecutive years.

Recently, UNLV achieved its highest-ever ranking on the U.S. News & World Report list. The school ranked 68th nationally overall, third in legal writing program and 11th in the dispute resolution.