New York Law School Names Deborah N. Archer as Associate Dean for Academic Affairs
 

New York, NY (August 30, 2012)—New York Law School Professor Deborah N. Archer has been appointed Associate Dean for Academic Affairs by the Law School’s Dean and President, Anthony W. Crowell.

Professor Archer joins the leadership team of Dean Crowell, who took office at NYLS in May after serving as Counselor to New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg. As Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, she will work with faculty and administrators to develop the curriculum and help drive the Law School’s efforts at innovation in legal education.

“We are pleased that Professor Archer has accepted this new challenge at the Law School,” Dean Crowell said. “Deborah has distinguished herself as both a scholar and clinician at NYLS since 2003 and will bring great leadership, vision, and tenacity to a demanding and rewarding position.”

Professor Archer directs the Law School’s Racial Justice Project, which works to protect the constitutional and civil rights of people of color and increase public awareness of racism, racial injustice, and structural racial inequality. She has participated as amicus counsel in several cases before the U.S. Supreme Court and U.S. Court of Appeals, including Ricci v. DeStefano, Fisher v. University of Texas, and Hithon v. Tyson Foods. She has served as an assistant counsel at the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc., where she litigated at the trial and appellate levels in cases involving affirmative action in higher education, employment discrimination, school desegregation, and voting rights. She was also a Marvin H. Karpatkin Fellow with the American Civil Liberties Union, where she was involved in federal and state litigation on issues of race and poverty. Prior to joining the New York Law School faculty, Professor Archer was an Associate at Simpson, Thacher & Bartlett LLP.

“I am honored to have the opportunity to serve as Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at the Law School,” Professor Archer said. “The School’s motto—Learn law. Take action.—perfectly reflects the spirit of this institution, and I am proud of the role I have played in helping our students engage with the world as legal professionals. I look forward to advancing this mission in my new role, and working with Dean Crowell, the faculty, administration, and students to continue to advance our mission.”

Professor Archer graduated with honors from Smith College in 1993 and was awarded her J.D. from Yale Law School in 1996. She clerked for Judge Alvin Thompson in the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut. She is a member of the National Board of Directors of the American Civil Liberties Union and the Board of Directors of the New York Civil Liberties Union.

Professor Archer succeeds Professor Carol Buckler, who served as Associate Dean for five years and will return to the faculty.

About New York Law School
Founded in 1891, New York Law School is an independent law school located in lower Manhattan near the city’s centers of law, government, and finance. New York Law School’s renowned faculty of prolific scholars has built the School’s strength in such areas as constitutional law, civil and human rights, labor and employment law, media and information law, tax law, real estate and urban legal studies, international law, financial services and regulation, and a number of interdisciplinary fields. The School is noted for its nine academic centers: Center on Business Law & Policy, Center on Financial Services Law, Center for International Law, Center for New York City Law, Center for Professional Values and Practice, Center for Real Estate Studies, Diane Abbey Law Center for Children and Families, Institute for Information Law & Policy, and Justice Action Center. New York Law School has more than 13,000 graduates and currently enrolls some 1,365 full-time students and 400 part-time students in its J.D. program and 95 students in its five advanced degree programs in American business law, financial services law, real estate, tax, and mental disability law studies. www.nyls.edu  

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