January 16, 2004

William Mitchell names Allen Easley as next president and dean

Allen K. Easley
William Mitchell College of Law's
new president and dean

William Mitchell College of Law has named Allen K. Easley the next president and dean of the law school, effective July 1, 2004, according to Minnesota Supreme Court Justice Samuel L. Hanson, chair of the William Mitchell board of trustees. Easley will succeed Harry J. Haynsworth, who is retiring in June 2004 after serving as president and dean of the college for nine years.

“We believe that Allen Easley is the ideal person to continue the momentum and to lead us to the next level of excellence,” said Hanson. “We are very impressed with Allen’s depth of experience, his vision for legal education and the legal profession, and his energy for addressing the opportunities that are presented.”

Easley comes to the law school from Washburn University School of Law in Topeka, Kan., where he is an associate dean and professor, teaching in the areas of civil procedure, conflict of laws and federal courts. Prior to joining Washburn in 1979, he was a lecturer in law and a graduate teaching fellow at Temple University School of Law for two years. He has also served as a senior law clerk for Judge Herbert A. Fogel, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, and an associate attorney at Egnal & Egnal in Philadelphia. He has a bachelor’s degree from the College of Wooster in Ohio and juris doctor and master of laws degrees from Temple University School of Law.

“I have known of William Mitchell’s reputation for excellence for a
number of years,” said Easley. “Now that I have had a chance during the dean search process to see the college up close, I know that this reputation is well deserved. The college is in the midst of a renovation project right now which will leave the college, in a few short months, well poised to face whatever challenges come in the future. I am deeply honored to have been selected the next president and dean of the college and look forward to leading all the wonderful people who are part of the William Mitchell community.”

Easley is currently a member of the governing board of the Association of American Law Schools and its executive committee, and previously chaired the AALS membership review committee and the special committee on faculty recruitment services responsible for modernizing nationwide recruitment of new law school faculty members. Easley has been actively involved in the American Bar Association’s law school accreditation process, chairing teams of inspectors on site visits to law schools undergoing accreditation review.

He will begin his tenure as president and dean as the law school begins its 104th year. William Mitchell is known for its rigorous academic program, which combines legal theory with practical skills; its flexible schedule of day and night classes and part- and full-time enrollment options; and the accomplishments of its graduates.