June 30, 2009
St.
John’s University has named Dean Michael A. Simons the John V.
Brennan Professor of Law and Ethics, the chair previously held by
his predecessor, Dean Mary C. Daly. The appointment will take
effect on July 1, 2009, the same day Simons becomes the ninth Dean
in the 84-year history of the School of Law at St. John’s.
“I am pleased that Michael Simons, who is so committed to the
ethical mission of St. Vincent de Paul, will serve as the Brennan
Chair, and that the position will continue to be held by the Dean
of the School of Law,” said Rev. Donald J. Harrington, C.M.,
President of St. John’s University.
Earlier this year, St. John’s University’s Board of Trustees
appointed Professor Simons as Dean of the School of Law.
A graduate of the College of Holy Cross, magna cum laude,
1986, and the Harvard Law School, magna cum laude, 1989,
Dean Simons has been a member of the St. John’s faculty since
1998, He served as Associate Dean for Faculty Scholarship
from 2005-2008.
Dean Simons has earned several accolades at St. John’s, most
notably the Dean’s Teaching Award (2006, 2004 and 2000) and
Professor of the Year (2000). He teaches primarily in the
areas of Criminal Law and Evidence, and his
scholarship has focused on sentencing, prosecutorial
decision-making, and punishment theory.
Prior to his tenure at St. John’s, Dean Simons worked as Assistant
United States Attorney in the Southern District of New York
(1995-1998), as an associate at Stillman, Friedman & Shaw in
New York City (1991-95); as a Staff Attorney for The Washington
Post (1990-91), and as a Law Clerk to the Hon. Louis F. Oberdorfer
of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia
(1989-90).