Legal scholar leaves Phila. for Pittsburgh, tapped to lead western Pa. law university

A well-respected Philadelphia law school professor will be relocating to the other side of the state after it was announced he has been tapped to lead a law university in Pittsburgh.

The University of Pittsburgh School of Law has named as its new dean legal scholar William M. Carter, Jr. who specializes in constitutional law, international human rights law and social justice issues, the university announced in an April 26 statement.

Carter, who is currently a law professor at Philadelphia’s Temple University Beasley School of Law, will begin his new position on July 1.

He replaces Mary Crossley, who will assume a faculty position after her seven years at the helm of Pitt’s law school.

“Professor Carter’s vision for the School of Law is well matched to our overall vision for the University,” Pitt Provost and Senior Vice Chancellor Patricia E. Beeson said in a statement. “He is committed to building the school in ways that will further enhance the scholarly contributions of our faculty, enable our students to be successful in their legal careers, and engage the legal profession both locally and nationally.”

Beeson said she is thrilled with Carter’s appointment, and has confidence that his “scholarly leadership and commitment to excellence in legal education will serve us well.”

According to the university’s news release, Carter obtained his bachelor’s degree at Bowling Green State University in Ohio and his law degree with high honors from Case Western Reserve University School of Law, also located in Ohio.

Carter has worked as a litigation associate in the Washington, D.C. offices of Squire, Sanders & Dempsey, and at the firm Ropes & Gray.

In academia, Carter has taught in the areas of constitutional law, civil procedure, political and civil rights, and litigation.

Carter has also had works published in various law journals, he has contributed to various books and his work has been cited by courts, attorneys and legal scholars, the news release states.

“Professor Carter is a highly regarded scholar and acclaimed teacher who also has earned the deep respect of his colleagues, which is reflected in the leadership positions he has held within the law faculties at both Temple and Case,” University of Pittsburgh Chancellor Mark A. Nordenberg, a former Pitt Law dean, said in a statement. “He seeks to build on our Law School’s existing strengths by further increasing its scholarly impact, enhancing its already strong educational programs, and building even more bridges to the practicing profession – here in Pittsburgh and around the country and particularly with our own law alumni.”

Carter has chaired various committees at the two law schools on whose faculties he has served. They include the Executive, Faculty Recruitment and Selection, and Faculty Review committees at Temple and a special committee integrating lawyering skills into the curriculum at Case.