Leary Davis, founding dean of the Elon University School of Law, will step down as dean on August 1. He will remain with the school as founding dean emeritus and professor of law, and will continue to teach courses in the law school.
“I have been dealing with some significant health issues over the past several months, and my ongoing recovery would prevent me from devoting the energy and time that the dean’s position requires,” Davis said. “I look forward to concentrating on my health and on teaching and research, particularly at the intersection of law and leadership, and being a liaison for the school with the legal profession and our other publics.”
Davis is one of North Carolina’s most experienced and respected legal educators. He conducted the original feasibility study for Elon’s law school in 2004 and was named founding dean in March 2005. He previously founded the Campbell University law school in 1975, served as dean until 1986 and remained on the faculty at Campbell until joining Elon.
“Leary Davis has provided remarkable leadership and vision for Elon Law,” said Leo M. Lambert, Elon University president. “We relied on Leary’s experience and knowledge to design the facilities, hire outstanding faculty and staff, build the library, create an innovative academic program, recruit well-qualified students, develop strong relationships with the region’s legal community, and meet the ABA standards at the earliest possible date. None of this would have been possible without Leary’s passion for creating a great law school and educating the next generation of legal leaders.”
Raleigh, N.C., attorney Noel Allen, an Elon trustee and member of the law school’s advisory board, has known Davis for 30 years and paid tribute to his many contributions to the legal community.
“Leary’s service as founding dean of Elon’s law school is a shining example of his inspired, creative leadership spanning more than three decades of commitment to all facets of legal education,” Allen says. “He has been a living definition of professionalism for two generations of young lawyers.”
Davis conceived a school that would provide an active, engaged style of teaching and learning, combined with an emphasis on leadership education. He has created an innovative preceptor program, involving local attorneys and judges who serve as professional advisers and mentors to Elon Law students. He also worked with faculty to develop a strong academic program that will prepare students to begin their careers with deep knowledge and a good understanding of the legal practice. Through a series of workshops, courses and experiences in the community, Elon Law students learn about their obligations to serve as leaders in their profession and their communities.
“Leary Davis has provided an exceptional foundation for Elon Law, and we are fortunate that he will continue to be a resource as we work toward full ABA approval,” said Gerry Francis, Elon University provost.
Francis has named George Johnson Jr., currently professor of law and associate dean of academic affairs, as interim dean. Johnson was instrumental in the process that led up to Elon’s recent ABA accreditation. A national search for the dean’s position will be launched immediately.
Johnson formerly served six years as president of LeMoyne-Owen College in Memphis, Tenn. He also has been associate dean and professor of law at Howard University in Washington, D.C. From 1979 to 1981, he worked in the Carter administration as assistant general counsel in the Executive Office of the President. He also served as assistant counsel to the Committee on Banking, Finance & Urban Affairs in the U.S. House of Representatives. In addition to Howard, he has taught at George Mason University. Johnson has a bachelor’s degree from Amherst College and a juris doctor from Columbia University.