Hiring season over, world-class faculty grows by 10

With the pace of change in the legal profession accelerating daily, Michigan Law’s 10 newest faculty members are positioned to help the school continue training lawyers widely acclaimed as among the country’s most employable.

The new professors—who come from widely divergent backgrounds in private practice, the academy, and public service—will begin arriving in Ann Arbor next month and most will start teaching in the fall. They include:

• Civil rights and constitutional law expert Samuel Bagenstos, who comes to Michigan from Washington University School of Law.


• Regulatory, health, and administrative law expert Nicholas Bagley, who arrives from the Justice Department in 2010.


• Contract and antitrust expert Daniel Crane, who joins Michigan from the Cardozo School of Law at Yeshiva University.


• International and environmental law specialist Kristina Daugirdas, who will come to Michigan from the State Department in 2010.


• Former American Bar Association President Robert Hirshon, who also will become Dean Evan Caminker’s Special Counsel on Developments in the Legal Profession.


• Constitutional, transnational, and national security law expert Julian Davis Mortenson, who arrives from Fordham.


• Legal historian Bill Novak, who comes to Michigan from the University of Chicago.


• Current U.S. Soccer Federation general counsel Timothy Pinto, a 1997 Michigan Law graduate.


• Civil rights and empirical legal studies expert Margo Schlanger, who comes to Michigan from Washington University in St. Louis.


• Domestic and international criminal law scholar Sonja B. Starr, who most recently taught at the University of Maryland School of Law.

That broad mix of experience is designed to keep Michigan Law alumni ranked near the top for their readiness to tackle the real world after law school. Proof of the school’s strength was published last year by Vault.com, which ranked Michigan Law grads, from the perspective of employers, second in the country for immediate employability.

"There’s no doubt this has been an extraordinarily challenging year for the economy in general and the legal profession in particular. But here at Michigan Law, we were also fortunate to have an extraordinarily strong hiring season," Caminker said. "For years to come, these ten new colleagues will help keep our students and graduates among the most competitive in the new employment landscape."