Michael T. Cahill Installed as Ninth Dean of Brooklyn Law School

In a ceremony held in the moot court room on Oct. 23, Michael T. Cahill, former co-dean of Rutgers Law School, was officially installed as President, Joseph Crea Dean, and Professor of Law at Brooklyn Law School. He is the ninth dean in the Law School’s 118-year history. More than 200 alumni, trustees, faculty, students, staff, and community and academic leaders attended the installation.

Francis J. Aquila ’83, Chairman of the Board of Trustees, served as emcee for the event. Stuart Subotnick ’68, Chairman Emeritus of the Board of Trustees, welcomed the guests, and The Very Reverend Patrick J. Keating ’17,  Deputy C.E.O., Catholic Charities Brooklyn & Queens Econome & Vicar for Financial Administration, Diocese of Brooklyn, delivered the Invocation.

Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez spoke of the long-standing relationship that his office has had with the Law School, and his intent to see it continue under Cahill’s leadership. “One out of every five assistant district attorneys in Brooklyn are Brooklyn [Law School] alums,” he said. “As we talk about the great work and progressive reforms that are happening in Brooklyn in terms of our criminal justice system, it really is being driven in large parts by your graduates.”

Hon. Claire Kelly ’93 of the U.S. Court of International Trade and a member of the Board of Trustees shared her experiences of working alongside Cahill at the Law School first as a professor then as an administrator. “He has this great ability to build consensus and bring people into the conversation and therefore into the solutions,” she said.

Maryellen Fullerton, Suzanne J. and Norman Miles Professor of Law and past Interim Dean of the Law School, who had been Cahill’s faculty mentor when he first joined the faculty 16 years ago, commented on his calm, poise, and focus. “I felt a sense of shared mission and relief to have him by my side [during the transition],” she said. “His wise counsel during these past months as well as the path he has charted since 2003 give me great confidence in the leadership he will bring to Brooklyn Law School.”

Aquila oversaw the Investiture of the dean, along with Student Bar Association leaders Diego Gomez ’20, President; Emily Fullhardt ’21, Vice President; John Churchill ’21, Treasurer; and Bridget McDonagh ’21, Administrative Secretary, who took part in Cahill’s official robing ceremony.

In Cahill’s address, he thanked all the members of the Brooklyn Law School community for their support. “I recognize that I have an ongoing obligation to earn and maintain your trust,” he said. “It is my commitment and my promise to you and everyone you represent—our students, our alumni, our staff, and our entire community—to make good on the trust that you have placed in me.”

Read more about Dean Cahill.

See photos of the ceremony and reception here

Read the coverage in the New York Law Journal