Dean’s Research Scholars and New Forchelli Professors Announced

Dean Michael T. Cahill announced the creation of Dean’s Research Scholars as a new form of faculty recognition, and shared news of two faculty chair transitions, with new professors appointed as Jeffrey D. Forchelli Professor of Law and Don Forchelli Professor of Law. 

The inaugural group of Dean’s Research Scholars, a title that carries a three-year term, includes Professor Robin Effron, Professor Alice Ristroph, and Professor and Associate Dean for Research and Scholarship Jocelyn Simonson.  

Effron, who is also co-director for the Dennis J. Block Center for the Study of International Business Law, teaches civil procedure, litigation, and international business law. Her articles on procedure and federal courts have appeared in many leading law reviews and have been cited by several state, federal, and international courts. Effron is a regular presenter and commentator at civil procedure and litigation conferences and symposia. 

Ristroph teaches criminal law and procedure, constitutional law, and political theory, with emphasis on violence and resistance issues, including the regulation of state violence. Her most recent works have examined ideas and ideologies, including those promulgated in the legal academy, that influence or sustain carceral practices. She is a member of the American Law Institute. 

Simonson teaches criminal law, criminal procedure, evidence, and social change. Her scholarship explores ways in which the public participates in the criminal process and in the institutions of local governance that control policing and punishment. Her scholarship has been cited twice by the Supreme Court and was designated “Must Read” by the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers Getting Scholarship into Courts Project. 

Cahill also shared news on two faculty chair transitions, both linked by the surname Forchelli. The Forchelli family has longstanding ties to Brooklyn Law School as alumni and generous supporters—three generations have attended the Law School, and two members of the family have endowed faculty chairs created in their honor. One is Jeffrey D. Forchelli ’69, a member of the Brooklyn Law School Board of Trustees and managing partner of Forchelli Deegan Terrana, while the other is his father, Don Forchelli ’31. 

The title of Jeffrey D. Forchelli Professor of Law, formerly held by Professor Neil Cohen, now belongs to Professor Frank Pasquale. The title of Don Forchelli Professor of Law, currently held by Professor Lawrence Solan, will be assumed by Professor Catherine Y. Kim. 

Pasquale teaches health information, artificial intelligence and law, health law, and administrative law. An expert on artificial intelligence (AI) law, algorithms, and machine learning, he currently serves on the U.S. National Artificial Intelligence Advisory Committee, which advises the president and the National AI Initiative Office at the U.S. Department of Commerce. His 2015 book, The Black Box Society: The Secret Algorithms That Control Money and Information (Harvard University Press), has been recognized as a landmark study in information law. His latest book, New Laws of Robotics: Defending Human Expertise in the Age of AI (Harvard University Press, 2020) analyzes the law and policy influencing the adoption of AI in varied professional fields.  

Kim teaches immigration law, administrative law, anti-discrimination law, and civil procedure. Her research focuses on the role of courts and agencies as engines for social justice reform, particularly as it relates to immigrants and communities of color. She received the Eric K. Yamamoto Award and the James H. Chadbourn Award for her scholarship.