Jacksonville University named Nicholas Allard the founding dean of its College of Law on July 19.
Allard received his J.D. from Yale Law School and a bachelor's from Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. He is a Rhodes scholar and holds a master’s in Politics, Philosophy and Economics from Oxford University.
“Nick Allard is a world-class legal scholar and administrator, who is widely recognized and respected as both a thought leader and an educator,” Jacksonville University President Tim Cost said in a news release.
“Jacksonville University is honored to welcome him as founding Dean of our College of Law, where he will have a tremendous impact on shaping the next generation of legal minds.”
Allard was dean from 2012-18 and president from 2014-18 at Brooklyn Law School in New York City where he also was a tenured professor.
While there, he launched initiatives designed to make legal education more affordable, accessible and valuable, the release said.
Before joining Brooklyn Law School, Allard chaired the Public Policy Department and the Government Advocacy Practice Group at Patton Boggs in Washington, D.C. Before joining Patton Boggs, he was a partner at Latham & Watkins where he helped establish the firm’s Global Government Relations Group.
JU also named a team of four senior administrators who will guide the College of Law through the process of accreditation and growth in its early years.
• Attorney Margaret Dees, senior vice president of economic development and external engagement at JU, is vice dean.
• Courtney Barclay will oversee academic affairs within the college. She is a JU associate professor in the communication department, who received a J.D. from the University of Florida Levin College of Law along with a bachelor’s in public relations, and a master’s and Ph.D. in mass communication.
• Assistant Dean of Student Development and Practice Katie Griggs was program manager for the JU Public Policy Institute. She received her bachelor’s in business administration from the University of Florida and a J.D. from Florida State University College of Law.
The school said it will offer a three-year Juris Doctor degree and begin the accreditation process in the spring of 2023. JU said its goal is to achieve conditional approval of accreditation by 2024 when the first class graduates.
Classes at the JU College of Law begin in August at the university’s Downtown campus at 76 S. Laura St. in VyStar Tower.
In May, Cost said the college will have 20 students in its founding year chosen from more than 275 applications.