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On May 22, 2000, William C. Powers, Jr., a nationally
prominent law professor, was named as UT Law’s 12th Dean, selected
from a pool of more than 100 candidates nationwide.
Read about the Law School's most recent faculty recruitment successes in
Recent Faculty News (5MB .pdf).
A successful dean and a leading, respected authority in his field.
Widely considered one of the nation's leading authorities on torts and
products liability, Powers has worked with the U.S. Congress, the
Brazilian legislature, and the Texas Legislature, to help craft
responsible laws. He also recently completed a seven-year major project
for the influential American Law Institute as reporter for the
Restatement (Third) of Torts: Apportionment of Liability. This
institute drafts and publishes clarifications of the law, and is one of
the most important U.S. legal institutes outside of the U.S. Court system
and Congress. Powers is the author of several books and dozens of articles
on tort law.
"It makes a statement that he's not coming just from the ivory tower, but
he's in the trenches and he knows what it's like to practice law," said
Tony Alvarado in an interview with the Austin-American Statesman
when Powers was selected as Dean. Alvarado is the executive director of
the State Bar of Texas.
He is also a member of UT's elite Academy of Distinguished Teachers, and
a popular professor.
Dean Powers has also been a successful dean, recruiting faculty, working
with alumni, and with University leaders. News about the Law School's
latest recruiting successes can be found in
Recent Faculty News (5MB .pdf).
 Working
to create new opportunities for people of all backgrounds. Time
Magazine recently wrote: “No school has worked harder…than
U.T.’s law school” to create opportunities for students
of all backgrounds. Since becoming Dean, and based on the contributions
of prior Dean Mike Sharlot, UT Law has opened up two centers, one
in Brownsville, Texas and another in San Antonio, Texas for undergraduate
students to prepare for a career in law. These programs build on the
success of the UT-El
Paso program, founded as a joint project in 1996. Shown here:
UT-San Antonio President Richard Romo and Dean Bill Powers as Dean
Powers delivers the check to launch the UT-San Antonio center in August
2001.
Encouraging public interest work. The faculty of UT Law has a
long tradition of serving the public interest. Sarah Cleveland’s
work with the sugar cane migrant workers, Doug Laycock’s work
for freedom of religion, Sarah Buel’s work on behalf of battered
women, are just a few key examples that have been promoted in the
national press. Since becoming Dean, he has raised more scholarships
for students interested in pursuing public interest work. Shown here:
Bill Powers and former Dallas Mayor Ron Kirk, ’79, at a reception
preceding Kirk’s lecture on “The
Rewards of Public Service.” (Photo Credit: Ann Butler)
Working with our alumni and with the Texas State Government. Strong
loyalty in our alumni base and a good relationship with the Texas
State government contribute to a stronger public law school. The Law
School is funded one-third by the State of Texas, one-third by Alumni
philanthropy, and one-third by student tuition. This partnership allows
Texas to provide the best education of any top- tier U.S. Law School
for the lowest price.
Since Powers has become Dean, the Legislature has approved
a new tuition bill, allowing the Law School to raise tuition, and alumni
have shattered previous giving and participation records. And Powers
has traveled to meet alumni in all parts of the globe: more than twenty
cities in Texas, Atlanta, New York, Washington, D.C. and Los Angeles. Shown here, Texas Supreme
Court Justice Wallace Jefferson, '88, and Texas State Senator Rodney
Ellis, '79 at the UT Law Alumni Gala in April 2001. (Photo credit: Rick
Patrick).
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